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  • 1.  Strength Welded and Flared Tube ends at Inlet of Condensers

    Posted 11-26-2021 01:11 PM
    I have raised this topic on a different thread, but fabricators may not have seen it.

    Leaks from excessive, under cooling tower water deposit pitting on the ID of existing carbon steel tubes necessitate a condenser replacement tube alloy upgrade..

    Expanded tube-to-tubesheet joints have leaked excessively.  Seal welded joints have cracked and leaked, and weld repairs have caused adjacent seal welds to crack.   Strength welds are needed in the replacement condensers.

    Cooling tower water fouling contributes to both corrosion and excessive pressure drop on the tubeside.  Flared inlet tube ends are desired to minimize entrance losses and pressure drop in the replacement condensers.

    Just two questions:

    1. Is it practical to both strength weld and flare the inlet tube ends of the replacement condensers?

    2. Is there an available reference that could help us calculate the pressure drop effect of flared inlet tube ends?   
     



    ------------------------------
    Bill Salot
    Fellow - Reliability Engineering
    AdvanSix
    Hopewell, VA
    (804)541-5333
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Strength Welded and Flared Tube ends at Inlet of Condensers

    Posted 11-26-2021 03:16 PM
    I should have added the tubes are 3/4" OD on 15/16" triangular spacing (a little tight for strength welding between long tube extensions.

    ------------------------------
    Bill Salot
    Fellow - Reliability Engineering
    AdvanSix
    Hopewell, VA
    (804)541-5333
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Strength Welded and Flared Tube ends at Inlet of Condensers

    Posted 11-28-2021 07:31 AM

    If you are replacing CS with a Duplex or Lean Duplex or even Super austenitic alloy, strength welding should suffice.

     

    Regards

    Rajaram Chidambaram

    AP Region Materials Lead

    ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd.

    KLTC Engineering Technology Division

    ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company

    18 Pioneer Road, PWBS-280

    Singapore 628498

    HP: +6596442064

    rajaram.chidambaram@exxonmobil.com

    "Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible."

     






  • 4.  RE: Strength Welded and Flared Tube ends at Inlet of Condensers

    Posted 11-29-2021 08:05 AM
    Strength Materials