SNORGY
Mechanical
- Sep 14, 2005
- 2,510
Similar to past thread:
thread794-130021
We have a small (14" OD x 12'-0") BEU exchanger, original design for hot glycol (tubes) to butane vaporization (shell). It was originally laid out with a vertical Pass Partition plate down the center of the tube sheet with two horizontal Pass Partition plates, one on the upper left quadrant and one on the lower left quadrant, thereby resulting in a six-pass unit. It turns out, as my luck would have it, that by removing the two horizontal pass partition plates it can be converted to a two pass unit with the U-tubes (horizontal) straddling the remaining vertical Pass Partition plate. Thus modified, the surface area and predicted thermal performance of the unit are almost exactly what we require for a new unit being requisitioned for service as a treater emulsion feed preheater.
Client would like to reuse this unit, modified as described. From past threads, I gather that this is an alteration because the fluid service changes and the construction configuration changes. Apart from that, is there any other pitfalls that we need to be wary about that would render this suggestion impractical from either a Code or Regulatory perspective? In any event, if we go down this path, the original manufacturer would be consulted, not for endorsement but more for guidance or re-modeling it for thermal performance in the modified state.
Understand that I hate this whole "used equipment" game that everyone always seems to want to play, but I am old fashioned.
thread794-130021
We have a small (14" OD x 12'-0") BEU exchanger, original design for hot glycol (tubes) to butane vaporization (shell). It was originally laid out with a vertical Pass Partition plate down the center of the tube sheet with two horizontal Pass Partition plates, one on the upper left quadrant and one on the lower left quadrant, thereby resulting in a six-pass unit. It turns out, as my luck would have it, that by removing the two horizontal pass partition plates it can be converted to a two pass unit with the U-tubes (horizontal) straddling the remaining vertical Pass Partition plate. Thus modified, the surface area and predicted thermal performance of the unit are almost exactly what we require for a new unit being requisitioned for service as a treater emulsion feed preheater.
Client would like to reuse this unit, modified as described. From past threads, I gather that this is an alteration because the fluid service changes and the construction configuration changes. Apart from that, is there any other pitfalls that we need to be wary about that would render this suggestion impractical from either a Code or Regulatory perspective? In any event, if we go down this path, the original manufacturer would be consulted, not for endorsement but more for guidance or re-modeling it for thermal performance in the modified state.
Understand that I hate this whole "used equipment" game that everyone always seems to want to play, but I am old fashioned.
