INSTALLATION OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

INSTALLATION, OPERATING & MAINTENANCE

A. HEAT EXCHANGER SETTINGS
I. CLEARANCE FOR DISMANTLING
Provide sufficient clearance at return bend cover end to
permit withdrawal of the tube element.

II. FOUNDATIONS
Foundations must be adequate so that exchangers will not
settle and cause the piping to transmit excessive strains to
the nozzles of the exchanger. Foundation bolts should be set
to allow for setting inaccuracies. In concrete footings, pipe

INSTRUCTIONS
sleeves, at least one size larger than bolt diameter slipped
over the bolt and cast in place are best for this purpose, as
they allow the bolt center to be adjusted after the foundation
has set.

III. LEVELING
Exchangers must be set level and square so that pipe
connections may be made without forcing.

B. CLEANLINESS PROVISIONS
I. CONNECTION PROTECTORS
All exchanger openings should be inspected for foreign
material. Protective plugs and covers should not be removed
until just prior to installation.

II. DIRT REMOVAL

The entire system should be clean before starting operation.
Under some conditions, the use of strainers in the piping may
be required.

III. CLEANING FACILITIES

Convenient means should be provided for cleaning the unit
as suggested under “Maintenance”.
 C. INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

INSTALLATION, OPERATING & MAINTENANCE

I. Mount the sections as shown in the recommended arrangement
on the certified drawings. Be sure the shell nozzle gaskets are
in place, but do not tighten the shell nozzle bolts or the shell
support bracket bolts. Note the oblong holes in the brackets for
alignment.

II. Make sure the tube end flanges are in the same place.

III. Re-tighten bolting on any tubeside return bend connectors.

(Refer Para II B.4)

IV. Tack weld the inlet and outlet tube end flanges to the plant
piping while the flanges are loosely bolted in place. Remove the

INSTRUCTIONS
piping and complete the pipe to flange welds.

V. Re-assemble inlet and outlet flanges to unit, making sure the

split rings and sealing rings are assembled as shown in Figure
1. Tighten all bolting evenly. (Refer Para II B.4)

VI. Re-tighten shell nozzle bolting and bracket bolts.

VII. Test, if required.

D. FITTINGS AND PIPING

I. BY-PASS VALVES It may be desirable to provide valves and by-
passes in the piping system to permit inspection and repairs.

II. TEST CONNECTIONS Thermometer well and pressure gauge

connections should be installed close to the exchanger in the
inlet and outlet piping.

III. VENTS Vent cocks should be provided so units can be purged to

prevent or relieve vapor or gas binding.

IV. SURGE DRUMS In all installations, care should be taken to

eliminate or minimize transmissions of fluid pulsations and
mechanical vibrations to the heat exchangers.
 OPERATION OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

INSTALLATION, OPERATING & MAINTENANCE

A. DESIGN AND OPERATING CONDITIONS
Equipment must not be operated at conditions which exceed those
specified on the nameplate.

B. OPERATING PROCEDURES
Before placing any exchanger in operation, reference should be
made to the exchanger drawings, specification sheet, and
name plate for any special instructions. Improper starting up or
shutting down sequences may cause leaking of tube-to-

INSTRUCTIONS
tubesheet and/or bolted flanged joints.

1) STARTING-UP OPERATION

Exchangers with removable tube bundles may be placed in

service by first establishing circulation of the cold medium,
followed by the gradual introduction of the hot medium.
During start-up all vent valves should be opened and left
open until all passages have been purged of air and are
filled with fluid.

2) SHUTTING-DOWN OPERATION

Exchangers with removable bundles, the units may be shut

down by first gradually stopping the flow of the hot medium
and then stopping the flow of the cold medium. If it is
necessary to stop the flow of cold medium, the circulation
of hot medium through the exchanger should also be
stopped.

3) TEMPERATURE SHOCKS

Operation must be started gradually. Hot fluid must not be

suddenly introduced when the unit is cold, nor cold fluid
suddenly introduced when the unit is hot.

4) BOLTED JOINTS

a) Heat exchangers are hydrostatically tested before leaving

the manufacturer’s shop in accordance with ASME Code
 requirements. However, normal yielding of gaskets will
occur in the interval between hydrostatic testing in the
manufacturer’s shop and installation at the jobsite.
Therefore, all external bolted joints should be properly re-
tightened after installation and, if necessary, after the
exchanger has reached operating temperature.

b) RECOMMENDED BOLT TIGHTENING PROCEDURE It is

important that all bolted joints be tightened uniformly
and in a diametrically staggered pattern as illustrated in
Figure A.

FIGURE A

5) DRAINING THE UNIT

When shutting down the system, all units should be drained

completely to minimize the possibility of freezing and
corrosion damage. To guard against water hammer,
condensate should be drained from steam heaters and
similar apparatus when starting up or when shutting down.
To reduce water retention after drainage, the tube side of
water cooled exchangers should be blown out with air.
 MAINTENANCE OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

A. INSPECTION OF UNIT
At regular intervals and as frequently as experience indicates,
an examination should be made of the interior and exterior
condition of all tubes. Neglect in keeping all tubes clean may
result in complete stoppage of flow through some tubes, which
could cause severe thermal strains and/or leaking tube joints.

I. INDICATIONS OF FOULING

Exchangers subject to fouling or scaling should be cleaned

periodically. A light sludge or scale coating on the tube greatly
reduces its efficiency. A marked increase in pressure drop
and/or reduction in performance usually indicates cleaning is
necessary. The unit should first be checked for air or vapor
binding to confirm that this is not the cause for the reduction
in performance. Since the difficulty of cleaning increases
rapidly as the scale thickness or deposit increases, the
intervals between cleaning should not be excessive.

