BP OIL CO.

RP 8-1-1
TEMA SHELL AND TUBE Page 1 of 25
REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

1.0 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2.0 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

3.0 DEFINITIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

4.0 DATA SHEET, DOCUMENTATION AND PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5.0 MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6.0 DESIGN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
6.2 Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.3 Tubesheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.4 Tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6.5 Baffles and Sealing Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6.6 Pressure Boundary Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
6.7 Pass Partition Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.8 Floating Head Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
6.9 Nozzles and Other Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
6.10 Handling and Lifting Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6.11 Stacking Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6.12 Insulation Supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
6.13 Special Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

7.0 FABRICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.2 Tube Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.3 Welding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
7.4 Heat Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8.0 INSPECTION AND TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

8.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
8.2 Hydrostatic Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

TABLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

FIGURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

1.0 SCOPE

1.1 This Practice governs the requirements for the materials, design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and
preparation for shipment of shell and tube heat exchangers for use in refining process services.

1.2 This Practice, in general, governs the requirements that are unique to the design of shell and tube heat
exchangers and must be used in conjunction with RP 7-1-1 which covers requirements for pressure
vessels constructed per the ASME Code, Section VIII, Division 1.

* 1.3 RP 8-1-3 may be used in place of this Practice when the application meets the scope of RP 8-1-3
or when approved by the Owner’s Engineer.

1.4 This Practice is a purchase specification when accompanied by the herein referenced BP Oil Refining
Practices and the completed Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS required by this Practice.

1.5 Any deviation from this Practice, or Practices referenced herein, must be approved by the procedure
described in RP 0-1-3 .

1.6 An asterisk (*) indicates that a decision by the Owner or Owner’s Engineer is required, or that additional
information is furnished by the Purchaser.

1.7 A revision bar indicates all changes made to this Revision.

2.0 REFERENCES

The latest edition of the following standards and publications are referred to herein; and shall be used
as part of this Practice.

STANDARDS AND PUBLICATIONS

BP Oil Refining Practices

RP 0-1-3 Deviations to BP Oil Refining Practices
RP 5-1-2 Piping Layout
RP 6-1-1 Pressure Relieving Systems
RP 7-1-1 Pressure Vessels
RP 7-1-2 Heavy Wall and Special Service Pressure Vessels
RP 7-1-3 Welding Requirements for Pressure Vessels
RP 7-1-4 Metal Lining and Cladding
RP 7-1-5 Supplemental Requirements for Pressure Vessels
RP 7-1-6 Pressure Vessel Details
RP 8-1-1 DS TEMA Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers Data Sheet
RP 8-1-3 TEMA Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers for Non-Process Services
RP 8-1-4 Tube-to-Tubesheet Joints
RP 8-1-5 Tube Material and Selection

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

STANDARDS AND PUBLICATIONS (CONTINUED)

BP Oil Refining Practices (Cont’d)

RP 13-2-1 Material Requirements for Aggressive Environmental Services
RP 14-3-1 Protective Coatings for Heat Exchangers
RP 14-4-1 Cathodic Protection for Heat Exchangers
RP 15-3-1 Insulation Design
RP 15-3-3 Insulation Application – Vessels and Equipment

API Publications
Std 660 Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchanger for General Refinery Services
Publ 941 Steels for Hydrogen Service at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures in
Petroleum Refineries and Petrochemical Plants
ASME Code
Sec I Pressure Vessels
Sec VIII Pressure Vessels, Division I
Sec VIII Pressure Vessels, Division II
Publications
Chenoweth, J.M. and Kistler, R.S., “Tube Vibrations in Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers,”
HTRI Technical Report, No. STV–1, April, 1978.
TEMA
Standards of Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association

3.0 DEFINITIONS

3.1 Aggressive Environmental Service (AES) – Process services which result in material degradation such
as cracking, scaling, blistering, and severe pitting and/or corrosion. Examples of such services are
hydrogen service, wet hydrogen sulfide, cyanides, caustic, amine, and hydrofluoric acid. AES process
fluids are defined in RP 13-2-1 .

3.2 Contractor – Company or business that agrees to furnish materials or perform specified services at
a specified price and/or rate to the Owner.

