Brazed Aluminum Plate-fin Heat Exchangers

API STANDARD 668

FIRST EDITION, NOVEMBER 2018

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Foreword

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Contents

Page

1. Scope 1

2. Normative References 1

3. Terms and Definitions 1

4. General Requirements 4

5. Proposal Information Required 4

6. Drawings and Other Required Data 5

   1. Outline Drawings and Other Supporting Data 5

   2. Information Required After Outline Drawings Are Reviewed 6

   3. Reports and Records 7

7. Design 8

   1. General 8

   2. Design Temperature 8

   3. Design Pressure 8

   4. Thermal Stress 8

   5. Fouling Resistance 9

   6. Corrosion Allowance 9

   7. Supports 9

   8. Connections 10

   9. Bimetallic Transition Joints 10

   10. Temperature Monitoring 13

   11. Handling Devices 13

8. Materials 14

9. Fabrication 14

   1. Welding and Brazing 14

   2. Reinforcing Pads and Wear Plates 15

   3. Dimensional Tolerances 15

10. Inspection and Testing 15

    1. Quality Control 15

    2. Pressure and Leak Testing 16

    3. Rectification 17

    4. Nameplate 18

11. Preparation for Shipment 18

Annex A (informative) Recommended Practice 19

Annex B (informative) Plate-fin Heat Exchanger Checklist 26

Annex C (informative) Plate-fin Heat Exchanger Datasheets 27

Annex D (informative) Block-in-Shell Heat Exchangers 34

Bibliography 40

Figures

1. Cross-sectional View of Fin and Parting Sheet 2

2. Typical Components of a Brazed Aluminum Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger 3

3. Bimetallic Transition Joints 12

D.1 Block-in-Shell Heat Exchanger 35

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Introduction

It is necessary that users of this standard should be aware that further or differing requirements may be necessary for individual applications. This standard is not intended to inhibit a vendor from offering, or the purchaser from accepting, alternative equipment or engineering solutions for the individual application. This can be particularly applicable where there is an innovative or developing technology. Where an alternative is offered, it is the responsibility of the vendor to identify any variations from this standard and provide details.

This standard has been re-numbered; it was previously published as API Standard 662, Part 2. A recommended practice is included within this standard (see Annex A).

This standard requires the purchaser to specify certain details and features.

A bullet () at the beginning of a paragraph or subsection indicates a requirement for the purchaser to make a decision or provide information (for information, a checklist is provided in Annex B).

In this standard, where practical, US Customary units are included in parentheses for information.

Brazed Aluminum Plate-fin Heat Exchangers

1. Scope

   
   

   This standard gives requirements and recommendations for the mechanical design, materials selection, fabrication, inspection, testing, and preparation for shipment of brazed aluminum plate-fin heat exchangers for use in the petroleum, petrochemical, and natural gas industries.

   
   

2. Normative References

   
   

   The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any addenda) applies.

   
   

   ALPEMA1, The Standards of the Brazed Aluminum Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Manufacturers’ Association, 3rd Edition

   
   

   NOTE In this standard, this normative reference will be referred to in the text as the “ALPEMA Standards” due to its lengthy title and multiple citations.

   
   

   ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC)2, Section VIII: Rules for construction of pressure vessels; Division 1 or Division 2

   
   

   ASME B16.25, Buttwelding Ends

   
   

   ASME B16.5, Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings NPS 1/2 through NPS 24 Metric/Inch Standard

   
   

   ASME B16.9, Factory-Made Wrought Buttwelding Fittings

   
   

   ASME B31.3, Process Piping

   
   

3. Terms and Definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply.

3.1

block core

An assembly consisting of alternating layers (passages) of corrugated fins, separated by parting sheets and sealed along their edges by means of side bars and bounded by cap sheets, which are brazed to become a rigid structure.

3.2

block-in-shell heat exchanger

A heat exchanger system consisting of one or more plate-fin heat exchangers installed within a pressure vessel shell.

3.3

cold box

An enclosure consisting of a carbon steel casing, usually rectangular in shape, that supports and houses plate-fin heat exchangers, pressure vessels, piping, and other cryogenic equipment, filled with insulation and operated under an inert atmosphere.

1. Brazed Aluminum Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Manufacturers’ Association, www.alpema.org.

2. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Two Park Avenue, New York City, NY 10016-5990, www.asme.org.

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