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CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Overview
1.2 Selection of Cooling System
1.3 Selection of Heating Medium System

2.0 Custodian

3.0 Purpose

4.0 Application

5.0 Initial Selection Criteria

5.1 Maximum Pressure

5.2 Temperature Range
5.3 Materials of Construction
5.4 Leakage between Streams
5.5 Size, Weight and Layout
5.6 Fouling, Access and Cleaning
5.7 Counter Current Design
5.8 Process Criticality
5.9 Safety
5.10 Economics
5.11 Heat Exchanger Selection Diagram

6.0 Selection between Feasibility Types

7.0 Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

7.1 Thermal Design and Tube Vibration

7.2 Effective Heat Transfer Surface Area
7.3 Pressure Drop
7.4 Tubeside Water Velocities
7.5 Low Fin Tubes
7.6 Allocation of Fluids to Shell and Tube Sides
7.7 Selection of Shell and Tube Type
7.8 Selection of Shell
7.9 Selection of Stationary Head Type

8.0 Double Pipe/Multitube Heat Exchangers

9.0 Compact Heat Exchangers

9.1 Low Pressure Design (up to approx. 2.5 MPag)

9.2 Medium Pressure Designs
9.3 Medium/High Pressure Designs (up to 20 MPag)

10.0 Air Cooled Heat Exchangers

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11.0 Maintenance Considerations – Fouling

11.1 Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

11.2 Low Pressure Compact Heat Exchangers (PHE)
11.3 Medium / High Pressure Compact Heat Exchangers (Sealed Units)

12.0 Approval to Deviate

13.0 Revision History Log

14.0 Glossary

15.0 Language, Units and Abbreviations

16.0 Bibliography

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Table of Principal Types of Heat Exchangers

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1.0 Introduction

1.1 Overview

There is a large range of heat transfer equipment available to the design engineer for
application in offshore heat exchange service. Such equipment includes the conventional
shell and tube type units and in recent years, several compact designs.

The use of compact heat exchangers is naturally becoming more attractive, due to the more
marginal nature of developments and hence the perceived benefits that reduced weight and
space can achieve. However, specific compact exchanger designs are rarely as applicable
over a wide range of duties and services as the conventional shell and tube types. This means
that the selection of heat exchange equipment is not straightforward but is rather a process of
evaluating the critical performance requirements and comparing that against the equipment
capabilities.

1.2 Selection of Cooling System

It is outside the scope of this document to discuss the factors governing the selection of the
type of cooling system for a particular application. The alternative systems include direct
seawater cooled, indirect cooling medium cooled and air-cooled. However the factors that
require to be considered in the choice of system include the process duty requirements,
avoidance of hydrates, utilities available, operating costs, operability, energy consumption,
equipment costs, equipment weight/space, maintenance costs, etc.

In the case of indirect cooling medium system, the choice of inlet/outlet temperatures for the
cooling medium requires to ensure the optimum balance between the size and cost of the
cooling medium plate heat exchanger and the process coolers. Also excessive piping and
pumping costs for the cooling medium should be avoided by selecting a reasonable
temperature range and avoiding excessive flowrates.

1.3 Selection of Heating Medium System

It is also outside the scope of this document to discuss the factors governing the selection of
the type of heating medium system used.

Waste heat recovery from turbine exhausts is normally used to provide heat input into the
heating medium system where gas turbine drivers are available. Direct fired furnaces have
been used but represent a greater safety risk than Waste Heat Recovery Units. For
temperatures up to approximately 150°C the heating medium is normally a water/glycol
mixture.

Electric heating can be used as an alternative heat source to heating medium and can be
particularly cost effective for small duties requiring high grade heat e.g. TEG reboilers.

2.0 Custodian

The Custodian of this guideline is EE, who is responsible for the accuracy and quality of its
contents and for its future revisions, where these are required to reflect industry trends or
changes to QGPC business practices.
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3.0 Purpose

The purpose of this Design Guide is to provide guidance for the selection of heat transfer
equipment for offshore installations. The objective of the selection procedure is to identify
the most appropriate and cost effective design for a particular application.

4.0 Application

Both project design teams and the engineering design contractors shall use this guideline.

In the event that one design is identified, the choice would usually consist of a conventional
shell and tube against a compact design. A cost benefit study would then be required to
compare the advantages of each design. All aspects of the designs must be considered
including actual benefit of space and weight savings, safety and the risk of fouling/blockage.
The shell and tube design should be optimised to the same degree as the compact design and
include any appropriate enhancements e.g. TEMA ‘F’ type shell, low fin tubes.

This document covers the designs of compact heat exchanger, which are currently available.
Since this is an expanding area, this may not represent a complete list and if a new design is
proposed which is not covered in this document, it should be referred to the Custodian for
approval.

5.0 Initial Selection Criteria

A list of the principal heat exchanger types is given in the table in Appendix 1. This list is
not exhaustive but reflects the types currently used or considered.

A shell and tube type heat exchanger is a versatile design and can usually satisfy most
selection criteria, however it does not always give the lowest installed cost. Compact heat
exchanger designs do not have such a wide range of application and each design is restricted
to an optimum operating range (see Appendix 1).

The following criteria should also be considered in selecting heat exchanger types with
reference to the table in Appendix 1.

The heat exchanger selection diagram gives a graphical presentation of method of selection
for a particular duty but final selection needs to consider all criteria in Section 5.

5.1 Maximum Pressure

Design pressure is an important parameter and several compact heat exchanger designs, e.g.
plate exchangers particularly gasketed plate heat exchangers, have limited design pressures
due to the relatively large flat surface areas exposed to process pressure. High pressure shell
and tube exchangers can also be extremely heavy due to wall thickness required in the
channels.

5.2 Temperature Range

For most offshore applications design temperatures are not particularly excessive and most
exchange types can be selected apart from gasketed plate heat exchanger designs, which
have limitations due to the gasket material, which is typically approximately 160°C.
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5.3 Materials of Construction

Materials of construction and gasket material should be selected to ensure an adequate

design life for the equipment. shell and tube type units are available in a wider range of
materials than compact units. Compact units are manufactured in a limited range of
corrosion resistant alloys and titanium.