3.3 Effective Surface Area – This shall be taken to be the outside surface of tubes based on the length
of tubes measured between the inner faces of the tubesheets. For U-Tube exchangers, the exposed
surface at the U-bend portion may be included provided shell nozzle location is beyond U-bends and
velocity of flowing fluid makes this surface effective.

3.4 Hydrogen Rich Service – A service defined as a combination of hydrogen partial pressure and
temperature at or below the curve for carbon steel per Figure 1 of API Publication 941, latest edition,
and with a hydrogen partial pressure greater than 100 psia.

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3.5 Hydrogen Service – A service defined as a combination of hydrogen partial pressure and temperature
above the curve for carbon steel per Figure 1 of API Publication 941, latest edition.

3.6 Inspector – A BP Oil Company appointed engineer or inspector.

3.7 Manufacturer – The recipient of a direct or indirect purchase order for materials and/or equipment. In
this context, a direct order is one issued to a manufacturer by a contractor or the Owner. An indirect
order is one issued to a manufacturer by a vendor (recipient of a direct order) for materials, fabricated
components, or subassemblies.

3.8 Owner – BP Company.

3.9 Owner’s Engineer – A BP Company appointed engineer.

3.10 Purchaser – The party placing a direct purchase order. The purchaser is the Owner’s designated
representative.

3.11 Rotatable Bundle – A tube bundle designed to be rotated 180° without affecting shell or tubeside flow
patterns, heat transfer or pressure drop.

4.0 DATA SHEET, DOCUMENTATION AND PURCHASING REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Data Sheet, per RP 8-1-1 DS , documentation and spare parts requirements for shell and tube heat
exchangers shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 ,RP 7-1-5 and the additional requirements of
this Practice.

4.2 Proposals for designs that are not fully defined by the nomenclature in TEMA such as designs using
TEMA type D heads and heads using diaphragms or lip seals, shall be accompanied by drawings
sufficient to describe the details of construction.

5.0 MATERIALS

5.1 Material requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 and
the additional requirements of this Practice. When AES is checked “yes” on the Data Sheet from
RP 8-1-1 DS , the additional material requirements of RP 13-2-1 and RP 13-4-1 shall be met.
Tube material and selection shall be in accordance with RP 8-1-5 .

5.2 When the tube material is selected to resist corrosion from the shellside fluid, all other tube bundle
components, such as tubesheets, baffles, tie rods and spacers shall be of similar corrosion resistance
to, and compatible with, the tube material. Baffle material shall be compatible with the shell material
to prevent galvanic corrosion.

* 5.3 Clad or overlayed tubesheets are acceptable when approved by the Owner’s Engineer and shall be
in accordance with RP 7-4-1 .

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5.4 Tubesheet plates greater than 4 inches thick, shall be inspected prior to drilling, using ultrasonic
examination in accordance with SA–435, supplementary requirement S1.

6.0 DESIGN

6.1 General

1. Design requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1
and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. API 660 and TEMA Class R shall be used as minimum design requirements. Where conflicts
arise, the more stringent requirements shall apply.

* 3. Unless otherwise specified or approved by the Owner’s Engineer, exchangers shall be designed
with the TEMA type A front head. TEMA type D heads shall be provided when the tubeside design
pressure exceeds 2200 psig. Consideration should be given to the use of diaphragms or lip seals
for high pressure, difficult to seal applications.

* 4. The use of two pass shell designs, TEMA type F, shall be approved by the Owner’s Engineer. Due
consideration must be given to the economic impact of handling and maintaining the lamiflex seals
versus the capital cost savings associated with the F shell design. The application of TEMA type
F shells shall be limited to 250°F maximum temperature difference and 5 psi maximum pressure
difference across a single shell.

* 5. Approval from the Owner’s Engineer is required to quote the following designs.

a. Single pass tube side design with internal expansion joint

b. Exchangers with a wall thickness 2 inches or greater (high pressure and/or heavy wall
exchangers) per RP 7-1-2
c. Differential pressure designs
d. Fixed tubesheet exchanger designs
e. Exchangers greater than 48 inches in diameter

* 6. Exchangers with the high pressure side having an appreciably greater design pressure than the
low pressure side shall have nozzles for pressure relief devices as stipulated in RP 6-1-1 , when
specified by the Owner’s Engineer on the Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS .

7. The Manufacturer shall be responsible for the mechanical and thermal design.

8. All common components such as tubes, tubesheets and floating head assemblies shall be
designed for the most severe combination of pressure and temperature conditions. Due
consideration shall be given to vacuum acting adjacent to a pressurized chamber.

* 9. Fouling factors given on the Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS are net. Tube side values shall be
increased by the ratio of outside to inside surface areas when sizing the heat exchanger.

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* 10. Exchanger bundles shall be checked to assure that a vibration problem does not exist at the inlet,
between baffles, and at the outlet. Upon request, calculations shall be submitted to the Owner’s
Engineer for review. As a minimum, the criteria found in Table 1 shall be satisfied.

11. The minimum tubeside velocity for cooling water shall be 5 ft/s at the mean temperature. If this
requirement conflicts with the allowable pressure drop, an alternate proposal shall indicate the
pressure drop necessary to satisfy this requirement. Additionally, if the 5 ft/s minimum velocity
requires an increase in water flowrate, the Manufacturer shall notify the Owner’s Engineer in
writing.

12. Tube metal exposed to cooling water shall be kept below 140°F to prevent scale deposit of
inorganic compounds on the heat transfer surface.

13. The minimum tubeside velocity for hydrocarbon liquids shall be 3 ft/s. The velocity shall be
calculated at the mean temperature.

14. The maximum tubeside velocity shall be 8 ft/s when water carries solids and shall not exceed 10
ft/s when water is clean and without solids.

15. The tubeside velocity in slurry oil service shall be between 4.5 and 7.0 ft/sec.

16. The maximum tubeside velocity for an amine solution shall be 3 ft/s to minimize erosion/corrosion
effects.

17. The net unrestricted flow area at the following points shall not be less than the open area of the
shell inlet nozzle or nozzles:

a. From inlet nozzle to impingement device

b. Off the impingement device
c. Into the tube field

* 18. Differential pressure designs are not permitted without approval by the Owner’s Engineer. When
approved, the maximum differential pressure for hydrostatic testing shall be stamped on the
nameplate.

19. Calculated pressure drops shall include the nozzle entrance and exit losses.

20. The effective surface for U–bend bundles may include the U–tube area provided the shell nozzle
extends beyond the bundle.

* 21. For pull through floating head designs, TEMA type T, a removable shell cover shall be provided,
unless otherwise specified by the Owner’s Engineer.

22. For vertical exchangers where the shell side liquid is flowing upwards, the Manufacturer shall
provide calculations verifying that localized boiling will not occur near the face of the upper
tubesheet.

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6.2 Bundles

* 1. Exchangers shall have removable bundles with a square or rotated square tube layout, unless
otherwise approved by the Owner’s Engineer. Bundles for fixed tubesheet exchanger designs
shall have triangular tube layout.

2. Identical removable bundle type exchangers shall have interchangeable bundles.

* 3. When specified on the Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS , removable bundles shall be designed for
180° rotation however, an impingement plate shall not be installed opposite the outlet nozzle.

4. Horizontal bundles shall have notched tube spacers as shown in Figure 1.

5. For removable bundles in excess of 6 tons, skid bars shall be provided as shown in Figure 2.

6. The floating head of kettle type reboilers or the end support plate of U-bend type kettle reboilers
shall be positioned within the shell by a rigid structure designed to center the bundle as it is
inserted and to hold it in its normal position during shipment and operation.

* 7. The maximum bundle length shall be 20 feet for removable bundles, unless approved by the
Owner’s Engineer.

6.3 Tubesheets

1. Threaded bolt holes are not permitted in tubesheets.

2. Cladding and overlaying requirements for tubesheets shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-4 .

3. Corners formed in tubesheets where gasket grooves intersect, shall be shaped to match the
gasket with an approximate corner radius of 1/2 inch.

4. Tube hole tolerances shall be in accordance with RP 8-1-4 .

5. For tubesheet designs other than the flexible type (as described in paragraph 6.12.4.c), the
difference between the operating temperatures of the shellside and tubeside, across the
tubesheet, shall be limited to 300°F to prevent excessive tubesheet distortion.

6. A 1/8 inch deep scribe line shall be provided in the outer face of the stationary and floating
tubesheets at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions to insure correct alignment when matched with similar
scribe lines on the channel, shell, and floating head.

