Abstract
The core structure of a plate-fin type heat exchanger is composite of brazed plates and fins. Header tanks are welded on the core as inlet and outlet paths. Heat exchangers are essential in the energy system and their importance will continue to grow in the future. In recent years, improvement performance of this heat exchanger is expected; therefore, the number of streams introduced into a core and the operating pressure are expected to increase. This leads to the increase of the number and the thickness of header tanks used. As the result, the effect of welding heat input will become significant. The weld induced deformation and residual stress will affect the structural integrity of the heat exchanger, however, the effect of the welding of header tanks has not been well investigated. The information on the relationship between member dimension and weld induced stress will support the design and fabrication process. In this study, a quasi-three-dimensional simulation model of welding of header tanks on core structure was developed. The effect of member dimensions on weld-induced stress was investigated systematically by the proposed simulation model.
