COMPRESSION SEALING OF SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS

摘要

Sealing means for a shell and tube heat exchanger comprises, located between flanges (6, 20), flange gaskets (8, 19) each surrounded by a respective retainer (7, 18), tube sheets (11, 16), a tube sheet gasket (14) and a tube sheet gasket retainer (13). The gasket retainers are made of a relatively incompressible material compared to the gaskets, and are thinner than the gaskets. The relatively incompressible retainers prevent overcompression of the gaskets, while the thicker gaskets create an effective seal.