Tubular heat exchanger - incorporates rings between tubes and tube-plate holes, with joints ensuring fluid-tightness while allowing expansion

摘要

A tubular heat exchanger incorporates rings around the tubes where they pass through the tube-plates. The dia. of the holes in the tube-plates is greater than the outside dia. of the tubes. The ring fills the annular space between the tube and the plate. The ring has an outer and an inner groove. Toric joints are fitted in the grooves, ensuring fluid-tightness between the hole and the ring, and between the ring and the tube, respectively. The invention provides a soln. to the problem of ensuring fluid-tight joints between the tubes and the tube-plate while allowing free expansion of the tubes in relation to the shell. The soln. eliminates the disadvantages of existing methods. These disadvantages include risk of corrosion due to electro-chemical effects and complicated constructions necessitating threading, springs, special joints etc.