Patent Application
20100116477
The present invention relates to an assembly of baffles and seals and to its use in a method of assembling a heat exchanger.
A shell-and-tube heat exchanger is an indirect heat exchanger. Heat is transferred between a fluid passing through the tubes of a tube bundle (the tube side) extending in the heat exchanger shell, and a fluid passing through the space outside the tubes (the shell side). Details of the shell-and-tube heat exchangers can for example be found in Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 6th edition, 1984, McGraw-Hill Inc., page 11-3 to 11-21.
A particular type of heat-exchanger known as two-shell-pass heat exchanger has been developed for improved transfer of heat in a given shell size. In this type of heat exchanger a generally cylindrical outer tube is provided internally with an axially and longitudinally extending partition baffle. Such shell types include the two-pass shell with longitudinal baffle, the split-flow shell, and the double split-flow shell in Perry's. The longitudinal baffle subdivides the interior of the shell into two separate longitudinally extending compartments that normally communicate at one end of the shell, so that the fluid flow in the shell passes twice along the length of the shell.
For most efficient heat exchange the baffle should form a relatively tight seal along both of its longitudinal rims so that flow between the compartments is only possible in the intended regions, that is at the end or ends of the shell.
Typically, such a structure has been formed by using a rectangular partition plate having a width slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the wall of the shell so that the longitudinal outer rims of this plate are spaced slightly radially inwardly from the inner wall surface of the shell, when the plate is positioned on a diametral plane.
Several types of longitudinal seals have been developed in the past. Except for sufficient sealing, it is also desired that a longitudinal seal allows easy mounting in a heat exchanger shell, and is cost-efficient. A good compromise has for example been found in the baffle seal profiles developed and marketed under the name T4 by Kempchen & Co. GmbH of Oberhausen, Germany. Principles of these seals are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,745, which also discusses other prior art seals.
The known longitudinal seals comprise a U-shaped flange that faces inwardly into the heat exchanger and that is sized to snugly receive the longitudinal baffle. A sealing member at the opposite side of the seal comprises an outwardly extending pair of flanges that elastically presses against the inner wall of the shell.
In many cases a two-shell-pass heat exchanger is not an optimal arrangement. For example, when an existing single pass heat exchanger is to be retrofitted with new internals, the positions of the fluid inlet and outlets of the shell are located at opposite ends longitudinally along the heat exchanger shell, and that can normally not be changed. For a two-pass arrangement, however, shell inlet and outlet should be arranged at the same longitudinal end of the shell.
A three-shell-pass arrangement, in which two longitudinal baffles are arranged so that the fluid flow in the shell meanders three times back and forth the length of the shell, would solve this problem. However, this is not done in practice, as reliable sealing of two longitudinal baffles poses practical problems. Since each of the longitudinal baffles is to be arranged a substantial distance away from a diameter of the shell, the baffles meet the shell at an angle considerably different from 90 degrees with the tangential. Due to this unusual geometry, sealing, e.g. by Kempchen seals, is seen as problematic. Also, seals such as Kempchen seals represent a significant cost factor, and for a three-pass arrangement four longitudinal seals would be required.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement of longitudinal baffles and seals that allows improved sealing in multi-shell-pass heat exchangers, in particular also for retrofitting heat exchangers.
It is a further object to provide a method of assembling a heat exchanger with two or more longitudinal baffles.
To this end the present invention provides an assembly of baffles and seals for mounting in a heat exchanger shell, which assembly comprises
a plurality of longitudinal baffles;
at least one longitudinal seal,
wherein the assembly further comprises a wall member that is arranged to extend between spaced apart longitudinal baffles so as to form a double wall with the heat exchanger shell after mounting, and wherein the at least one longitudinal seal is arranged on the wall member and away from the longitudinal baffles so as to sealingly engage the wall member against the heat exchanger shell after mounting.
