How to find the optimum layout for heat exchangers Internal elements such as tubes, baffles and tubesheets, and external components including covers, channels and nozzles, determine the extent to which simplicity in piping can be achieved Robert Kern, Hojimann C1 Piping connected to heat exchangers is generally uncomplicated. Piping economy depends more on knowing what alterations can be made to exchangers than on piping design. Consequently, the layout de- e mechanical design of heat ex functional igner ean influence 1 changers in the interest of economical an piping. Alterations to exchangers should n duty and cost For biography of author, we Clon Ents May 23, 1977, 136 “Tuvesice nore (outed) ‘channel flange Channa Shell-and-tube exchanger with floating head is typical of many in chemical process plants ‘Tubasde norzie (inlet) La Roche ine.” The variety of exchangers in type, duty and applica: ion is very large; our design analyses will be limited to shell-and-tube exchangers in chemical plants, With modifications, the design principles are also applicable (0 other types of exchangers arranged in outdoor (ic. open) or indoor (i., housed) chemical plants. In order to evaluate alternative possbilitics of ex changer piping, we must be familiar with the construc ion details of exchangers, the wide range of exchange rypes, and the functions and duties of exchangers in chemical plants, We can then achieve the most cco: ‘Shellside rarsie-—~ Neate cating head (or removable tube bundle) i i Fig. 1 Sr 169CTT Desirable 1 Not scoromiea nig seve Drretming ancl 100" aa) 8 tsa tow ower 4 Share spo bate ow patrn praia by raoetng neni ‘Simplifying the flow path improves piping design Fig. 2 romical piping arrangements to satisfy engineering, plant operation, maintenance and safety requirements. Let us start by reviewing the design principles and construction details for heat exchangers as these affect piping design. Shell-and-tube exchangers Most shell-and-tube exchangers used in chemical plantsare of welded construction (Fig. 1). The shells are built asa piece of pipe with flanged ends and necessary branch connections. Up to 24 in. dia., the shells are of seamless pipe; above 24 in., they are made of bent and ‘welded steel plates. Channel sections are usually of built-up construction, with welding-neck forged-steel flanges, rolled-stee! barrels and welded-in.pass-parti tions. Shell covers are either welded directly to the shell, or are built-up constructions of flanged and dished heads and welding-neck forged-stee! flanges Heat is exchanged between two Guids of differing temperatures. One fluid flows in the tubes; the other through the shell in a predetermined pattern around the tubes. Generally, cooled streams flow downward, and heated streams upward, through the tubeside or shellside of heat exchangers. When phase change takes place, this principle is exential. For liquid streams, it is a matter of preference. Vapor and gas streams can flow upward or downward, regardless of temperature. Some typical examples illustrate these principles. In most cases, water inlets are at the bottom side of ex- changers, and outlets at the top. Steam enters at the top channel nozzle of reboilers, and condensate exits at the bottom nozzle. Vapor inlet for condensers is at the top, and liquid outlet at the botwom. ‘When large quantities of vapor have to be condensed or released, the physical change usually takes place in the shell, where more volume ean be provided than in the restricted space of tubes. Counterflow provides better heat transfer than con- current flow and is preferred. This can only be fully satisfied with single-pass exchangers on both the tube- side and shellside, or with double-pipe units. With mul- tipass tubes and crossflow shells, this principle loses its importance, Using these principles, a single-tube-pass condenser hhas been arranged after a distillation column, as shown ig. 2a. Here, inlet and outlet have been designed by the exchanger specialist and piped up accordingly. There is nothing wrong with it. But the arrangement of Fig. 2b works just as well, and saves welds and fittings in the large-size overhead line. The esential parts of an exchanger, as shown in Fig. 1, are: (1) tubes or tube buncle with tubesheets, baifles and tie rods; (2) the shell, housing the tube bundle, with, inlet and outlet nozzles; (3) channel (front head) inlet and in most cases outlet nozzles, partitions and occa sionally channel cover; (4) shell cover (rear head) with or (mostly) without outlet nozzles; and (5) exchanger supports located on the shell “Tubes and tube bindle—The most popular tube sizes range from % in. to 1 in. Tubes are in square or trian- gular arrangement, After the baffles have been placed around the tubes, the tubes are roller-expanded into the tubesheets at each end. The tubesheets can be welded to the shell. If the tubesheets are separate (held between anges), they form with tubes and baffles a removable bundle. The close spacing of tubes in triangular pitch makes mechanical cleaning difficult and increases skell- side pressure drop. When low shellside pressure drop is required, square pitch is used. Because of wider tube spacing, with square pitch, the shell becomes larger and the exchanger will be moze expensive. In plant design, access must be provided to the tubesheets because the exchanger covers are removed for inspecting the tube ends periodically. Bafies—These arc an integral part of tube bundles, and serve to (a) direct the flow horizontally and ve cally in the shell for optimum heat transfer, and (>) support the tube between the tubesheets. Cross-ba‘fles are Ye to Y/cin.-thick plates suitably cut and arranged for directing fow through the shell. Exchangers usually have vertical segmental baffles; condensers have hori zontal baffles. Baffles also determine the locations for inlet and outlet nozzles on the shell. ‘Typical baffie arrangements for various types of ex ‘changers are shown in the sketches of Table I. Segmen- tal bafles provide a single shell pass, with nozzles at each end of the shell (see Fig. 1 and Item | and 2 in Table L.), Single splitflow design has one inlet and two outlets (Item 4). Single split-flow design with horizontal bafles neeessitates one inlet and one outlet (Item 7). The double-spit flow shell, with horizontal baffles, has two inlets and two outlets (Item 5), The segmental two-or-more shellepass design has nozzles at one end 170 CART RGNERNG SNEAlterations to typical heat exchangers for better piping Posie siteratons” Change direction ot fiow on Table | Anver- som | change | shet- | tue | sides | nozzie | nozzie Tube iow | side | side | same | recally | rcally oo Steen cic | only | only | time | 180" | “T80" T e @ele\le Sinai-cas she Heater 2 | Cee core Singe-pes shel! Single soitfiow shel cod eine) 2ora ee Ca Zora c tubeside ors Pa - ea Excheneee cae raed 10 2ord os pases) T4Ty | et Twopass shel!Expansion jint fr ehel fixed tubssheets Heat exchangers wi Fig 3 ‘when the number of passes is even, and nozzles at each ‘end if the number is odd (Item 9, 6, 9 and 10). Hiade—A channel head at the front and a cover head at the back enclose both ends of the exchanger tube- sides. Inlet and outlet connections may be on one or both heads for the return flow. The heads can be cast or built-up constructions of carbon stee! or alloys. The choice of head design depends on inspection and main- ‘tenance frequency for exchangers. Heads can be welded to the shell, or they can be flanged with additional head covers(Fig” 1) for tube inspection without disconnecting piping Piping has to be disconnected to remove the ch The cover usually has no piping connections Often a davit is provided, pivoted on the shell, for cover re- moval. (See Fig. 7 Inlet and outlet nozzles, and flow direction, on both tubeside and shellside are arranged to give the required flow through the unit for optimum heat-iransfer. The shell and channel have vent and drain connections. Pressure, gage-glass, Ievel-controller and relief-valve connections can also be arranged on the shell, if they el are required. ‘Twa supports are usually welded on the shell, one with elongated anchor-bolt holes to permit thermal expansion. When exchangers are stacked, additional supports are necessary on the top of the bottom shell. A. light structure can be designed for spacing stacked ‘exchangers between exchanger footings, 172 Basic types of exchangers Many combinations of shells, shell covers and chan- nel sections, tubes and baffles are posible for heat exchangers [/,2]. We will discuss four types: Fined-tbeshet-Exchangers with completely enclosed tubes (Fig. 3) can be used only ia clean serviee. Clean- ing can be done by Aushing through the tubeside and stelside. Cleanout connections are provided in the piping as close ae practical to the exchanger nozzles Detween the exchanger and block valve. ‘Two bolted covers facilitate inspection and cleaning of tubes. Be- cause no provision is made for tube expansion, these exchangers are built for low-temperature service. When differential expansion between tubes and shell exits, an expansion joint is built into the shell U-ube—In this type