Inspection and Testing of

Mechanical Equipment
PRESSURE VESSEL

HEAT EXCHANGER
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

Pressure Vessel ( PV ) are containers for

fluids under high pressure.
They are used in variety of industries likes :
1. Petroleum Refineries
2. Chemical Industries
3. Power Plant
4. Food & Beverage Industries and
5. Pharmaceuticals
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL
There are 3 x main types of Pressure Vessel
in general :
1. Horizontal Pressure Vessel
2. Vertical Pressure Vessel
3. Spherical Pressure Vessel
However there are some special types of
vessels like Regeneration Tower, Reactor
but these name are given according to their
use only.
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

VERTICAL PRESSURE VESSEL

The maximum SHELL Length to Diameter ration for a
SMALL Vertical drum is about 5 : 1

TALL VERTICAL TOWER

1.Constructed in a wider range of SHELL Diameter &
Height
2.They can be relatively SMALL in Diameter and very
large in Length
( Dia. = 3 ft & Height = 200 ft distillation column )
3. Internal TRAYS are needed for Flow Distribution
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

VERTICAL REACTOR

• Figure shows a typical Reactor Vessel

with a cylindrical shell
• The process fluid undergoes a chemical
reaction inside a reactor
• These reaction is normally facilitated by
the presence of a catalyst which is held in
one or more catalyst beds
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

MAIN COMPONENTS OF PRESSURE VESSEL

Following are the main components of
Pressure Vessel in general :

– SHELL
– HEAD
– NOZZLE
– SUPPORTS
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL
SHELL
• It is a primary components that contain the pressure
• Pressure Vessel in the form of different plates are
welded together to form a structure that has a common
rotational axis
• SHELL are either cylindrical, Spherical or Conical in
shape.
• Horizontal drums have cylindrical shell and are
constructed in a wide range of Diameter & Length
• The CELL section of a tall tower may be constructed of
different materials, thickness and diameter due to
process and phase change of process fluids
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

HEAD
• All Pressure Vessel must be closed at the ends by heads
• Heads are typically curved rather than Flat
• The reason is the Curved configuration are stronger and
allow the heads to be thinner, lighter and less expensive
• Heads can also be used inside a vessel and are known
as intermediate heads
• These intermediate heads are separate section of the
Pressure Vessel to permit different design condition
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

NOZZLE
• A nozzle is a cylindrical component that penetrates into
the SHELL or head of Pressure Vessel
• They are used for following application
– Attach piping for flow into or out of the vessel
– Attach instrument connection ( Level gauges, thermo wells,
pressure gauges, e.t.c )
– Provide access to the vessel interior of MANWAYS
– Provide for direct attachment of other equipment such as Heat
exchanger
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

SUPPORT
• Support is used to bear all the load of Pressure
Vessel, earthquake, and wind loads
• There are different types of supports which are
used depending upon the size and orientation of
the pressure vessel
• It is considered to be the non-pressurized part of
pressure vessel
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

SUDDLE SUPPORT
• Horizontal drums are typically supported at 2
locations by saddle support
• It spreads over a large area of the shell to
prevent an excessive local stress in the shell at
support point
• One saddle support is anchored whereas the
other is free to permit unstrained longitudinal
thermal expansion of the drum
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL
THIN WALL PRESSURE VESSEL
• Thin wall Pressure Vessel refer to vessel having
an inner-radius to wall thickness ratio of 10” or
more ( r/t > 10 ).
• When the vessel wall of thin, the stress
distribution throughout of it’s thickness will not
vary significantly and so we will assume it is
uniform or constant.
• Following this assumption the analysis of thin
walled cylindrical and spherical pressure vessel
will be carried out.
INTRODUCTION TO PRESSURE VESSEL

• In both cases, the pressure in the vessel will be

considered to be the gauge pressure, since it
measure the pressure above atmospheric
pressure existing at inside and outside the
vessel wall.
• The above analysis indicates that an element of
material taken from either cylindrical or spherical
pressure vessel is subjected to biaxial stress
i.e : normal stress existing in only two direction.
HEAT EXCHANGER INSPECTION
The Heat Exchanger Inspection article
provides you with information about the
inspection of the heat exchanger and heat
exchanger testing during the manufacturing
phase, as well as in-service inspection in
operating units. You may want to
review shell and tube heat exchanger
inspection procedure and
related inspection and test plan.
HEAT EXCHANGER INSPECTION

Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Inspection in Manufacturing Shop

The construction code for shell and tube

heat exchangers is :
ASME Code Section VIII, and it covers
the minimum requirements for design,
materials, fabrication, inspection, testing,
and preparation for initial delivery.
 BASIC PRINCIPLES

After the 2003 addenda of

ASME Code Section VIII Div.
1, the design of the shell and
tube heat exchanger needs to
be done based on Subsection
C, in UHX part.

The design based on TEMA,

or any similar code might be
accepted which meeting the
requirements of UHX part.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the heat exchanger and
not regular pressure vessel
Tube Inspection - The tube outside diameter, inside diameter,
thickness, and ovality shall be checked before the building of
the tube bundle. You need to refer to ASME Section II to get the
acceptance tolerances.

