Concept for quality surveillance

exemplary at a shell-and-tube heat

exchanger

ACHEMASIA 2013
Joining in Chemical Apparatus and Plant Construction
May, 13th-16th, 2013, Beijing

BASF SE BASF Company Ltd.

Technical Inspection/Materials Engineering Quality Management/Materials Engineering
Dr. Rainer Eckrich Dr. Guang BinRao
Requirements of the "Internal Tightness"
of shell-and-tube heat exchangers

Possible impact of presumed leakage:

1) - No impact on "SHE" and environment

- Impact on product quality is not relevant

2) - No immediate impact on "SHE"

- Product contamination is relevant

3) - Immediate impact on "SHE"

- Product contamination is unacceptable
⇒ Operator must define additional measurements

SHE: = Safety, Health and Environment

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Requirements of tube-tube-sheet joints
(load criteria and tightness requirements)

- Design (minimum tube wall

thickness)
- Manufacturing process
(rolling/expanding, welding,
number of layers)
- Type and scope of non-
destructive testing
- Quality surveillance/
inspections during fabrication

AchemAsia 2013 - Joining in Chemical Apparatus and Plant Construction

Requirements of tube-tube-sheet joints
(load criteria and tightness requirements)

 Load criteria
A, B, C, D

 Tightness requirement
(impact of a presumed
leakage)
1: No impact
2: No immediate impact
3: immediate impact

 Example C3:
 s = 2 mm; 2 layers
 Including RT testing
 In-fabrication inspection

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Recommended weld preparation and
execution

 Throat thickness shall be greater

than tube wall thickness (a ≥ t)

 Deviating weld preparation

is possible but approval
is required

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Implementing quality surveillance (1)
Measures before fabrication

Measures before fabrication starts

 Advising the requisitioner/orderer

 Inspection of the technical

documentation

Actions before beginning the

tube-to-tube-sheet welding

 “Mock-up” welding/procedure
qualification

 Monitoring of test welding/welders

 Evaluation of the test samples

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Implementing quality surveillance (2)
Fabrication and testing

Measures during welding – in-

fabrication inspections
 Weld preparation
 Cleanliness
 Executing the tube-to-tube-sheet
welding (skills/welding parameters)

Measures after welding – "final

inspection"
 Visual inspection
 Manufacturer tests and inspections
(VT, PT, MT, LT)
 RT inspection for heat exchangers
with tightness requirement "3"

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NDT - Procedures at shell-and-tube heat
exchangers

Leakage testing always

before pressure testing

 VT RT UT PT LT ET

Volume Procederes

• Simple but • With isotope or x- • Tube-to-tube- • Surface • Leakage testing • For critical
effective ray technology sheet joints procedure depending on the heat ex-
procedure for: (joint design (good con- requirement and changers
• For all weld
according trast perfor- agreement
• Tubes preparation • Integral
ASME IX) mance )
up to 15 mm tube • Nekal inspection
• Weld structure
projection • Larger tube of the tube
• Ammonia
• Surface defects dimensions
• St, CrNi, Ni, Ti • Zero
and with • Helium
condition
• Internal Diameter ≥ projection
• Depending on the test
8 mm
construction type
• Sample testing, but
• Vacuum
for critical heat
exchangers • Sleeve procedure
100% inspection

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Result of radiographic test on tube-to-tube-sheet
joints

Pores in tube-to-tubesheet welding

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Inspection of shell-and-tube heat exchangers
Test equipment RT – “Back Radiation Technique
with Gammamat B3”

Test setup with isotope Ir 192

 Additional inspection  Gammamat B3, 1 x 0.5 mm

source, activity max. 110 GBq
 Scope of inspection graduated by the  Film C3, 10 x 12 cm, Pb 0.02 /
number of tubes and test result 0.02, with holes
(1st/2nd sample  100% or new)

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Improved Radiation-test-system (x-ray)
Anode grounded tubes, Warrikhoff, Berlin

