Heat exchanger tube rupture
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Acidic gas… the tube bundle of the circulating water cooler has been in use for four years without any problems. After it was overhauled and put into use in March this year, internal leakage was suspected; it was taken out a couple of days ago and 13 cracked tubes were found. The material is carbon steel; what do you think could cause the tube to crack?
This post was last edited by Unity of knowledge and action_JRKZ on 12/31/2017 at 12:34. It is suspected that stress corrosion caused the cracking, but the exact cause depends on the operating conditions
Our facility uses one heat exchanger per year for hydrochloric acid gas
Our facility uses one heat exchanger per year for hydrochloric acid gas
Was no hydrostatic test conducted during maintenance? Four years is no problem; the restraint should have corroded and thinned out significantly.
Judging from the shape of the crack, there is no deformation; it simply fractured over a large area, which suggests that the material has degraded. Was a dielectric strength test performed during the maintenance?