Applicant has realized that reliable sealing between two spaced apart longitudinal baffles in a multi-pass heat exchanger can be obtained if a wall member is provided that forms a double wall with the heat exchanger shell, and wherein the longitudinal seal is provided between the wall member and the heat exchanger shell. In this way an optimum position on the wall member can be chosen for the longitudinal seal, and/or the geometry between the seal and the shell can be can be optimised. Only one seal can be sufficient for sealing two edges of longitudinal baffles against the shell.
Typically, the shell is cylindrical, and the wall member has substantially the shape of an arc having a slightly smaller radius. Suitably the longitudinal seal extends radially outwardly from the wall member, and in the typical geometry the seal will meet the shell in a perpendicular orientation. Preferably, the longitudinal seal is mounted on a longitudinal strip that perpendicularly extends from the wall member.
Two longitudinal seals can be arranged on the wall member so as to form a sealed inner space with the heat exchanger wall after mounting. If then during normal operation fluid from one compartment were to leak along a longitudinal seal, the fluid will enter into the inner space of the double wall, and therefore not directly into another compartment. In order to leak into a further compartment the fluid would need to leak through yet another longitudinal seal. The double sealed wall member acts as a leakage barrier. Such a design can be particularly beneficial where highly reliable and robust sealing is required, e.g. in cases where the internals of the heat exchanger need to be regularly removed from the shell for inspection and/or cleaning.
Further, if a double seal is arranged on the wall member, a compressed gauze material can be provided as additional sealant, and arranged between the two longitudinal seals. Suitable compressed gauze materials are steel wool or compressed expanded metal.
Suitably, the longitudinal seal comprises a U-shaped flange for receiving a strip extending from the wall member. Suitably the longitudinal seal comprises a wall sealing member, which is formed of oppositely outwardly extending elastic flanges. A suitable such longitudinal seal is the baffle seal T4 of Kempchen & Co. GmbH, and also includes a U-shaped flange.
Suitably, the assembly further comprises a plurality of transverse baffles for supporting a bundle of tubes. The transverse baffles can comprise elements of expanded metal, as described in International patent applications No. WO2005/067170; WO2005/015107; WO2005/015108, which are incorporated by reference.
Alternatively the invention can also be used with other types of heat exchangers having a longitudinal flow pattern, examples are heat exchangers with rod baffle tube supports, or heat exchangers with twisted tubes.
When the assembly with n−1 longitudinal baffles is arranged to form a meandering fluid flow path of n passes between an inlet and an outlet after mounting in the heat exchanger shell, wherein n>2, the transverse baffles are suitably formed of n segments. The segments of transverse baffles between adjacent longitudinal baffles then suitably have a cross-section corresponding to the cross-section between opposing double walls of the adjacent longitudinal baffles.
In a special embodiment tubes extend from a tube sheet through the transverse baffles and an transverse end baffle to a tube end sheet, and the wall members are connected at one end to the tube sheet and at the other end to the end baffle. Preferably then the end baffle is provided with a seal so as to prevent bypass of fluid between shell passes around the end baffle.
The assembly can be prefabricated, optionally together with tubesheets and tubes passing through transverse baffles, and slid into the heat exchanger shell, in particular during a replacement operation. It can of course also be mounted directly in a heat exchanger shell.
The invention further provides a method of assembling a heat exchanger, the method comprising
During a revamp of an existing heat exchanger the step of providing a heat exchanger shell includes removing previous heat exchanger internals from that shell.
The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein
Where the same reference numerals are used in different Figures, they refer to the same or similar objects.
The assembly comprises two spaced apart longitudinal baffles 6,7 each having a pair of longitudinal rims 11a,b;12a,b and dividing the interior space of the heat exchanger 1 into three compartments. The assembly further comprises wall members 21 and 22 that extend between the longitudinal baffles 6,7, near rims 11a,12a; and 11b,12b, respectively. The wall members form a double wall with the heat exchanger shell 4 after mounting, and represent the longitudinal transverse walls of the middle compartment of the heat exchanger 1 For the sake of illustration of two embodiments, wall member 22 is provided with one longitudinal seal 14, and wall member 21 is provided with two longitudinal seals 16,17, for sealingly engaging the wall members against the heat exchanger shell 4 after mounting in the shell. The wall members and seals are only shown schematically, and more details of an embodiment thereof will be discussed with reference to
The single seal 14 of wall member 22 is cost-efficient, since only one longitudinal seal with the shell is required for two longitudinal rims of two longitudinal baffles.
