Regarding the horizontal tube gas primary cooler
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Gentlemen, I’m not very familiar with horizontal tube primary coolers. My supervisor has asked me to prepare a construction plan for sealing leaks in the tube bundles of such coolers. I asked the safety officer, and he said that the pipes inside are horizontal, with the inlet and outlet on the same plane. Is that correct? I also asked the experienced workers; by using water pressure, one can identify which pipe is leaking, and then simply weld it up. I want to ask if this is feasible? I am extremely grateful.
It’s quite troublesome; a frame has to be set up, there are many cooling water pipe bundles, and it’s necessary to open the cover of the tube sheet box (by removing the bolts around it). A huge project! ! !
On the tube side of the horizontal tube type primary cooler, the inlet is low and the outlet is high. Water cannot be used to suppress the pressure, as the shell side cannot withstand such high pressures. Then the tube sheet can be opened to introduce steam into the shell side. Block wherever steam is coming out.
The water pipe is leaking; just remove it and replace it completely. It’s not possible to see which pipe is leaking
There are large-scale projects; pressurize them. If there’s a leak, continue pressing on both sides, and it will be possible to locate the leaking pipe tray quite quickly
To check for leaks, it’s best not to perform welding. It is better to use other methods to seal the leak.
A relatively effective and practical approach is to remove the primary cooler, fill the water system with water, then connect a transparent rubber hose from the lowest point to the highest point. After leaving it alone and observing the level of water in the hose in case there is leakage, it will be possible to determine which row of pipes in that end cap is leaking. Once the end cap is removed, steam can be introduced into the shell side to identify which horizontal pipe is releasing vapor – that is the pipe that is leaking. The ends of that pipe should then be sealed, and the process can be tried again； Repeat this process as needed
Open the cover of one end of the tube sheet and introduce steam into the shell side; the tube from which steam emerges will indicate it.
The same method was used, and it worked