 Metal-ceramic tube MCTS 130 - 0.6  Transformer unit

 130 kV, 300 W, focal spot 0.6 mm  Operating unit

 Emission angle 168 x 360°  kV cable

 Rod anode (Diameter 6 mm)  Film-based application / detector

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Limits of application
Gammamat B3 versus Grounded tube

Limits of application lr 192: Areas of application of x-ray tube:

 Dimensions tube-to-tubesheet joints  From 8 mm inner tube diameter
from 16 x 1.5 mm to 76 x 4 mm  Carbon steel, high-alloy steel,
 Carbon steel, high-alloy steel, nickel and titanium
Ni-basis materials,  For customized design (projection
 Tube-to-tubesheet joints with up to of tubes, material) - test piece
15 mm projection required
 Oval tubes
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Improved RT test system for
Anode grounded tubes with “digital detector”

 Anode grounded tubes

 MCTS 130-0.6

 Digital detector DIC 100 TH

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Detectability of irregularities
Comparison of test systems

Detectability of irregularities
Radiographic testing of the
tube-to-tube-sheet joints
1. With gamma ray source (Ir192) mm
1.0
Back-radiation technique

Detectable size of flaw (mm)

(d = 1 x 0.5 mm) or forward-
radiation technique (d = 2 x 1 mm)

2. With x-ray tubes

(grounded anode tubes, d = 1mm ) 0.5 1. Ir192
back-radiation technique on film
basis
0.3 2. Rod anode on film basis

0.2 3. Rod anode with detector

3. With x-ray tube (grounded anode
tube) – back-radiation with CdTe
detector
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RT scope of inspection and evaluation criteria
(E-S-MC331)

 RT scope of inspection of the tube-to-tube-

sheet joints as per table 6.3.1, BASF E-S-
MC 331

Evaluation and acceptance

! criteria do not depend on

test-system !
 Evaluation criteria as per table 6.3.2.1

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Improved RT test system
Comparison of tests systems

 Ir192 + film  Rod anode + film  Rod anode + detector

 0.3 mm

 0.5 mm

 0.8 mm

 85 GBq, 1 x 0.5, film C3,  130 kV, 0.5 mA, film C3,  75 kV, 0.5 mA,
2 x 0.02 Pb film  1 mm Sn pre-filter, 2 x 0.02 Pb tB = 0.5 min
 tB = 1 min  t = 0.5 min  High pass filter
B
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Improved RT test system
x-ray film / detector pictures

 Tube dimension Ø 25 x 2 mm, exposure data: 80 kV/ 0.5 mA / 30 sec

Pore
and

tungsten
inclusion

 X-ray film  Detector picture

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Improved RT test system
Tube dimension Ø 25 x 2 mm

 X-ray film  PT Inspection  Detector picture

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Comparison of RT-test systems
Summary

 Isotope Ir192 –  X-ray tube –  X-ray tube -

film-based film-based detector-based

 Advantage:  Advantage:  Advantage:

• large scope of object • high detectability of details • see x-ray tubes
• easy to use • fixed recording parameters • lower radiation exposure
 Disadvantage: • simple transport • immediate evaluation
possible
• permanent source of  Disadvantage:
radiation  Disadvantage:
• lower scope of object
• disintegration of the • sensitive technology
isotope
• high investment cost
• reduced detectability of
details
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Classification of shell-and-tube heat exchangers
purchased in 2012

Total: 342
Quantity

Classification
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Summary and Outlook

 Number of leakages in shell-and-tube heat exchangers due to

fabrication-related errors substantially reduced

 Wide acceptance of this BASF standard in projects and while procuring

heat-exchangers

 Procedure successfully implemented in Europe, Asia and in the US

 Inclusion of heat exchanger tubes in this quality surveillance concept

 Application of “Risk based quality assurance (RisQ)” to further welded

constructions and standards

AchemAsia 2013 - Joining in Chemical Apparatus and Plant Construction

AchemAsia 2013 - Joining in Chemical Apparatus and Plant Construction