13 Heat Exchanger Tubesheets

13A Introduction
During the last five decades, TEMA standards have been extensively used for the design of tubesheet heat
exchangers. Due to their simplicity, these rules do not account for several effects (e.g. unperforated rim, tube
expansion) and ignore some others (e.g. the connection of the tubesheet with shell and channel) that have a
significant impact on the calculated thickness of the tubesheet.
For this reason, the author has developed a more rational treatment, which led in 1980 to the publication of new
tubesheet design rules in the French Pressure Vessel Code, CODAP (F. OSWEILLER - 1991).
ASME, at approximately the same time, followed the same approach and new rules were published in ASME
Section VIII - Div. 1 in 1982 for U-tubes, and in 1992 for fixed tubesheets. Both organisations, without having
any contact at that time, came to the same conclusion that it was necessary to develop a more refined analysis
than TEMA.
In 1991 CEN/TC54 decided to adopt CODAP tubesheet rules for its draft Unfired Pressure Vessel Standard
(UPV).
NOTE: These UPV tubesheet rules provide also an alternative method based on limit load analysis. This aspect is not
covered by the present paper which deals only with methods based on classical elastic theory of thin shells.
In 1992 ASME and CODAP decided to reconcile their tubesheet design rules as they were based on the same
approach. This approach was extended to UPV and the author, as member of the three organizations, took
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responsibility for the reconciliation which is now effective with the publication of new common rules in UPV,
CODAP and ASME codes.
The purpose of this paper is to explain the basis of this consistency both on the editorial and analytical aspects.
Design rules devoted to U-tube tubesheet, fixed tubesheets and floating heads are presented and benchmark
results provided. A comparison to TEMA outlines the limits of this code.
A special attention is given to U-tube tubesheet rules which have been entirely reviewed after the comments
received from the 6 months enquiry of EN-13445