Heat Transfer

GRAPHITE HEAT
EXCHANGERS
Handle Corrosive Applications
Available graphite grades and mechanical designs allow graphite heat exchangers
to replace metal alloys and exotic metals in some applications.

By Vijayaraghavan temperature up to 2700°F (1482°C). flow passages for both the cold and hot
Three main types of graphite heat ex- streams. The blocks are stacked one over
Chakravarthy, Ph.D., and
changers are common today: the other with gaskets in between and
Christian Hug, DEA, then inserted into a steel shell. The gas-
API Heat Transfer • Shell and block (round or cubic). kets are sealed by a unique spring-loaded
• Plate and gasket. system that exerts a compression force

G
raphite heat exchangers are • Shell and tube. on the blocks. A multi-pass arrangement
well suited and cost effective is possible on the tube side by suitably
for highly corrosive processes Generally, the block (figure 1) and plate partitioning the headers and individual
used in industries such as types are restricted to smaller sizes, low graphite blocks.
chemicals, metallurgy and pharmaceuti- flows and low-to-moderate heat loads. The The shell-and-tube type is similar in
cals. With steady progress in the number shell-and-tube designs are best for larger construction to the conventional designs
of available graphite grades and mechani- sizes, high flows and fouling applications used in the industry, except that the tubes
cal designs, graphite heat exchangers are such as fertilizer manufacture. and plates are made of graphite. PTFE
making inroads into areas long held by ex- In a block- or cubic-type heat ex- gaskets are used to seal flow passages, and
pensive metal alloys and exotic metals with changer, holes are drilled in a cylindri- a special graphite cement is used to seal
design pressure up to 350 psi and design cal or cubical graphite block to form the tube-to-tube sheet joints.

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 Heat Transfer

Graphite Materials
and Grades
One of the unique features of graphite
technology is the ability to make a num-
ber of graphite grades to suit a wide range
of application needs in a cost-effective
way. Unlike alloys and exotic metals that
are easily corroded, graphite is resistant to
media that has contaminants such as chlo-
rides and fluorides.
Graphite grades are assigned based
on their performance with respect to the
severity of the fluid medium from the
standpoint of corrosion, pressure and FIGURE 1. Graphite-block heat exchangers are suited use with corrosive
temperature (figure 2). High quality im- materials. Generally, the block and plate types are restricted to smaller
pregnated graphite is achieved through sizes, low flows and low-to-moderate heat loads.
the following steps.
Procurement of Raw Graphite. Grain
size and density are the key quality indica- • Heating to drive off vapors/gases from sure to make sure that the impregnated
tors of raw graphite, along with mechani- the voids in the raw graphite, then vacu- graphite is impervious.
cal strength. Smaller grain sizes indicate uming the materials to extract gases Impregnation effects the following
higher mechanical strength and cost more. from the void spaces. changes in the raw graphite:
Graphite Impregnation. Graphite in • Heating the resin to the proper temper-
its raw form is not impermeable, and fluids ature to obtain the desired properties. • Improves the mechanical strength of the
under pressure can seep through the raw The correct heat profile helps ensure the raw graphite with phenolic resin.
graphite. Therefore, the first step to make fluid will penetrate into the voids of the • Reduces the thermal and shock resis-
raw graphite usable is to impregnate it graphite. tance. Higher grain sizes have more void
with a suitable medium. Typical impregna- • Applying the right pressure for the resin volume and, therefore, require more im-
tion materials include corrosion-resistant to penetrate the inter-grain spaces of pregnation material. Consequently, they
plastic resins (phenolic or PTFE) or even graphite. suffer higher degradation in thermal and
carbon for the highest temperature appli- • Applying heat to allow polymerization fatigue resistance. This issue is solved us-
cations (figure 3). of the resin. ing ultra-fine-grain graphite.
Deep and full PTFE impregnation is
the most advanced impregnation process. Testing of Impregnation Quality. Af- Phenolic impregnation is good for most
Generally, impregnation involves four ter impregnation, the residual porosity is chemical media; however, it cannot be
steps: detected through bubble tests under pres- used in strong alkaline or oxidative envi-

Formulation 1 Formulation 2 Formulation 3 Formulation 4

Type of Graphite Standard Fine/Ultra-Fine Grain Fine/Ultra-Fine Grain Standard/Fine/ Ultra-Fine
Grain
Impregnant Phenolic Phenolic PTFE Carbon
Relative Mechanical 1 1.5 to 3 1.5 to 1.8 1.5 to 2.5
Resistance
Corrosion Resistance Good Better Excellent Excellent
Thermal Shock Resistance Low Better Excellent Excellent
Mild operating conditions Higher pressure and tempera- Highest corrosion Highest corrosion and
Recommended For (pressure, temperature, cor- ture; frequent thermal cycles (oxidative media) temperature (non-oxidative
rosion) media)
Maximum Temperature 355°F 430°F 530°F 930°F / 2700°F
FIGURE 2. Graphite grades are assigned based on their performance with respect to the severity of the fluid medium
from the standpoint of corrosion, pressure and temperature.

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 Heat Transfer

sistance. For example, it can handle up to

Graphite Plus Coke Material 96 percent sulfuric acid concentration at
temperatures of 300°F (149°C). This ma-
terial is a multi-purpose one and is used
extensively for batch manufacturing of
chemical compositions from fine chemis-
try to pharmaceutical.

Graphite Exchangers Put to

Use in Process Applications
Several industries utilize graphite heat
Final exchangers in their applications. Two ex-
Absorption
amples — steel pickling and sulfuric acid
Tower heating and cooling — are described below
as example cases.
Steel Pickling. One of the key ap-
plications of graphite heat exchangers is
0 30
carbon and stainless steel pickling (figure
4). Steel parts from production lines after
FIGURE 3. A micro view of resin-impregnated graphite can be seen manufacture are dipped in acid baths for
here. The first step to make raw graphite usable is to impregnate it with pickling. Pickling is a metal surface treat-
a suitable medium such as a corrosion-resistant plastic resin (phenolic or ment. The process removes impurities
PTFE) or even carbon. such as stains, inorganic contaminants
and rust or scale from metals. The process
includes a solution called pickle liquor,
ronments. In addition, some solvents and oxidative media. However, it greatly im- which contains strong acids and removes
organic oils cause swelling of the resin. proves thermal shock resistance and tem- surface impurities.
For example, it is not recommended for perature resistance in non-oxidative media The acid baths consist of several tanks
oxidative mediums such as nitric acid and with a possible temperature of 2700°F in a row at temperatures between 180 and
sulfuric acid greater than 70 percent con- (1482°C). 200°F (82 and 93°C), usually maintained
centration and 300°F (149°C). Similarly, it PTFE impregnation has a wide-rang- by steam heating from typical graphite
cannot be used in applications where pot- ing resistance to most of the corrosive heat exchangers. The pickling solution for
ash or caustic soda is present that would environments, oxidative, higher pH or carbon steel is a mixture of hydrochloric
increase the pH above 11. alkaline and all solvents. In addition, it of- and sulfuric acid. For stainless steel, it is
Carbon impregnation is not adapted for fers better thermal shock and fatigue re- a mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acid.

Equipment Design Features

Traditional graphite heat exchangers suffer sensitivity to external mechanical stresses such as vibrations,
water and steam hammer. Uneven flange tightening also may reduce product life cycle. One manufacturer’s
design avoids such drawbacks with several key features. They include:

• The system prevents pressure surges due to water hammer in piping system.
• A spring system eliminates mechanical stress variations during thermal cycling.
• Block drilling resists water or steam hammer and increases block mechanical resistance.
• Design prevents failure at piping connection.

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 Heat Transfer

Uncoiler Pickling Rinsing Drying Recoiler

Pickling Line

FIGURE 4. One of the key applications of graphite heat exchangers is carbon and stainless steel pickling. Steel parts
from production lines after manufacture are dipped in acid baths for pickling.

Primary Secondary
Catalyst Absorption Absorption
Drying Tower Converter Tower Tower

Waste
Sulfur Heat
Air Furnace Boiler
Blower

Product
Acid
Sulfur
Acid
Cooler
Sulfuric Acid Plant

FIGURE 5. The process used for sulfuric acid production requires several tanks or towers that store the sulfuric acid
in different concentrations.

Phenolic resin is the preferred choice for acid for fertilizer production. The United BFW heating for steam production. Low
carbon steel pickling; however, pheno- States produces 36 million tons of sulfuric level heat is usually rejected to the heat
lic resin cannot be used with nitric acid. acid annually. sink. With sulfuric acid stream in the cool-
Rather, PTFE impregnation of the graph- The process used for sulfuric acid pro- er, graphite costs less than metal alloys.
ite is required. duction requires several tanks or towers
Sulfuric Acid Heating and Cooling. that store the sulfuric acid in different con- Vijayaraghavan Chakravarthy leads the
Sulfuric acid is perhaps the most ubiqui- centrations (figure 5). The tanks or towers marketing and sales effort for graphite
tous compound used by the chemical in- used in the process must be maintained equipment at API Heat Transfer, and Christian
dustry. It makes hundreds of compounds between 80 and 90°F (27 and 32°C). For Hug works for API Heat Transfer providing
found in nearly every industry. The annual the average 1,000 tons/day, the combined solutions in graphite technology for the
worldwide production of sulfuric acid is heat rejection from the four towers ranges chemical industries. The company, based in
around 200 million tons. Close to 50 per- from 40 to 50 MW(th). This heat is some- Buffalo, N.Y., can be reached at 716-684-6700
cent of it is used for producing phosphoric times recycled to the process through or visit www.apiheattransfer.com.

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