A. TEMA

The pressure parts of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger are designed in accordance with a pressure vessel design code such as ASME, BSS 5500, A. D. Merkblatter (2000), and so on, but a pressure vessel design code alone cannot be expected to deal with all the special features of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. To give guidance and protection to designers, fabricators, and purchasers alike, a supplementary code is desirable that provides minimum standards for design, materials, thicknesses, corrosion allowances, fabrication, tolerances, testing, inspection, installation, operation, maintenance, and guarantees for shell-and-tube heat exchangers.

One universally accepted code that docs this is the Standards of the Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association, known as TEMA (2007). Although TEMA is designed specifically to supplement the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Section VIII, Division 1, a large portion of it may be used to supplement other pressure vessel codes if required.

TEMA is applicable to shell-and-tube heat exchangers with the following limitations:

• Shell diameter not exceeding 1,524 mm
• Pressure not exceeding 21 MN/m²
• Product: shell diameter × pressure not exceeding 10,500 mm MN/m²