5.4 Leakage between Streams

The risk of leakage from one stream to another stream should be evaluated and the
consequence of inter stream leakage should be considered in the overall system to ensure a
safe design. Certain types of exchanger e.g. ‘U’ tube, shell and tube exchangers, PCHEs,
have higher integrity when considering inter-stream leakage.

5.5 Size, Weight and Layout

Clearly, any problem of maximum size limitation can be overcome by having a number of
units in parallel. However, the requirement to add extra units gives extra costs in piping and
layout and can give problems in maldistribution between parallel streams.

Compact heat exchanger design can offer significant benefits in terms of weight and space.
Some compact units can give over 50% reduced plot area compared with shell and tube type
although space savings can be reduced by the requirement for upstream filters, etc. Where
these benefits can be fully utilised, compact designs should be evaluated for each
application.

In the case of shell and tube units, savings can be made in the requirement for bundle
withdrawal space by considering the use of a special tube bundle withdrawing device. This
device is a frame supported by the crane, which can pull bundles into open space at the side
of modules removing the requirement for bundle withdrawal floor areas in the module.

5.6 Fouling, Access and Cleaning

The fouling nature of the fluid is an important parameter as the need to obtain access to the
surface for inspection and mechanical cleaning is an important consideration in heat
exchanger selection. The type of fouling should be identified as either particulate type (risk
of blockage) or precipitation/deposition type (risk of scaling or wax fouling, etc.). See
Section 11 for further discussion.

Shell and tube type and gasketed plate type heat exchangers (PHE) allow in general
mechanical cleaning and direct access to surfaces for inspection. Other compact designs
including some fully welded units (WPHE), Printed Circuit units (PCHE) and Plate Fin units
(PFHE) are fully sealed without access for mechanical cleaning and only chemical cleaning
is possible. These designs have small passages and have the potential to suffer blockage at
the inlet of passages and if selected on other criteria, the addition of filters of strainers up
stream of units is always recommended where particulates are expected.

Since high-pressure compact units are difficult to clean, their selection in potentially fouling
gas service, for instance directly downstream of primary separators, requires careful
consideration.

In the heat exchanger selection diagram in Section 5.11, ‘normally clean’ is defined as free
of particulates but may be subject to precipitation. ‘Dirty’ also includes all liquid services.
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5.7 Counter Current Design

The requirement for a pure counter current design can influence heat exchanger selection. If
it is required to cool the process fluid below the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid, a
temperature cross exists and a counter current design is required. In this application multi
shell, shell and tube units in series are usually uneconomic and have excessive weight. A
shell and tube unit with a properly designed longitudinal baffle (TEMA ‘F’ type shell) with
an internal shroud can represent an option. All compact units can offer a counter current flow
design and can therefore be considered if the particular compact design satisfies other
selection criteria.

5.8 Process Criticality

When the service has a high process criticality and the failure of the unit will cause total
shutdown of the process and production loss, the selection of a compact unit which has no
access for cleaning/inspection should include consideration of the procedure to be adopted in
the event of blockage or leakage. The vendor should include a cleaning/repair procedure in
the documentation.

5.9 Safety

The safety implications of the heat exchanger selection shall be considered.

Gasketed plate heat exchangers (GPHE) are designed to leak to atmosphere.

Normally a high-pressure (HP) shell and tube exchanger requires a pressure relief system.
The tube side is typically designed for the highest design pressure and a pressure relief
system is only required to protect the low-pressure shell and piping in the event of a tube
rupture. Guidance on relief rates for S&T heat exchangers is given in API RP 520.

In the case of compact designs, the failure scenarios are different to ‘tube rupture'. For
PCHEs, the relief area is equivalent to two times the cross-sectional area of one flow
passage. Experience by other operators suggests PCHEs do not require LP side relief
protection.

Compact units have the benefit of low process fluid inventory.

5.10 Economics

Vendor pricing should be used as a basis to compare costs of competing designs. Where
possible the overall installed and life cycle costs should be used to make the heat exchanger
selection.

In a study to evaluate the total cost benefit offered by using compact units, the cost analysis
should include costs for extra filters/strainers and the actual benefit of the space savings
made based on layout of each case. It can be unrealistic to use overall values of cost saving
based on empirical data for unit costs per tonne for equipment weight or unit costs per m2 of
space. If the module size cannot be reduced for other reasons, costs calculated using
empirical data become unjustified. Therefore if possible rough layout should be made for
each option.

In some instances certain design parameters, such as material selection and tube thickness in
shell and tube exchangers, can influence life cycle costs. Where possible, the benefits of such
parameters exceeding minimum specified values should be quantified and considered during
the evaluation process.
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5.11 Heat Exchanger Selection Diagram
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6.0 Selection between Feasible Types

For a particular application under consideration, the table of principal types of heat
exchangers (Appendix 1) should be reviewed against the selection criteria given in paragraph
5.0 above.

The most important criteria of design pressure, design temperature and fouling should be
considered first, followed by the other criteria.

Where there are several suitable designs, the selection should be made on an economic
analysis including vendor pricing of designs, estimates for associated equipment (e.g. filters)
and estimates for the actual weight/space saving that can be achieved. Each service should be
evaluated on the risks and cost benefits for the case alone.

In general terms the following guidelines can normally be applied:

• For low pressure duties (up to 2.5 MPa-g), particularly liquid fouling duties, gasketed
plate heat exchangers (PHE) usually represent the minimum capital cost and minimum
installed cost option. Semi welded plate type units are normally the most economic for
LP Hydrocarbon Gas duties.
• For medium to high-pressure designs (above 2.5 MPa-g) in ‘dirty’ service, the shell and
tube represents the minimum cost for a maintainable item.
• For medium to high-pressure designs (above 2.5 MPa-g) in ‘normally clean’ service, an
economic analysis is required to compare high pressure compact designs to shell and
tube units.
• High integrity compact units including PCHEs and PFHE-SPF are usually uneconomic
for MP duties (2.5 to 5.0 MPa-g) as they involve expensive manufacturing methods.
However for small duties they can remain competitive against shell and tubes since the
cost per unit area of small shell and tube exchangers is high.

