Double tube safety heat exchangers for DONETZ

Gas pressure regulating stations are used to reduce the pressure of the gas coming in from the transmission pipelines before it is distributed. During this process the temperature of the gas drops. If it is too low, there is the danger of hydrates or wax forming, leading to flow blockages. However, too high a temperature can adversely affect downstream equipment.

Heat exchangers maintain the gas temperature within the correct operating range by heating or cooling, ensuring safe, efficient operation and optimal performance. When replacing the old single tube heat exchange equipment, available space was an important consideration and the new equipment needed to be integrated as compactly as possible. This was not a problem for Kelvion as the double tube safety heat exchangers are available as standardised or customised units that can be installed horizontally or vertically.

Tailored solution
We supplied a tailored solution that meets the customer’s requirement for efficient technology, low operating costs and compliance with environmental regulations.

The main advantage of the double tube design is that, if one of the pipe walls should become damaged, the medium flows through leakage channels between the tubes into a collection space, triggering an alarm in the leakage monitoring system. As the second tube wall remains intact, the media are kept separate, avoiding contaminating the process and equipment. Importantly the regulating station can continue operating until the next planned maintenance, avoiding costly downtime.

As an added benefit, pressure tests and inspections can be carried out without having to dismantle the unit.