of exchanger, the tube bundle is hairpin-shaped and can freely expand. The bundle is removable from the shell. For inplace maintenance space must be provided in the back and front of the exchanger. Space must also be allowed for mobile tube-removal facilities. The U-tube design is used when fouling inside the tubes is not expected Floating-head—Thia is the mostoften used type in chemical plants (Fig. 1), and is more expensive than fixed-tube or U-tube exchangers. One end of the tube bundle has a stationary tubesheet held between shell and channel Hanges. The floating head can freely ex- pand and contract with temperature changes Ketle-fe—For high evaporation rates, the ket type exchanger is chosen (Ttem 8 in Table t). This type can have a U-bundle or a floating-head bundle. The shell is larger to accommodate the generated vapor. “These examples of exchangers show detail of interest to the piping designer. Exchanger type, size, construc tion delails, nozzle arrangements, flow” direction through shell and tubes are determined by the ex changer designer, usually without taking into account caxternal piping. Most often, the piping designer hat no influence in the design and selection of heat exchangers, butcan request alternate low and nozzle arrangements in the interest of economical piping ‘The piping designer is responsible for the physical arrangement of piping, and for the efficient and trou- blefree operation of proces equipment, including ex changers. For example, ifthe piping designer blindly followed the nozzle locations and flow requirements provided by the exchanger specialist, he could end up with the piping arrangements shown in Fig. 2a, 2c and 2e, The suction line in Fig. 2c has a pocket and a loop in the line, which means longer piping, more fittings, more vents and drains, and unreliable pump operation. By reversing the flow through the exchanger, a loop, pocket, vent and drain are eliminated, as shown in Fig. 2d. Moreover, the suction line has been shortened and simplified ‘Another comparison i illustrated in Fig. 2e and 2f. The long zig-zag flow in Fig, 2c hat been simplified with the more functional arrangement of Fig. 2 Exchanger modifications for improved piping ‘Table lite alterations to heat enchangers that can be made without a cost increase in order to achieve anoptimum piping arrangement. These may range from changing the flow direction to relocating the nozzles. ‘The possible alterations are: C Interchange flowing media between the tubeside ‘and sbellsde. This change is often possible, and more so when the flowing media are similar, such as liquid hydrocarbons. Preferably, the hotter liquid should flow in the tubes to minimize heat losses through the shell or 1 avoid the use of thicker shell insulation, Ci Change direction of low on tubeside, on shellide, for on both sides. These changes are frequently possible and are accepted by the exchanger designer ifthe tubes are in double-pass or multipass arrangement and the shell has a cross-flow bafile arrangement. In exchangers having counterflow conditions, changing the direction of flow should be made simultaneously on tubeside and shellside. Ci Change the exchanger’s nozele location on tube sid6 or shellside. These changes are frequently posible fon the shell and channel without affecting the required ‘duty on most exchangers in chemical plants. The following factors ean also influence the decision of the piping designer when considering changes in exchanger construction: Visens liquids Exchanger performance is usually improved when viscous material flows through. the tubes, particularly when cooling, On the shellside, pockeis can form, thereby reducing the effective heat. teansfer surface Shell leatage—When gases, liquid hydrocarbons or chemicals are watercooled, the water usually passes through the shell. A tube leakage will result in contami- nating the water; a shel leakage, on the other hand, can vent process materials to the atmosphere, with potential hagard. High-pressure serice—If high-pressure fluid flows on the tubeside, only the tubes, tubeahects, channels and cover have to be designed for high pressure. (A relief valve must be provided on the shell.) High pressure on the shellsde requires a rach heavier shell and covers, and considerably increases the exchanger cost. Pressure drop-—Where pressure drop must be mini- ized, the flow passes through the shellside. By opening up tube-and-baffle spacing, low mass velocities can be obtained and pressure drop reduced, The larger sbell increases the cost of the exchanger. * Shellsde flow—Shellside