Shell-and-Tube Channel Cover and Tubesheet Repair
Eroded pass-partition rib and gasket land rebuilt, the sealing faces reformed flat, and the process side barrier-coated so the cover pulls up tight.
A job completed with Belzona. This describes what the Belzona system does and how it goes on, not a record of a specific project by this distributor.
The challenge
On this shell-and-tube exchanger the channel cover and the tubesheet face had grooved and pitted around the pass partition and the gasket land. With the pass-partition rib worn down and the gasket land no longer flat, the unit weeped between passes and the cover would not seal on reassembly. Process fluid bypassing the partition robs the exchanger of duty, and a cover that will not pull up tight keeps the unit out of service. Left as it was, the corrosion would keep cutting into the sealing surfaces and the leak between passes would only widen.
The Belzona approach
Grit-blasting takes the cover and the tubesheet face down to clean, profiled metal, exposing the true extent of the grooving and giving the repair a sound surface to bond to. A metal-repair composite rebuilds the eroded pass-partition rib and the gasket land, and the sealing surfaces are reformed back flat, all worked cold so the cover sees no heat distortion. Once the metal is back to profile, a barrier coat keyed to the process side goes over the cover and the tubesheet face, so the rebuilt areas and the surrounding bare metal sit under one continuous film. With the rib, the land, and the faces reformed, the cover pulls up tight on reassembly and the passes stay separated.
- Assess and mapThe channel cover and tubesheet face are inspected, the grooving and pitting at the pass partition and gasket land mapped, and the process side confirmed so the barrier coat is keyed correctly.
- Grit-blast prepGrit-blasting brings the cover and the tubesheet face to clean, profiled metal so both the composite and the coating bond to bare steel.
- Rebuild rib and landA metal-repair composite rebuilds the eroded pass-partition rib and the gasket land, applied cold with no hot work and no replacement.
- Reform the sealing facesThe gasket land and partition rib are reformed flat so the sealing surfaces meet true on reassembly.
- Barrier-coat and return to serviceA continuous barrier coat goes over the cover and tubesheet face, and the unit returns for reassembly with the cover pulling up tight.
The result
- Pass-partition rib and gasket land rebuilt in place without replacing the cover or tubesheet
- Sealing faces reformed flat so the cover pulls up tight and the passes stay separated
- Rebuilt areas and surrounding bare metal protected under one continuous barrier coat keyed to the process side
- Repair completed cold, with no hot work, by factory-trained and factory-certified Belzona applicators
In the field
More Petrochemical & Chemical projects
Live Pipe Leak Seal & Composite Wrap
Live leak sealed and a degraded process line reinforced with an engineered composite wrap, no welding and often no shutdown.
Furnace Stack High-Temperature Coating
A corroding furnace stack prepared and coated in situ at operating heat, with no shutdown and no cool-down.
Reactor Vessel Chemical-Resistant Relining
Failed reactor lining stripped back, attacked steel rebuilt cold, and a chemical-resistant immersion lining applied to return the vessel to process service.
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Belzona Houston is the authorized Belzona distributor for South Texas and the Gulf, based in Alvin, Texas, we’ll survey your equipment and recommend the right cold-applied Belzona system, with 24-hour support.