Description:IMPROVED HYDRO TESTING ARRANGEMENT FOR THIN TUBES OF HEAT EXCHANGER

FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present disclosure described herein relates to the hydro testing arrangements for thin tubes used in heat exchangers.

[002] In particular, the present disclosure relates to design of O-ring groove, connecting Plug fixtures with thin tubes, deflection controlling arrangements for thin tubes without affecting the tube ends in hydro testing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION/PRIOR ART:
[003] Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

[004] The heat exchangers are used to generate steam from heat available with process fluids, which is further utilized to drive a turbine and generate electricity. The high-pressurized primary fluid is passed through a thin tube bundle, where it transfers its heat by conduction through metal to lower-pressure secondary liquid, which is allowed to boil and be converted into steam.

[005] The thickness of the thin tube is 1.1mm, its outer diameter is 19mm and its length is 10m. The material of the thin tube is ASME SB-163 UNS N08800.

[006] In heat exchanger, each tube before installation, will be subjected to hydro test of the pressure of 25MPa, which is two times of the design pressure of heat exchanger. During hydro test, the tubes should not under go any deformation and the straightness of tube should not have any deviations. Any variations in straightness of tubes will cause difficulty in tube installation process.
[007] Therefore, there is a need to provide a solution that obviates the above-mentioned problems.

PRIOR ART:
[008] Reference may be made to the below patents:

US8731849B2 on 20-05-2014 -- Hydrostatic pressure testing system and method
[009] A hydrostatic pressure testing system for hydrostatic pressure testing of pipe or other vessels. A control center may include a computer program that monitors, records, and controls the system during testing. A test fluid assembly may include a fill conduit capable of providing a test fluid to an inlet section of a vessel to be tested in response to a command from the computer program. A pressure-release safety assembly may have a vent conduit in fluid communication between an outlet section of the vessel and a safety valve. The safety valve may be in fluid communication with a bleed tank for storing an outlet flow of test fluid from the vessel. The safety valve is actuated to relieve fluid pressure in the vessel in response to a selective condition. A method of using the system to conduct hydrostatic pressure testing is also described.
[0010] The invention is not related to thin tubes of heat exchanger, so not relevant to the present invention.

DE4129153A1 on 02-09-1991 -- METHOD FOR CHECKING THE HEAT EXCHANGER TUBES IN A HEAT EXCHANGER

[0011] A process is disclosed for inspecting heat exchanger tubes in a heat exchanger. Heat is transferred from a first medium to a second medium that is isolated from the first medium in a gas- and liquid-tight manner, and the heat exchanger tubes are fixed into position by spacers. In order to inspect a heat exchanger tube, a measurement probe is inserted therein and the tube is exposed section by section to an electromagnetic alternating field having a predeterminable frequency that generates local eddy currents in the tube wall. The local eddy currents induce in an eddy current sensor a voltage signal that varies depending on the state of the material and the thickness of the tube wall. In order to detect the position and the tight fit of a spacer, the voltage signal induced in a tube section by a spacer is stored and the voltage signals stored during inspection of a heat exchanger are evaluated by comparison with a reference signal.
[0012] The invention is not particularly related to deflection and straightness, so not relevant to the present invention.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[0013] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.

[0014] It is a general or primary object of the present disclosure to provide a hydro test fixture for thin tubes without inducing any deflection and variation in straightness of tube. It is a further object of the present disclosure to provide scratch free surfaces in OD and ID of thin tubes, the end region of tubes should not have any dents and O-ring impressions.

[0015] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0016] One or more drawbacks of conventional systems and process are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the apparatus/composition and a method as claimed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be part of the claimed disclosure.

[0017] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to hydro testing arrangements for thin tubes. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0018] According to this invention, there is provided an improved hydro testing arrangement for thin tubes (101) of heat exchanger comprising of Plug-1 (102), which connects between accumulator (107) and thin tube ID (101) with double O-Rings (104) in the inlet side of thin tubes. The Plug-2 (103), which connects between thin tube ID (101) with double O-Rings (104) and End Support (105) for sustaining reaction pressure in the outlet side of thin tubes (101). The deflection arresting arrangement comprises V-Blocks (108 & 109) with fasteners (110) at every 1m of thin tubes. The accumulator (107) in pressurizing system comprises of double O-Ring connecting arrangement with Plug-1 (102), Pressure Gauges (112) and transducers (111) for recording the hydro testing pressure. After hydro testing, in visual examination, the improved hydro testing arrangement, gives defect free edges of thin tubes (101), without any deformation and with no variation in straightness of tubes.

[0019] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to details of connector Plug-1 (102) between thin tube (101) and accumulator (107), thin tube (101) and rear side of connector Plug-2 (103), O-ring groove details, O-ring dimensions (104), reaction support (105), deflection control setups (108 – 110), hydro station arrangements etc.

[0020] The thin tubes (101) are for example of outer diameter 19 x 1.1mm.

[0021] In an aspect, Plug-1 & 2 (102 & 103) has double O-ring groove slots. The material of Plug-1 & 2 (102 & 103) is SS304L.

[0022] In an aspect, the support in rear side (105) for fixing thin tube (101) for handling reaction pressure. The material of support (105) is IS2062.
[0023] In an aspect, the material of O-ring is Viton.

[0024] In an aspect, the deflection control fixtures (108 – 110) for every 1m over the length of thin tubes. The material of fixture is IS2062.

[0025] In an aspect, the accumulator (107) in hydro station is made up of material SS304L.

[0026] In an aspect, the pressure transducer (111), pressure gauge (112), high pressure valves (115), water tank (119), high pressure hoses (117), Adapter (116) in hydro station can be made up of material SS304L.

