Shell and tube heat exchangers
One of the most important activities of the Weldmetcon is the production of shell and tube heat exchangers designed for oil refining, petrochemical, chemical, oil, gas, and other industries. These include: heat exchangers, refrigerators, condensers, and evaporators. Each of these types of equipment is characterized by design, technical, and operational features, depending on the purpose, the properties of the medium that transmits or absorbs heat, as well as the external conditions of application and operation.
The operating pressure range in shell and tube heat exchangers manufactured by Weldmetcon is from 0.6 to 16.0 MPa, with operating temperatures of up to 350 °C.
In addition to manufacturing new shell and tube devices, Weldmetcon provides repairs for equipment in operation, conducts expert reviews, and, together with customers, replaces the most worn-out units, such as tube bundles and distribution chambers.
High-pressure Air-cooled Heat Exchanges
At the beginning of 2015, Weldmetcon, in cooperation with the engineering institutes VNIINEFTEMASH and VNIIPTkhimnefteapparatury, developed and introduced into mass production an air cooler operating under high pressure (160 kg/cm2–320 kg/cm2). Over the next decades and up to now, (WMC) has designed, manufactured, and delivered a lot of successfully operating devices to chemical plants in the CIS, Eastern countries, and Eastern Europe. Hand in hand with a search for rational technical solutions aimed at increasing the productivity of air cooling units, design-related and technological ideas were introduced that made it possible to increase the reliability of the devices, reduce their metal consumption, and shorten the production time. Thanks to many years of experience and rightfully considering themselves experts in the field of manufacturing equipment operating under high pressure, (WMC) provides cooperation not only as a production structure, but also as a company aimed at finding optimal engineering and commercial solutions, working together with customers.
Working with special steel grades
WELDMETCON has gained several years’ worth of experience in the design and manufacture of various vessels, as well as heat exchange equipment with the use of super austenitic chrome-nickel steels. The widespread use of such steels in the chemical, oil and gas, cellulose, and medical industries is accounted for by their increased corrosion resistance in strong aggressive environments, as well as the resistance to pitting, crevice, and intergranular corrosion. Depending on specific operating conditions and customer requirements, the Weldmetcon factory offers heat exchange equipment made of the 1.4563, AISI 904L, Sanicro 28, Uranus 28, Alloy 28, and Incoloy 800 steels, with chromium content in some of them of up to 27% and nickel content of up to 35%.
Weldmetcon has developed and certified welding procedures for working with the said steels, and also operates high-performance welding equipment for the MIG, MAG, and TIG welding processes (semi-automatic and argon-arc welding). The welding units are equipped with microprocessors, allowing the application of special welding software designed for the welding of the said steels. Welding regimes are set automatically depending on the thickness and spatial position of the parts to be joined.
The heat exchange equipment made of duplex and super duplex steels is used in conditions demanding increased mechanical strength, resistance to aggressive environments, and seawater. The Weldmetcon factory has mastered the production of multi-purpose heat exchangers and vessels, pipelines, and pump parts made of the Duplex 2205 steel, as well as the Super Duplex 2507 steel, which are widely used for equipment designed for the chemical and petrochemical industries. An important reason for the widespread use of the duplex steels is their relatively low cost in comparison with superaustenitic steels due to the lower content of scarce nickel.
The Weldmetcon factory offers heat exchange equipment made of the Hastelloy C-276 steel alloy, which has exceptional properties of resistance to stress corrosion in chloride-containing solutions and is also resistant to sulfide cracking. These properties are especially valuable for equipment used in oil fields, as well as at chemical plants that use very aggressive chemical processes at elevated temperatures of up to 500 °C.
In collaboration with specialized research institutions and laboratories, the Weldmetcon factory is ready to participate in determining the type of material used in designed equipment to ensure its reliable and durable operation.
Weldmetcon uses titanium, which has excellent corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties, for the manufacture of chemical industry equipment designed for operation in aggressive environments, such as perchloric, nitric, and sulfuric acids, and at high temperatures. In addition, the use of titanium in the manufacture of equipment increases its structural reliability, reduces its weight, and extends its lifetime.
Technological aspects of titanium processing and welding are determined by its high melting point, as well as the negative impact of atmospheric air on its structure. At temperatures above 400 °C, hot zones require additional protection, along with the basic insulation of the weld pool itself. When the temperature rises to 900 °C and above, grain growth occurs and large pores are formed, which further affect the strength characteristics of welded assemblies. Due to these factors, titanium welding shall be performed in protective gaseous media, and preliminary, meticulous edge preparation is required.
Vessel equipment
The separation equipment is designed for the purification of associated petroleum and natural gas from mechanical impurities and dropping liquid, preparing gas for further transportation at compressor stations, production facilities, and industrial plants.
The WELDMETCON manufactures gas separators (hereinafter referred to as separators) operating at a working medium temperature from minus 30 to plus 200 ° C, a maximum permissible operating pressure of over 0.05 to 16 MPa, inclusive, and with a working space capacity of over 0.1 to 25.0 m3, inclusive, used for the purification of gaseous media of groups 1 and 2 following the TR CU 032/2013.
Gas separators manufactured by WELDMETCON are used for the purification of natural or associated gas from moisture, condensate, mechanical impurities, and other particles at the final stage of gas preparation for processing or transportation. These separators are part of oil and gas pretreatment plants at compressor and gas distribution stations and at other facilities of the oil and gas production and processing industry.
The following types of horizontal and vertical gas separators are manufactured:
- Gravitational type
- Inertial type
- Mesh type
- Centrifugal type
- Mixed type