7.0 Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

The shell and Tubes is the most widely used type of heat exchanger for the following
reasons:
• The ability to handle high pressures and temperatures.
• The ability to handle high volumetric flow rates.
• Availability in a very wide range of materials.
• Well established methods for thermal and mechanical design.
• Rugged, safe construction.
• Large flow channels, which permit mechanical cleaning on both sides.
• Mechanical reliability in service.
• High degree of confidence in design due to long operating experience.

The disadvantages of selecting conventional shell and tube exchangers is that they have low
heat transfer coefficients and are neither space nor weight efficient when compared with
compact designs. Therefore they do not always represent the lowest installed cost option.

The general mechanical requirements for shell and tube exchangers are covered by TEMA
and QGPC standard ES.5.06.0004 (Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers - design and
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fabrication).

7.1 Thermal Design and Tube Vibration

The Purchaser shall specify the thermal design of shell and tube heat exchangers. For
exchangers forming part of packaged equipment, the thermal design shall be the
responsibility of the package Vendor.

The Vendor, when responsible for the thermal design, shall provide full details with this
tender of the proposed method of thermal design, including the issue and version date of any
computer programmes proposed.

The thermal design of shell and tube exchangers shall be based on design methods, which
have been proven in practice. In this respect computer programs published by HTRI and
HTFS are considered proven design methods.

It is not necessary to use standard tube lengths for offshore service since stocks of spare
tubes in standard lengths are not carried. The optimum design in terms of minimum cost and
weight usually has the longest practical tube length consistent with layout constraints, bundle
handling and pressure drop.

19mm OD tubes is the most common tube size. However 15.9 mm OD tubes can be
considered when mechanical cleaning of the tubeside is not required. 15.9mm OD tubes can
save cost and weight for HP Gas coolers since shell diameters are smaller and relief systems
are reduced.

It is mandatory to check all exchangers for possible flow induced tube vibration problems
using the proven computer programs given above. For cases where it is difficult to design a
vibration free design using segmental baffles, a no-tube-in-window design should be adopted
with intermediate support plates between segmental baffles.

When calculating shell side heat transfer coefficients, allowance shall be made for tube to
baffle clearances as specified in the TEMA standard Sub-section RCB-4.2 and baffle to shell
clearances as specified in the TEMA standard Sub-section RCB-4.3, with an additional
allowance for the fabrication tolerance on the shell ID.

7.2 Effective Heat Transfer Surface Area

The external surface area of the tubes between the inner faces of the tubesheets shall be
considered as the effective heat transfer surface area for thermal design. For U-tube bundles
the external surface of the U-bends shall not be included in the effective surface area except
when one or more of the following conditions applies:

1) Pool boiling on the shellside.

2) Condensing vapour at low velocity on the shellside.

3) Shellside inlet or outlet nozzle located beyond the U-bend tangent line.

7.3 Pressure Drop

To allow for increased pressure drop due to fouling, the pressure drop for the fouled
condition shall be derived from the pressure drop calculated for the clean condition by
multiplication with the appropriate factor given below. The pressure drop calculated for the
fouled condition shall be specified on the data sheet.
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Specified Fouling Resistance Multiplication Factor

(m2 K/W)

0.00009 to 0.00033 1.1

above 0.00034 1.2

In order to produce an optimum design of heat exchanger, the allowable pressure drop of the
heat transfer controlling side should be fully utilised.

7.4 Tubeside Water Velocities

Tubeside water velocities are given in table below.

Preferred Design Minimum Velocity Maximum Velocity

Velocity (m/s) (m/s)
(m/s)
Tube Material
Treated Sea Treated Sea Treated or Seawater
Water Water Water Water Freshwater Nom Tube Dia
0.75 in 1.0 in
Carbon Steel 1.5 - 1.0 - 1.8 - -
Aluminium Brass 1.5 0.5 1.0 0.8 2.1 1.0 1.2
Cupro-Nickel (90/10) 1.8 1.0 1.0 0.8 2.5 1.1 1.3
Cupro-Nickel (70/30) 2.1 1.0 1.0 0.8 3.0 1.1 1.3
Monel 400 2.4 - 1.8 - 3.5 - -
Austenitic Stainless 2.5 - 2.0 - 4.5 - -
Steel (Type 304 or 316)
Duplex Stainless Steel 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 4.5 4.5 4.5
Titanium 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.0 4.6 6.0 6.0
Incoloy 2.5 - 2.0 2.0 4.6 - -

7.5 Low Fin Tubes

Low fin tubes are available in a wide range of material and can reduce the size and weight of
a shell and tube exchanger by extending the outside surface of the tube. Low fin tubes
become economic when the shellside heat transfer coefficient is controlling and is less than
half the tube side heat transfer coefficient. Low fin tubes are not recommended when the
shellside fluid is excessively fouling.

7.6 Allocation of Fluids to Shell and Tube Sides

The following criteria shall be used to determine which fluid is allocated to each side. There
will be some duties where two or more of the requirements will conflict. In such cases
judgement must be exercised in the allocation of fluids, taking into account ease of operation
and maintenance, anticipated rates of corrosion and fouling, and required intervals between
shutdowns, as well as the effect on size, weight and cost. Such allocation will require a
compromise between the different criteria.

1) Where only one fluid is expected to cause fouling, the fluid should be on the tube side.

2) Where fouling is expected on both sides, the deposit, which is more difficult to remove,
or the side requiring the more frequent cleaning, should be on the tubeside.

3) The more corrosive fluid should be on the tube side.

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4) The higher pressure fluid should be on the tube side.

5) Liquids with a high viscosity (such as crude oil at ambient temperature) may need to be
on the shell side in order to avoid very low heat transfer coefficients resulting from
laminar flow.

