Curiosity: 45° chamfer on internal face of girth flanges

I've seen a chamfer applied to the the ID of the shell girth flange to facilitate tube bundle installation, but I've never seen a chamfer on the flange OD before.

My only guess is that when the flange starts to leak, some companies will install an external clamp around the OD of the two mating flanges and spray a sealant between the flange faces. Maybe the chamfer helps the sealant to flow into the crevice. Just a guess.


-Christine

A sharp corner on any large, heavy object is highly prone to being damaged/dented or causing damage when bumped. Champfers are good design practice.

I've seen these chamfers on both the ID & OD of shell girth flanges here in US. It seems to be a more common practice in older (pre-1980s) US-designed exchanger shells. I do not know why it's not seen more in the newer ones, as it seems like a good practice. Likely because it adds a bit more work to the fab shop is my guess. It does not appear to be addressed in API660 either.

The chamfer may also be to used to break loose the body flange from its mating component, i.e. by driving a wedge between the two.

Regards,

Mike

The problem with sloppy work is that the supply FAR EXCEEDS the demand