The longitudinal baffles 6,7 are provided with substantially rectangular cut-outs 26,27, that allow meandering fluid flow between the thee compartments that are formed in a shell.
Reference is made to
The heat exchanger is further provided with a tube bundle, only four tubes of which, tubes 45,46,47,48, are shown for the sake of clarity. The tube side of the heat exchanger 31 is indicated with dots. In this embodiment the tube side has a two-tube-pass arrangement. The tube side has an inlet 51 to a tube inlet header 53. The tube inlet header is in fluid communication with the lower part of the tube bundle, tubes 47,48, which extend to the tube end sheet 54 connected to the tubing end header 55 which in turn is in fluid communication with the upper part of the tube bundle, tubes 45,46, extending into the tube outlet header 57 where the outlet 59 from the tube side is arranged. The inlet and outlet tube heads 53,57 are separated by a horizontal plate 61 extending horizontally along in the centre of the shell 34 from the shell end to the tube sheet 62 in which the tubes are fixed. The tube sheet is secured to the shell by flanges 63, through which the inlet end of the shell can be opened for inserting or removing the internals. Flanges 64 through which the end part of the shell can be removed are also arranged at the rear end.
The tube end sheet 54 at the opposite end also fixes the tubes, but unlike the tube sheet 62, the tube end sheet 54 and the tube end header 55 to which it is connected are not connected to the shell 34, i.e. the end header is floating. This allows thermal expansion of the tubes within the shell. Instead of an end header which receives and distributes all tube fluid also separate U-tubes could be applied.
The tubes are supported by a plurality of transverse baffles 65. The transverse baffle 66 that is farthest away from the tube inlet/outlet is different from the others. First of all, it is formed of a solid plate which is manufactured within tight tolerances to the cross-section of the shell, and is only provided with openings though which the tubes can just pass, but the tubes are not connected to this baffle plate. The end baffle 66 serves to prevent leaking of shell fluid from compartment 41 directly to compartment 43 by flowing around the tube header 55. By such leaking, shell fluid from the first pass would make a shortcut to directly reach the shell outlet 37, driven by the small pressure drop that exists between the different passes. To prevent this, a seal in the form of profile 67 is arranged that presses packing material 68 against the shell 34, at least in the lower part of the circumference of the end baffle 66 to above the baffle 7, as indicated dashed at 69. By this seal, leaking from the free space 70 around the tube end header 55 into the third pass, compartment 43, is prevented. The seal can extend around the entire circumference of end baffle 67, but that is not strictly required as leaking into the second pass, compartment 43, is not a problem as it does not constitute a shortcut, like in two-shell pass heat exchangers. The transverse baffles are suitably interconnected for mechanical stability, e.g. by longitudinal rods (not shown).
The shrouds 21 and 22 are also sealingly connected to the longitudinal baffles 6,7.
An embodiment of the connection between wall member 21 and longitudinal baffle 6 as well as of the longitudinal seal 16 is shown as enlarged portion IV in more detail in
The longitudinal baffle 6 meets the shell 34 at an angle 72 with the tangential 72a, that is smaller than 90 degrees, e.g. 80 degrees or less, i.e. significantly away from the normal 72b. Therefore, sealing of the longitudinal baffle directly at the longitudinal rim 11a is problematic. According to the invention, the wall member 21 is provided, and is sealingly connected with its folded rim 88 to the baffle 6 near the rim 11a, e.g. bolted and using packing material.