6) Fluids with high volumetric flowrates and a requirement for a low pressure drop should
preferably be on the shellside since split flow or wide pitch baffles can be used.

7.7 Selection of Shell and Tube Type

The selection of the type of shell and tube exchanger should be made using the following
basis :

7.7.1 U Tube Bundle Exchanger (TEMA type ‘U’)

The U tube bundle usually represents the most economic design since it requires only one
tubesheet and avoids differential expansion problems. It is particularly economic for high
pressure and where the tubeside requires alloy material. For these reasons U tube bundles are
the most common design for offshore service.

U-tube bundles should be used for all duties where:

1) The tubeside fouling deposits can be easily removed, particularly at the U-bend, by
chemical cleaning or by specialised cleaning tools.

2) The tubeside-fouling factor does not exceed 0.00034 m2 K/W. If a U-tube bundle is
proposed in a service with a fouling factor above this value, approval shall be obtained
from QGPC.

3) The tubeside design pressure is above 5.0 MPa-g.

7.7.2 Floating Head Exchanger with Backing Device (TEMA type ‘S‘)

Floating head exchangers with backing rings (TEMA type ‘S’) are suitable for most duties
up to a design pressure of 5.0 MPa-g (design temperature less than 400°C). Floating head
designs are larger, more expensive and heavier than a U-tube design and are not usually used
in offshore service.

7.7.3 Pull Through Floating Head Exchanger (TEMA type ‘T’)

Pull through floating head exchangers (TEMA ‘T’ type) can be considered for design
pressures above 5.0 MPa-g instead of the TEMA ‘S’ type. The TEMA ‘T’ type, unlike the
TEMA ‘S” type, has the facility to pull the floating head through the shell without
dismantling it. However the design is larger, more expensive and heavier than the TEMA ‘S’
type and has the disadvantage that there is a large gap between bundle and shell that requires
sealing to prevent shellside bypassing. TEMA ‘T’ type are not normally used in offshore
service and U-tubes are preferred for high pressure duties.

7.7.4 Fixed Tubesheet Exchanger (TEMA type ‘M’ or ‘L’ or N’)

The fixed tubesheet exchanger should normally be avoided for offshore service. The fixed
tubesheet design has the disadvantage that it can suffer from differential expansion between
shell and tubes. Since external expansion joints or bellows in the shell are not permitted for
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safety reasons, it is important to ensure an expansion joint will not be required before a fixed
tubesheet unit is selected. The mechanical design should be checked for all cases, including
operating, turndown, start up, shutdown and failure cases, to ensure that expansion bellows
are not required for both corroded and uncorroded condition.

When a fixed tube sheet exchanger is selected, it must be realised that repair to the tube
bundle is probably impossible and that tube bundle failure may necessitate total exchanger
replacement.

A fixed tubesheet unit could only be considered where all the following conditions apply:

1) Expansion joint in shell is not required (design check required for all operating and
upset cases).

2) Previous experience on similar duties has shown fixed tubesheet exchangers to be

satisfactory.

3) Both shellside and tubeside fouling deposits can be removed by chemical cleaning.

4) The shellside fouling factor does not exceed 0.00035 m2K/W.

5) The shellside fluid is non-corrosive.

6) The duty is non critical.

7.7.5 Outside Packed Floating Head (TEMA type ‘P’)

The Outside Packed Floating Head type is not permitted since this design suffers from
leakage.

7.7.6 Externally Sealed Floating Tubesheet (TEMA type ‘W’)

The Externally Sealed Floating Tubesheet type is not permitted since this design also suffers
from leakage.

7.8 Selection of Shell

The most common type of shell types used are TEMA ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘J’, ‘G’, ‘H’ AND ‘X’.

The preferred type is the TEMA ‘E” type one pass shell.

However if a counter current design is required a properly designed TEMA ‘F’ type shell can
be considered with a two pass shell and a longitudinal baffle. To avoid leakage around the
longitudinal baffle an internal shroud is required to completely enclose one shellside pass. If
the tube bundle does not require to be removed, a longitudinal baffle welded to the shell
could be considered as an option. ‘Lamiflex’ stainless steel sealing strips are not acceptable.

The TEMA ‘J’ type shell with divided flow and TEMA ‘X’ type shell with cross flow are
used for low shellside pressure drop applications.

The TEMA ‘G’ and ‘H’ type split flow shell is not recommended for normal duties and is
only considered for thermosyphon reboilers.
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7.9 Selection of Stationary Head Type

The three most common types of front-end head are the TEMA ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘D’ types.

The TEAM ‘A’ type head has a flat cover which enables access to the tubesheet for repair or
inspection without removing the channel and associated pipework. It adds weight and cost to
the design and is not normally selected for offshore use.

The TEMA ‘B’ type head has a bonnet integral with the channel. This design is cheaper and
lighter than the TEMA ‘A’ head type and is usually preferred.

The TEMA ‘D’ type head is a special high pressure design with the tubesheet integral with
the channel and is selected for high pressure service (above approx. 12.5 MPa-g depending
on materials, size and construction).

8.0 Double Pipe/Multitube Heat Exchangers

Double pipe units and multitube heat exchangers were normally restricted to small services
with surface area requirements below approx. 30 m2. They offer standardised modular
design, can accept high pressures on the tubeside and are pure counter current design.

However the range of multitube type heat exchangers has now been extended to include shell
diameters up to above DN 600 giving surface areas up to 500 m2 per unit, although shell
diameters up to DN 400 are much more common. These units can prove more economic than
conventional shell and tube units in some cases. The disadvantage of large multitube units is
that they are sole source items. To evaluate the economic benefit of a standardised multitube
design, vendor pricing should be obtained for both a multitube unit and a shell and tube
design for comparison.

9.0 Compact Heat Exchangers

The selection of compact units can provide significant benefits for offshore service by
reducing size and weight. However careful consideration should be applied, to ensure the
compact unit selected would give a safe and operable design. Selections, which involve areas
of uncertainty, should be referred to the custodian for verification.

