×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Heat Exchanger Tubes

Heat Exchanger Tubes

Heat Exchanger Tubes

(OP)
Does anyone have a good source for finned heat exchanger tubes?
I have an application that requires straight tubes, 5/8" OD x 80" long with circumferential fins. The material is type 304 stainless steel and it must meet ASME Section VIII.
I am located in Washington State, USA (the other Washington!) so something close by would help, but I'd appreciate any good source.

Thanks
Tom W.

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

Try Energy Transfer, Inc. Phone 1-800-342-2680, and there are others.

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

(OP)
thumbs,

Thanks for the response. Energy Transfer is one I hadn't yet talked to. I think I did find a place that can do the job. The trick was that the customer needed fins that were 3/8" high and they would not accept copper or aluminum, and I had a hard time finding someone that could do these fins in stainless or mild steel. Cannon Boiler Works in PA can apparently do it, but I'll give Energy Transfer a call.
Thanks,
Tom W

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

Anybody had any experience expanding stainless tubes for a heat exchanger? Copper expansion is very common and is kind of the standard in the boiler business, we have a new one using stainless and we are wondering if you can expand it or have to weld it. I am leaning to welding because the stainless is so hard, anybody tried it?

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

JoePat,

You may want to start a new tread on this topic.  

In any case, it is not uncommon (at least within the refining industry) to have roll expanded stainless steel tubes in a heat exchanger.  You should have no problem finding a heat exchanger fabricator with experience rolling stainless tubes.  Try one of the TEMA contributing members, such as, Ohmstede, Cust-o-Fab or Energy Exchanger, if you'd like to get their opinion.

The decision to roll vs. weld also depends on the service fluid and operating conditions.

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

Stainless steel HX tubes (and carbon steel, copper, etc.) can be seated/sealed in tubesheets by mechanical rolling expansion or by hydraulic expansion.  

The latter is really slick (GM now makes some auto frames by hydrostatic shaping) and you can learn more about the Hydroswage process at www.haskel.com.

Each expanded joint can be tested for leak tightness right after the expansion.  However, a main advantage of this process in the first place is the high predictability of the expansion effect once the pressure is set up.

RE: Heat Exchanger Tubes

Wolverine Tube Inc

Tel # (256) 890-0460

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources