How to deal with leakage caused by wear through of the linear expansion joint in a regenerated catalyst?

I agree with Green Lotus’ opinion; if welding is not possible, the bed should be sealed off.

Minor leaks (when first detected) can be repaired by welding, which requires excellent skill. Using a covering sleeve is a common method, but overall, the design team needs to be involved in considering whether wrapping the expansion joint entirely will have an impact on the equipment as a whole, whether such a covering sleeve can meet the requirements related to thermal expansion and contraction, and what the thickness of the sleeve should be.

To ensure that the packaging box can sustain production, the key consideration is the expansion and stress of the pipelines.

What happens after bed sealing? What other approach would be more appropriate?

Does the jacket interlayer require a pre-fabricated wear-resistant lining? It’s better to carry out a complete shutdown to replace the expansion joint.

This post was last edited by Green Lotus on 2019-1-28 09:47. Let production continue for now; avoid large fluctuations in temperature here during operation. The expansion joint is being replaced after the shutdown.

Muffling the bed at the same time. Wrap the expansion joint in a box; replace it during maintenance!

1. The bellows in the expansion joint is the weakest pressure component in the catalytic device, and the expansion joint itself serves as an important mechanism for compensating for high-temperature expansion in such devices. Damage to expansion joints during operation causes many problems. 2. Regarding thermal expansion compensation, when the bellows are damaged during operation and it is not possible to repair them by direct welding, the so-called “encapsulation method” is a commonly used approach. 3. Risk identification factors after the \"encasing\" 3.1. The amount of expansion that can be accommodated by the expansion joint 3.2. The deflection of the regenerated catalyst line 3.3. The increased stiffness of the pipeline after encasement, and the stress levels at the weakest points 3.4. The range of temperature fluctuations in the medium within the regenerated catalyst line 4. In the hot state, the expansion joint has already absorbed most of the thermal expansion; therefore, the risk of stress changes caused by temperature fluctuations in the pipeline after encasement is generally lower than the risk of bellows failure. 5. When the plant is shut down, temperature changes reach their maximum values, and pipeline stress also reaches its peak. If possible, the encasing can be removed to relieve this stress; otherwise, the pressure should be reduced first followed by a decrease in temperature. A safety zone should be established in the area, and personnel should be kept away from it. 6. For dealing with damage to expansion joints, the bellows should only be placed inside a box; it is absolutely forbidden to put the hinges or stress-bearing rods inside the box, as this poses a great risk with serious consequences. 7. Is it necessary to include a wear-resistant lining in the box? Unless it is pre-made and most of the water in the lining is removed, the strength of the lining will not increase due to water vaporization, and it may end up being as weak as tofu residue