Coil-Wound Heat Exchanger Module Frame for Faster Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for assembling and installing coil wound heat exchangers are time-consuming and require multiple sets of saddles for different stages, leading to prolonged construction timelines and outdoor installation of piping and electrical connections.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a coil wound mandrel, attaching a heat exchanger shell to a module frame with connecting members, telescoping the mandrel into the shell, and transporting it vertically, where the shell is suspended within the module frame, allowing for simultaneous mechanical and electrical work before installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional assembly methods are used with multiple sets of saddles for different stages, then the heat exchanger can be supported during transport and installation, but the construction timeline is prolonged and manufacturing duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The module frame is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support during manufacturing, acts as a transport fixture, serves as the installation support structure, and becomes the final support system at the plant site. This eliminates the need for multiple different saddle sets and reduces construction timeline while maintaining support reliability throughout all stages.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the heat exchanger is erected at the plant site before piping and electrical connections are installed, then the support frame can provide stability, but the installation must occur outdoors and construction time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Piping connections, electrical connections, instrumentation, and insulation are installed on the heat exchanger while it is still in the horizontal position within the module frame at the manufacturing facility. This preliminary action allows these tasks to be completed in a controlled indoor environment with proper equipment, improving convenience and quality before the unit is transported and erected at the plant site.
3Adaptability or versatility
If three different sets of structures are used to support the heat exchanger during various stages, then each stage has appropriate support, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The module frame is designed as a universal support structure that adapts to different stages through its inherent flexibility and adjustability. The same frame provides support during manufacturing, transport, and installation without requiring replacement or addition of other support structures, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability to each stage's specific requirements.
4Speed
If lifting equipment is directly attached to the shell during transport and installation, then the shell can be moved, but the shell structure is subjected to additional stress and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The module frame serves as an intermediary structure between the heat exchanger shell and the lifting equipment. During transport and installation, lifting equipment attaches to the module frame rather than directly to the shell, distributing the lifting forces through the frame's structural members and protecting the shell from direct stress and potential damage while maintaining movement capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of constructing a coil wound heat exchange module and transporting and installing the coil wound heat exchange module at a plant site, such as an natural gas liquefaction plant. A module frame is constructed and attached to a heat exchanger shell prior to telescoping of a coil wound mandrel into the shell. The module frame includes a lug and two saddles that remain attached to the shell throughout the process and when the heat exchanger is operated. The lug and saddles are constructed and located to stabilize the shell during construction, telescoping and transport (when in a horizontal orientation), and when the shell is installed at the plant site (in a vertical orientation). The lugs and saddles are adapted to allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the shell when it is transitioned from ambient to operating temperature and vice versa.