Low-pressure compact designs are the gasketed and semi-welded type (PHE). They are
usually more economic than shell and tube type and are maintainable allowing access to the
surface for cleaning.

Medium and high-pressure services can be achieved with WPHE, PCHE and PFHE units.
However these designs are sealed units without access for mechanical cleaning and therefore
should not be selected for fouling service e.g. directly upstream of primary separators.
Particulate fouling should be prevented from entering the unit by the use of filters/strainers
upstream of the unit.

The thermal design of compact heat exchangers is the responsibility of the manufacturer.
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9.1 Low Pressure Designs (Up to approx. 2.5 MPa-g)

9.1.1 Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers

Gasketed plate heat exchangers consist of a number of plates separated by gaskets with the
plate pack clamped in a frame. The design is restricted to low design pressure (approx. 2.5
MPa-g depending on the size of frame) and the gasket material restricts the maximum design
temperature to approx. 160°C. Typical gasket materials used are nitrile, resin cured butyl,
EPDM and FPM (viton). Gasket material in graphite is not recommended since these gaskets
are difficult to seal. Gasketed plates can suffer from leakage and the unit should have
personnel protection shrouds and capacity underneath the unit to collect fluid leakage. The
unit is designed to leak to atmosphere to avoid contamination of one stream with another. All
nozzles should be located on the fixed frame plate for easy maintenance.

To minimise fouling in seawater service, the minimum seawater design mean velocity
through the plates shall be 0.76 m/s.

The water velocity through nozzles and transition spools shall not exceed the following
values:

Austenitic Stainless Steel - 4.6 m/s (treated water)

Titanium - 6.0 m/s (seawater/treated water)

To allow for fouling the exchanger shall provide its design duty when the heat transfer area
is reduced by the factors given below:

Service Fouling Allowance

(cooled by treated or seawater) (true overdesign)

Natural Gas/Non Fouling Liquid 10%

Crude Oil 15%

For crude oil coolers when wax may deposit at the cold plate wall, co-current design should
be used to maintain higher plate wall temperatures at the cold end of the unit to minimise
waxing problems.

9.1.2 Semi Welded Plate Heat Exchangers (Twin Plate)

The semi-welded plate is similar to the traditional gasketed unit in design except that each
alternate plate is laser welded around the edge. This design restricts the gasketing of one side
to the port gaskets in alternate plates. This means that the cooling water can flow through the
gasketed side with full access for cleaning/maintenance and the more aggressive fluid can
flow through the welded side. This design is recommended in preference to a gasketed unit
when it is necessary to restrict gasketing on one side to minimise leakage, as in the case of
hydrocarbon gas cooling.

The design pressure and temperature limits for the gasketed design along with fouling
allowances and limits on velocity given in paragraph 9.1.1 apply to the semi welded design.

9.1.3 Fully Welded Plate Heat Exchangers (WPHE)

There are several proprietary plate exchanger designs, which are fully welded and require no
gaskets between plates. Some designs allow access to at least one side for cleaning (jet
blasting cleaning only).
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Since no gaskets are required, the temperature limit of the design is increased to approx.
300°C.

If leakage from one side to the other can give operating problems, the sealing arrangement of
the design should be investigated.

Fully welded plate heat exchangers have been used successfully for the Lean/Rich TEG
interchanger where temperatures are above 200°C.

The fouling allowance and limits on velocity given in paragraph 9.1.1 apply to the fully
welded design.

9.2 Medium Pressure Designs

9.2.1 Plate Fin Heat Exchangers (Brazed Aluminium)

Brazed Aluminium Plate Fin Heat Exchangers shall only be used with the agreement of the
QGPC and have the following disadvantages. They have design limits of approximately 7
Mpa-g and 100°C.
• Susceptible to mechanical damage and marine corrosion.
• Susceptible to corrosion from chlorides in produced water in carry over. (Typical limit
set is 50 ppm and lower if CO2 and/or H2S is present in process stream. Marine grades
are more resistant to chloride corrosion).
• Corrode by mercury. (Typical limits are in the order of low parts per billion. Mercury is
most corrosive to aluminium when in a liquid form (condensed)).
• Due to low melting point of aluminium, the equipment requires protection against fire
and must be totally enclosed in a fire resistant enclosure. This enclosure significantly
increases cost, increases space requirements and restricts access to the unit.
• The unit can accept minimal nozzle loadings, which gives complex pipe layouts. This
factor also requires long manifolds to be used to bring piping connections away from
the equipment making inspection and access to the surface very difficult.
• The material has low design stress above 100°C and temperature limitation can restrict
the design/operating pressures of units.
• Cyclic Service - Aluminium does not perform well in cyclic service in neither pressure
nor thermal cycling. Metal temperatures must not rise too rapidly to avoid damage
through thermal shock.
• Difficult to clean and inspect, especially with long inlet and outlet manifolds restricting
access.
• Requires special Aluminium to Stainless Steel transition joint to enable connection to
piping.

Before aluminium brazed plate fin heat exchangers are selected all the above problems must
be considered and usually other types of compact units are more robust and would be
preferred. Aluminium brazed heat exchangers have long experience in cryogenic service
where fluids are very clean.

9.2.2 Plate Fin Heat Exchangers (Stainless Steel)

Brazed plate fin heat exchangers are also available in stainless steel, however these units are
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available only in small block sizes and with reduced design pressure.

9.3 Medium/High Pressure Designs (up to 20 MPa-g)

There are currently two designs that can be considered for medium to high pressure
applications, the Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE) and the Plate Fin Heat Exchanger
(PFHE-SPF) using super plastic formed plates.

Validation of the thermal design of these units can be difficult due to lack of proven
software, references of units in closely similar duties should therefore be carefully reviewed.
The vendor should submit thermal calculations as part of the documentation to give the basis
of the thermal design.