[0027] The above materials are given as an example without restricting scope of the invention to the same. Thus, other materials readily apparent to a person skilled in the art are understood to be within purview of the invention.

[0028] To further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit the scope of the present subject matter.

[0029] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

[0030] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
[0031] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS:
[0032] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of devices, systems, and processes that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:

Figure - 1 illustrates the overview routing of hydro testing arrangements, thin tube connecting details and O-Ring details (104) of the present invention.
Figure - 2 illustrates the details about groove for O-ring in Plug-1 (102) which connects between thin tube (101) and accumulator (107) according to the invention.
Figure - 3 illustrates the details about groove for O-ring in Plug-2 (103) which connects between thin tube (101) and reaction support (105) in rear side in accordance with the invention.

[0033] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS:
[0034] While the embodiments of the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof have been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0035] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.

[0036] The terminology used herein is to describe particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.

[0037] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0039] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0040] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] The present invention makes a disclosure regarding a technology pertaining to invention directing to improved Hydro Testing Arrangement for thin tubes of Heat Exchanger.

[0042] Reference may be made to Figure-1 showing an overview of hydro testing arrangement. The thin tubes (101) are placed on hydro station and the thin tubes (101) are connected to Plug-1 (102) with the help of two O-rings (104). In the Figure-2, the Plug-1 (102) is connected to accumulator (107) with the help of another two O-rings (104). The thin tubes are arrested in every 1m with deflection controllers (108 – 110). The deflection controller comprises of rigid V-shape block at bottom (109) and removable V-shape block (108) at top side of thin tubes (101). The V-shape blocks (108 & 110) are connected each other by fasteners (109) and soft materials are placed between V-shape blocks to avoid dents and scratches on thin tubes (101). The rear side of thin tubes (101) are connected to Plug-2 (103) with two O-rings (104). The hydro pressure reaction on rear side of thin tube (101) is transferred to the end Support (105) and it is welded to the hydro station arrangement.
[0043] The Demineralised Water (DM) is filled in the storage tank (119) of for example 10 cubic meter capacity. The DM water is pumped by high pressure pump (118) to the accumulator (107) through SS hoses (117) and it is controlled by high pressure valves (115). The safety relief valves (114) are connected in the connecting lines between accumulator (107) and higher pressure pump (118). The connecting line can be made up SS304L material. The pressure gauges (112) and pressure transducer (111) are connected to accumulator (107) for monitoring the hydro testing pressure. After ensuring the venting (113) in pressure lines, the thin tubes (101) are tested with hydro pressure of 25MPa.

TEST RESULT:
[0044] After completion of hydro testing, the thin tubes (101) are under gone visual examination and it is ensured that there is no deformation of thin tubes (101) and straightness of thin tubes (101) is not affected. The connected portion of outer diameter and inner diameter of thin tubes (101) with Plug-1 (102) and Plug-2 (103) does not induce any dents and scratches.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES:
[0045] The present disclosure provides an improved hydro testing arrangement for thin tubes (101) of heat exchanger that doesn’t require trimming of edges of thin tubes.

[0046] The present disclosure provides in-house hydro testing arrangement which minimises the inspection after hydro testing.

[0047] The present invention is user friendly and serves the purpose efficiently for which it is devised.

WORKING OF THE INVENTION:
[0048] This invention provides hydro testing of thin tubes in industries, where the length of tubes are not able to trim or to maintain the required length without trimming. The connector with O-rings is able to withstand the high-pressure hydro test without any leak and damage to tube ends. There is no recordable deflection of thin tubes during and after completion of hydro testing.

[0049] Each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.

[0050] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.

[0051] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particulars claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogues to “at least one of A, B and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0052] The above description does not provide specific details of manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and design details.

[0053] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.

[0054] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.

[0055] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
, Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. An improved hydro testing arrangement for thin tubes of heat exchanger comprising of
Plug-1 (102) that connects thin tubes (101) and accumulator (107), double O-rings (104) between Inner Diameter of thin tubes (101) and Plug-1 outer diameter (102), Plug-2 (103) that connects thin tubes (101) and End Supports (105), wherein Deflection is arrested by V-Block arrangement (108 – 110) in every 1meter of thin tubes.

2. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thin tubes (101) are connected to Plug-1 (102) with the help of multiple O-rings (104) and the Plug-1 (102) is connected to accumulator (107) with the help of the O-rings (104), wherein the thin tubes are arrested in every 1 meter with deflection controllers (108 – 110).

3. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the deflection controller comprises of rigid V-shape block at bottom (109) and removable V-shape block (108) at top side of thin tubes (101).

4. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein the V-shape blocks (108 & 110) are connected to each other by fasteners (109) and soft materials are placed between V-shape blocks to avoid dents and scratches on thin tubes (101).

5. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-4, wherein the rear side of thin tubes (101) are connected to Plug-2 (103) with O-rings (104), in which the hydro pressure reaction on rear side of thin tube (101) is transferred to the end Support (105) and the rear side of thin tube (101) is connected to the hydro station arrangement.

6. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-5, wherein the Demineralised Water (DM) is filled in the storage tank (119), in which the Demineralised water is pumped by high pressure pump (118) to the accumulator (107) through hoses (117) and is controlled by high pressure valves (115).

7. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-6, wherein the safety relief valves (114) are connected in the connecting lines between accumulator (107) and higher pressure pump (118), in which the connecting line is made up material including SS304L material.

8. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-7, wherein the pressure gauges (112) and pressure transducer (111) are connected to accumulator (107) for monitoring the hydro testing pressure.

9. The improved hydro testing arrangement as claimed in claims 1-8, wherein the accumulator (107) in pressurizing system comprises of double O-Ring connecting arrangement with Plug-1 (102), Pressure Gauges (112) and transducers (111) for recording the hydro testing pressure.