7. The design of a double tubesheet shall permit pressure testing of the tube-to-tubesheet joints in
each tubesheet. Additionally, double tubesheet designs shall not have bolting that spans the
tubesheets.

6.4 Tubes

Tube design, material, and selection requirements shall be in accordance with RP 8-1-5 .

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6.5 Baffles and Sealing Devices

* 1. Two pass TEMA Type F shell designs may be quoted as alternates to single pass shells, but their
application shall be limited to 250° maximum temperature difference and 5 psi maximum pressure
difference across the single shell.

* 2. For TEMA Type F shells with removable bundles, the longitudinal baffle shall be continuously
welded on both sides to the stationary tubesheet, and sealed against the shell walls by labyrinth
type multiple layer stainless steel thin leaved seals. Longitudinal baffles may be recess gasketed
to the stationary tubesheet if specified by the Owner’s Engineer.

3. For TEMA Type F shells with fixed tubesheet bundles, the long baffles shall be continuously
welded from both sides to the front tubesheet and to the shell walls.

4. The maximum unsupported tube length shall be 80% of the recommended values given in TEMA
Table RCB-4.52.

* 5. Cross baffles shall be vertically cut unless approved by the Owner’s Engineer.

6. Sharp corners at tube holes and on the periphery of exchanger cross baffles and support plates
shall be broken (chamfered). All burrs shall be removed from both sides of the tube holes. This
applies to all baffles on new or retubed bundles.

7. Close fit baffles shall not be used because they may cause scoring of the tubes. However, baffle
and support plate holes shall be drilled and reamed in accordance with TEMA RCB-4.2 close fit
requirements for the following:

a. units with water on the shellside

b. titanium tube bundles
c. unsupported tube lengths exceeding 36 inches
d. units where vibration is a concern
e. units where the average tube wall thickness is 0.065 inch (16 BWG) or thinner
* f. when specified by the Owner’s Engineer

8. Seal bars and skid bars shall be welded to every baffle with full fillet welds to prevent bypassing.
Two welds shall be made on opposite corners, 180 degrees apart. Seal bars and skid bars may
be welded to every other baffle provided the baffle spacing is less than 12 inches (maximum
unsupported tube length less than 24 inches).

9. The minimum thickness of transverse baffles shall be in accordance with Table 4.

10. The transverse baffle nearest the floating end, if vertically cut, shall be thick enough to support
the floating end, with a minimum thickness of 1/2 inch.

11. All TEMA Type “S” and “T” exchangers shall have a floating head support plate located 4 inches
to 6 inches from the inside face of the floating tubesheet.

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* 12. Unless otherwise specified on the Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS , by-pass seal strips shall be
provided as follows:

a. Seal strips are required for all exchangers when the radial distance between the outermost
tubes and the inside diameter of the shell exceeds 3/4 inch. Seal strips are not required for
kettle type reboilers.
b. Exchangers with vertically cut baffles shall have seal strips installed to seal by-pass areas
caused by the omission of tubes to provide adequate entrance and exit areas.
c. Seal strips or dummy tubes are required to block pass partition by-pass lanes when these
lanes are parallel to the shellside flow.
d. Seal strips shall be 3/8 inch thick minimum and shall extend from the first to the last segmental
baffle.
e. One pair of seal strips or dummy tubes shall be provided for each 5 tube rows between baffle
cuts. Minor adjustments may be made to suit actual tube layout.

13. Baffle ears are required on vertically cut baffles to block longitudinal by-pass areas caused by the
omission of tubes to provide adequate entrance and exit velocities.

6.6 Pressure Boundary Components

1. General

Design requirements for pressure boundary components for shell and tube heat exchangers shall
be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. Flanged Joints (Girth Flanges)

a. The design metal temperature for the bolting for girth flanges abutting the tubesheet shall be
the higher of the specified tube or shellside design temperatures.
* b. The shell cover, channel, and channel cover shall be attached with through-bolted flanged
joints, unless approved by the Owner’s Engineer.
c. The pass partition rib area shall be included as gasket seating area when determining the
required bolt loads in the design of flanges per Appendix 2 of the ASME Code.
d. A 1/8 inch deep scribe line shall be provided on the outer face of all flanges at the 3 and
9 o’clock positions to insure correct alignment when matched with similar scribe lines on
tubesheets, shell, channel, and floating head.