The design should show that a type testing procedure had to be carried out to prove
mechanical integrity. In areas of the mechanical design, which are outside the code, Finite
Element analysis should be considered. A production test specimen of a minimum of 10
bonds is usually specified to prove the diffusion bonding procedure by transverse tensile
testing. The NDT requirements should be agreed with the purchaser and should include a
helium leak test. The number of full range pressure and temperature cycles should be
specified by the purchaser to enable a fatigue analysis to be carried out.

9.3.1 Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE)

The Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger consists of a pack of stainless steel plates with 2mm ID
semi circular flow channels chemically milled on one side. The pack is diffusion bonded in a
furnace to form a solid heat exchanger core. The fluid manifold headers and nozzles are
welded to the outside of the cores. For small units a ported design is used with internal
headers provided by holes inside the core block.

The PCHE design is primarily recommended only for ‘normally clean’ service with strainers
(250 micron) fitted upstream when particulates can be expected. Duties where these units are
particularly suitable include HP Gas Export coolers. When fouling is expected PCHEs shall
not be used.

PCHEs are not recommended in severe cyclic operations or where thermal gradient is very
high between the two streams. Failures of the diffusion bonding may result under these
circumstances.

PCHEs are susceptible to fouling/scaling under seawater service despite filtering/chemical

treatment etc. Therefore it is necessary to incorporate a close-circuit cooling medium for
these exchangers. The extra space, weight and cost of this system should be taken into
consideration while evaluating the suitability of PCHE.

9.3.2 Plate Fin Heat Exchanger - Super-Plastic Formed (PFHE-SPF)

The high pressure Plate Fin Heat Exchanger is manufactured by super-plastic forming
titanium plates. Each plate consists of three sheets made up of two parting sheets and one
centre sheet, which becomes the fins after super-plastic forming. The plates are stacked and
diffusion bonded to form a solid block. The flow channels are larger than those in a PCHE
being similar to those in a aluminium brazed Plate Fin unit. Headers are provided by holes
inside the core, which distribute fluid to each element with nozzles located on the end plate.

The PFHE-SPF design is primarily recommended only for clean service with strainers (250
micron) fitted upstream when particulates are expected. When fouling is expected PFHE-
SPF shall not be used.
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10.0 Air Cooled Heat Exchangers

Air cooled heat exchangers consist of finned tube bundles mounted over electric motor
driven fans rejecting heat to ambient air.

The mechanical requirements for air-cooled heat exchangers are covered by API 661 and
QGPC standard ES.5.06.0005.

For offshore application the robust aluminium extruded fin shall be used up to maximum
operating temperatures of 230°C as it ensures that base tube is completely covered with
aluminium and allows thinner tubes to be used. The normal design has forced draught fans,
which are mounted below the tube bundle for easier maintenance. However induced draught
units with fans above the tube bundle can be considered and this layout has the advantage of
reducing problems with hot air recirculation.

Air-cooled heat exchangers have the disadvantage for offshore application that large plot
sizes and large deck areas are required. ‘A’ frame design can be considered to reduce plot
area. Air coolers offer the advantage of reducing and in some cases eliminating the seawater
lift requirements. If a process outlet temperature is close to the design ambient air
temperature, the surface area and plot size of the unit can become excessive making air-
cooling unattractive. Design ambient air temperature should be selected with care and design
value is usually the temperature not exceeded for more than 2% of operating time. If reduced
production is acceptable during summer months this value can be increased.

Toothed belt speed reducers for motor drivers below 37 kW are usually preferred since they
are reliable and require low maintenance. Gearbox speed reducers are used for motors above
37 kW.

Air cooled heat exchangers can be subject to problems of loss of performance due to hot air
recirculation and it is important to consider this problem in the layout of air coolers. For
instance gas turbine exhausts should be located well above fan inlets.

If control of the process outlet temperature is required within close limits, there are three
basic methods of control including auto louvers, variable pitch fans and variable speed
motors. Louver control is not recommended since louvers are a high maintenance item being
subject to corrosion and linkage failure. Variable pitch fans are an option but can require
high maintenance on actuators. Variable speed motors involve higher cost but are very
reliable and are therefore usually preferred for offshore service.

11.0 Maintenance Considerations – Fouling

There are 5 principle fouling mechanisms identified. They are complex and often occur
simultaneously. The effect of fouling is to decrease overall heat transfer coefficients,
increase pressure drops and accelerate corrosion.

1) Deposition or Precipitation Fouling (Scaling) is the precipitation of scaling onto a hot

surface or the deposition of material like waxes.

2) Particulate Fouling is the settling out of particles initially suspended in the fluid onto the
heat transfer surface. The most common forms are sand or rust.

3) Corrosion Fouling involves the heat exchanger surface itself generating corrosion
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products, which foul the surface and attract other fouling material to adhere to the
surface.

4) Biological Fouling occurs when microbiological organisms develop on the heat transfer
surface in contact with untreated water such as sea water.

5) Chemical Reaction Fouling is deposits formed by chemical reaction at or near the heat
transfer surface. Polymerisation, crackling and coking are examples.

If possible the type of fouling expected should be established and experience from operating
units used. Biological fouling can be controlled by correct dosing and corrosion fouling
should be avoided by correct material selection. Chemical reaction is not normally
encountered in offshore service because surface temperatures are low.

The fouling allowance and methods to minimise fouling for each heat exchanger type is
given below.

11.1 Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

The standard shell and tube heat exchanger types allow access for cleaning and inspection to
both shellside and tubeside. Fouling fluids should be located on the tubeside of the unit.

If the fouling factors result in large excess areas for fouling (30-50% over clean area) their
use should be reviewed critically on the basis of actual fouling experience in similar service,
the required period between cleaning and the design margins on the process data. Adding
excess surface for fouling can in fact increase the rate of fouling by increasing the size of
equipment and reducing velocities. It is usually not good practice to add more than 30%
extra surface for fouling since units are more difficult to operate at turndown and velocities
are reduced.

Tubeside water velocities should be designed at or above preferred velocities given in the
table in paragraph 7.4. It is very important to maintain high velocities where heavy fouling is
expected.

11.2 Low Pressure Compact Heat Exchangers (PHE)

Low pressure Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers give access to the surface for cleaning.

