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‫المحاضرة الرابعة‬

Shell and Tube Heat

Exchangers
Tubesheet Baher Elsheikh
Tubes March 2022
Skid bars
Part 04
Tie rods
Expansion joint
 TEMA RCB-2.4

Tube Pattern

▪ Triangular pitch (30 deg) and rotated triangular (60

deg)accommodates more tubes and produces high flow
turbulence is better for heat transfer and surface area per unit
length (greater tube density)
Rotated Triangular
Triangular 30°
▪ Square pitch is needed for mechanical cleaning, so it is 60°
preferred for dirty service applications

▪ TEMA R-2.5 Tube Pitch shall be spaced minimum center to

center of 1.25 tube OD, when the mechanical cleaning is
specified, lanes of 6.4 mm (0.25 in) shall be provided
Rotated Square
Square 90°
40°

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube Pattern

Triangular Square

30° 60° 90° 45° Rotated

Rotated

Applicable shell Low fouling tendency due to No limitation

side fluid the difficulty of mechanical Rotated
cleaning Triangular 30° Triangular 60°

Pressure Larger than square Smaller than triangular

drop(Shell side)

Larger than Smaller Smaller than Larger than

rotated than rotated square square
triangular triangular

Heat Transfer Higher than triangular Lower than triangular

Rotated Square
coefficient Square 90°
40°
(shell side)

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube-To-Tubesheet Joints (TTS)

Expanded
Process of expanding a tube to a fully plastic state into contact with tube hole that
creates residual interface pressure between the tube and tubesheet

Strength Welded
Weld design strength is equal to or greater than the axial tube strength
Can be Full strength Weld or Partial Strength Weld

Full Strength Weld: in which the design strength is equal to or greater than the axial
tube strength

Partial Strength Weld: in which the design strength is based on the mechanical and
thermal axial tube loads that are determined from the actual design conditions

Seal Welded
Weld is used to supplement an expanded tube to tubesheet joint to ensure leak
tightness
Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022
 Expanded Tube-To-Tubesheet Joints (TTS)
TEMA RCB-7.3.1

RB-7.3.1.1 Length of Expansion: Tubes shall be expanded into the tubesheet for a length no less than 2" (50.8
mm) or the tubesheet thickness minus 1/8" (3.2 mm), whichever is smaller. In no case shall the expanded
portion extend beyond the shell side face of the tubesheet.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Welded Tube-To-Tubesheet Joints (TTS)

J groove is adopted
in many specifications
to enhance the fusion
at the root pas

Other welding configurations

can be used other than the
listed in ASME

Special set back weld In some special applications, it Is not allowed to Some Acceptable Types
configuration used to prevent expand the tube to the tubesheet (only welding) ASME Sec. VIII div.1 – UW-20.1
crevice corrosion at the shell because it will render the leak detection
side

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube Holes in Tubesheets
TEMA RCB-7.2

To minimize work hardening, a

closer fit between tube OD and
tube ID as shown in column (b)
may be provided when specified by
the purchaser.

As a general rule the smaller the

clearance the better, from the
expanding point of view, no matter
what expanding method is used.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Welded Tube-To-Tubesheet Joints (TTS) - Mockup
Mock-UP of the tube-to-tubesheet welding

• ASME BPVC Sec. IX QW-193 to be followed with additional

requirements based on case by case
• Mock-up Welding / procedure qualification
• The mockup assembly shall essentially duplicate the tube-to-tubesheet
weld joint design to be used in production
• For tube-to-tubesheet welds to clad tubesheets, the cladding or overlay
may be represented by a base material with a chemical composition
that is essentially equivalent to the cladding composition
• The mock-up shall consist of ~ five (5) tube holes, drilled and prepared
for welding of the same size and tube pitch that will be used for
production welding.
• Hardness testing to be considered for work hardening materials (ex.
DSS and Ti)

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 U Bends
the requiredtube wall thickness in the bent portion before bending shall be
verified by

For Duplex stainless

steel tubes. Check API
C Thinning constant 938C for guidance
= 4, typical for the following materials: carbon steel, low alloy, ferritic
stainless, austenitic stainless, other relatively non-work-hardening
materials, and copper alloys.
= 2, typical for the following materials: martensitic stainless, duplex
stainless, super austenitic stainless, titanium, high nickel alloys, and other
work-hardening materials.
T1: min wall thickness by code
To: Required wall thickness
R: Mean radius of bend
do: Tube OD

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube-To-Tubesheet Joints (TTS)- Cladding Thk. of Tubesheet
Cladding and weld overlay thickness of the tubesheet in shell and tube heat
exchanger depends on the type of tube to tubesheet joint

When the tubes are expanded only to the tubesheet the required clad thickness is
HIGHER compared to the case when the tubes are welded to the tubesheet. This is to Cladding
provide proper distance to expand the tube to the cladding materiel and prevent the Tubesheet
ingress of the corrosive media to the base metal of the tubehseet.
Tube side
[API 660]:
The cladding (including weld overlay) thickness at the tube side face of a tubesheet Shell side
shall not be less than 10 mm when tubes are expanded only, and 5 mm when tubes Tube
are welded to the tubesheet.