3. Shells, Channels and Covers

* a. To facilitate bundle handling, the maximum shell diameters for removable bundle exchangers
normally permitted are shown in Table 2. Larger shells may be used if approved by the
Owner’s Engineer.
* b. Protective coatings and anodes, in accordance with RP 14-3-1 and RP 14-4-1 ,
respectively, shall be provided for channels in cooling water service, or when specified on the
Data Sheet RP 8-1-1 DS .
c. When a rotatable bundle is specified, the channel shall be designed to allow bundle rotation
without affecting the attached pipe.

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d. A radial clearance of at least 3/16 inch shall be provided between bolted-on shell covers and
TEMA “S” type floating heads and split rings.

6.7 Pass Partition Plates

1. Pass partition plates in channels and floating heads shall be full length welded from both sides.
in Hydrogen Service and Hydrogen Rich Service, full penetration welds are required.

2. The minimum pass partition plate thickness shall be as shown in Table 3.

3. Pass partition plates for channels and floating heads in water service shall have a 1/2 inch
minimum thickness

* 4. The Manufacturer shall submit a design to be approved by the Owner’s Engineer for the channel
pass partition plate which incorporates features to minimize thermal stress when all of the
following conditions apply:

a. Temperature drop or rise of the tubeside fluid across any channel partition plate is greater than
250_F.
b. Tubeside design pressure is greater than 500 psig.
c. Hydrogen Service or Hydrogen Rich Service.
d. Exchanger inside diameter is greater than 24 inches.

6.8 Floating Head Assemblies

1. Acceptable floating head assembly designs are given in Table 5.

a. Split ring floating head designs that use a spacer or a split key ring are strictly prohibitied.
b. Designs other than Figure 3A, Figure 3B, and Figure 3C are to be approved by the Owner’s
Engineer.

2. When the tubeside operating pressure exceeds the shellside pressure by 250 psi or more and
the diameter is over 36 inches, a split ring floating head must be of the chevron or dove tail design
as shown in Figure 3A.

* 3. Floating head assemblies shall not be designed for differential pressure unless approved by the
Owner’s Engineer.

* 4. Protective coatings and/or anodes, in accordance with RP 14-3-1 and RP 14-4-1 , respectively,
shall be provided for floating heads in cooling water service, or when specified on the Data Sheet
per RP 8-1-1 DS .

* 5. Floating heads, floating head flanges and split rings shall be designed for design conditions on
each side with the other side at atmospheric conditions unless approved by Owner’s Engineer.
When one of the sides is also designed for vacuum conditions, the floating head assembly must
be designed to handle the equivalent pressure. For example, if the shellside design pressure is

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150 psi and the tubeside is to be designed for full vacuum, the floating head assembly must be
designed to handle an external pressure of 165 psi.

* 6. Floating heads shall be designed per Figure 1-6(d) of Appendix 1 in the ASME Code. Other
designs require the approval of the Owner’s Engineer.

6.9 Nozzles and Other Connections

1. Nozzles and nozzle flanges shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 .

2. Chemical cleaning connections, instrument connections, vents and drains, and other connections
shall be designed in accordance with RP 7-1-1 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

3. One NPS 1 inch instrument connection shall be provided in each nozzle as shown in Figure 4
, and shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 .

* 4. Chemical cleaning connections shall be provided at the inlet and outlet of exchangers in cooling
water service, or when specified by the Owner’s Engineer.

* 5. Chemical cleaning connections, when specified, shall be NPS 1-1/2 inch connections for nozzles
NPS 4 or NPS 6 inch, and NPS 2 inch connections for nozzles NPS 8 inch or larger.

6. Chemical cleaning connections, when specified, shall be located as shown in Figure 4 for
exchanger nozzles NPS 4 inch and larger. For nozzles less than NPS 4 inch, chemical cleaning
connections shall be installed in the connecting piping per RP 5-1-2 .

7. For horizontal exchangers, channel vents and drains shall be installed in nozzle necks if nozzle
centerlines are vertical. When chemical cleaning connections are also specified, they can also
serve as vents and drains.

