Effect of the sequence of tube rolling in a tube bundle of a shell and tube heat exchanger on the stress–deformed state of the tube sheet

Abstract

Rolling the tube sheet of a heat exchanger with U-shaped tubes, as exemplified by the vapor cooler GP-24, was simulated. The simulation was performed using the finite element method with account of elas- tic–plastic properties of the tube and tube sheet materials. The simulation consisted of two stages; at the first stage, maximum and residual contact stress in the conjunction of a separate tube and the tube sheet was determined using the “equivalent sleeve” model; at the second stage, the obtained contact stress was applied to the hole surface in the tube sheet. Thus, different tube rolling sequences were simulated: from the center to the periphery of the tube sheet and from the periphery to the center along a spiral line. The studies showed that the tube rolling sequence noticeably influences the value of the tube sheet residual deflection for the same rolling parameters of separate tubes. Residual deflection of the tube sheet in different planes was determined. It was established that the smallest residual deflection corresponds to the tube rolling sequence from the periphery to the center of the tube sheet. The following dependences were obtained for different rolling sequences: maximum deformation of the tube sheet as a function of the number of rolled tubes, residual deformation of the tube sheet along its surface, and residual deflection of the tube sheet as a function of the rotation angle at the periphery. The preferred sequence of tube rolling for minimizing the tube sheet deformation is indicated.