How does one pressurize a shell and tube heat exchanger?
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The company has a set of shell-and-tube heat exchangers: 4 kilograms of water flow through the shell side, while 200 kilograms of hydrogen and nitrogen flow through the tube side. Previously, the shell (made of 20# steel) was welded on the outside due to corrosion, and slight signs of gas combustion occurred during welding; it is suspected that the fluid from the tube side entered the shell side. So how is pressure testing done to check for leaks? Are there corresponding methods and standards?
Is combustion occurring inside the shell side? In a shell-and-tube heat exchanger (especially with such high pressure of the fluid), it’s unlikely that there would be leaks in the heat exchange tubes!
The shell side contains a water-based medium at a pressure of around 4 kilograms. The tube side has a high-pressure gaseous medium, and it is possible for this gas to enter the water. Gaseous substances are slightly soluble in water; we suspect that there is no leakage, but rather it is the process gas from the compression section that has entered the water.
Even if there are flammable gases in the water, it is not necessarily a leak from the shell-and-tube heat exchanger; it could be that leaks from other equipment or units have spread throughout the entire water system. The tube bank weighs 200 KG; the wall thickness of the heat exchange tubes is sufficient, so the likelihood of leakage is low. (By the way, what is the material of the heat exchange tubes?) ）