Frequent leakage from the high-pressure ammonium hydroxide heater
Thread Content
The plant is equipped with a high-pressure ammonium hydroxide heater of the U-tube type, operating at a pressure of 18.4 MPa and a temperature of around 175°C. After approximately three years of operation, leaks began to occur frequently. Upon investigating the leaks, it was found that they originated in the straight section at the inlet of the heat exchanger. An examination of the cross-section revealed that the walls on both sides were significantly thinned out, with two obvious grooved erosion marks; moreover, the upper part was thinner than the lower part. Please discuss: what exactly is the cause of this phenomenon?
This post was last edited by wsm1988 on 2017-6-16 at 10:31. The high flow rate causes erosion and corrosion; the high inlet temperature along with fast flow rates result in a decrease in flow rate after cooling at the outlet, which is why the thinning at the inlet is more severe than at the outlet.
This heat exchanger is used to heat ammonium methoxide, with a high outlet temperature
This heat exchanger is used to heat ammonium methoxide, with a high outlet temperature