For example, if your tube material is SA 179, you have to refer

to the SA 179 and that will refer you to the SA 450 (
Specification for General Requirements for Carbon, Ferritic
Alloy, and Austenitic Alloy Steel Tubes) for acceptance
tolerance. You have to use your caliper, steel ruler, etc. to make
these measurements and make sure the values fall within
acceptance range.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the Heat Exchanger

Tube Bundle Inspection - The bundle dimension shall

be checked based on the approved drawing. The baffle
diameter and distance between them shall be
controlled and meet the acceptance tolerances in the
drawing.
The tightness of stay bolts and spacers must be
controlled. The shell cleanliness needs to be verified
and make sure the inside welds are complete and are
ground as per drawing requirements.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the Heat Exchanger
Tubesheet Inspection - The Tubesheet shall be
inspected before welding to the shell. The hole
diameter, grooves dimensions, drilling pattern, the
thickness of the tubesheet and surface finish shall be
measured and checked aginst acceptance tolerances
in the approved drawing.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the Heat Exchanger

Tube Rolling Inspection - The tube rolling shall be

checked based on customer specification. The wall
reduction (after rolling) and depth of roll shall be
measured and shall meet the customer specification.
The wall reduction should not be less than 5% and
should not be more than 8% of the tube wall
thickness.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the Heat Exchanger.

Leak Testing of Seal Weld (Tube to Tubesheet) -

if seal welding considered, then the leak test will be a

mandatory requirement. The shell side will be
subjected to the air pressure, and water and soap
solution will be sprayed to the tube-sheet to make
sure all seal welds are defect free. The bubble will be
developed if there was any welding defect such as
crack, pinhole, etc.
Shell side Hydrostatic Testing -
After manufacturing completion, the heat exchange shell side
will be subjected to the hydrostatic testing. The test pressure
amount shall be consistent with the value indicated in the
approved drawing. The holding time shall be based on the
supplier approved test procedure.

The pressure gages calibration and range shall be controlled.

The pressure gage range shall be within 1.5 thru 4 times of test
pressure. The shell body and welding seams shall be inspected.
The tube-sheet also shall be checked. No leakage is allowed.

The test pump hose shall be disconnected, and no pressure

drop is allowed. The test result will be satisfactory if no leakage
being observed and no pressure being dropped while the shell
side was under pressure.
 There are several inspection requirements
that only apply to the Heat Exchanger.

Tubeside Hydrostatic Testing -

After successful completion of shell side hydrostatic

testing, the bonnets are assembled, and tube side is
subjected to hydrostatic testing. Similarly, the amount
of test pressure shall be as the one indicated in the
approved drawing. Other requirement is similar to the
shell test. No leakage and pressure drop shall be
observed while the tube side is under pressure.
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Application
Shell and Tube heat exchangers are the most popular type in the
industry. This type is made from 3 components as listed below:
• Two heads (one rear head, and the other one stationary head)
• Shell
• Tube

One fluid is in the tube side and the other one in the shell side.
The heat transfer is done through the tube wall.
So your heat exchanger with more tubes will have more heat
transfer surfaces, and at the same time will have a higher heat
exchanger diameter.

Besides, the shell and tube heat exchanger is the only type that
can be designed and operated at a temperature greater than 360
degrees centigrade, as well as in pressure higher than 30 bar.
 In-Service Inspection of Shell and
Tube Heat Exchanger
The In-Service Inspection code for shell and tube heat exchangers is API
STD 510. The other API recommended practices and codes also have to be
used in with this Code.
Some of these Recommended Practices are API RP 572, API RP 577, and
API RP 571, and also construction code sections might be used, such as
ASME Code Section VIII and ASME Code Section IX.
For repair, the requirement of API STD 510 or ASME-PCC-2 needs to be met.
The title of ASME-PCC-2, which was first published in 2006, is: “Repair of
Pressure Equipment and Piping.”
Please note: if your shell and tube heat exchanger is “U” stamped and you
need to do the repair, you have to use a Repair Organization holding an “R”
Stamp from the National Board Inspection Code.

The API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspectors are qualified persons to perform
shell and tube heat Exchanger inspection.
Inspection and Test Plan (ITP)
Insp & Test Reference Acceptance Verifying Activity
Plan Document Criteria Document
No Remark
Manufacturer TPI Client

1 Incoming BS EN 10204 EN 10204 type Material Certs H R/A R MDR

materials Insp. 3.1

2 Visual Welding ASME IX ASME IX Welding Insp. H R R MDR

Inspection Report

N Packaging Client Spec ISPM 15 Fumigation H R R

Certificte

H : Hold Point = Hold on the production till TPI Inspector perform inspection
and supervise the required test

W : Witness Point = Manufacturer shall notify the client and TPI Inspector
but there is no hold on production

R : Review Point = Document Review such as : Material Certificates, NDT,

WPS/PQR, e.t.c

A : Approval