A Design Procedure for Evaluating the Tube Axial Load due to Thermal Effects in Multi-Pass Fixed Tubesheet Exchangers

Abstract

The unequal length change of the tubes in various tube passes of a multi-tube pass fixed or floating head tubular exchanger produces axial tube loads which may be substantial in some operating units. This paper provides a rational analysis method, heretofore unavailable to the design community, to quantify the effect of multi-pass thermal expansion on the tube axial load. A numerical example is used to illustrate the solution procedure.