volume can be_ designed uch larger than tubeside volume. Vaporization or condensation of ffeely flowing fluid is more effective than through the tubes. Cornsion—Corrosive liquids should pass through the tubes so thatthe shell ean be made of earbon steel. Only the tubes and channel have to be made of alloy steels. Fouling —If one medium is dirty and the other clean, passing the clean one through the shell will result in casier tube-bundle removal for cleaning, or even sim- pler exchanger design. ‘Mechanical modifications to exchangers Mechanical alterations to the basic exchanger do not affect the thermal design, and can save money, provide better access, and improve piping layout. Often, the slight inereate in cost caused by a special nozale ar- Angular connection fortop nztes Angular connection for bottom pores Fig 4 rangement is more than offiet by more-economical piping. ‘A few variations in norale arrangements are shown in Fig. 4. Elbow nozzles permit the lowering of exchangers to bring them closer to grade. Elbow nozzles also enable stacked exchangers, in parallel or dissimilar service, to be arranged closer to each other. This facilitates better accest and easier maintenance of exchanger valves and instruments. Angular connections can save one or two bends in the pi ‘These are more often applied to the top nozzle of the shellside or tubeside. Too many angular connections at the bottom can mean a separate drainage point on the shell or channel. The maximum angle from a vertical centerline can be about 30°. This 173Cana to flange bots vars | sire Soace or | eta soe, feta \ Sa i Exchanger piping in plan shows arrangements for heat exchangers and space required for access / ital aroura) Access to valves nd instruments Ep ar Saaee caingn Tn S Lineup footings possible 2. nl anata Fig. 5 angle depends on nozzle and shell sizes, and internals of the exchanger, such as the baifle arrangement in the nel. Tangential connes- tions can save fittings, make piping arrangement sim- pler, and improve access to valves. For restricted space at indoor in exchangers in structures or supported on vessels, the originally designed unit might be too long. It is possible to Shorten exchangers to satisfy space limitations. How- ever, the practical rule is that a more economical heat exchanger can be designed by using small-diameter shells and maximum shell-lengths Horizontal exchangers can be timed vertical for conserving floor space. Verticals can be changed 10 horizontal when installation height is restricted. Exchanger footings relative to shell and channel noz- les can also be relocated to adjust to a more-economi- cal overall (lined-up or combined) foundation design. allations, and for Heat-exchanger piping The information required for piping design as ap- plied to heat exchangers is the same as that required for vessel piping." Afier all information has been collected, with the exchangers located on the plot plan and their elevations established, the first step is to outline clearance and 1% working space in front, and around both ends, of the exchangers. These working spaces should be kept clear of any piping and accesories to facilitate channel, shell-cover and tube-bundle removal, as well as mainte- ance and cleaning. (The clearances shown in Fig. 5 are for exchangers having about a 2-fe shell diameter. ‘Smaller units will require somewhat smaller clearances, and larger ones slightly greater.) Piping in plan The overall plant layout influences the main ar- rangement of exchanger piping and acces (sce Fig. 5). ‘The channel-ends of exchangers face the main plant road for convenience in tube removal. The shell cover faces the pipe rack. Tf piping is arranged on one elevation only (between exchanger and yard piping), one pipeline will be lo- cated over the exchanger centerline I is suggested that 4 top shellside nozzle be chosen for this location. The top tubeside connection can be placed on a slight angle (Fig. 4e) to miss the top shellside pipeline, in order to avoid an offset in this line. Pipelines turning to the right in the yard should be run to the right of the exchanger centerline. Those turning left should approach the yard on the left-hand side of the exchanger centerline Pipelines from bottoin connections of exchangers should also turn up on theDimensions of Zost Yerdpiine olwations Pump discharge Elevations for i Elevation for piping between exchangers toadigcent equiomert ‘and yard Exchanger piping in olovation shows location of pipeline Lineup cooler Line cooler cosing water Ato man runs in relation to main pipe rack Fig. right or