The cladding or weld overlay thickness on the shell side face of a tubesheet shall not Tube
be less than 10 mm

[TEMA]: RB-7.6
The nominal cladding thickness at the tube side face of a tubesheet shall not be less
than 7.8 mm when tubes are expanded only, and 3.2 mm when tubes are welded to
the tubesheet.
The nominal cladding thickness on the shell side face shall not be less than 9.5 mm
Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022
 Cladding and Weld Overlay
Clad material is the typical choice for aggressive environments as an economical alternative to solid alloy steel.
The corrosion resistant alloy is selected specifically for its performance in the process.

Base Metal
Cladding
There are three typical choices

Explosion Welding Hot Roll Bond Weld Overlay

Explosive bonding uses the very-short-
duration, high-energy impulse of an explosion
to drive two surfaces of metal together,
simultaneously cleaning away surface oxide
films and creating a metallic bond.
Resist the most aggressive hydrogen
charging scenarios
The performance of explosion welded clad
material as it relates to hydrogen disbonding
is on par with fusion welded overlay deposits,
but is superior in terms of inspectability and
corrosion resistance.
Produced when a steel mill heats the steel
and corrosion resistant alloy together and
rolls them as one package.
The rolling, under high temperature and
pressure, causes the two metals to clad
together.
It is generally accepted that a roll bond clad
plate has the lowest bond shear strength of
the three techniques described here.
Weld overlay is a fusion deposition of
corrosion resistant alloy onto a steel or alloy
steel substrate.
Usually, weld overlay is done in place, after
the pressure vessel has been through many
of the fabrication steps, but not always.
In many cases, dilution concerns necessitate
the use of ‘butter passes’ and over alloying in
an attempt to overcome the issues of dilution

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Cladding and Weld Overlay
Special care for application in Hydrogen service

Base Metal
Cladding
Clad disbonding tests should be performed on any 1.25Cr-1/2Mo and 1Cr-1/2Mo vessel that is in
high-pressure
hydrogen service that may be subjected to rapid cool down conditions from service.

Vessels that have experienced disbonding have been subjected to a rapid shut down. The rapid
shut down does not allow hydrogen diffusion before reaching ambient temperature

Hydrogen disbonding tests on the proposed overlay weld procedures shall be done per ASTM
G146, at the testing conditions defined by purchaser

In the test, specimens are exposed to a gaseous hydrogen containing environment at HP/HT
conditions for sufficient time to produce hydrogen charging in the material. Following exposure, the
specimens are cooled to ambient temperature at a controlled rate. The specimens are then held at
room temperature for a designated period to allow for the development of HID (Hydrogen Induced
Disbnnding) between the clad alloy surface layer and the steel. Following the hold period, the
specimens are evaluated for HID at this interface using straight beam ultrasonic methods with
metallographic examination to confirm any HID found.

Vanadium-modified grades of P22 (2.25 Cr-1Mo) have been shown to be very resistant to
disbonding for all the domains indicated
API 943-D & API 934-A & ASTM G146

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Explosion Welding

Video Source: Nobelclad

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Cladding and weld overlay

Characteristics Explosion Welding Hot Roll Bond Weld Overlay

Full Chemistry of Corrosion

Resistance Alloy YES YES NO

Unaltered Corrosion Resistance

YES NO NO

Easy to Inspect
YES NO NO

Resists Hydrogen Induced Dis-

bonding YES NO YES

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube Dimensions
Tube size is specified by OD and thickness usually using
BWG as per TEMA table D-7

Smaller tube diam. Yields higher heat transfer coefficient and

results in compact exchanger

Larger tube diameter are easier to clean and results in

smaller pressure drop across the tube side

BWG: Birmingham Wire Gauge

Note: Less BWG means higher thickness

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tie Rods and Spacers
Tie rods and spacers, or other equivalent means of tying the baffle system together, shall be provided to retain all
transverse baffles and tube support plates securely in position.

Any baffle segment requires a minimum of three points of support.