* 8. For horizontal exchangers with a floating head bundle design, the shellside vent and drain shall
be in the shell cover. For a U-tube design, the shell vent and drain shall be in the shell or may be
eliminated provided the instrument connections in the shell inlet and outlet nozzles can serve as
the vent and drain and when approved by the Owner’s Engineer. Elimination of the vent and drain
in this manner can reduce the potential for flange leakage and may reduce costs. Flange leakage
is of concern, particularly in Hydrogen Service where flanges are typically more difficult to seal.

9. For vertical exchangers, a vent for each tubeside pass shall be supplied in the channel cover.
For vertical exchangers with one tubeside pass, a drain shall be supplied in the lower tubeside
nozzle.

* 10. For vertical exchangers, a shellside vent shall be supplied in the tubesheet. Detailed drawings
of the proposed tubesheet vent shall be supplied for approval by the Owner’s Engineer. A
shellside drain shall be supplied in the bottom head.

* 11. Unless otherwise specified by the Owner’s Engineer, vents and drains shall be NPS 1 inch
minimum. Vents and drain connections shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 .

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* 12. When specified on the RP 8-1-1 DS , for fixed tubesheet exchangers less than 30 inches in
diameter, NPS 4 inch inspection nozzles shall be provided in the shell on the downstream side
of the inlet and outlet baffles. For fixed tubesheet exchangers, 30 inches in diameter and greater,
NPS 8 inch inspection nozzles shall be provided in the same locations.

6.10 Handling and Lifting Facilities

1. Handling and lifting facilities for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with
RP 7-1-1 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. Lifting lugs shall be provided on the centerline of all removable exchanger components. When
exchanger shells are stacked, two lifting lugs for removable components shall be at 45° from the
vertical center line on the bottom exchanger.

* 3. Unless otherwise specified, stationary tubesheets in removable bundle exchangers shall be

supplied with lifting lugs or tapped holes for eye bolts located radially on the outer edge of the
tubesheet to facilitate removal of the tube bundle from the shell. The opening in lifting lugs shall
be at least 2 inches in diameter. When bundles are designed for 180° rotation, lifting lugs or tapped
holes shall be provided both top and bottom. These lifting facilities are in addition to the tapped
holes for pulling eyes required by TEMA.

* 4. Davits, or other means to remove shell covers and/or floating heads, shall be provided when
specified by the Owner’s Engineer in applications where accessibility by a crane is limited. Davits
shall be designed in accordance with RP 7-1-6 .

6.11 Stacking Requirements

Design requirements for the support of stacked exchangers shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1
.

6.12 Insulation Supports

* Insulation supports per Figure 13 of RP 15-3-3 shall be provided on shell covers and channel covers
when specified by the Owner’s Engineer.

6.13 Special Designs

1. Shellside Expansion Joints

a. Flanged and flued type expansion joints are preferred over the bellows type and shall be
designed in accordance with Appendix CC of the ASME Code.
* b. Bellows type expansion joints shall be designed in accordance with Appendix 26 of the ASME
Code. Their use requires the approval of the Owner’s Engineer.

2. Single Pass Tube Side Design with Internal Expansion Joint

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a. The expansion joint design shall be in accordance with Figure 5 and RP 5-4-1 .
b. The shell cover nozzle flange shall be a through-bolted design.
c. The floating head-to-shell cover nozzle connection shall be through-bolted into tapped
segmental ring. The segmental ring with studs in place shall be removable through the shell
cover nozzle.
d. The floating head cover-to-shell cover connection shall be the tongue and groove type with
the tongue in the shell cover.
e. The bellows-type expansion joint shall be designed to withstand the full shell and tube side
hydrostatic tests, acting separately.
* f. When specified on the Data Sheet of RP 8-1-1 DS , the Manufacturer shall supply an
apparatus to facilitate tube side hydrostatic testing with the shell cover removed.

3. For kettle type reboilers:

* a. Unless otherwise specified by the Owner’s Engineer, a weir plate shall be located directly
behind the tube bundle. The weir plate shall be continuously welded to the shell inside
diameter, shall contain no drain holes and shall be of sufficient height to flood the top row of
tubes with a minimum of 2 inches of process fluid during normal operation.
b. Provide riding rails (or tracks) that are fully seal welded to the sides of the shell to support and
guide the tube bundle. Also, provide a “hold” angle iron above tube bundle to keep the bundle
in place during shipment and handling. It is to be located directly above and close to the
floating head flanges (TEMA Type “T”) or the full diameter, support plate when U-bend
construction is used.

