Feature Report

Part 2

Minimizing Leakage on Heat-

Exchanger Girth Flanges
Thermal distortion in heat-exchanger internal components can lead to leakage, but
several design measures can be taken to mitigate these concerns
Pankaj K. Tubeside Shellside
Singla
Fluor Daniel India Tubesheet
Pass 1 & 2
30°
Location at Tube
tubesheet layout
IN BRIEF - "X"
Tubeside Shellside
BASIS FOR ANALYZING Pass 3 & 4
THERMAL SHOCK

DESIGNING FLANGE
JOINT PARTS

EVALUATING THERMAL Pass 5 & 6

SHOCK 12
43
56
Bundle railing Tube passes
device
A B C

L
eakage of bolted flange joints results FIGURE 1. Determining the shellside and tubeside operating
in additional costs at any facility in temperature at a particular location within the tubesheet is
an essential part of analyzing the potential for thermal shocks
the chemical process industries in flange joint parts
(CPI), and poses significant opera-
tional, environmental and safety risks. chemical processing plant. They are used
There can be many reasons for flange to transfer heat energy across metal walls
leakages, such as thermal shocks or dif- between hot fluids and cold fluids. Tubes,
ferential thermal expansion of compo- tubesheets and girth flanges are among the
nents, uneven bolt stresses, improper metal components that separate the fluids
flange alignment, improper gasket seating, and are exposed to varying-temperature
high vibration levels, incompatible materi- fluids in heat exchangers.
als and so on. Some of these causes can Large temperature differences between
be rectified by properly selecting materials the hot and cold fluids can cause thermal
or using the correct assembly techniques. distortion of these exposed components.
Some reasons, such as thermal shocks and Thermal distortion of girth flange-joint parts
high vibration levels, are direct results of is one of the major causes of fluid leakages
operating conditions. in shell-and-tube heat exchangers. There
This article outlines a basis for identify- are two main categories of thermal shock,
ing the thermal shock scenario in the girth outlined below.
flange joints of shell-and-tube heat ex- Temperature differential (TD) thermal
changers and the design measures that can shock. Thermal shock on girth flange
be adopted in mechanical strength calcula- joints due to the large temperature dif-
tions of flanges to minimize leakage due to ference between the two different flu-
thermal shocks in operational equipment. ids placed on the shellside and tubeside
Shell-and-tube heat exchangers are an of the exchanger is identified as TD in
essential part of any petroleum refinery or this article.
64 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM OCTOBER 2017
 Small More
No rotation rotation rotation

Bowing

Before bolt After bolt After

tightening tightening pressurized
Flange rotation
Flange bowing
FIGURE 2. Flange rotation caused by thermal distortion can decrease the effective-
FIGURE 3. Flange bowing is a damaging phenomenon that results in un-
ness of flange rigidity
even compression and even separation of bolts
Temperature gradient (TG) ther- cumference of the tubeside (chan- Basis for analyzing thermal shock
mal shock. Multi-pass heat ex- nel) girth flange and tubesheet, and Before delving into industry stan-
changers are required to optimize becomes a cause for fluid leakage. dards and calculations, it is essen-
designs and provide maximum uti- This thermal shock is identified as tial to note that all fluid temperatures
lization of the temperature differen- TG in this article. mentioned in this article, unless oth-
tial and allowable pressure drop of It becomes necessary to design erwise noted, will be the operating
the fluids. As the number of passes girth-flange joint parts adequately, temperatures (OT) of fluids.
in the heat exchanger increases so that the impacts of these types The industry standard API 660
on the tubeside, it may result in of thermal shocks can be mini- [1] describes the temperature lim-
a case where there is a consider- mized during operation of heat ex- its that define when the effects of
able difference in the tubeside fluid changers. Design measures that TD and TG should be considered
temperature at the inlet and outlet can be adopted to alleviate these in the mechanical design of girth
connections. This leads to a tem- concerns are also discussed in flange joints and associated parts.
perature gradient around the cir- this article. It has been observed that some-

