A facility for testing the corrosion and construction properties of various hairpin tube and shell heat exchangers is described. A single high pressure water system contains high purity water which flows through the hairpin tubes and forms the primary side of all of the heat exchangers.
Two test vessels in series as a steam generator and superheater form part of two dynamic secondary systems. A third dynamic secondary system has four smaller steam generators arranged in parallel. The secondary water environments are treated to simulate untreated field water. The fully automatic controls which permit continuous testing and the fail-safe safety features are described. Tests are performed for durations of 2,000 to 6,000 hours, depending on the material being evaluated.
The facility enables the study of various heat exchanger materials, combinations of materials and tube-to-tube sheet construction methods. The test vessels are oriented to give secondary environments either of totally submerged tubes, steam covered tubes or partially submerged tubes resulting in a steam-water interface. Provisions in the loop permit control of the secondary water environments by the addition of chemicals. General descriptions of the test vessels are included. 7.4.1
