Heat Exchangers: Types and Application, Design, Operation and Maintenance

Introduction:

Heat exchangers are important and expensive items of equipment that are used in a wide variety of industries. A better understanding of the basic principles of heat transfer and fluid flow and their application to the design and operation of shell and tube heat exchangers, as well as plate heat exchangers, air-cooled exchangers and other specialty heat exchangers that you gain from this course, will enable you to improve their effectiveness and extend their life.

The course provides an in-depth presentation of the main types of industrial heat exchangers, their key features and aspects, and provides practical guidelines for selecting the appropriate type for specific applications.

You will better understand how to use the applicable API, TEMA and ASME codes, standards and recommended practices. Discussions cover fabrication, materials of construction and costs of tubular units; condensers and reboilers; effect and mitigation of fouling; and causes and prevention of exchanger tubes vibration and damage

Targeted Groups:

• Maintenance Professionals
• Inspection Personnel
• Process Supervisors
• Plant Operators
• Plant/Technical Managers

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course the participants will be able to:

• Highlight the pivotal function and significance of heat exchangers in cost-effective plant operations
• Provide a clear understanding of the fundamentals of heat transfer and hydraulics and fluid flow and their application in the thermal design of heat exchangers.
• Provide methodologies for the mechanical design of heat exchangers following the industry codes, standards, and best practices, specifically ASME BPVC Section VIII, TEMA, and API 660, 661, and 662.
• Understand the cost-effective technologies and best practices for improving the performance of heat exchangers
• Gain essential and integrated knowledge about the hydraulic, thermal and mechanical design of heat exchangers
• Understand, predict and identify causes of performance degradation and damage mechanisms that affect heat exchangers fitness for continued service and thereby reduce the risk of potential failures and waste of energy

Targeted Competencies:

• Heat Exchangers Design Characteristics
• Understanding of Heat Transfer principles
• International Codes and Standards for fabrication, operation, and maintenance
• Problems in operation: Fouling and performance monitoring
• Inspection of corrosion, erosion and structural integrity

Course Content:

Unit 1: Types and Application of Heat Exchangers:

• Overview and fundamentals
• Significance of heat exchange in the petroleum, petrochemical, and process industries
• Heat Transfer Fundamentals and Heat Transfer Coefficients
• Heat Exchanger types and application
• Shell and Tube heat exchangers
• Compact heat exchangers
• Plate heat exchangers
• Printed circuit heat exchangers
• Heat pipes
• Air-cooled heat exchangers
• Regenerative heat exchangers
• Geometry of Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers (STHE) and Double Pipes - TEMA nomenclature, front end head types, shell types, rear-end types, double pipe units, selection guidelines

Unit 2: Thermal and Hydraulic Design of Heat Exchangers:

• Sizing and Specifying the heat exchanger
• Temperature Difference In STHE
• Countercurrent, co-current, and cross-current
• TEMA flow arrangements, comparisons
• Worked example
• Velocity Triangles and Performance Derivation from First Principles
• Pump performance curves: head-capacity, power, efficiency
• System curve: static, friction, pressure head components
• Fluid Flow and Pressure Drop
• Shell & Tube heat exchangers
• Plate heat exchangers
• Types and application
• General design considerations
• Condensers and Reboilers

Unit 3: Mechanical Design of Heat Exchangers:

• Design and construction codes and best practices
• ASME B&PVC Section VIII
• API 660, 661, and 662
• TEMA
• Basic design of heat exchangers - S&THE, PHE, ACHE
• Special design considerations
• Piping loads on exchanger nozzles
• Impact of service conditions on material selection
• Shell & tube heat exchangers
• Plate heat exchangers
• Materials of construction for heat exchangers
• Fabrication of heat exchangers

Unit 4: Operation and Maintenance of Heat Exchangers:

• Fouling In Heat Exchangers
• Types and mechanisms, economic impact on design and operation
• Fouling mitigation by design
• Fouling mitigation by operation and maintenance
• Corrosion and erosion in heat exchangers
• Heat Exchanger Inspection Methods
• Operation and Troubleshooting
• Performance monitoring and Testing
• Flow-induced vibration, mechanisms, vibration prediction, damage numbers, design procedure to avoid vibration including baffle selection, rod baffle exchangers, twisted tube exchangers
• Cleaning strategies and methods: S&THE, PHE, ACHE
• Heat Exchanger Repairs
• Removal and Replacement of Heat Exchangers
• Cost-effective maintenance and repair of heat exchangers

Unit 5: Performance Enhancement and Optimization of Heat Exchangers:

• Heat transfer augmentation techniques
• Finned tubes
• In-tube Enhancement - Tube inserts, sintered coatings
• Tube Bundle Replacement - Alternative enhanced tube bundle designs
• Rod baffle
• Heli baffle
• Twisted tube
• Pinch technology
• Heat exchanger train optimization
• Heat Integration Basics