Comparison of Meshless and Finite Element Methods for Elastic–Plastic Assessment of HIPPS Pressure Vessels

Abstract

This article compares the meshless method and the classical finite element method in the case of elastic-plastic analysis of pressure vessels. The finite element method has proven to be a robust approach over the years and has been continuously developed for both static and dynamic analyses, as well as linear and nonlinear applications. However, the use of the finite element method presents some intrinsic critical issues, such as the generation of the calculation grid or mesh and dependence, leading to the introduction of methods that do not require the explicit generation of a calculation grid, or meshless methods. The purpose of this paper is to review the performance of a meshless resolution compared with the traditional mesh-based approach, in the case of the verification of industrial HIPPS valves, focusing on the precision and quality of the results obtained as well as the operating cost, assessing the method’s operational advantages at an industrial level.