I've used these fins in other bitumen applications without issue so I'm not concerned about fouling assuming they are operated as designed (no air in exchanger while heat is on). Startup and cool down gets sticky but again, that's just an operational task to not damage the coils and thermal oil.
Thank you all for your input, I'll continue monitoring responses. So far that's 3 pressure vessels and 0 pieces of pipe so this seems fairly cut and dry.
The shell side is 24" pipe, the tube side is 2" pipe, overall length 20 feet. Pressures are relatively low, less than 100 psi and temperatures are 300-500°F range.
I'm going to be using a heat exchanger that will consist of a 24" pipe with multiple passes of 2" pipe inside, mounted through a blind flange on the end. Both ends will have blind flanges for cleanout and maintenance. I'll be using hot oil in the tubes and bitumen in the shell side. Pressure...
This is absolutely the practical approach, however, I have seen a few vessels come in rated at the upper limit of the flange rating that don't appear to account for hydrostatic head during hydrotest.
I guess my question is am I allowed to use a Class 600 flange on the bottom of a vessel rated...
Hypothetical situation:
I need to design a vertical vessel with MAWP of 1480 psig designed to handle water. The vessel is 100 feet tall and will have a drain welded to the bottom with a flange. Ballpark numbers tell me during operation at the MAWP when full of water, the vessel will see 1523...