4. Large Diameter Exchangers (50” diameter and over):

a. Written approval from Owner’s Engineer is required.

b. The maximum exchanger size allowed to be per TEMA Recommended Good Practice.
c. Large diameter exchangers shall be quoted with normal bolted flanges unless noted
otherwise on the data sheet. If welded channels are specified on the data sheet, the channels
are to have adequate depth and sufficient manways to facilitiate tubeside cleaning.
d. All exchangers greater than 60 inches ID, regardless of whether they have bolted or welded
channel sections, shall have inspection manways. Inspection manways shall be located in
the top channel of vertical exchangers and shall be a minimum of 20 inches in diameter.
e. Special flange design procedures for bolt spacing and flange thickness are to be in
accordance with RP 7-1-1 .

5. For Sulfur Condensers:

a. Unless otherwise approved by the Owner’s Engineer, the condensers shall be TEMA type
NEN or CEN, and shall meet TEMA Class R requirements.
b. The shellside and tubeside shall be in accordance with Section VIII, Division I of the ASME
Code.
c. The condensers shall be designed with flexible tubesheets. Flexible tubesheet design shall
be in accordance with Section I, Part PFT of the ASME Code. The minimum thickness of the
tubesheets, including corrosion allowance, shall be 1 inch.
d. If horizontal tube bundles are used, the entire unit shall be sloped 1/4 in/ft downward to the
outlet channel.

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e. All tube-to-tubesheet joints shall be grooved, rolled, and strength welded in accordance with
RP 8-1-4 .

7.0 FABRICATION

7.1 General

Fabrication requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1
and the additional requirements of this Practice.

7.2 Tube Installation

Tube installation, tube-to-tubesheet joint design and fabrication requirements shall be in accordance
with RP 8-1-4 .

7.3 Welding

Welding shall be in accordance with RP 7-1-1 and RP 7-1-3 .

7.4 Heat Treatment

1. Heat treatment requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with
RP 7-1-1 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. PWHT is required for all carbon steel and chrome-moly (P1, P3, P4, P5) exchanger channels and
floating heads, regardless of thickness, in accordance with RP 7-1-3 .

3. Heat treatment requirements for tube U-bends and tube end welds shall be in accordance with
RP 8-1-5 and RP 8-1-4 , respectively.

8.0 INSPECTION AND TESTING

8.1 General

1. Inspection and testing requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance
with RP 7-1-1 , RP 8-1-4 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. The insertion of removable tube bundles shall be witnessed and accepted by the Inspector. A
vibration device shall not be used as an aid to bundle insertion or withdrawal. Complete withdrawal
is not required on exchangers with longitudinal baffles.

3. Plug tests are required when replacement shells are being fabricated for use with existing
bundles. The insertion and withdrawal of the plug shall be witnessed and accepted by the
Inspector. A vibration device shall not be used to aid plug insertion or withdrawal.

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

8.2 Hydrostatic Testing

1. Hydrostatic testing requirements for shell and tube heat exchangers shall be in accordance with
RP 7-1-1 and the additional requirements of this Practice.

2. Each heat exchanger shall be hydrotested on the shellside and the tubeside separately. The side
not being hydrotested shall be exposed to atmosphere.

* 3. For heat exchangers designed on the basis of shellside/tubeside pressure differentials for which
test pressures must be applied concurrently, test procedures shall be provided by the
Manufacturer for acceptance by the Owner’s Engineer.

4. Stacked exchangers shall be hydrostatically tested in the stacked position to assure that all
intermediate nozzles are satisfactorily aligned.

