How to conduct a hydrostatic test on a U-tube heat exchanger?
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A reboiler below the distillation tower, designed as a separate unit. The tower operates at atmospheric pressure; the reboiler has no shell side (it only has U-tubes, with the shell side being shared by the tower). It is classified as such – how should a pressure test be conducted?
To conduct pressure testing on pipe ends, a separate pressure testing shell needs to be manufactured. In fact, this pressure testing housing is essential for manufacturers who frequently produce heat exchanger tube bundles.
Based on the size of the U-tube, a separate pressure testing shell is fabricated.
Make a pressure testing shell for the shell side, and another pressure testing ring for the tube side: lol
Make a pressure testing shell according to the size of the tube bundle.
The shell side is the tower, which operates at atmospheric pressure; therefore, there is no need for pressure testing of the shell side, nor are the pipe joints on the shell side required to be pressure-tested. Only pipe-side pressure testing is required. Personal opinion
It mainly addresses the issues of leak detection in pipe joints and hydraulic testing of pipe boxes. A pressure testing shell is fabricated according to the bundle size; the shell side is pressurized using the test pressure of the tube side (with the aim of detecting leaks at the tube ends). For the pressure testing of the tube box, the flanges connected to the heat exchanger on the distillation tower can be used as pressure testing rings.
It is best to go to the site and conduct a hydrostatic test together after the tower has been assembled; this can be arranged with the owner.
Is your monitor classified? How to conduct supervision and inspection? Can the housings be shared this way? Regardless of whether it’s the shell side or the tube side, as long as one side is classified as upper class, isn’t the entire equipment considered to be in the upper class? This is how we do it here; you should make another casing separately as a reboiler to facilitate maintenance! Your diagram is convenient, but it causes a lot of trouble during maintenance
If you want to use the hydrostatic testing kit, I can lend it to you