Tube and tubesheet assembly with damage resistance and method for protecting tube and tubesheet assemblies from damage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12305940-B2
Application number	US-202016948204-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2020
Priority date	Sep 8, 2020
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A tube and tubesheet assembly is provided, which includes a tubesheet, the tubesheet comprising at least one tube insertion aperture therethrough; at least one tube inserted in the at least one tube insertion aperture; and a damage-resistant layer applied to an edge of the at least one tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within the corresponding tube insertion aperture. A heat exchanger including the assembly is also provided. A method is also provided for coupling a tube to a tubesheet. The method includes applying a damage-resistant layer to an edge of the tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within a tube insertion aperture in the tubesheet. The method can also be used to repair tubes and retrofit pre-existing tube-to-tubesheet joints.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tube and tubesheet assembly, comprising:
a tubesheet, the tubesheet comprising at least one tube insertion aperture therethrough;
at least one tube inserted in the at least one tube insertion aperture; and
an overlaid damage-resistant layer integrated into a surface of an edge of the at least one tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within the corresponding tube insertion aperture, wherein the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and wherein the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid along the inner surface of the at least one tube to a depth that corresponds to at least the width of the tubesheet.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the overlaid damage-resistant layer extends into the tube beyond the width of the tubesheet.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tube is rolled after being inserted into the tube insertion aperture to engage an inner surface of the tube insertion aperture.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tube is welded to the tubesheet after being inserted into the tube insertion aperture.

6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the overlaid damage-resistant layer interfaces with an edge of tubesheet cladding adjacent the edge of the at least one tube.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the tubesheet comprises a plurality of tube insertion apertures and the assembly comprises a plurality of tubes.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein a pair of tubesheets and the plurality of tubes are in a heat exchanger.

9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein the heat exchanger is a shell and tube heat exchanger, condenser, air cooler, waste heat boiler, reheater, reboiler, preheater or boiler.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the overlaid damage-resistant layer comprises an alloy or ceramic.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the alloy comprises stainless steel, nickel, cobalt, titanium, copper, tantalum or zirconium.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a welding technique.

13. The assembly of claim 12 , wherein the welding technique comprises laser welding, electron-beam welding, electroslag welding, open-arc welding, or plasma welding.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a brazing technique.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a sintering technique.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a chemical vapor deposition technique.

17. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a thermal spray technique.

18. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid using a diffusion coating technique.

19. A heat exchanger, comprising:
a pair of tubesheets;
a plurality of tubes extending between the pair of tubesheets, each tube being inserted in the tubesheets at respective tube insertion apertures; and
for at least one tube-to-tubesheet connection, an overlaid damage-resistant layer integrated into a surface of an edge of the corresponding tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the corresponding tube that is positioned within the corresponding tube insertion aperture, wherein the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and wherein the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer.

20. A method of coupling a tube to a tubesheet, comprising:
overlaying a damage-resistant layer to be integrated into a surface of an edge of the tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within a tube insertion aperture in the tubesheet, such that the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and wherein the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer.

21. A method of repairing a tube in a heat exchanger, comprising:
removing the tube from the heat exchanger;
overlaying a damage-resistant layer to be integrated into a surface of an edge of the tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within a tube insertion aperture in a tubesheet at an inlet side of the heat exchanger, such that the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and such that the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, the tube having the overlaid damage-resistant layer forming a replacement tube; and
inserting the replacement tube into the tube insertion aperture in the tubesheet of the heat exchanger.

22. A method of retrofitting a pre-existing tube-to-tubesheet joint, comprising:
overlaying a damage-resistant layer to be integrated into a surface of an edge of a tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within a tube insertion aperture in a tubesheet, such that the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and such that the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer.

23. The heat exchanger of claim 19 , wherein the damage-resistant layer is overlaid along the inner surface of at least one tube of the plurality of tubes to a depth that corresponds to at least the width of at least one of the tubesheets.

24. The heat exchanger of claim 23 , wherein the overlaid damage-resistant layer extends into the at least one tube beyond the width of the at least one of the tubesheets.

25. The heat exchanger of claim 19 , wherein at least one of the plurality of tubes is rolled after being inserted into the respective tube insertion aperture to engage an inner surface of the respective tube insertion aperture.

26. The heat exchanger of claim 19 , wherein at least one of the plurality of tubes is welded to at least one of the tubesheets after being inserted into the respective tube insertion aperture.

27. The heat exchanger of claim 19 , wherein the overlaid damage-resistant layer interfaces with an edge of tubesheet cladding adjacent the edge of at least one of the plurality of tubes.

28. The heat exchanger of claim 19 , wh

Assignees

• Suncor Energy Inc

Inventors

• Yuen Simon
• Suzuk Yasin
• Serate Duane Go

Classifications

• B23K1/0012

  Brazing of heat exchangers · CPC title

• F28F2275/06

  by welding · CPC title

• B23K2101/14

  Heat exchangers · CPC title

• F28F2245/00

  Coatings; Surface treatments · CPC title

• B23P15/26

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title