Resources

Glossary.

The terms and abbreviations used on this site, each in a few plain words.

Line drawing of the tube bundle of the reference exchanger on its own: the stationary tubesheet at the left, the tubes held by the baffles, and the floating head at the right.
The tube bundle on its own. Its tubesheets, baffles, tie rods and spacers, and floating head each have an entry below.

A

Allowable stress (S)
The stress a material may carry under the code at a given temperature, taken from ASME Section II, Part D. SA-516 Grade 70, for example, has 20,000 psi up to 650°F.
APIAmerican Petroleum Institute
The body behind API 660.
API 660American Petroleum Institute Standard 660, Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers
The standard for these exchangers in the petroleum, petrochemical, and natural gas industries. More
Appendix 2ASME Section VIII, Division 1, Mandatory Appendix 2
The rules for bolted flanges, used for the girth flanges of an exchanger. More
Appendix 46ASME Section VIII, Division 1, Mandatory Appendix 46
The appendix that lets a Division 1 vessel use Division 2 rules. More
ASMEAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
The publisher of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and of the B16 flange and gasket standards.
ASME Section II, Part D
The part of the ASME code that gives material properties and allowable stresses.
ASME Section IX
The ASME rules for welding procedures and the qualification of welders.
ASME Section VIII, Division 1
The design code of PlutoHX: the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code rules for pressure vessels, including shell-and-tube exchangers. More
ASME Section VIII, Division 2
The other division of Section VIII; PlutoHX uses its Part 4.16 for flanged joints and Part 4.18 for tubesheets.
Authorized Inspector
The inspector who checks a Code design. PlutoHX lays out its calculation package so that this check is easy to follow.

B

B16.5, B16.47, B16.20
ASME standards for pipe flanges up to NPS 24, large diameter flanges from NPS 26 to NPS 60, and metallic gaskets. More
Baffle
A plate across the shell that makes the shell side flow zigzag across the tubes. The reference exchanger has single segmental baffles, cut about 22% of the diameter.
BOMBill of materials
The list of parts and materials of a design, with the material weight.

C

Classic mode
The form and settings way of working in PlutoHX, next to PlutoGen.
Corrosion allowance
Metal added on top of the calculated thickness, to be lost over the life of the part; 0.125 in in the teaching examples.

D

Design by rule, design by analysis
The two routes of Division 2: Part 4 and Part 5.

E

EPCEngineering, procurement, and construction
Firms that design, buy, and build plants for their clients.

F

Fixed tubesheet exchanger
An exchanger with both tubesheets fixed to the shell; the TEMA rear ends L, M, and N.
Floating head exchanger
An exchanger in which one tubesheet moves with the bundle; the TEMA rear ends P, S, T, and W, including split ring and lantern ring designs.

G

Girth flange
A large bolted flange that joins the main sections of the exchanger, such as the channel, the tubesheet, the shell, and the shell cover. More

H

Hydrostatic test
The pressure test of the finished equipment; under UG-99(b), at least 1.3 times the MAWP times the stress ratio.

J

Joint efficiency (E)
The factor for a welded joint in the thickness formulas, set by UW-12; 0.85 with spot radiography.

M

MAWPMaximum allowable working pressure
The pressure limit of the equipment at its design temperature under the code; 313 psi for the teaching shell with a 1/2 in plate.
MDMTMinimum design metal temperature
The coldest metal temperature the design is good for, with respect to brittle fracture; UCS-66 covers carbon steels.

N

NDENon-destructive examination
Tests that examine a part, such as its welds, without damaging it. PlutoHX lists the NDE a design requires.
NPSNominal pipe size
The size designation of a pipe or nozzle, such as NPS 24.

O

ODOutside diameter
The diameter over the outside of a tube, pipe, or gasket.

P

Part UHX
The part of Division 1 for tubesheets: UHX-12 U-tube, UHX-13 fixed, and UHX-14 floating tubesheet exchangers. More
Pass partition plate
The plate in the channel that divides the tube side into passes; it carries the pressure difference between adjacent passes.
PCC-1ASME PCC-1, bolted flange joint assembly
The standard for assembling bolted flange joints: the assembly bolt stress and gasket stress.
PlutoGen
The AI assistant inside PlutoHX. More
PlutoVS and PlutoTK
The other members of the Pluto family, for pressure vessels and for aboveground storage tanks; both coming soon. More
PWHTPost-weld heat treatment
Heat treatment of a part after welding. PlutoHX lists the PWHT a design requires.

S

Saddles, fixed and sliding
The two supports of a horizontal exchanger: one anchored, one free to slide as the shell grows with heat. More
Shell side, tube side
The two sides of the exchanger: the fluid around the tubes inside the shell, and the fluid inside the tubes. Datasheets mark them S and T.

T

TEMATubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association
The association whose Standards set the classes, types, and construction of shell-and-tube exchangers. More
TEMA class
R for petroleum and related processing, C for commercial and general process, B for chemical process.
TEMA type
Three letters for the front end, the shell, and the rear end, such as AET. More
Tie rods and spacers
Rods fixed in the stationary tubesheet that carry the baffles, with spacers between the baffles.
Tube-to-tubesheet joint
How each tube is held in the tubesheet: expanded, expanded and seal welded, or strength welded.
Tubesheet
The thick plate that holds the ends of the tubes and separates the tube side from the shell side. The stationary tubesheet sits at the channel; a floating tubesheet moves with the bundle.

U

U-tube exchanger
An exchanger whose tubes are bent into a U, with one tubesheet; the TEMA rear end U.
UCS-66
The Division 1 rule for the MDMT of carbon steels.
UG-25
The Division 1 paragraph on corrosion allowance.
UG-27
The Division 1 rule for shells under internal pressure. More
UG-32, UG-34
The Division 1 rules for formed heads and for flat heads and covers.
UG-99(b)
The Division 1 paragraph that sets the hydrostatic test pressure.
UW-12, UW-20
The Division 1 paragraphs for joint efficiency and for tube-to-tubesheet welds.

W

WRCWelding Research Council
Its Bulletins 107, 297, and 537 give the local stresses at nozzles from piping loads.

Z

Zick
L. P. Zick’s method for horizontal vessels on two saddles.

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