II. ACCESS TO TUBES

To inspect the inside of the tubes and the tube inserts (where
used) and also make them accessible for cleaning, remove the
tubeside flanges. Flange bolts should not be loosened until the
unit has been completely depressurized, vented and drained.
Tube inserts can be removed by removing wire retainer or
breaking tack welds and sliding inserts out of tubes. If tube
inserts are firmly corroded in place or held by accumulation of
product or fouling, do not exert excess force to remove inserts
as damage to tubes or inserts may occur.
III. LOCATING LEAKS IN TUBES

The following procedures may be used to locate perforated or

split tubes and leaking joints between tubes and tubesheets.
After removing flanges, the entire front face of each tubesheet
will be accessible for inspection.

a) Remove tube end flanges and any tube return bend

connections. These flanges can be removed without
disturbing shellside seal because the center flange has
threaded bolt holes, allowing independent tightening of the
separate shell and tube seals.

b) Apply hydraulic pressure to shellside.

c) The point where water escapes indicates a defective tube

or tube-to-tubesheet joint.

IV. Water

Water for test should be at ambient temperature. Cold water

may cause erroneous indications in humid atmospheres
because of condensation on the cold metal surfaces.

B. TUBE BUNDLE REMOVAL

I. Remove return bonnet bolting and return bonnet.

II. Disconnect all tubeside inlet and outlet piping and any
external tube return bend connectors. Note the match marks
of the correctors for correct re-installation. Remove tubeside
seal rings.

III. Remove shell closure flange nuts and pull Lok-flange forward
to expose the split rings.
 IV. Remove split rings and shellside seal rings, making sure split
ring valves are kept together and replaced in original
position.

V. Pull tube element back through the shell using canvas sling
or belt wrapped around u-bends.

VI. Care should be exercised when removing a multi-tube

element from the shell, otherwise the element and/or the
shell may be damaged. The tube elements should always be
supported on the baffles, tube support rings or tubesheets.
Never support the element on the tubes.

VII. Tube element should not handled with hooks or other devices
which might damage the tubes. Elements should be
supported on cradles or skids. Horizontal tube elements
should be lifted by means of suitable slings. Baffles can be
bent and damaged by dragging an element over a rough
surface. All gaskets surfaces should be protected from
accidental damage, since these areas are generally difficult
to repair.

VIII. Removal of the tube elements from the shells can be more
readily accomplished without disturbing either the shell or
tubeside piping by placing flanged elbows between the
tubeside piping and the sections to allow the forward
movement needed to remove the tube end flanges.

C. CLEANING TUBE BUNDLE

I. CLEANING METHODS

The heat transfer surfaces of heat exchangers should be

kept reasonably clean to assure satisfactory performance.
Convenient means for cleaning should be made available.
Heat exchangers may be cleaned by either chemical or
mechanical methods. The method selected must be the
choice of the operator of the plant, and will depend on the
type of deposit and the facilities available in the plant.
 Following are several cleaning procedures that may be
considered:

a) Circulating hot wash oil or light distillate through tubes

or shell at high velocity will effectively remove sludge or
similar soft deposits.

b) Some salt deposits may be washed out by circulating

hot fresh water.

c) Commercial cleaning compounds are available for

removing sludge or scale, provided hot wash oil or water
is not available or does not give satisfactory results.
Contact compound manufacturer for advice.

d) Tube cleaners for removal of deposits inside of tubes.

e) Scrapers, rotating wire brushes, and other mechanical

means for removing hard scale, coke or other deposits.

f) Employ services of a qualified organization that provides

cleaning services. These organizations will check the
nature of the deposits to be removed, furnish proper
solvent and/or acid solutions containing inhibitors, and
provide equipment and personnel for a complete
cleaning job.

II. CLEANING PRECAUTIONS

a) Tubes should not be cleaned by blowing steam through

tubes, since this overheats the tube and results in severe
expansion strain.

b) When mechanically cleaning a tube bundle, care should

be exercised to avoid damaging the tubes. Removal of
the tube inserts (if present) should be accomplished
before beginning mechanical cleaning process. Sec III
(A) (2) “ACCESS TO TUBES”

c) Cleaning compounds should be compatible with

metallurgy of the equipment.

D.TUBE ROLLING
 A suitable roller type tube expander should be used to
tighten a leaking roller expanded tube-to-tubesheet joint.
When a welded to tubesheet joint is present, repair of
leaking tube to tubesheet joint should be performed with an
acceptable welding process. A light contact tube expansion
should then be performed taking care to maintain an
appropriate distance from weld. Care should be taken to
insure that tubes are not overrolled.

E. GASKET REPLACEMENT
Gaskets and gasket surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned
and should be free of scratches and other defects. Gaskets
should be properly positioned before attempting to
retighten bolts. It is recommended that when a heat
exchanger is dismantled for any cause, it is reassembled
with new gaskets. This will tend to prevent further leaks
and/or damage to the gasket seating surfaces of the heat
exchanger. Composition gaskets become dried out and
brittle so that they do not always provide an effective seal
when reused. Metal, or metal jacketed gaskets, when
compressed initially, flow to match their contact surfaces. In
so doing they are work hardened and, if reused, may
provide an imperfect seal or result in deformation and
damage to the gasket contact surfaces of the exchanger.

F. SPARE AND REPLACEMENT PARTS

For procurement of spare or replacement parts please refer
to spare parts list and detail drawing, which have been
previously furnished, or to the following typical parts list
drawing.