What type of compression Fittings for Extruder coolers is recommended

[DMiller01]

I need to plumb an extruder cooling water system with copper tubing and compression fitting. Although the water supply pressure is under 100 psi I am concerned that there may be spikes in pressure within the aluminum cast coolers that clamp to the outside of the extruder barrel. It is likely when water is directed to a cooler that it flashes into steam within the cooler. (The cooler is reallty a heater/cooler as it has cooling lines and also a heater element cast inside it) There are fittings at the supply and return ports of the heater/coolers and fitting at additional heater/cooler ports that loop the water flow from one side of the heater/cooler to the other.

The question is: will lower pressure and less expensive brass compression fittings be acceptable or will I need to use the higher cost fittings with double sleeves which are rated at a higher pressure? Ultimately I would like to know what pressures I can expect within the heater/coolers. I'm not in a position to actually measure it.

Thanks

I am using 7.5.2.5 NATIVE on Dell with windows XP OS

 

[MikeHalloran]

Call me crazy, but I'm partial to Swagelok fittings in industrial situations like this.

They become the cheaper alternative when the others fail.





Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[DMiller01]

Mike,

Thanks for the reply. You are right thet failure in the field is much more expensive than better fittings up front. The cost difference is $900 verses $200, which is well spent funds if it avoids a failure but if you are not confident that the less expensive fittings are not up to the task there remains a question as to whether it was money well spent.

As an engineer I always like to be able to point to something concrete to justify decisions made, determining material requirements. I would love to better understand what happens in the heater/coolers when that slug of water is pumped into it. Unfortunately in many cases key data is not easily available and we are left to make an educated guess and move forward.

I am using 7.5.2.5 NATIVE on Dell with windows XP OS

 

[MikeHalloran]

Note that I didn't say 'if' the others fail, I said 'when'.

Generic compression fittings are fine for domestic water systems that are made up once and never disturbed. That does not describe the likely service conditions for your system.

Swageloks can be disassembled and remade almost without limit and with little chance of leakage, and with vanishingly small chance of failure.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA