Spiral Heat Exchanger

INSTRUCTION BOOK

::

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

SPIRAL TYPES

TYPE I

TYPE II

TYPE lll

OVERHEAD CONDENSERS

HORIZONTAL TYPE ill

MOUNTING

CONNECTING

STARTING UP

VENTING

OPERATION

SHUT- DOWN

10

DRAINING

11

OPENING

12

INSPECTION

13

CLEANING

14

REASSEMBLY

15

TESTING

16

PROBLEM SOLVING

17

The Spiral heat exchanger (SHE) consists in principle of a strip of

metal wound around a central core, to form two concentric spiral
channels - one for each of the fluids between which heat is to be
transferred.

INTRODUCTION

The edges of the strips may be sealed in a varie~y of ways,

depending on the type and function of the SHE. Two channel
sealing methods are used:
a) the edge of the strip is rolled and welded to the adjacent strip.
b) a bar is inserted and welded to each strip.

TYPE lOR II

The strip is normally provided with spacer studs to maintain

the desired channel spacings for the two channels.

The spiral body thus formed is provided with peripheral headers

and covers incorporating fluid connections. The number and
location of these connections is dependent on the type of
function of the SHE.
3

Normally intended for liquid/liquid services or condensing

smaller rates of vapor, the Type I spiral has alternate channels
Welded, i.e. one channel sealed at one face of the spiral body
and the other channel sealed at the other face. Flat covers on
each face.

SPIRAL
TYPES

Channel A is thus accessible from the left hand face of the

body, channel B from the right hand face.
For gas phase or two phase gas/liquid services, the Type I
spiral is mounted vertically-Type IV-for improved venting or
phase operation.
For some duties, one channel may be completely welded and
the other completely open. The closed channel is not
accessible for inspection or mechanical cleaning, but the open
channel is accessible from both faces. This construction is
therefore used when one of the fluids is very dirty, or when one
of the fluids presents severe gasketing problems.

Flows are normally counter-current. If fluid A enters at the

periphery and exists at the central cover connection, fluid B
enters the other central cover connection and exits at the
periphery. Co-current operation is sometimes used, here both
fluids enter at the periphery or at the central cover connections.

The Type II SHE operates in cross flow, one fluid passing from
face to face of the body. The channel for this cross-flow fluid
must therefore be open at both faces.

SPIRAL
TYPES

The other fluid is in spiral flow and the channel is welded at both
faces. The central entry or exit for the spiral flow fluid is taken
through an extension of the outer "shell" of the body, which also
incorporates the connections for the cross-flow fluid.
The Type II spiral is normally used for condensation or
vaporization duties, where a channel of larger cross-section
than in a Type I can be obtained. Additional connections (e.g.
vent or drain connections) can be provided in the top and the
bottom covers on the cross flow side. The central core of a
Type II is normally closed to prevent bypassing of the cross
flow fluid. In vaporizers operating with internal recirculation or
in overhead condensers the central core may be open.

The Type Ill is a combination of Types I and II usually used

as a condenser which can combine both subcooling of
condensate and desuperheating on non-condensables.
The top extension feeds the vapor in cross-flow to the main
part of the spiral body. At the periphery, channels are
closed, forcing the vapor into spiral flow in the outer turns.
The cooling water enters at the periphery of the body and
leaves via a central pipe exiting through the periphery.
Condensate flows in the lower part of the channel from center to
periphery and is removed via a header which also incorporates
a connection for noncondensables.
The channels in a Type Ill are normally alternately welded. In
certain cases, the cooling medium channel is totally welded.
The bottom cover of a Type Ill is flat and without connections,
although a drain for the cooling water can be fitted .

SPIRAL
TYPES

Overhead
Condensers

These are variants of the basic Types I, II and Ill. The construction is such that vapor is admitted to the SHE directly via the
bottom cover, thus eliminating vapor pipework when the units
are used as condensers on distillation columns or reactors.

..

Cooling water

..

lnerts

t
Va por

OVERHEAD TYPE I

OVERH EAD TYPE II

Vapor

+
Cool ing water

OVERHEAD TYP E III

(with sub cooling

t
Va por

Horizontal
Type III

Certain applications, for instance those involving fluids

containing considerable solids, require an SHE with horizontal
axis in order to reduce the risks for blockage. When heating
such fluids, with steam, a special design is used (Type Ill H).

Steam

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'=: t ,:
4 4 '

1, -

/ :I l[h;,gl

,'

......
Condensate
TYPE IIIH

IWI
-

The steam cover is provided with a baffle which extends about

2/3 of the way into the SHE body. Steam is thus caused to flow
in a cross flow two-pass arrangement. The fluid being heated
enters at the periphery and exits via the central connection on
the flat cover at the opposite face.
Channels are alternately welded.

Lift the SHE into position using the support feet or lifting lugs
or, if fitted, the trunnions.

MOUNTING

DO NOT LIFT THE UNIT USING THE CONNECTIONS, as

mechanical damage can result.
With vertically mounted units Type I, II and Ill fitted with
mounting pads, ensure that the body is correctly oriented and
that the connection locations correspond with the connecting
pipework and with those shown on the drawing. Type II and
horizontally mounted Type I and Ill units have welded-on
support feet and thus cannot be inadvertently mounted upside
down.

CONNECTING
The connecting pipework should wherever possible be provided
with valves il') order to isolate the unit. Valves are essential
between any pumps and the SHE. The use of piston-type
pumps should be avoided, and all positive displacement pumps
require a pressure relief bypass system.
The pipework should be arranged so that differential
expansion/contraction effects cannot place undue strain on the
SHE connections. Avoid long straight pipe-runs, by
incorporating elbows and/or expansion loops or bellows.
Units using steam as the heating medium should be provided
with a steam trap, preferably of the type which automatically
vents noncondensables. Steam should never be used with
horizontally mounted Type I units.
Good engineering practice should be observed when using
control valves:
Preferably not of "on-off" type, but if this is unavoidable, the
valve action should be slow.
Provided with manual bypass and isolation valves.

STARTING UP

During normal shipment or prolonged periods of shutdown,

relaxation of the cover gaskets and/or loosening of the hookbolt
assemblies may have taken place. To help ensure a leak free
cover, hookbolt assemblies should be retightened in a diagonally
opposite sequence. Recommended torque values can be found
in the reassembly section of this manual.
The cooler of the two media should normally be admitted to the
SHE first. If one or both media are well below ambient
temperature, the fluid nearest ambient should be admitted first.
If, for process reasons, it is not possible to follow this practice,
start-up should be carried out as smoothly and as slowly as
possible.
Pumps should always be started against closed valves, which
are subsequently opened slowly, so as to avoid hydraulic shock.
If the pump(s) is (are) remote from the SHE, ensure that all
pipework and the SHE are filled before opening the valves fully.

VENTING
B4
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TYPE I

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In order that the SHE shall operate according to specification,

it is important that all residual air or entrained gas is
removed . . Vertically mounted Types I, II, and Ill are selfventing, in that noncondensables connections are always
provided. The cooling medium (spiral flow) side is also selfventing due to the configuration of the unit.
The other channel is self-venting via the upper central
connection in the cover (8 channel).
Horizontally mounted units are self-venting via the fluid
connections provided that the flows are maintained at tne
specified values.

A
Vapor

Vapor

+ Vent

Water

T YPE II

TYPE III

.. Cond e nsa t e

Good engineering practice should be observed:

OPERATION

All SHEs should be operated in accordance with the ASME

Section 8 Division I Pressure Vessel Codes to which all units
are designed, fabricated and tested. Pressure relief devices
MUST be installed as specified by the ASME Codes.
Avoid sudden change in fluid flowrate, since hydraulic shock
and fatigue effects caused by thermal expansion and
contraction may otherwise occur.
Avoid excessive turn-down ratios, since flowrates much less
than design values may result in accelerated fouling. This
applies particularly to duties involving fluids heavily loaded with
solids.
In multiple installations, variations in capacity are best regulated by
varying the number of units on line rather than by major variations
in flow per unit.

SHUT-DOWN

Wherever possible allow the medium whose inlet temperature is

nearest ambient temperature to circulate after the other medium
has been turned off. All flow rates should be reduced slowly to
avoid hydraulic and thermal shock.
Units cor:ttaining fluids with normal boiling point well below
ambient temperature (e.g. Freon, ammonia, etc.) should not be
allowed to attain ambient temperature while containing the
working fluid against closed valves. The SHE is designed to
withstand the pressures thus generated, but an obvious risk for
personal injury exists if the unit is opened while still containing
such fluid. The working fluid pipework system should be so
arranged that continuous venting can be obtained.
If the shut-down period is short, and the SHE is not to be
opened, the SHE should remain full-this renders subsequent
start-up easier.
If leaving the SHE full of stationary liquid would involve a risk for
corrosion, the unit should be flushed, cleaned, and drained.
If risk for freezing exists, or if the unit is to be opened, it should
be flushed with water and drained.
If the unit is to be returned to the manufacturer for inspection,
cleaning, or repair, it is important that it be drained of process
fluids, flushed with either water or the proper cleaning agent,
and redrained . This requirement is imposed by safety
regulations for transport and upon arrival at the manufacturer.
When opening a unit which is mounted on trunnions, it is
important to take steps to prevent the body from swinging round
and causing damage or personal injury. This can happen if all
pipework is disconnected and the bottom cover removed - the
unit becomes top-heavy. The unit should thus be securely held
in place and the top cover removed first.
Units provided with hinged covers should be securely fastened
at piping connections and mounting brackets before opening to
prevent tilting from the change in the SHE's center of gravity
while the covers are open.

10

DRAINING

When the SHE is shut down and isolated from process and
service streams, it can be drained. Vertical Type I SHE's have
a drain fitted at the lowest point of the channel, whose exit
connection is at the center of the upper cover (8 channel) .
The other channel is self-draining via the lower central
connection in the cover (A channel) .
The spiral (normally cooling water) channel of Type II and
vertical Type Ill units is drained in a similar manner.

0
The process (normally vapor) side of Types II and Ill are

......,

normally self-draining via the fluid connections.

On horizontally mounted Type I and Type Ill units, a drain is

8$

located at the bottom of the cover.

Drai n

"

0A

TYPE I

TYPE II

TYPE III

~. -

HORIZONTAL DRAIN

11

OPENING

A. Before opening a Type I or Ill unit, with alternately welded

channels, make sure that:
1) Neither side of the unit is under pressure
2) Both sides are drained
An attempt to open the unit while under pressure, can
obviously lead to injury and damage to the SHE or
surrounding equipment.
Units with one side completely welded may be
pressurized on the welded channel side when open, but
for reasons of safety, it is recommended to drain both
sides even with such units.
B. Disconnect the pipework.
C. SHE's are fitted with flat covers held down by hookbolts.
After disassembly of hookbolts, the covers can be removed.
The lower cover of a Type IIIV is removed in the same way, but
the upper cover incorporated a flanged joint for the cooling
water outlet. This joint must be dismantled before the cover can
be removed.
The gaskets (full face for Type I and the lower cover on Type
Ill's, otherwise ring gaskets) may adhere either to the cover or
to the faces of the SHE body, and thus will be damaged when
removing the covers: when removing the residual gasket
material, take care to avoid damaging the cover face, edges of
the plate in the SHE body, or the tightening ring.
-- Hookbolt

. . Vapor Inlet

TYPE IIIV

12

On spirals with alternately welded channels (normally Types I

and Ill), each channel can be visually examined from one of the
SHE body faces. If the SHE has a large channel width and small
spacings, it may be necessary to use some optical device such
as an "introscope".

INSPECTION

The channels should be examined for:

Corrosion - often apparent adjacent to the channel seal welds
near the body face and thus easy to detect.
Erosion - often apparent in the center portion and/or in the
area of the spacer studs and thus relatively easy to detect.
Fouling - In vertical units, fouling may have a tendency to be
most severe at the lower edge of the channels. Any fouling
may be easily detected for the channel open to the bottom
face, while any fouling in the other may only with difficulty be
detected, since it is remote from the top SHE face.
Mechanical damage - this will be immediately apparent in the
form of distortion.
If massive corrosion or erosion is evident, or if mechanical
damage is suspected, Alta Laval should be contacted for advice
regarding possible field repair.

13

CLEANING

Cleaning can be carried out by two methods:

Mechanical, using for instance a high pressure water or
steam/water jet on the opened SHE.
Chemical cleaning in-place on the unit as installed. The
pipework is then provided with valved branches to enable a
suitable sequence of cleaning agents to be circulated . Any
cleaning agents used should of course be compatible with
the materials of construction. Proprietary cleaning agents
should be used in accordance with the manufacturers'
instructions. The unit should be completely flushed of all
cleaning agents, and if not put back into operation
immediately, drained.

14

The body of a SHE is not perfectly circular. It is thus important

that even if the covers are nominally identical, they are placed
on the correct faces of the body and are correctly oriented. Gasket
To assist in this respect, the edge of the cover and
c::==:::;~
the tightening ring of the SHE body are marked.
The arrow marks should correspond.

REASSEMBLY

Tightening ri ng

Covers are also normally stamped with the

serial number of the SHE.
The gaskets between the covers and the SHE body are
similarly not perfectly circular and should therefore be
cut from a sheet of gasket material (normally nonasbestos) using the cover as a template. The gaskets on the top ~" ........::J
cover of Type II IV and Type II SHE's are not full-faced. The
fitting of a full-face gasket would destroy the function of the unit.
Type I and bottom cover Type IIIV gasket must be full-face, or
bypassing will occur. When replacing the gaskets on a Type II IV,
the cover gasket and the gasket for the water connection should
be cut from the same sheet, as it is essential that these are of
the same thickness.
Certain applications demand the use of other gasket materials,
such as synthetic rubber or reinforced PTFE.
Having put the gasket and cover in place, the hookbolts can
then be applied and finger-tightened, making sure that the
cover remains correctly located. The hookbolts can then be
tightened down using the recommended torques in the graph
below. To ensure that the hookbolts are applied at their proper
locations and to avoid dislocating the cover during tightening,
tighten diagonally opposite bolts.
TO RQ UE
FT. LBS.

900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100

I
k'1ng pressureI 125 ps1g.
I. @ 70
J F
t-- M ax.wor

Gaskets: non-asbestos
t-Bolts lubricated with Fei-Pro CSA
t-- Torque at oth er working pressures:
Torque@ 125 psig. x (acruALwsK rassus )
1-

- ---

.........-

125PSIG

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io- 1 OIA.
BOLTS

314 " OIA.

BOLTS

i"'"""'

10

15

20

25

30

35

HEA D DI AM ETE R

40

45

50

55

60

INCHES

15

TESTING

Normal hydrostatic test procedures can be applied after

complete reassembly of the SHE. It may, however, be desired to
test one side of the unit before assembling the cover(s) on the
other side.
If such testing is carried out on a unit with alternately welded
chan riels, it is essential that the face of the SHE body which is
exposed should be held down by a rigid beam or other device.
The hydrostatic pressure on the side under test can otherwise
distort the body and result in permanent and irrepairable
damage. The beam can be held down by the hookbolts (place
a weld bead as shown on the diagram below).
Maximum test pressure is one and one half (1 1/2) times
maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP).
If hydrostatic testing is not practical, air testing should not be
done without consulting Alfa Laval. Air or gas testing can be
very hazardous.

BEAM

16

SYMPTOM

POSSIBLE
CAUSES

REMEDY

1. Inadequate thermal

a) Air pockets.
b) Insufficient service fluid
(e.g. cooling water).
Fouling on heat transfer
surfaces.

a) Vent.
b) Check flowrates and
temperatures.
Clean. Ensure flowrates as
specified.

Bypassing over face of

SHE, caused by damaged
Gasket or excessive
pressure.
Blockage at inlet or outlet.

Replace cover gasket.

Ensure operation at
specified pressure.

a) Damaged cover Gasket.

b) Insufficient pipe
support.
c) Relaxation of Gasket
during shipment or
shut-down.
d) Thermal expansion
during start-up.
Heat transfer surface
perforated by erosion,
corrosion, or mechanical
damage.

a) Replace gasket.
b) Rectify pipe support
system.
c) Tighten hook bolts.
d) Check hook bolts. If
leakage persists, check
cover gaskets.

performance at start-up.
2. Fall-off in thermal
performance, possibly
associated with a
pressure drop increase
or reduced flow.
3. Fall-off in thermal
performance with unchanged or reduced
pressure drop.
4. Excessive pressure
drop with approx.
maintained thermal
performance.
5. External leakage

6. Internal leakage.

PROBLEM
SOLVING

Clean, possibly most

effectively by
back - flushing.

Contact Alta Laval for

advice. Field repair may be
possible.

In addition to the symptoms, causes and remedies listed

for liquid/liquid, the following can occur:
1. Rapid fall-off in thermal
Modify gas removal
Inadequate venting of
non-condensables.
system (enlarge or fit
performance possibly
exhaust pump or fan).
with increasing vaporside pressure drop.
a) Modify condensate
a) Inadequate condensate
2. Unstable performancefluctuating condensate
removal.
removal system
or product (cooling
b) Under dimensioned
(enlarge, fit removal
pump or barometric
steam supply system.
medium) outlet temperature and condens1ng.
leg).
b) Check function of
control valve and/ or
pressure reducing
valve. Change to larger
size if necessary

Types I, II or Ill
for Condensing
or Steam Heatang
Duties

The following additional phenomena can arise:

1. Inadequate or unstable
a) Faulty conditions on
a) Adjust heating medium
thermal performance
heating medium side.
temp. and/or flow rate.
("hunting")
b) Insufficient liquid feed
If steam, adjust
on vaporizing side.
pressure.
c) Incorrect liquid level in
b) Modify inlet system.
thermosiphon system.
Increase in size,
remove restrictions, or
fit booster pump.
c) Check liqu9id level is
approx. the same as
upper SHE.

Types II or Ill for

Vaporization
Duties

17