SA266 Gr.2 Carbon Steel Forged Tubesheet For Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers
ASME SA266 Gr.2 Carbon Steel Forged Tubesheet for Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers
Product Overview
SA266 Gr.2 Tubesheet is a carbon steel forged component designed for pressure-bearing applications in shell and tube heat exchangers, condensers, boilers and related process equipment.
Manufactured in accordance with ASME SA266 Gr.2, the tubesheet is produced from forged carbon steel and machined with precision tube holes, pass-partition features and sealing surfaces according to equipment drawings.
SA266/A266M covers carbon steel forgings for boilers, pressure vessels and associated equipment, with requirements covering chemical composition, mechanical properties and applicable heat-treatment conditions.
The product can be supplied as a fixed tubesheet, floating-head tubesheet or other project-specific configuration, depending on the heat exchanger design.
Technical Specifications
| Item |
Specification |
| Product Name |
SA266 Gr.2 Tubesheet |
| Material Grade |
SA266 Gr.2 |
| Material Type |
Carbon Steel Forging |
| Standard |
ASME SA266 / ASTM A266 |
| Product Form |
Forged Tubesheet |
| Equipment |
Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger |
| Tubesheet Type |
Fixed / Floating / Custom |
| Outside Diameter |
According to Drawing |
| Thickness |
According to Drawing |
| Tube Hole Diameter |
According to Tube Specification |
| Tube Hole Pattern |
Triangular / Square / Custom |
| Tube Hole Pitch |
According to Drawing |
| Tube Hole Quantity |
According to Design |
| Pass Partition |
According to Channel Design |
| Tube Hole Finish |
Drilled / Reamed / Honed |
| Heat Treatment |
Annealed / Normalized / Normalized & Tempered |
| Inspection |
Dimensional / Visual / NDT |
| Certification |
EN 10204 3.1 / 3.2 |
Material Characteristics
SA266 Gr.2 Carbon Steel
SA266 Gr.2 belongs to the carbon steel forging grades covered by ASTM A266/A266M. The specification includes four grades for pressure-vessel-related applications. The current designation system uses Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 and Grade 4, replacing the former Class 1-4 terminology.
For a tubesheet application, the material is selected according to the mechanical design, pressure, temperature, corrosion allowance and compatibility with the shell, tubes and channel materials.
Forged Construction
The forged construction provides a suitable starting form for machining a thick tubesheet with a large number of precisely positioned tube holes.
Typical forging-related controls include:
- Forging Reduction
- Heat Treatment
- Grain Flow Consideration
- Chemical Analysis
- Mechanical Testing
- Ultrasonic Examination
Tubesheet Machining
The tubesheet is machined according to the heat exchanger drawing rather than relying only on standard flange dimensions.
Critical machining features include:
- Tube Hole Diameter
- Tube Hole Pitch
- Tube Hole Pattern
- Tube Hole Quantity
- Tube Hole Tolerance
- Tube Hole Perpendicularity
- Pass Partition Grooves
- Gasket Seating Surface
- Outer Diameter
- Overall Thickness
- Concentricity
The tube-hole design can be adapted to the selected tube OD, wall thickness, tube pitch and heat exchanger configuration.
Tube Hole Patterns
Common tube-hole arrangements include:
- Triangular Pitch - Provides a compact tube arrangement and can offer high heat-transfer surface density where cleaning requirements permit.
- Square Pitch - Provides more accessible spacing between tubes and can be considered where mechanical cleaning or maintenance access is important.
- Rotated Square Pitch - Can be used for specific flow and layout requirements.
The final tube-hole pattern should always follow the heat exchanger thermal and mechanical design.
Typical Applications
- Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers
- Process Heat Exchangers
- Feedwater Heaters
- Condensers
- Oil Coolers
- Gas Coolers
- Reboilers
- Steam Condensers
- Chemical Process Equipment
- Petrochemical Equipment
- Boiler Auxiliary Equipment
- Pressure Vessel Assemblies
Typical Equipment Configurations
- Fixed Tube Sheet Heat Exchangers
- Floating Head Heat Exchangers
- U-Tube Heat Exchangers
- Kettle Reboilers
- Shell & Tube Condensers
- Multi-Pass Heat Exchangers
- High-Pressure Process Heat Exchangers
Tubesheet Design Considerations
A tubesheet is not simply a drilled steel plate. Its thickness and hole arrangement are determined by the interaction between tube-side pressure, shell-side pressure, differential pressure, temperature, tube loads and gasket sealing requirements.
Important design inputs include:
- Design Pressure
- Design Temperature
- Tube OD
- Tube Wall Thickness
- Tube Material
- Shell ID
- Tube Count
- Tube Pitch
- Pass Arrangement
- Corrosion Allowance
- Differential Pressure
- Gasket Configuration
- Tube-to-Tubesheet Joint
Tube-to-Tubesheet Connection
The tube holes can be prepared for different tube attachment methods, depending on the heat exchanger design:
- Expanded Tube Joint
- Strength-Welded Joint
- Seal-Welded Joint
- Expanded & Seal-Welded Joint
Tube-hole surface finish and groove configuration can be manufactured according to the customer's drawing.
Manufacturing Process
- Steel Melting
- Forging
- Heat Treatment
- Ultrasonic Examination
- Rough Machining
- Face & OD Machining
- Tube Hole Drilling
- Tube Hole Finishing
- Pass Partition Machining
- Dimensional Inspection
- NDT
- Final Surface Inspection
- Marking & Packaging
Inspection & Testing
Available inspection can include:
- Chemical Composition Analysis
- Tensile Test
- Yield Strength Test
- Elongation Test
- Reduction of Area
- Hardness Test
- Heat Treatment Record
- Ultrasonic Testing
- Magnetic Particle Testing
- Liquid Penetrant Testing
- Dimensional Inspection
- Tube Hole Inspection
- PMI Where Required
- Visual Inspection
Additional inspection requirements can be incorporated when specified by the purchase order or project specification. ASTM A266/A266M also provides supplementary requirements when additional testing or inspection is requested by the purchaser.
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