Fouling allowances used for gasketed plate heat exchangers are given in paragraph 9.1.1
and/or less than used for a shell and tube type in the same service on the following basis:
• There is high turbulence in the plates which reduces fouling.
• The unit can be cleaned.
• The design enables extra plates to be added in the case of low performance.

11.3 Medium/High Pressure Compact Heat Exchangers (Sealed Units)

Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger (PCHE), Plate Fin Heat Exchanger (PFHE) and Fully
Welded Heat Exchangers (WPHE)

PCHEs, PFHEs and most WPHEs are sealed units without direct access for mechanical
cleaning and should be used in ‘normally clean’ service.

Fouling allowances used in sealed compact units are usually less than a shell and tube on the
basis of high turbulence. Assuming clean fluids, a typical design margins would be a 10%
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allowance for fouling and a 10% safety margin, giving a total 20% margin between area
required clean and area provided.

It is important to prevent particulate fouling material reaching the surface as these designs
have small passages, which can be blocked. Units can suffer blocking from construction
debris during commissioning even when process fluids are non-fouling. Filters or strainers
shall be installed on both sides to protect the units form particulate fouling. In some
applications an additional separation device between the first stage separator and the
compact exchanger has been considered to ensure there is no carry over to foul the unit.
However this adds weight, space, cost and complexity to the design and a shell and tube unit
would usually be more cost effective in this case.

Waxy or depositional fouling is typically prevented by condensate formation in the core of

the exchanger. Where waxy fouling is possible it is essential that the gas is at or below its
hydrocarbon dewpoint when entering the exchanger.

Filters or strainers shall be mounted up stream of the unit on both sides as close as possible
to the exchanger nozzles. There are designs available with strainers integral with the heat
exchanger nozzles.

Heavy duty strainers should be used of robust design, being able to withstand damage impact
from construction debris and designed to withstand the differential pressure exerted across
the screen when fully clogged without collapsing. The screen should be sized to remove
particles, which are up to approx. one third the size of the flow passage. The typical strainer
size is approx. 200 to 250 microns.

The use of instrumentation to measure differential pressure across the unit to give early
indication of blockage should be considered.

Facilities should be included on both sides of the exchanger to allow back flushing and
chemical cleaning. Chemical cleaning nozzles should be in or close to the exchanger
headers. Facilities to isolate and drain the unit during chemical cleaning shall be included.

An inspection nozzle should be included in or close to the exchanger headers to allow visual
inspection of the inlet portion of the core.

During pre-commissioning the piping to both sides (LP and HP) of a sealed compact heat
exchanger shall be flushed to remove construction debris. Temporary strainers shall be fitted.

Once the equipment has been fully commissioned all temporary strainers shall be removed
and replaced with permanent strainers where appropriate.

12.0 Approval to Deviate

Strict compliance with this guideline is required. Any deviation must obtain prior written
approval from its custodian.

13.0 Revision History

A log is kept of the revision history of this document, and incorporated in the electronic
“readme” file (ES.5.06.0002R)
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14.0 Glossary

Within the context of this Design Guide following words shall have the meanings stated:

‘must/shall’ - indicates a mandatory requirement.

‘should’ - indicates a preferred course of action.

‘may’ - indicates one acceptable course of action.

‘approval’ - indicates agreement/sanction and shall be in writing only.

QGPC - Qatar General Petroleum Corporation.

Purchaser - The organisation responsible for performing purchasing

function, e.g. QGPC or a QGPC appointed Contractor,
Consultant or Agent.

Vendor - The supplier of materials or equipment - not necessarily the

Manufacturer.

Manufacturer - The company responsible for the manufacture - not necessarily

the Vendor.

Contractor - The QGPC appointed main Contractor for a defined piece of

work.

Consultant - A company awarded a contract by QGPC for the company to

advise or give guidance on specific subjects. The scope of work
may include instructions to act as an Agent for QGPC (see
Agent).

Agent - The legal status of any person or company authorised by QGPC

to act on QGPC's behalf on the matters specified in the agency
agreement or contract. Third parties can usually rely on the
Agent as acting on behalf of and with the authority of QGPC,
provided that the Agent acts within the scope of his apparent
authority from QGPC.

15.0 Language, Units and Abbreviations

With the context of this Design Guide, the following abbreviation shall have the meaning
stated:

°C - degrees Centigrade

OD - Outside Diameters

ID - Inside Diameter

NDT - Non-Destructive Testing

HP - High Pressure (above 5 MPa-g)

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MP - Medium Pressure (2.5 to 5 MPa-g)

LP - Low Pressure (up to 2.5 MPa-g)

PHE - Plate Heat Exchanger

PCHE - Printed Circuit Heat Exchanger as manufactured by HEATRIC

Ltd., UK

PFHE-SPF - Plate Fin Heat Exchanger - Super Plastic Format as supplied by

ROLLS ROYCE/ALFA LAVAL Ltd.

HTFS - Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Services, UK

HTRI - Heat Transfer Research Inc, USA

TEG - Tri Ethylene Glycol

EPDM - Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer

FPM - Fluoro Peralkyl Monomer (VITON)

DP - Double Pipe Exchanger

SWPHE - Single Welded Plate Exchanger

GPHE - Gasketed Plate Exchanger

WPHE - Welded Plate Exchanger

16.0 Bibliography

The following standards, codes and specifications shall, to the extent specified herein, form a
part of this Design Guide. Except where a specific edition or revision is identified by date or
revision/edition number, the edition in effect at the time of the contract shall govern.

