IZ-Air Cooler [220-E30]

Safe Maintenance
"On Line leak elimination"

By
"Special Mechanical Device"
Presented By Carlo Leoni [IBN-ZAHR]
21 May 2007

From Steam turbine

L.P. Steam Header

INTRODUCTION
Air-Cooler Service

Inlet Header
Tube bundle

Electric Fan

To condensate L.P. steam

discharged from steam turbine

Plant configuration
No individual Isolation valves
were available in the installation

Action

Outlet Header

Air-coolers
Schematic Diagram
[Fig. 1]

Vessel

Designed, fabricated and Safely

installed On Line a special
mechanical device [Shutdown
was avoided]

Condensate
2

Air Cooler Set

[General Assembly]

[Fig. 2]

Inlet
Tubes

Floating Header

Stationary Header

Outlet
Fan

Protection grating
Conveyor

Structure

Air Cooler Tube Bundle

[Typical Assembly]

[Fig. 3]

Steam Inlet

Stationary Header

Finned Tubes

Fins

Gasket

Tube Sheet

Leak

Floating Header

Tube Sheet

AIR Flow

Threaded Plugs

Condensate Outlet

Special Mechanical Device D

Assembled in position to stop the leak
[Fig. 4]

Steam

Condensate

Leak

Special Mechanical Device

Split in all its parts
[Fig. 5]
1

Connecting Screw

Packing Gland

Upper Body

3
Gland Packing

leak

Connecting Screws
Graphite Gasket

Drain Valve

Lower Body

Drain Valve

NPT

(Item 7-1 piece)

Material: ASTM SA 283 Gr. C

11

50

29

[Fig. 6]

Hard Face Seat

10

10

18

4 3

M8
16
7

Air Cooler Tube Sheet

230
50

100

80

Fin Tube
B

Packing

Packing Gland

General Assembly
Sectional Drawing
25.4 OD

[Fig. 7]

C
B

25
Body

Leak

Tube

Section B-B

Tube

Gasket

Gasket

Leak
Drain Valve

Section C-C

Leak
Drain Valve

SAFETY FOR DEVICE DIMENSIONING

The following Equations were applied:

Device Body
[Minimum Thickness required]
T=

PD
+ C = mm
200 Ks . e

Connecting Bolts
[Tension Stability Equation]
K Ks = F / A = Kg/mm2

P = Test pressure in Kg/cm2 [1.5 Design pressure]

K = Tension stress applied in Kg/mm2

D = Inside Diameter in mm

Ks = C.S. Safety Load in Kg/mm2

Ks = C.S. Safety Load in Kg/mm2

F = Total Load in Kg

e = 0.9 [Junction Efficiency]

A = Bolt resistant area in mm2

C = 2 [Constant]

DEVICE INSTALLATION WITH SAFETY PROCEDURE

A. EQUIPMENT PREPARATION FOR MAINTENANCE
1. Stop the Electric Fan Set [By Production]

Safety
Safety

2. Disconnect the electric power from Substation [Electrical Supervisor]

Install 4 padlocks:
A. Electrical Supervisor
B. Rotating Supervisor
C. Static Supervisor

Safety

D. Production Supervisor

3. Obtain Work Permit to erect appropriate scaffold Tagged [Scaffold Supervisor]

Safety

4. Obtain Work Permit to remove transmission belts [Rotating Supervisor]

Safety

5. Obtain Hot Work Permit to install special device [Static Supervisor]

Grinder to be used

Safety

Equipped Fire watch to be present

Fire blanket to be used

Standard Personal protecting E. to be used

Air hoses to supply fresh air nearby

Special protecting E. to be used: Face shield, special gloves, special coverall, etc.

10

DEVICE INSTALLATION PROCEDURE

[To be followed after all previous Safety points been attended]
1. Remove Fins
2. Install upper Half Body

Steam

Install Lower Half body. 3

with drain open

4. Tight body bolts

5. Install left Pack. /Gland
Condensate

Leak

And Tight bolts

6. Install right Pack. /Gland
And tight bolts
7. Close the drain, then
the leak will disappear

11

ADVANTAGES & BENEFITS

Plant shut down avoided. Re-tubing carried out six month later
during a planned turnaround [Individual isolation valves were also installed]
Within those six months, 80 devices were installed in the 6 bundles
to keep the plant running
Re-tubing in emergency would have required 12 days of Shut down
and a loss of 30,000.00 Tons of MTBE production equivalent to 40 Millions S.R.]

The Devices were fabricated In House at a very low cost [See sample]
The Device does not require any sealant or welding therefore can
be
safely
utilized in any hazardous situation and in other applications
12

CONCLUSIONS
Never loose the hope to solve problems, never give up
Never take the easy way: Shut down a plant without having
explored
all
possible alternative Safe solutions
Use your imagination and let your brain to think deeply: you will get
the right and Safe answer
The found solution to repair On Line these Air-coolers by the
device
was
really unexpected and the trust on it very skeptic,
But when we first tried and it succeeded we Safely saved 40 Millions SR.

13

THANK YOU

Carlo Leoni
[IBN-ZAHR]

21 May 2007