Avoid Costly Failures of Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers

摘要

MANY PROCESSES use heat exchangers to adjust or maintain the temperature of streams and unit operations.An efficient heat-transfer system plays a key role in cost-effective manufacturing-while a heat exchanger failure can lead to costly downtime.Plants often rely on shell-and-tube heat exchangers.Properly selected,installed and maintained,these units can operate reliably and efficiently for long periods.Failures,when they occur,commonly stem from three causes: 1.Chemically induced corrosion resulting from a chemical interaction with circulating fluids; 2.Mechanical damage due to,e.g.,metal erosion,steam or water hammer,or thermal expansion; and 3.Scale,mud or algae fouling that creates an insulating effect and,ultimately,corrosion.You can avoid each of these types of failure.Here,we'll review the operational problems that can develop in a shell-and-tube heat exchanger and describe corrective actions you can take to prevent them.