Finite Element Analysis & ASME Code Section VIII Calculations – Feedwater Heaters

O’Donnell Consulting performed FEA and ASME Code Section VIII Division 2 calculations on feedwater heaters. The Feedwater Heater and its components are comprised of carbon, stainless and Cr-Mo steels.

In modelling the heaters, the assumptions included:
• Linear elastic material behavior with small displacements
• The geometry, loading and boundary conditions consistently have one plane of symmetry down the axis of the vessel. Then analyses were completed on a half model of the heater with symmetry boundary conditions applied on the cut boundary. The nozzle was treated as having half symmetry.
• A reduced set of U-tubes was modelled. Properties of the modeled tubes were adjusted to account for the not-modeled tubes.
• The tubesheet was modeled as solid material, with appropriate adjustments in the values of Elastic Modulus and Poisson ratio to account for the effects of the holes.
• The portion of the Feedwater Heater near the tubesheet was selected for analysis (rather than model the entire Feedwater Heater).

For over 30 years, our Team of Engineers has been Performing (Finite Element) Design, Analysis and Troubleshooting Services to ASME and Other Codes.