Circle 38 on p. 98 or go to adlinks.chemengonline.com/66433-38

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM OCTOBER 2017 65

 1N 4NA 4NB by HTRI (Heat Transfer Research
Inc., Navasota, Tex.; www.htri.net),
is recommended. One can easily
determine pass-wise temperatures
Tubesheet
from this type of software output
30o
file (Table 1 is an example of such a
Tubeside Shellside
file) and then determine TD across
the tubesheet.
In multi-pass heat exchangers,
the TD limit between the shellside
and the tubeside can exceed the
Last
support
API value for one or more passes,
plate resulting in local distortion of
flange joints.
FIGURE 4. Software programs designed specifically for heat-exchanger
2N 3N rating are useful in evaluating TD and TG for multipass heat exchangers
Designing flange joint parts
Large TD and TG values should be
times user specifications also en- ed as Tss1, Tss2 and Tss–x avoided wherever possible. Impacts
force temperature limits that can be of TD and TG are neither accounted
more stringent than API 660 values. Engineers should consider an for in conventional code designs,
Temperature limits from API 660 are additional analysis in mechanical nor does API 660 mention the type
of additional analyses that should
be performed for girth flanges.
Large TD and TG values should be avoided wherever The method of analysis and
possible. Impacts of TD and TG are neither accounted additional requirements should
be agreed upon with end users
for in conventional code designs, nor does API 660 and vendors. Finite element analy-
mention the type of additional analyses that should be sis (FEA) can be one of the meth-
ods for this additional analysis to
performed for girth flanges. verify dimensions calculated using
conventional design codes. How-
defined below for the example heat design of flange joint parts if the ever, the expertise of vendor and
exchanger shown in Figure 1. following is true: FEA report reviewers should be
• The tubeside operating tempera- ascertained beforehand.
ture at the inlet, outlet and loca- |Tts1 – Tts2| or |Tts–x – Tss–x| > 110°C Flange rotation and flange bowing
tion X on the tubesheet (a ran- during equipment operation are the
dom location, as shown in Figure It is difficult to determine tubeside two major effects of thermal distor-
1A) is denoted as Tts1, Tts2 and operating temperature at any ran- tion on girth flange joints and their
Tts–x dom location (X), so the use of the associated parts.
• The shellside operating tempera- thermal rating functionality from a The primary function of flanges is
ture at the inlet, outlet and loca- commercial heat-exchanger design to transmit the force from the bolts
tion X on the tubesheet is denot- software, such as that developed to the gasket and stop the separa-
Tubeside Shellside tion of connected pressure parts.
Flanges must be strong enough to
Pass 1 & 2 bear this force without any dam-
281.21/221.98oC 1 2
165.92oC age and rigid enough to ensure
281.21oC 221.98oC
that they do not excessively rotate
across the face of gasket (Figure
218.33/197.50oC Pass 3 & 4 150.61oC 4 3 2). High TD and TG tend to weaken
197.50oC 218.33oC
the steel, so it is countered by de-
196.08oC 187.39oC creasing the allowable stresses of
5 6 parts, and adequate rigidity is en-
196.08/187.39oC Pass 5 & 6 120.00oC
sured by lowering the allowable ri-
Max. OT per tube pass
gidity index.
at tubesheet face The force required to compress
A B the gasket, together with high bolt
FIGURE 5. The operating temperatures across the heat exchanger passes can be used to determine if
loads, can cause bowing of the
the flange joint parts may require additional analysis during mechanical design in order to mitigate the flanges, resulting in uneven com-
potential for thermal shocks pression or even an opening mid-
66 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM OCTOBER 2017
way between two bolts, as seen type AKU, as defined by the Tubular • Tubeside inlet (Tts1) = 281.21°C
in Figure 3. Differential thermal Exchanger Manufacturers Associa- • Tubeside outlet (Tts2) = 187.39°C
expansion of flanges increases tion (TEMA; Tarrytown, N.Y.; www. • Shellside inlet (Tss1) = 120.00°C
flange bowing and opening. This tema.org) [5]. For more information • Shellside outlet (Tss2) = 181.22°C
is mitigated by increasing the avail- on TEMA exchanger types, please Determining TD and TG. Since
able bolt area and performing full see Specifying Shell-and-Tube Heat the shellside vapor outlet connec-
bolt-load calculations. Exchangers, Chem. Eng., May tion is quite far from the tubesheet
The following are the measures 2013, pp. 47–53. The operating face and the shell inlet connection,
that can be adopted as design en- temperatures for this exchanger are it is assumed to have an average
hancements to avoid the effects of as follows (additional properties are operating temperature of Tss3–4
thermal distortion on girth flange shown in Table 1): at passes 3 and 4 and Tss1–2 at
joints. These measures can be used
for girth flanges, tubesheets and
channel covers, as applicable.
1. Reduce the allowable flange rigid-
ity index to 0.70.
2. Provided/required bolt area ratio
Dependable seals
should be 120% of design, and
full bolt-load calculations should
be performed.
start with DeWAL
3. Reduce allowable stresses for Seals, gaskets and diaphragms can all leak, so DeWAL
flanges and tubesheet to 80% Industries has developed a broad range of durable,
of allowable, as per ASME Sec II bondable PTFE and UHMW ilm and tape compositions
Part D [2]. that create dependable seals despite abrasion, harsh
4. Increase the required thickness (t)
chemicals, high temperatures or irregular surfaces.
of the flanges and tubesheet by
5 mm, if t ≤ 100 mm; or by 10
mm, if t > 100 mm. Note that fu-
ture machining allowance, as re-
quired by API 660 or user speci-
fications, is separate from this
extra thickness.
Apart from the above extra
measures, target bolt and gasket
stresses are determined as de-
scribed in ASME PCC-1 Appendix More than a dozen DeWAL PTFE and UHMW ilms and
O [3] and API 660.
tapes are designed speciically for gaskets, expansion
Additionally, while perform-
ing calculations based on ASME joints, valve seals and diaphragms.
PCC-1, engineers may consider
reducing the maximum permissible
bolt stress for the flange (Sfmax;
as defined in Ref. 3) by a reduc-
tion factor Syo/Sya (ratio of flange
yield strengths), irrespective of the
criteria mentioned in WRC 538,
Section 4 [4].
Thermal engineers should also
be consulted to evaluate the po-
tential for changing nozzle loca-
tions or interchanging the fluids on Let DeWAL engineering
both sides, so that TD and TG can help you with your most
be fully eliminated from the system. dificult challenges.
Quality of Product...First
Evaluating thermal shock
Narragansett, RI 02882
The heat exchanger considered for www.dewal.com • [email protected]
800-366-8356 • 001-401-789-9736
the following examples is illustrated
in Figures 4 and 5. This particular
exchanger has six passes, and is of Circle 13 on p. 98 or go to adlinks.chemengonline.com/66433-13