16.1 National/International Standards

API 661 Air-Cooled Heat Exchanger for General Refinery Service

API 660 Shell and Tube Exchanger for General Refinery Service

TEMA Standard for the Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association

16.2 QGPC Documents

ES.5.06.0004 Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger – Design and Fabrication

ES.5.06.0005 Air-cooled Heat Exchanger – Design and Fabrication

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APPENDIX 1

TABLE OF PRINCIPAL TYPES OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

 ES.5.06.0002
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TABLE OF PRINCIPAL TYPES OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

EXCHANGER MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE NORMAL RANGE MATERIAL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES TYPICAL SERVICES
TYPE DESIGN PRESSURE RANGE SURFACE AREA OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
o
MPaG C m2

SHELL AND WIDE RANGE WIDE RANGE 10 to 1200 TYPICAL MOST VERY FLEXIBLE WIDE RANGE LOW HEAT TRANSFER MOST SERVICES
TUBE UP TO 35 TYPICAL -100 TO 600oC TYPICAL (UP TO 2000 POSSIBLE MATERIALS OF PRESSURE/MATERIAL COEFFICIENT INC SW COOLING
(HIGHER PRESSURE DEPENDS ON MATERIAL IN ONE SHELL) (TI FOR SW) COUNTER CURRENT POSSIBLE NOT COMPACT
REQUIRES SPECIAL LARGE FLOW CHANNELS
MECH DESIGN) MECHANICAL CLEAN POSSIBLE
DOUBLE PIPE UP TO 35 TYPICAL ON WIDE RANGE 1 to 130 TYPICAL (500 MOST STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN LOW SURFACE AREA SMALL COOLERS
(MULTITUBE) TUBE SIDE -100 TO 600oC TYPICAL POSSIBLE IN VERY STANDARD MECHANICAL CLEAN POSSIBLE NOT COMPACT LIMITED (LARGE MULTITUBE UNITS
LARGE MULTITUBE) MATERIALS COUNTER CURRENT VENDORS AVAILABLE FROM 1
VENDOR)
PHE 2 TYPICAL -30 TO 160oC 1 TO 1400 TYPICAL MOST STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN CAN LEAK AT GASKETS LP LIQUID COOLERS EG.
(GASKETED (UP TO 2.5 FOR DEPENDS ON GASKET (UP TO 2000 POSSIBLE STANDARD COMPACT/ECONOMIC CM/SW CRUDE COOLERS
PLATES) SOME SIZES) IN ONE FRAME) MATERIALS MECHANICAL CLEANING POSS
SEMI WELDED 2 TYPICAL AS GASKETED PLATES 1 TO 100 TYPICAL SS AND TI STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN CAN LEAK AT GASKETS LP GAS COOLERS
PLATES (UP TO 2.5 FOR TYPICAL WELDED ON GAS SIDE
SOME SIZES) MECHANICAL CLEAN ONE SIDE
WPHE 2.5 TYPICAL -20 TO 300oC 1.5 TO 300 SS TYPICAL STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN CHEMICAL/JET CLEAN LEAN/RICH TEG
(FULLY WELDED (UP TO 4 POSSIBLE IN ONE BLOCK TI. ETC COMPACT ONLY - DEPENDENT ON INTERCHANGER
PLATES) WITH SOME DESIGNS) AVAILABLE NO PLATE GASKETS DESIGN
PCHE 20 TYPICAL UP TO 250oC TYPICAL 1 TO 1000 SS STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN CHEMICAL CLEAN ONLY HP GAS COOLERS WITH CM
(HEATRIC) (UP TO 35 POSSIBLE (UP TO 350oC POSSIBLE) IN ONE BLOCK COMPACT DESIGN FOR HP HIGH NO ACCESS COOLING (TI BEING
WITH SOME DESIGNS) INTEGRITY DESIGN SMALLER SMALL PASSAGES DEVELOPED FOR SW)
RELIEF SYSTEM SOLE SOURCE
PFHE-SPF 20 TYPICAL UP TO 250oC TYPICAL APPROX 350 TI STANDARD MODULAR DESIGN CHEMICAL CLEAN ONLY HP GAS COOLERS WITH SW
(ALFA LAVAL (UP TO 35 POSSIBLE (UP TO 350oC POSSIBLE) LARGE SURFACE COMPACT DESIGN FOR HP HIGH NO ACCESS COOLING (SS BEING
ROLLS ROYCE) WITH SPECIAL WITH MULTI BLOCKS INTEGRITY DESIGN SMALLER SMALL PASSAGES DEVELOPED FOR CM)
DESIGN) RELIEF SYSTEM SOLE SOURCE
PFHE >7 FOR AL UP TO 100oC POSS FOR APPROX 4000 AL STANDARD MODULAR CHEMICAL CLEAN ONLY MP GAS COOLING
(BRAZED) (DEPENDS ON SIZE) AL ALLOY FINNED SURFACE (SS AVAIL) COMPACT DESIGN REQ FIRE ENCLOSURE (SS AVAILABLE IN
>5 FOR SS TYPICAL UP TO 350oC POSSIBLE PER STREAN IN ONE SMALL PASSAGES SMALL SIZES)
FOR SS BLOCK NO ACCESS
AIR COOLERS HP POSSIBLE ON UP TO 350oC TYPICAL UP TO 330 (BARE) IN MOST ONLY UTILITY REQUIRED IS VERY LARGE PLOT SIZE GAS COOLING. LUBE OIL, ON
PROCESS SIDE DEPENDS ON FINS ONE BUNDLE MATERIAL ELECTRICITY TO FANS PACKAGES WHERE SW/CM
/TUBESIDE REDUCES SW LIFT REQUIRED NOT AVAILABLE
ELECTIC HP POSSIBLE ON UP TO 600oC MAX SIZE FOR CS AND SS ONLY UTILITY REQUIRED IS LARGE ELECTRIC FOR SMALL DUTIES EG FUEL
PROCESS SIDE DEPENDS ON MATERIAL ENCLOSURE IS TYPICAL ELECTRICITY POWER USER, GAS HEATERS,
APPROX 600 ID REQUIRE CONTROLS TEG REBOILERS

NOTES
1. CM = COOLING MEDIUM/ SW = SEA WATER
2. CS = CARBON STEEL/ SS = STAINLESS STEEL/ TI = TITANIUM/ AL = ALUMINIUM
3. HP = HIGH PRESSURE/ MP = MEDIUM PRESSURE/ LP = LOW PRESSURE