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Customer need
Reduce material and labor costs associated with their Engineered-to-Order and Standard line of Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers.
The challenge
- Develop an alternative analytical method to the rules of ASME, Section VIII, Div. 1, UG-34 (Flat heads) that is acceptable to the Authorized Inspector (AI).
- Reduce head and pressure plate thickness without adversely affecting gasket-sealing performance.
- The analytical method must be easily repeated by their engineers for all sizes and process requirements.
The solution
- Eclipse analysts configured the EKLIPS automated finite element system, developed in-house by Eclipse Engineering, such that ITT’s staff can achieve an optimized plate thickness for the head and pressure plates.
- All plate and bolting stresses are within ASME allowable values.
- Plate deflections are constrained to a user-provided value to prevent leakage.
- The finite element solution was confirmed to be conservative with lab testing.
- Methods, assumptions, and results are completely defined in the analysis report that is also accepted by the AI.
Customer benefits
- ITT saves hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in material costs.
- Fully optimized design is achieved in 7 minutes.
- The head plate is up to 40% (pressure plate is 25%) thinner using the EKLIPS analysis system vs. using the ASME UG-34 method, which makes ITT ultra competitive in the plate and frame marketplace.
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