TEMA Suggested tie rods for R Class Exchanger

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Skid Bars
API 660- Para 7.5.6 For all removable tube bundles with a mass of more than 5500 kg (12,000 lb), continuous
sliding surfaces shall be provided to facilitate bundle removal. If skid bars are used, they shall be welded to the
transverse baffles and support plates to form a continuous sliding surface.

• Skid bars shall not restrict the tube bundle inlet or

outlet flows.
• Skid bars shall protrude 1 mm (1/32 in.) beyond the
outside diameter of baffle and support plates.
• The leading and trailing edges of skid bars shall be
provided with a radius or a bevel to prevent damage
to
• the shell when inserting or removing the tube bundle.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Tube Bundle Vibration
• Tube vibration resulting from the mechanical effects of fluids impinging on tube surfaces. Such vibrations may induce wear or
cracking, especially if the tubes vibrate at their natural frequency.
• The vulnerability of an exchanger to flow induced vibration depends on:
1. Flow rate
2. Unsupported tube spans TEMA RCB-4.5.6
3. Material of baffle and tubes
4. Shell diameter
5. Inlet / outlet configuration.

• Reduction of flow-induced vibration requires correct spacing of tube supports and/or a change in the placement and design of
baffles. A change of tube metallurgy without an appropriate alteration of tube supports and/or baffling may cause flow-induced
vibration problems where none existed previously.

• Tube bundle vibration can cause fretting damage at the external surface of the tube / baffle

• High-frequency vibration of the tubes can cause Cavitation in either shell side or tube side streams causing cavitation attack to
the tubes.

• Under conditions of flow-induced vibration in heat exchanger tubes, corrosion-fatigue cracking at midspan regions has been
reported.
Cavitation

Longitudinal friction marks Fretting with the baffle

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022
 Tubesheet
Tubesheet is the principal barrier between the shell side and tube side pressures. Tubesheets are mostly flat circular
plates with uniform pattern of drilled holes

Integral with shell and channel Integral with shell and gasketed with channel, not
Integral with shell gasketed with channel extended as a flange

Gasketed construction both sides, not extended as a Gasketed on shellside and integral with shellside gasketed and tubeside integral construction, not
flange channel, extended as a flange extended as a flange.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Impingement Baffle and Erosion Protection
• An impingement plate, or other means to protect the tube bundle against impinging fluids, shall be provided for all
shell side inlet nozzle(s), unless the product of ρV2 in the inlet nozzle does not exceed the following limits:
** 1500 lb/ft.s2 (2232 kg/m.s2) for non-abrasive, single phase fluids (liquids, gases, or vapors);
** 500 lb/ft.s2 (744 kg/m.s2) for all other liquids, including a liquid at its boiling point
• For all other gases and vapors, including steam and all nominally saturated vapors, and for liquid vapor mixtures,
impingement protection is required.
• For shell or bundle entrance and exit areas, in no case can ρV2 be over 4,000 lb/ft.s2 (5953 kg/m.s2). This
requirement is independent of impingement protection.
• If impingement protection is used, the shell entrance and tube bundle entrance areas shall not be less than the
flow area of the inlet nozzle

TEMA RCB-4.6

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Impingement Baffle and Erosion Protection
• Perforated impingement plate baffles shall NOT be used.
API 660 7.5.4
• If Impingement Rods are utilized, consider the following:
a) A minimum of two rows of staggered rods shall be used.
b) The rods shall not have a diameter less than 19 mm (3/4 in.).
c) Tube center-to-center spacing shall be 1.25 to 1.33 times the rod diameter.
d) The length and width of the rod array shall extend at least 50 mm (2 in.)
beyond the projection of the nozzle bore or 20 % greater than the inlet
nozzle inside diameter, whichever is larger.
e) For carbon, low alloy, and austenitic stainless steel materials the rods shall
be supplied as solid bars; for other materials tubing can be used if
approved by the purchaser. f) Impingement rods shall be supported at both
ends. When attached to the tubesheet, impingement rods shall not be
attached by welding alone.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Pass Partition Plates
These are the baffles used to direct the tube side fluid into different tube passes and are located in the front and
rear ends of the exchanger. These pass partition plates can be horizontal and/or vertical depending upon the
case. These are generally flat plates.

These may be laid differently for the straight tube and U-tube bundles. These are generally welded in place in
the channel and set in the grooves in the tubesheet by means of integral gaskets

TEMA R-7.4: Tubesheets shall be provided with approximately 3/16" (4.8 mm) deep grooves for pass partition
gaskets.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Collar Bolts in Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger
Collar Bolts are used in removable bundle heat exchangers to hold
the bundle in place and remove the channel without interrupting or
breaking the seal between the tubesheet and the shell.

