Hybrid seismic isolation of vertical pressure vessels in CO2 capture plant

This study investigates the hybrid seismic isolation of vertical pressure vessels in the CO2 capture plant using high-damping viscoelastic isolators and a grounded tuned mass damper inerter (TMDI), to improve the resilience of the CO2 capture plant against earthquakes. The vessel with the hybrid isolation is modeled as a cantilever beam connected in series with a linear oscillator and a TMDI. A parameter design framework of the hybrid isolation is developed based on a simplified two-degree-of-freedom model and the Pareto front. Numerical simulations of a vertical pressure vessel with the conventional base isolation, the high-damping base isolation, and the hybrid base isolation subjected to historical earthquakes are performed. The results show that the hybrid base isolation has the best control result in reducing the displacement, stress, and isolator deformation among the three base isolations. The role of the TMDI in the hybrid base isolation is equivalent to further increasing the damping of the high-damping base isolation. The larger of the inertance in the TMDI, the better the control result of the hybrid base isolation. The hydrodynamics induced by the solvent has little influence on seismic responses of the vessel, but greatly weakens the control result of base isolations when the solvent height is high. The hybrid base isolation is more recommended for the vessel considering the hydrodynamics than the conventional base isolation and high-damping base isolation.