HEAT EXCHANGER TUBE-TO-HEADER SEALING SYSTEM

摘要

A tube-to-header sealing system for a heat exchanger comprises a pair of mating header plates, each header plate having a wall with a plurality of openings therein and including a continuous depression along the circumference of each header plate opening which forms one-half of an O-ring groove. Each of a plurality of O-rings is positioned in each O-ring groove and the header plates are secured together such that the header plate plurality of openings are aligned and trap each of the plurality of O-rings in O-ring grooves. A plurality of spaced-apart tubes each having a tube end secured in an opening in the wall of the header to form a tube-to-header joint are expanded outwardly to provide sufficient O-ring deformation to obtain a seal. In service, the resiliency of the O-ring seal allows for expansion and contraction of the tubes without the build-up of high stresses at the tube-to-header joint.

主权项

1. A tube-to-header sealing system for a heat exchanger, comprising:
a first header plate having a wall with a plurality of openings therein, the first header plate including a continuous depression along the circumference of each of the first header plate openings, each depression forming one-half of an O-ring groove; a plurality of O-rings, each of the plurality of O-rings positioned in an O-ring groove; a second header plate having a wall with a plurality of openings therein, the second header plate including a continuous depression along the circumference of each of the second header plate openings, each depression forming the other half of the O-ring groove, whereby the second header plate is secured to the first header plate such that the first header plate plurality of openings are aligned with the second header plate plurality of openings trapping each of the plurality of O-rings in O-ring grooves, the first and second header plates forming a header; and a plurality of spaced-apart tubes each having a tube end secured in an opening in the wall of the header to form a tube-to-header joint, each of the tubes expanded outwardly to provide sufficient O-ring deformation to obtain a seal.