✅The OD of the stationary tubesheet should match the mating

flange OD and should be through-bolted. Every fourth stud in the
bolt circle (with a minimum of four) should be a collar.

✅The main objective and advantage in using collar bolts is to

enhance maintainability, considering the fact that each time the
channel is removed, the bundle should be removed for replacing
the gasket between the tubesheet and the shell to avoid leakage
after pressurizing the exchanger. The replacement of the bundle
gasket is time consuming and increases Mean Time To
Repair/Restore (MTTR)

✅There might be relative higher cost accruing to the larger

tubesheet size and the aching required for the bolt holes in the
tubesheet.
TEMA RCB-11.8 – added to the 10th edition

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Distributor Belt
A distributor belt is an annular space on the outer diameter of the shell which provides impingement protection,
reduced bundle pV2, reduced shell side pressure drop, improved flow distribution at the inlet and/or outlet nozzle and
can reduce flow induced tube vibration issues.

Also, by putting the annular space external to the shell, the full shell diameter may be utilized for the tube field.

TEMA RGP-RCB-4.6.1 – added to the 10th edition

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Distributor Belt
Distribution and vapor belts where the shell is not continuous across the belt shall be designed as flexible shell element ,
ASME sec. VIII div.1 appendix 5

Nozzles, backing strips, clips, or other attachments SHALL NOT be located in highly stressed areas of the expansion joint, i.e.,
inner torus, annular plate, and outer torus.

As an exception, a thin cylindrical liner, having approximately the shell inside diameter, may be attached to an inner torus or an
annular plate inner corner. A liner is considered thin when its thickness is no more than t/3; however, it need not be thinner than
1/16 in (1.6 mm). This liner shall be attached to only one side.

Such kind of design precautions can be easily overlooked as

it is not part of the calculations procedure. Design software
will not alert the user for such issue.

Reference: ASME BPVC Sec. VIII Div.1, Mandatory Appendix

5, para. 5-4-c

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Expansion Joints in Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
• For fixed tubesheet exchangers, when the difference
between shell and tube mean metal temperatures
becomes large (greater than ~ 50°C for carbon steel), the
tubesheet thickness and tube end loads become
excessive.

• Expansion joints also find applications in floating head

exchangers, in the pipe between the floating head cover
and the shell cover to cushion the thermal expansion
between the tube bundle and the shell.

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Expansion Joints in Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers
• Expansion joint must compromise between two contradictory loading conditions: pressure-retaining capacity
and (2) flexibility to accommodate the differential thermal expansion.

Classifications of Expansion Joints

Thick walled expansion joints Bellows or formed membrane

MANDATORY APPENDIX 5 MANDATORY APPENDIX 26

FLEXIBLE SHELL ELEMENT BELLOWS EXPANSION JOINTS
EXPANSION JOINTS

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Fabrication Tolerances

TEMA F-1 & F-2

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Girth Flange Tolerances

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Threaded Fittings
• Threaded fittings are allowed for use in pressure equipment and piping as per applicable
codes and standards with restriction to be limited to nonhazardous services and limited
for small size nozzles. NPT taper pipe threads are intended to be made up wrench-tight
and with a sealant whenever a pressure-tight joint is required.
• One of the common examples are the small threaded connections usually fitted to the
nozzle of shell and tube heat exchangers to be used when required for pressure and
temperature gauges’ connections to test and evaluate the exchanger performance.
• Those connections are of potential risk as normally they are not used for long time and
might suffer disengagement due to many reasons like crevice corrosion or vibration. In
addition, improper installation can lead to immature failure of the nozzle.
• The thread failure can either leak with gradual increase or might suddenly blew out

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

 Threaded Fittings
• Avoid using threaded fittings for new heat exchangers unless it is really
required and to be limited to air and water service
• Include leak check for existing threaded fittings in heat exchangers
nozzles in periodic patrol by operations
• Apply proper quality control during the installation of the tapered
threaded fittings. Guidelines from ASME B1.20.2M for the installation of
the tapered threads showing how much threads should be engaged
with hand tight and the overall engaged length with wrench tight can be
followed.
• Seal weld of threaded plugs can also be of potential risk as it is not
intended to provide strength for the joint and in case corrosion or other
mechanism damaged the thread, seal weld will not resist the pressure
and might suddenly blew out !
• When threaded joints are intended to be seal welded, thread sealing
compound shall not be used !
• The thread failure can either leak with gradual increase or might
suddenly blew out !

Heat Exchangers Training Course Baher Elsheikh – March 2022

End of Part 4
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Baher Elsheikh

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