Quantifying Quality in Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger

In this article an attempt is made to quantify the quality crafted in a shell-and-tube heat
exchanger by an experienced manufacturer.

A shell-and-tube heat exchanger is the only equipment in the process plant which has two
different fluid streams at different temperatures and pressures flowing through two
distinct chambers which are mechanically sealed from each other. Due to its complex
construction and demanding operating conditions, failures are not uncommon.
Furthermore, heat exchangers are deployed for dirty service and need to be dismantled
for servicing, rendering gasket joints susceptible to leakage. Internal and external
leakages have a bearing on safety, resultant losses and the quality of the end-product due
to intermixing of two fluids.

All the heat exchangers are ordered and manufactured in compliance to international
construction codes and project specifications. Still the plant operating companies
experience a marked difference in the performance, maintenance friendliness and usable
life of equipment supplied by different manufacturers around the globe. This indicates
that there are some finer aspects in heat exchanger design & manufacturing that are
beyond the scope of codes & specifications. Thus, compliance to specifications alone
cannot be judged as the measurement of equipment quality.

Quality can be quantified as the value added to a piece of equipment during its
concept, design & engineering, fabrication sequence and workmanship.

The added value is the cost saved during the entire equipment life (Cost of - under
performance, un-planned shutdown, loss of production, consumable during regular
maintenance, replacement of equipment before its design life, etc.) when compared with
the cost and time incurred for similar equipment made by another manufacturer. The
value we add far exceeds the contract price. Hence the deserving vendors must receive
the recognition for their value addition.

We add value right from analysing the licensor’s specifications along with those of the
client and ASME code. This activity is done since some are generic specifications and
contain requirements that may not be suitable/ applicable for a particular design. Also,
when requirements of multiple specifications are combined, the resulting interpretation
does not always benefit the equipment. We do this at our cost and time to ensure
satisfying results.

The most common problem in all types of shell-and-tube exchangers is the tube bundle
itself - the heart of the exchanger and its most fragile and expensive part. Here, the
failures are due to vibration and the tube-to-tube sheet joints. The former is on account
of the inaccuracy of baffle holes/alignment of the baffle cage and the latter due to
inaccuracies in tube sheet hole and tube expansion.

In proprietary Hi-Hi Screw-Plugs (Breach-Lock), the two most common problems are:
 1. Jamming of the plug: The plug cannot be unscrewed; the exchanger cannot be
serviced.

2. Internal leaks in the gasket joint, resulting in a mix-up of sulphur dirty and sulphur
clean fluids between the shell side and the tube side.

Other proprietary exchangers such as Rod-Baffle exchangers and Helix exchangers pose
hurdles of a similar nature.

Quantification of quality depends on the type and nature of failure of the equipment.
Failure from leakage of non-toxic substances can result in shutdowns, while leakage of
toxic substances can cause environmental damage or have catastrophic effects.