Hey Agro,
I'm not trying to fix the existing tower I'm more after new filtration system ideas.
Thank goodness for that.
As an exercise before this thread went off on a tangent with this repair with a bolt nonsence. Take a quick look at four simple engineering principles.
1. Hoop Stress. For a thin wall pressure vessel
2. Roarks Therory and Formula for stresses
3. Area Compensation under ASME B31.3
4. Youngs Stress/Strain Modulus
Stress over strain equals fatigue.
Put another way you have a fully blown up Party Balloon full to capacity and you about to stick a pin in it.
After you stick the pin in ...........Will it leak I guess is the question.
For an easy life just call Bauer and get a direct replacement. Even an aftermarked filter or filter / separator will be a pain to mount on that frame, the relief valve wont fit direct and the drain post will all need re piping. Aftermarket filters would be less than half that of the Bauer but too much hassle IMHO .