Does anyone know the specific process of pressurizing a heat exchanger?

What the poster is referring to is probably the hydrostatic test of the heat exchanger. It is divided into the shell-side water pressure and the tube-side water pressure. If the tube sheet is not fixed, special fixtures are required when working on the shell side; these are what the original poster referred to as pressure rings – they are actually flanges that serve to secure the tube sheet to the shell. The original poster can take a look at GB150 and GB151; they provide quite detailed information

For fixed-tube-sheet types, testing is generally carried out first on the shell side and then on the tube side; for floating-head types, three pressure application steps are required, and a special pressing fixture is needed to test the tube ends at the floating head. For details, refer to 6.18.1 in GB151 – the dimensions of the fixture should be determined based on actual conditions

You can refer to Volume 8 of the \"Petroleum Chemical Plant Equipment Maintenance Manual\", titled Heat Exchangers, as it provides very detailed information on this topic!

For the specific procedures, refer to paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of Article 98 in the 99th edition of the regulations; the new regulations do not provide detailed information on this topic. Our company’s pressure testing device consists of a pressure application ring connected to the water pump; in our case, this pressure application ring is a blind plate that is connected via flanges, with holes made in the blind plate through which steel pipes run, and these pipes are connected to the water pump.

This post was last edited by Yao Qian on 2010-7-3 08:33. Is this still readable? This is the pressure testing ring, which allows one to determine whether there is any leakage at the pipe end

In heat exchangers, the shell side is usually processed first, followed by the tube side; if a tube sheet is not used, then a pressure testing ring is employed – a plate can be used in place of it

Heat exchangers also differ in terms of the types of pressure tests required. A: For fixed-tube-sheet heat exchangers, the shell side is pressurized first, followed by the tube side； B: For U-tube heat exchangers, stuffing box heat exchangers, and kettle-type reboilers (with U-tube bundles), a test pressure ring must be used to perform pressure testing on the shell side, before carrying out pressure testing on the tube side ； C: For floating-head heat exchangers and kettle-type reboilers (floating-head tube banks), it is first necessary to perform pressure testing on the tube ends using test pressure rings and specialized tools for floating heads; for kettle-type reboilers, a dedicated housing for testing the tube ends is also required. After that, pressure testing is carried out on the tube side, and finally on the shell side ； E: For heat exchangers with a poor pressure-bearing design, conduct joint pressure testing first, followed by tube side and shell side pressure testing ； F: For overlapping heat exchangers, pressure testing of the individual units should be carried out first; pressure testing of the tube side and shell side should be done after the overlapping assembly is completed.

It’s just about creating a fake flange, but it’s necessary to ensure that it doesn’t deform; we did the same thing during previous maintenance tasks

For the pressure testing process of heat exchangers, please visit http://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=383605. The suppression ring is only used during pressure testing of floating-head heat exchangers; for specific illustrations, see http://bbs.hcbbs.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=994948.

For hydrostatic testing of fixed tube sheets, the requirements of Chapter 6 of GB151 can be followed; what is more complicated is the case of floating-head heat exchangers, as special fixtures are needed to test the joints. Please look at the photo.