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Condenser Tube
Condenser Tube is specifically designed to
efficiently condense process fluid off of the
outside of the tube. This application is widespread
in heat exchangers, from being part of
a condenser and evaporator refrigeration cycle in
a chiller, to condensing steam in
surface condensers, and everything in between.

Categories of Failure
In a heat exchanger during normal operations
the tube surface gets covered by deposits of ash,
soot, and dirt and scale etc. This can be reduced
by using clean system by modifying design of heat
exchanger by treatment of process system.
Factors in stress corrosion cracking
1. Environment
2. Susceptible Material
3. Tensile Stress
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Stress corrosion cracking

It can occur without an externally applied load
or at loads significantly below yield stress.
Catastrophic failure can occur without significant
deformation or obvious deterioration of the
component.
Pitting is commonly associated with stress
corrosion cracking phenomenon. Aluminum and
stainless steel are more susceptible for SCC.
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Wear failures
Defined as damage to a solid surface caused
by the removal or displacement of material by the
mechanical action of a contacting solid, liquid, or
gas. Damage is usually thought of as gradual
deterioration.
Types of Wear failures:
1.Adhesive wear
2.Abrasive wear
3.Erosive wear
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Fatigue failures
Metal fatigue is caused by repeated cycling of
the load. Metal fatigue cracks initiate and
propagate in regions where the strain is most
severe.
Three stages in fatigue failure
1. Crack initiation
2. Progressive crack growth
3. Catastrophic failure
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Stress ratio = σmin/ σmax

• If the stresses are fully reversed, then R = -1.
• If the stresses are partially reversed, R = a
negative number less than 1.
• If the stress is cycled between a maximum
stress and no load, R = zero
• If the stress is cycled between two tensile
stresses, R = a positive number less than 1.
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Creep in metals
High temperature progressive deformation of
a material at constant stress is called creep. In a
creep test a constant load is applied to a tensile
specimen maintained at a constant temperature.
Strain is then measured over a period of time.
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Corrosive Failures
Corrosion is chemically induced damage to a
material that results in deterioration of the
material and its properties.
Following factors should be considered during a
failure analysis to determine the affect corrosion
played in a failure:
1.Type of corrosion
2.Corrosion rate
3.The extent of the corrosion
4. Interaction between corrosion and other
failure mechanisms.
Pitting Corrosion:
1.Localized form of corrosive attack.
2.Formation of holes or pits on the metal
surface.
3.Measured by weight loss.
4.The rate of penetration may be 10 to 100
times that by general corrosion.
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Causes of failures
1. Vibrations:
1.The vortex shedding frequency of the fluid in
cross flow over the tubes may coincide with a
natural frequency of tube and excite large
resonant vibration amplitudes.
2.When a critical velocity of fluid exceed and
the vibration then become self-exited and
grows in amplitude. This is known as fluid
elastic coupling.
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3.Turbulent pressure fluctuations provide a

potential mechanism for tube vibration
2. Corrosion
3. Overheating of tubes
4. Tube breaking
The corrosion and erosion in the tube can
cause tube brakeage
5. Fracture in weld portion
The clearance between the shell and tube
bundle can cause vibration in the tube bundle.
This causes the fracture formation in the tube
sheet.
6. Tube bending
The clearance between the shell and tube and
overheating can cause the bending of tubes.
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Failure Correction and Analysis of failures of

Heat Exchangers

How to Calculate

Heat
Q = U* A*LMTD
Transfer
rate
Overall
Heat
Transfer
coefficient
Area required for
heat transfer
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To find LMTD

For The multi pass cross flow

heat exchangers

Correction
Factor can be
found from data
book
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To find overall heat transfer coefficient

ho and hi can be find out by relations…

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To find overall heat transfer coefficient

ho and hi can be find out by relations…

Nu = 0.53(Gr*Pr)
0.25
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To find heat transfer rate Q….

And choose maximum value between them and

consider it as Q

By substituting all above value in initial equation we will get value

of Area required for heat transfer…
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Now calculate actual area A’ of tube….

Actual area =A’=3.14*do*L
Now check whether….
Actual area (A’) > area required for the heat
transfer (A)

• Design is
If yes safe

If no • Either change design

parameters or change
the material
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Prevention of Failure in Heat Exchanger

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Improving life of tubes from fracture mechanics

point of view and reducing induced vibrations

1.The stresses in the heat exchanger tubes are

mostly created by water pressure flowing
inside the tubes and vapor pressure of the
input/output steam/condensed in the
entrance/exit areas.
2.Because of the high speed of the entrance
steam during entering into heaters, it can
create vibration bending stresses in the tubes
located in the entrance area.
3.Fracture mechanics analysis including the
crack growth behavior can be used to predict
the amount of bending stress on the tubes in
service
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Paris law …

Effect of crack growth on Sigmoidal curve

(log-log scale)

By integrating above equation we get

an expression for crack propagation
life…

….Fatigue life of tube can be

calculated from this relation
Now put 106 as value of Np and
calculate required value of Δσ to
get infinite life.
 ` • (Δσ) actual can be find out from
experiments..
• Now check whether (Δσ)actual <
(Δσ)theoretical

• Will have an infinite

If Yes life with reduced
vibrations

• Try to reduce
If No vibrational bending
stresses Δσ

How to reduce vibrational bending stress?

• The main cause of the vibrational bending stresses in
the tubes is the high speed input steam.
• Therefore, such high stresses should be minimized

using proper methods such as using of an

impingement plate under the entrance gate, or
installing one or two baffle plates supporting heat
exchanger tubes in the input steam region.