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM OCTOBER 2017 67

 TABLE 1. FLUID PROPERTIES*
Point number 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tube pass 1 1 1 1 1 1
Length from tube inlet, mm - 604.87 1,814.60 3,024.40 4,234.10 5,443.10
Mass fraction vapor - - - - - -
Bulk temperature, °C 281.21 276.73 268.12 260.27 253.13 246.63
Point number 7 8 9 10 11 12
Tube pass 2 2 2 2 2 3
Length from tube inlet, mm 5,443.80 4,234.10 3,024.40 1,814.60 604.87 604.87
Mass fraction vapor - - - - - -
Bulk temperature, °C 240.71 235.34 230.45 226.01 221.98 218.33
Point number 13 14 15 16 17 18
Tube pass 3 3 3 3 4 4
Length from tube inlet, mm 1,814.60 3,024.40 4,234.10 5,443.80 5,443.80 4,234.10
Mass fraction vapor - - - - - -
Bulk temperature, °C 215.05 212.06 209.35 206.88 204.64 202.59
Point number 19 20 21 22 23 24
Tube pass 4 4 4 5 5 5
Length from tube inlet, mm 3,024.40 1,814.60 604.87 604.87 1,814.60 3,024.40
Mass fraction vapor - - - - - -
Bulk temperature, °C 200.73 199.04 197.50 196.08 194.78 193.58
Point number 25 26 27 28 29 30
Tube pass 5 5 6 6 6 6
Length from tube inlet, mm 4,234.10 5,443.80 5,443.80 4,234.10 3,024.40 1,814.60
Mass fraction vapor - - - - - -
Bulk temperature, °C 192.50 191.50 190.59 189.76 189.01 188.31
Skin temperature, °C 185.58 185.18 184.81 184.47 184.16 183.88
Point number 31 32
Tube pass 6 6
Length from tube inlet, mm 600.38 -
Mass fraction vapor - -
Bulk temperature, °C 187.68 187.39
Skin temperature, °C 183.80 --
* Data from HTRI Output

