U-tube Heat Exchanger Design and Fabrication from Bendel Corporation

There are several different types of shell and tube heat exchangers that Bendel designs and fabricates for clients of varying types for varying uses!  The U-tube heat exchanger is a multi-use heat exchanger that many of our clients use in their various manufacturing processes.

A shell and tube heat exchanger is a class of heat exchanger designs. It is the most common type of heat exchanger in oil refineries and other large chemical processes, and is suited for higher-pressure applications. As its name implies, this type of heat exchanger consists of a shell (a large pressure vessel) with a bundle of tubes inside it. One fluid runs through the tubes, and another fluid flows over the tubes (through the shell) to transfer heat between the two fluids. The set of tubes is called a tube bundle, and may be composed by several types of tubes: plain, longitudinally finned, etc.

Two fluids, of different starting temperatures, flow through the heat exchanger. One flows through the tubes (the tube side) and the other flows outside the tubes but inside the shell (the shell side). Heat is transferred from one fluid to the other through the tube walls, either from tube side to shell side or vice verse. The fluids can be either liquids or gases on either the shell or the tube side. In order to transfer heat efficiently, a large heat transfer area should be used, leading to the use of many tubes. In this way, waste heat can be put to use. This is an efficient way to conserve energy.

Heat exchangers with only one phase (liquid or gas) on each side can be called one-phase or single-phase heat exchangers. Two-phase heat exchangers can be used to heat a liquid to boil it into a gas (vapor), sometimes called boilers, or cool a vapor to condense it into a liquid (called condensers), with the phase change usually occurring on the shell side. Boilers in steam engine locomotives are typically large, usually cylindrically-shaped shell-and-tube heat exchangers. In large power plants with steam-driven turbines, shell-and-tube surface condensers are used to condense the exhaust steam exiting the turbine into condensate water which is recycled back to be turned into steam in the steam generator.

There can be many variations on the shell and tube design. Typically, the ends of each tube are connected to plenums (sometimes called water boxes) through holes in tubesheets. The tubes may be straight or bent in the shape of a U, called U-tubes.

If you would like more information about our Bendel heat exchanger design and fabricating program, please call us at 866-596-5112 or contact  Vince Petrucci or Vivek Patel at Bendel.

 

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Pressure Vessel Fabricators – The Science Behind Pressure Vessels

We received some great comments and feedback from our article on the “science behind Heat Exchangers” that we posted on our blog a week ago…so we’re going to discuss about the “science behind pressure vessels” this week!

A sealed container that is intended to hold liquids or gases at a different pressure from the atmosphere around it is known as a pressure vessel. Contemporary boiler pressure vessels are typically composed of steel. Older boiler vessels were composed of wrought iron, copper or cast iron, and held together by rivets.

All Bendel Pressure Vessels and Reactors are designed and fabricated in strict accordance with ASME (Section VIII, Division I). ASME vessels can be fabricated from Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel or Nickel Alloy materials.

Boiler pressure vessels, if punctured or flawed, can cause serious and even fatal accidents. This is a result of the difference in the pressure levels between the substance inside the container and the substance outside the container. If breached, the danger lies in the reaction, as the substance inside the container regulates to the same pressure as the atmosphere outside the vessel.

If the substance inside is compressed, and stored at a higher pressure than the air outside, the substance will rush outwards if the vessel is punctured, creating an explosion. If the substance inside is at a lower pressure, it will create a suction effect if punctured. Pressurized containers can also create explosions if exposed to excessive heat, or other adverse conditions.

As a result of these hazards, extensive laws govern pressure vessels. The laws that regulate pressure vessels are carefully enforced by engineering authorities for the safety of operators, as well as the general public. These laws regulate the design and manufacture, as well as the operation, of pressure vessels.

Boiler pressure vessels are used to produce power by creating and utilizing the energy provided by the creation of pressurized steam. In order to create this reaction, a source of heat is applied to the boiler. The boiler is kept partially filled with water. As the water evaporates and becomes steam, pressure within the boiler vessel rises. The highly heated and pressurized steam provides energy for a number of applications, including early locomotive trains and steam ships.