The longitudinal seal 16 is arranged on the wall member 21 through a strip 73. The seal may comprise a U-shaped flange 75 that is formed of inner flanges 76 and 77 connected via bottom flange 78, all made from one piece of strip metal. The strip metal is folded over to form folds 79 and 80. The folds are arranged to hold the wall sealing member in the form of elastic outwardly extending flanges, metal lamellae 82,83,84,85. Four lamellae are shown in the drawing, two to either side, but more or less lamellae seals can be arranged. A typical number is 4 lamellae to either side.
Alternatively the seal may comprise a gasket or any other sealing device known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
The groove formed by the U-shaped profile 75 has a width such that strip 73 is snugly received. If desired, packing material suitable for the operating temperatures such as Teflon can be applied. It will be understood that clearances between parts in the drawings are shown exaggerated for the sake of clarity.
The arc-shaped part of the wall member 21 runs substantially parallel with the shell 34. It has a radius smaller than the radius of the shell. The strip member 73 extends radially from the wall member 21, so that it extends substantially perpendicularly from the wall member and meets the wall 34 at an angle 74 which is substantially perpendicular with the tangential 74a. Substantially perpendicular is typically at an angle within 10 degrees from perpendicular, preferably within 5 degrees. In this way the lamellae 82,83 and 84,85 at either side of the seal are in a similar relative orientation with respect to the shell and can operate in the same way. This would not be the case if the longitudinal seal was arranged on the longitudinal rim 11a of the baffle 6, where the lamellae at either side would undergo substantially different deformation. The strip member 73 is suitably welded to the wall member 21, but it can also be fastened by other means or can be integrally formed with the wall member.
The expanded metal 92 supports the tubes as schematically shown in
Potentially one could have considered to fold the longitudinal rims, such as rim 11a in
For manufacturing a heat exchanger, a heat exchanger shell is provided, if needed after removing original internals. The assembly of baffles and seals according to the invention is preferably assembled outside the shell so that an arrangement of stacked longitudinal baffles provided with longitudinal seals is obtained, wherein wall members extend between adjacent longitudinal baffles. The assembly can be further completed with transverse baffles and tubes, and suitably with the tube sheet and tube end sheet, and the completed assembly can be slid into the shell. To this end, the tube inlet/outlet header is removed, and suitably also the end part (flanges 63 and 64 in
An example of normal operation of a heat exchanger with internals according to the present invention will now be described. The heat exchanger of this example is used in a pre-heat train of a crude distilling unit, wherein a previous shell-side single-pass segmental heat exchanger was revamped by installing an assembly similar to the one shown in
The fluid passing through the tube side is crude, which is pre-heated, say from 155° C. to 180° C., against hot long residue that is passed through the shell side and cooling from 270° C. to 220° C. Use of expanded metal baffles is particularly advantageous in this case as it reduces fouling and maintenance/cleaning cost in the shell side. The three-shell-pass design increases the flow velocity in the shell side which is beneficial for high duty heat transfer in a compact shell. It also makes good use of the available pressure drop. A particularity of the layout of this example with three shell passes and 2 tube passes is that the shell and tube flows are counter-current in compartment 41, partly counter-current and partly co-current in compartment 42, and co-current in compartment 43.
It shall be understood that the invention can likewise be used with more than two longitudinal baffles. For example, with 3 longitudinal baffles, suitably four wall members are provided, and in particular four double walls can be arranged, two between the first and second, and two between the second and third longitudinal baffle. The longitudinal seals of the second (middle) longitudinal baffle preferably hold the folded longitudinal rims of the two wall members that extend upwardly and downwardly from that seal. In such a four-shell pass design the shell inlet and outlet are normally at the same end of the shell. Since in such a design a longitudinal baffle runs along a horizontal diameter of the shell, there is no conflict with the horizontal separation plate between tube inlet/outlet header.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06126093.1 | Dec 2006 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP07/63760 | 12/12/2007 | WO | 00 | 7/20/2009 |
