Analysis of the elastic-plastic state of the structure of the connection of tubes and a tube grid of a heat exchanger using an electric explosive pulse in solving the contact problem of the finite element method


Аuthors

Vologin E. E.1*, Kudryavtsev A. A.1, Pykhalov A. A.1, 2**

1. Irkutsk National Research Technical University, 83, Lermontov str., Irkutsk, 664074, Russia
2. Irkutsk State Transport University (IrGUPS), 15, Chernyshevsky str., Irkutsk, 664074, Russia

*e-mail: vologinee@istu.edu
**e-mail: pikhalov_aa@irgups.ru

Abstract

A heat exchanger is an essential component of energy systems used in industries such as industrial power generation, aviation, general engineering, and the chemical industry. The reliability and durability of their operation under high heat transfer gradients, as well as in aggressive environments and under dynamic conditions, are determined by the quality of the tube-to-tubesheet connection. This connection is the most critical component in a heat exchanger, requiring high sealing, strength, and corrosion resistance. The objective of the presented work is to develop a methodological approach for calculating the parameters of the connection of a tube and a tube sheet of a heat exchanger by an electric explosion, based on the FEM with an elastic-plastic solution of the contact problem and the use of data from a full-scale experiment. A study was conducted on the stress-strain state of a pipe-tubesheet joint under the influence of internal pressure generated by an electric explosive pulse. The nature of the stress state in the joint area is determined by the elastic-plastic deformation of the materials in contact during pipe expansion. With EEP, this process is short-lived, and the pressure, as an influencing factor, is distributed unevenly along the length of the joint, with its value varying widely. The pressure value was determined using experimental data on the level of pipe deformations, obtained from high-speed photography. These data were used in a numerical experiment to select the pulse pressure value, in a finite element analysis of the elastic-plastic state of the pipe, and in solving the contact problem of the pipe-tubesheet joint. The results are presented as stress fields and contact forces in the structure under consideration. The stress level obtained during the numerical experiment does not exceed the values permissible for strength conditions. The obtained results confirm the reliability of the deformation behavior in the full-scale experiment and the finite element model. That is, the process is accompanied by the same level of deformation as during the steps of solving the elastoplastic stress-strain problem for the pipe and tubesheet. A full-scale specimen of the assembled pipe-tubesheet assembly was additionally tested for leak tightness and rupture. Analysis of the results demonstrated the feasibility of industrial-scale application of the pipe-tubesheet joint technology, based on a methodological approach to calculating the parameters of the presented joint.

Keywords:

heat exchanger, pipe, pipe grating, pulsed pressure source, high-speed photography, elastic-plastic stress-strain state

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