If you would like to know more information about our Bendel pressure vessels, please call us at 866.596.5112!

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Bendel Customers and Students Studying Thermodynamics and Science Enjoy the Science Behind our Heat Exchangers

We get many questions about “what exactly does a heat exchanger do” and “what is the science behind how the heat exchanger works?”  In addition to our customers, we thought that the public and school children doing research on the topic would enjoy a thorough explanation!

What is a Heat Exchanger?

A heat exchanger is a device used to passively transfer heat from one material to another. These materials may be liquid or gaseous, depending on the situation in which the heat exchanger is being used. There are many models and types of heat exchangers, but they essentially work based on the laws of thermodynamics. One of those laws states that when an object is heated, the heat energy contained within that object will diffuse outward to the surrounding environment, until the heat energy in the object and in the environment have reached equilibrium.

How Does a Heat Exchanger Work?

Heat exchangers are basically two chambers separated by a single wall. This may take the form of a reservoir, but to be more effective, the maximum amount of the two chamber’s volumes must be in contact with each other. As a result, most heat exchangers are simply two passageways of pipe that snake back and forth, turning in on themselves.

A heated material is passed through one pipe. This material needs to be cooled in a hurry, but it would not be economical to chill the material by refrigeration or chemical means. The other pipe is filled with another material, which is cooled, typically at or near room temperature. As a result of the two materials being in close contact with each other, the heat diffuses between the two until they reach an equal temperature.

 

Where Are Heat Exchangers Used?

Heat exchangers are used in all sorts of industrial processes. The size and type of heat exchanger for each process can be customized, as they all follow similar principles. Instead of using unnecessary coolant, many industries instead pipe in a fluid or chemical that needs to be heated anyway, saving heat energy that would otherwise be wasted.

Absorption refrigerators use heat exchangers to condense the chemicals within their closed systems from a vapor to a liquid. Waste water treatment plants run heated materials alongside waste water pipes containing anaerobic digesters, which must be kept at very warm temperatures to do their jobs in breaking down waste.

The human lungs are also a good example of a heat exchanger. They are very open with lots of surface volume. Cool air comes in and presses up against the tissue, behind which is hot blood. The heat from the blood transfers to the air, helping to cool the body.

If you would like to have more information on heat exchangers, please contact Bendel at 1-866-596-5112.  We will be happy to help you in any way possible!

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Stainless Steel Storage Tank Manufacturing with STI Membership!

Bendel is a long-standing member of the Steel Tank Institute (STI) and we believe in the important work that this valuable organization provides our industry and our steel tank customers.

STI/SPFA was formed in February 2004, when the Steel Tank Institute (1916) and the Steel Plate Fabricators Association (1933) combined operations. STI/SPFA provides a wide range of services to the industry-leading suppliers and fabricators of steel tanks, pressure vessels, specialty products and piping for the petroleum, chemical, food and water storage industries.

It also works to create, promote and modify standards and recommended practices to influence code and standards-writing organizations, regulatory agencies and policy organizations (AWWA, ASCE, API, ASTM, ASME, EPA, UL SwRI, PEI, NFPA, IFC, OSHA, AISI and others).

We at Bendel applaud the work of the STI/SPFA because they are watchdogs, advocates, and leaders in the business of supporting steel tank manufacturing. The core attributes that they offer include:

• Creating new technologies through research & development activities
• Developing industry standards, recommended practices and procedures which improve product performance and longevity, and promote best practices in manufacturing, quality inspection, installation and testing
• Promoting the strengths and benefits of steel, through educational outreach programs, certification programs for manufacturers as well as installers and testers, press releases and industry publications
• Advocating with OSHA, the EPA, and code and regulatory authorities in each market, to ensure the continued ability of the manufacturers to fabricate steel products, and to protect the health and safety of employees and the environment
• Providing educational opportunities, certification programs and professional recognition to companies achieving outstanding performance in the areas of safety, quality, sales and service to the industry

Throughout the year, they provide our industry and customers with extensive meetings, seminars, courses and conferences across the country.  You can visit the STI/SPFA website here!

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