5. For exchangers with titanium tubes, the hydrostatic test shall be maintained for 24 hours.

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Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

TABLE 1
VIBRATION DESIGN CRITERIA

Vortex Shedding Fluid-Elastic Instability

fv/fn < 0.7 V/Vc <0.9

fv/fn > 1.3

Acoustic Resonance Thorngren Severity Test

fn/fa < 0.5 Refer to Figures 9-5 and 9-6 in

fn/fa > 2.0 HTRI referenced publication(1)
ft/fa < 0.5
ft/fa > 2.0
where,
fv = Vortex shedding frequency
ft = Turbulent buffeting frequency
fn = Natural tube frequency
fa = Acoustic frequency
V = Shellside crossflow velocity
Vc = Conners critical velocity
NBD = Thorngren baffle damage number
NCD = Thorngren collision damage number

NOTE:
(1) Calculations of these parameters can be found in TEMA or in the HTRI publication “Tube Vibrations in Shell and-Tube Heat
Exchangers” (see Section 2.0 for reference)

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Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

TABLE 2
MAXIMUM SHELL DIAMETERS WITH REMOVABLE BUNDLES

Bundle Length Max. Shell l.D.

16 ft. 48 inches
20 ft. 42 inches

TABLE 3
MINIMUM PASS PARTITION PLATE THICKNESS

Nominal Shell Diameter Carbon Steel Alloy

Material Material

Less than 24 inches 3/8 inch 1/4 inch

24 – 39 inches 1/2 inch 3/8 inch
40 – 60 inches 5/8 inch 1/2 inch

TABLE 4
MINIMUM REQUIRED BAFFLE THICKNESSES

Material Minimum Thickness

Carbon Steel and Low Chrome TEMA Table R–4.41,

(9% Chrome or less) plus a shell side corrosion allowance

Austenitic and Duplex Stainless Steels TEMA Table R–4.41

plus 1/16 inch

Titanium 5/8 inch

All other materials Requires approval of Owner’s Engineer

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

TABLE 5
ACCEPTABLE FLOATING HEAD ASSEMBLY DESIGNS

Refinery Acceptable Floating Head Assembly Design (1) (2)

Alliance Figures 3A, 3B (3)

Lima Figures 3A, 3B, 3C
Toledo Figures 3A, 3B, 3C

NOTE:
(1) Split ring floating head designs that use a spacer or a split key ring are strictly prohibited.
* (2) Other designs not shown in Figures 3A, 3B, or 3C shall be approved by the Owner’s Engineer.
(3) For Alliance, the use of Figure 3B type floating head design requires the approval of the Owner’s Engineer.

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 1
NOTCHED TIE ROD SPACER

TIE ROD SPACER

3/8 IN.

TYP.
3/8 IN.
TYP.

FIGURE 2
SKID BARS

SHELL I.D.

15 15

2 RUNNERS WELDED TO TUBE SHEETS AND

BAFFLE PLATES (APPROX. 2 IN. – 3 IN. BARS X 1/2 IN. – 1 IN. THK.)

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 3A
FLOATING HEAD ASSEMBLY DESIGN

BACK–UP RING

FULL PENETRATION
WELD

COVER

TUBESHEET

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 3B
FLOATING HEAD ASSEMBLY DESIGN

SOLID RING FLTG. HD. FLG.

SPLIT RING FULL PENETRATION

WELD

TUBESHEET

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 3C
FLOATING HEAD ASSEMBLY DESIGN

BACK–UP RING

FULL PENETRATION
WELD

COVER

TUBESHEET

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 4
CONNECTION LOCATIONS

PRESSURE OR THERMOWELL
CONNECTION LOCATIONS, ONLY
ONE CONNECTION PER NOZZLE. TOP CONNECTIONS

CHEMICAL
CLEANING
CONNECTION
LOCATIONS

BOTTOM CONNECTIONS

SIDE VIEW END VIEW

NOTE: When chemical cleaning connections are required,

they shall be located as shown in the end view.
SINGLE EXCHANGER

PRESSURE OR THERMOWELL
CONNECTION LOCATIONS, ONLY
ONE CONNECTION PER NOZZLE. TOP CONNECTIONS

CHEMICAL
CLEANING
CONNECTION
LOCATIONS

BOTTOM CONNECTIONS

SIDE VIEW END VIEW

NOTE: When chemical cleaning connections are required,

they shall be located as shown in the end view.
STACKED EXCHANGERS

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REFINING PRACTICE HEAT EXCHANGERS
Rev. 5 Dec. 1998

FIGURE 5
INTERNAL EXPANSION JOINT DESIGN

BELLOWS SPLIT RING

EXPANSION WITH TAPPED
JOINT HOLES

CL EXCHANGER BUNDLE

FLOATING
HEAD COVER

SHELL COVER

39 40

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