left side of the centerline, depending upon which way the pipeline turns in the yard. Pipelines with valves and control valves should tum tovrard the access aisle, which is arranged close to the exchanger. Pipelines interconnecting exchangers with adjacent process equipment can run point-to-point, just above required headroom or about on the same level as the yard piping. Reboiler-line elevations are established by the drawolf nozzle and return nozale on the tower. Steam lines connecting to a header in the yard can be arranged on cither side of the exchanger centerline ‘without increasing the pipe length, -water lines, in most eases, are below gradc, and should ran right under the lined-up channel noz: ales of all coolers. The warm-water return header is usually adjacent to the cooling-water supply main. ‘Access (© valve handwheels and instruments wil influence the piping arrangement around heat ex: changers. Valve handwheels should be accessible from, grade and from a convenient accessway. These access ways should be used for arranging manifolds, control valves and instruments, Piping in elevation Fig. 6 shows an exchanger in elevation with adjacent process equipment and single-level yard piping. The ‘main elevation for lines between the exchanger nozzles land yard piping is about 2 to 3 ft lower than the yard elevation. his elevation can be used for pump-dis- charge lines, f the pump is under the yard piping and near the exchanger, and for lines connecting to equip- meat arranged below the yard piping, To avoid con: densate drainage toward the exchanger, the preferred connection for steam lines is to the top of the header. However, there is nothing wrong in having a steam connection to the bottom of the header if steam traps are placed at the low point Orifice flanges in exchanger piping are usually in. horizontal pipe runs that should be just above head- room. The orifice should be accessible from a portable ladder. When convenient, pipes having an orifice and. differential-presrure-cell measuring element can be Io- cated about 2%, ft from grade to the centerline of the pipe. Orifices in a liquid line and using a mercury-type ‘measuring element require more height. Long, vertical measuring U-tube gages must be just below the orifice. In gas lines, the U-tube can be above the pipeline containing the orifice. Lines containing orifice flanges should have the necessary straight runs before and after the orifice. Locally mounted pressure and temperature indica- tors on exchanger nozzles, on the shell, or on process lines should be visible from the access aisles. Similarly, gage glasses and level controllers on exchangers should be visible from this aisle, and associated valves accessi- ble, Instrument connections on exchangers should have sufficient clearances between flanges and exchanger | supports, and between instruments and adjacent pip- ing. Insulation of piping and exchangers should also be taken into account. Consideration should be given to imernal details of heat exchangers when arranging instruments Excessive piping strains on exchanger nozales from the actual weight of pipe and fittings and from forces of, thermal expansion should be avoided, The data in Fig. 7 emphasize often overlooked di- 175Clearance beteen Cerance between ‘bortom of pipe and rade fee drain vale ae Spool piece for aa Sans. wan ee | K | /\ terrence between exchange flanges and concrete plinth | i} | | | | eas Clearance for | Maximum : - ‘singing blind 12h | Ele | i Io } i Clearances are essential around shell-and-tube heat exchangers for ease of installation and maintenance Fig. 7 mensions and interferences related to exchanger piping. design Layout of exchangers affects piping design Process equipment in mort plants is arranged in the sequence of process flow. Whatever layout system is used, the general evaluation regarding exchanger loca. sions is similar. Tn plant layout, the fractionation towers should be arranged frst, and the other equipment after the proper tower sequence has been established. The position of an exchanger in, chemical and petrochemical plants usu- ally depends on the location of distillation columns The relative position of exchangers can be readily eval- uated from flow diagrams, For exchanger positions, the following general concepts apply 176 1, Exchangers should be immediately adjacent to other equipment—for example, reboilers should be lo- cated next to their respective towers; condonsers should be next to their reflux drums close to the tower. 