Headers are constructed of steel utilizing a box type design and incorporating individual hex-head access plugs for easy tube maintenance or replacement. Either taper pipe plugs or shoulder type access plugs with metal gaskets are standard depending upon design conditions.
All ASME designs are spot-faced with shoulder plugs and grooved tube sheets. All sections incorporate a floating header design which allows one header to move independently with the expansion and contraction of the tubes while retaining alignment.
Box headers are standard on sections for pressure of up to 5,500 psi. Design pressures of up to 10,000 psi are available using special billet header and U-bend construction.
Sections are constructed of individually finned, condenser tubes expanded into tube sheets. Tubes are available in several different materials to best suit fluid characteristics as well as to meet pressure and temperature requirements. Standard tube sizes are 5/8" and 1" diameter and are set on a triangular pitch with fin height varying according to tube diameter.
Tubes and headers are contained in steel section side frames with each tube individually banded and supported on both top and bottom at a maximum of 4' intervals to eliminate vibration and maintain proper spacing.
Although the overwhelming majority of sections are equipped with the high-performance WHEELFIN™, two different types of fins are available: the aluminum WHEELFIN™ and the conventional smooth plain fin for fluids where low inside film coefficients do not respond to higher air-side heat transfer rates.
Both fins are spiral, shoulder-type manufactured with
air-x-changers' custom designed equipment which carefully controls fin height, pitch, and mechanical bond with the tube. An embedded fin is available in either fin type where specifications or process conditions dictate.
