Table of Contents

Definition 1
Type Of Expansion Bellows

Requirement 4
Design Code
Dimensioning
PVElite Input

Compress Input

Project Statement about Use of expansion bellows

Reference Standard

Solved Example

TEMA 9th Edition Requirement

Definition

Expansion Bellows
 1. TEMA designate it as “Flexible Shell Elements”. This section shall apply to the fixed tube
heat exchangers, which require expansion bellows or FSE to reduce shell and tube
longitudinal stresses and / or tube to tubesheet joint loads.

2. Heat Exchanger shell bellows are used on fixed tube sheet heat exchangers. Bellows
deflection is only axial and can be either extension or compression depending on the
differential expansion of shell and tubes. In most cases the tubes are hotter than the shell,
moreover tube material is sometimes high alloy, i.e. Stainless steel or nickel alloy, which
expands about 50% more than carbon steel. Design of heat exchangers is covered by the
TEMA1 standards and ASME Sec VIII. Div1.

Type Of Expansion Bellows

1. Light Gauge bellows expansion joints per EJMA (Reference TEMA)

Heat exchanger shell bellows can also be thin wall multi-convolution bellows, ring
reinforced for higher pressures. Thin wall bellows have no circumferential welds. For this
reason a higher fatigue life is expected. These bellows are more compact in OD than
heavy wall bellows. Design of thin wall bellows is covered by ASME Sec VIII Div 1
mandatory Appendix 26. Thin wall bellows can be formed by expanding mandrel, roll
forming or hydraulic forming. An external cover is required for these bellows to protect
against mechanical damage. Code inspection and U-2 stamp is required.

2. Flanged Only Expansion Joints (Reference TEMA)

3. Flanged & Flued Types of expansion joint (Reference TEMA)

Heat exchanger shell bellows can be heavy wall flanged and flued bellows. Design of such Bellows
is covered by ASME Sec VIII Div 1, Appendix CC. Heavy wall bellows are rugged, generally having
a wall thickness equal or near to the shell wall. Because of material thickness, no cover is
necessary. The disadvantage is that a lot of fluid can be trapped in these corrugations and a drain
is sometimes required. Those bellows are formed by welding flanged and flued plates together,
thus creating 1, 2, or 3 U-Shaped corrugations. ASME Code inspection and U-2 stamp is required.
Dimensioning

TEMA 9th Edition Requirement

1) The 9th edition TEMA RCB-8 FSE guidelines will generally result in lower stiffnesses of from 1-
to-2 times for the brief survey given.
2) The 9th edition TEMA RCB-8 FSE guidelines will generally result in lower stresses of from 1-to-2
times for displacement based stresses and 1-to-6 times for shell side pressure stresses.
3) Programs using the 8th Edition of TEMA for FSE's may be too conservative and can show "no
solution" results, where solutions using FSE's exist.
4) VIII-I UHX-17 permits higher allowables but requires a plastic evaluation of the FSE. Kj=J=0 can
be used to simulate this condition for other exchanger components.
5) The TEMA 9th edition software will calculate the plastic stiffness for the user given the plastic
displacement of interest.
6) Guidelines are given for squirm where multiple FSE's are used.
7) Simplified FSE sizing steps were provided.
8) Methods for finding the design displacement "d" for use in the 9th edition of TEMA RCB-8 are
given for UHX and TEMA methods.
**** Yellow highlighted need to confirm after reading.