passes 1 and 2 for shellside fluid at design calculations. and Pressure Vessel Committee (BPVC), Subcommit-
tee on Materials, ASME Section II, Part D — Allowable
the tubesheet face. The temperature gradient around Stresses, 2017.
• Average temperature (Tss3–4) = the channel-side flange compo- 3. ASME, PCC-1 — Guidelines for Pressure Boundary
(Tss1 + Tss2)/2 = 150.61°C nents, including the tubesheet, is: Bolted Flange Joint Assembly, Appendix O, 2013.
• Average temperature (Tss1–2) = 4. Welding Research Council, WRC Bulletin 538 — De-
(Tss3–4 + Tss2)/2 = 165.92°C TG = Tts1 – Tts2 = 281.21 – 187.39 termination of Pressure Boundary Joint Assembly Bolt
Loads, Section 4, p. 15, February 2014.
= 93.82 (< 110°C)
5. Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association (TEMA)
The temperature differential across Standards, 9th Ed., Nov. 2007.
the tubesheet is calculated as follows: In the above example, the TD at 6. ASME BPCV Section VIII, Div. 1 — Rules for Construction
• At pass 1, TD = Tts – Tss1–2 = pass 1 exceeds the API 660 limit, of Pressure Vessels, 2017.
281.21 – 165.92 = 115.29°C so additional analysis of the chan- 7. Heat Transfer Research Inc. (HTRI) design software and
(Since this is greater than 110°C, nel-tubesheet-shell flange joint is documentation, www.htri.net.
additional mechanical analysis re- required. The use of these design Author
quired for flange joint parts). augmentations, along with adher- Pankaj Kumar Singla is a
• At pass 2, TD = Tts – Tss1–2 = ence to industry codes and stan- mechanical design engineer for
Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd. (6th
221.98 – 165.92 = 56.06°C dards and rigorous design soft- Floor, Infinity Tower B, Cyber City,
(< 110°C) ware, will help to evaluate, and DLF City Phase II, Gurgaon 122
• Similarly, at passes 3–6, TD = perhaps even eliminate, the poten- 002, Haryana, India; Email:
[email protected];
Tts – Tss (< 110°C) tial for damaging thermal shocks Phone: +91-97164-14125). Sin-
and distortions in the critical inter- gla has more than nine years of
experience in the detailed engi-
It should be noted that the aver- nal components of shell-and-tube neering of static equipment in the pre-bid phase, as
age of operating temperatures at heat exchangers. ■ well as front-end engineering design (FEED) and de-
the shellside, as assumed in this Edited by Mary Page Bailey tailed engineering for various oil-and-gas, petroleum
refining and petrochemical industry projects. Prior to
case, may not be applicable for joining Fluor, Singla worked as a static equipment engi-
other cases. Therefore, use of the References neer for Daelim Industrial Co. (South Korea) and as a
shellside fluid temperature at des- 1. American Petroleum Institute, API Standard 660 — Shell- senior engineer at Valdel Engineers & Constructors
and-Tube Heat Exchangers, 9th ed., March 2015. (India). He holds a B. Tech. degree from the Giani Zail
ignated locations must be carefully Singh College of Engineering & Technology in Bathinda,
evaluated before being adopted into 2. American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler Punjab, India.

68 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM OCTOBER 2017