Analysis of heat exchange tube fracture
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On the water vapor side, it is pure water; can corrosion cause leakage or lead to pipe failure? I would be extremely grateful if any experts could share cases or experience in this area! :handshake
What are the temperature and pressure? What is the pH value? What material is it?
If the spacing between the baffle plates in the heat exchange tube bank is too large, corrosion and leakage of the tubes can lead to tube breakage； Another possibility is an issue with the material of the pipe. It’s just my personal opinion
Carbon steel and pure water can form a galvanic cell, and corrosion is inevitable. In fact, the water used for heating cannot be pure water; oxygen is inevitably present, and it’s not possible to remove all charged ions. How can the salt content be reduced to 0.1 mg/l? Don’t forget to consider whether the cost is reasonable. Dehydrodepolarization – aside from nuclear power plants, who can afford it in ordinary industrial settings?
The water quality can be seen from the picture. Corrosion is inevitable; it’s just a matter of the corrosion rate.
Has the heat exchanger been out of use for too long? Was the medium inside not dealt with in a timely manner as well?
Fracture rather than localized corrosion leakage may be caused by vibration or thermal stress.
Fracture is a result of stress concentration; there are issues with the design of the heat exchanger. It seems that this heat exchanger isn’t considered a pressure vessel, and the manufacturer didn’t follow GBT151 standards during its design and production – they simply built it as a conventional water-to-water heat exchanger, which is why problems arose.
From a port perspective, it is likely caused by thermal stress; the significant temperature fluctuations in the shell and tube sides of the heat exchanger can lead to the rupture of the tubes