2. Exchangers should be elose to other process equip: ment—for example, exchangers in closed pump-circuits (ome reflux circuits). In the case of drawoff flow through an exchanger from a vessel bottom, the ex ‘changer should be close to and under the tower or drum in order to have short pamp-suction lines. 5. Exchangers between two distant pieces of process ‘equipment, as shown in Fig. 82—for example, exchang- cers with process lines connected to both shellside and tubeside—should he located where the two streams rect ia the pipe rack and have a parallel run, and on that side of the yard where the majority of relatedLocations for heat exchangers in plant layout depend on the functional use of each unit equipment is placed. Fig. 8 shows that northside loca- tions will cost more in pipe runs. 4. Exchangers between process equipment and the tunit limit, as shewn in Fig. 8h—for example, product coolers—should be located near the unit limit in ordes to minimize pipe runs A further step in layout is to establish those exchang- crs that can be stacked in order to simplify piping and save plot space. Most units in the same service are {grouped automatically. Two exchangers in dissimilar services can also be stacked. Sufficient clearances must be provided for shellside and channelside piping be- tween the two exchangers. Reboilers and condensers usually stand by themselves, alongside their respective towers. Design specifications usually limit the maximum height of exchangers to about 12 ft to the top of the shell, so that mobile equipment can conveniently han- dle the tube bundles. Maintenance procedures For shop maintenance, piping has to be disconnected in order to remove the exchanger from its location. Inplace maintenahice can consist of changing gaskets, and cleaning, reaming or phugging of tubes Removable bundles are pulled out of the sbell for cleaning and repair; the shell is cleaned in place. See se) 1 Designing and supporting piping so that no tem- porary support will be required for removing the chan- rel and tube bundle. On the other hand, temporary ts can easily be built iding easily removable spoo! pieces (Fig, 7), taegel abet Gea ces oe Cae provide adequate clearances for the operation of tube- removal equipment. CO Leaving space and access around exchanger anges and head, and bundle-pulling space in front and in Tine with the shell (Fig. 3) Bundle pulling at grade is facilitated by hitching points. A chain or rope is fixed to the bundle and hitching point, and a pulley uansmits the necessary force and motion for removal. The hitching point can be at grade. The distance between the front of the ‘exchanger and the hitching point is about twice the bundle length, ‘A more positive pulling forve can be exerted horizon- tally if the hitching point is in line with the exchanger centerline. Existing structures, in convenient positions, ‘can be used for rigging the pulling beam for bundle removal. Trolley and pulling beams in a permanent structure over exchangers can also be arranged for single or stacked Structural clearances are ‘equal to one bundle length plus 12 to 18 inches, For handling a row of single or stacked exchangers at grade, a travelling gantry can be provided. The gantry ‘consists of trolley beam, trolley, and pulling beam on a structural frame that can be moved on rails along the front of a row of exchans With 2 mobile bundle-puller, four tubular legs are placed in front of the exchanger. These support the bundle at grade and enable a removal cart to be raised imo position. The reaction to the pulling forces is taken up by struts attached to the exchanger footing. Ropes and pulley attached to the bundle transfer the force and motion while the bundle slides out on the elevated cradle, which is then lowered co grade. ‘The next article of this CE Rernesitex will appear in the issue of Nov. 7, 1977, and will review arrangements for process and storage vessels. References 1. “Heat changes” Mansal No. 700A, The Paton Kelly Ca ast Souddbure PA Tat 2, ‘Sadar of Ttular Exchanger Masulacuers Asodaren” Tua ncn Manufstares Ans New York, NY 100) 17You Can't Match The Pneumatic Delta-P Cell for Reliability. Want Proof Call us. Before you call, why not check the bass for that claim? First, the repair record. Despite the fact that our Pneumatic Delta-P Cells see the most rugged kind of service, the return-rate is less than 0.01% for body failures of any kind. Next, the inside story on body construction. Each body is an all-welded unit, built to operate from full vacuum to maximum body pressure, at process tem- peratures to 350°F, without damage. 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