INSPECTION AND PROPOSAL FOR THE REPAIR METHOD OF A CRACKED EXPANSION JOINT ON HEAT EXCHANGER USING COMPOSITE SLEEVES

A heat exchanger is a heat transfer device that exchanges heat between two or more process fluids. Heat exchangers have widespread industrial and energy applications. The actual design of heat exchangers is a complicated problem. The cost of fabrication and installation, weight, and size play important roles in the selection of the final design from a total cost of the ownership point of view. In this work we present a modern technique to repair the structural defect of the steel extension joint. This technique uses a composite sleeve. By using the database obtained from the service location, we perform a numerical analysis to estimate the hoop stress distribution which is responsible for failure. According to the obtained results, the composite sleeve is considered as a suitable method for repairing the circum-ferential crack in the steel material. In fact, the superior fatigue performance of composite material sleeves enables them to be used to repair metallic materials with fatigue damage. Finally, this work confirms that the composite sleeve can be considered as a suitable technique to repair expansion joint cracks under high temperature.