Q345R Tube Sheets for Pressure Vessel

Description

Product Overview – Q345R Tube Sheet for Pressure Vessel & Heat Exchanger

Q345R tube sheet forgings contain tube sheets that are the most heavy-duty load-bearing pieces in the construction of pressure vessels and heat exchangers used in petrochemical, power generation, nuclear energy, and pharmaceutical industries. Tube sheets are a major part of the tube sheet heat exchangers, condensers, and reactors. The tubes heat pump tubes are installed in the tube sheets and the tube sheets also separate the different media as well as maintain the pressure integrity of the system under the combined conditions of high temperature and high pressure.

Tube sheets serve as a kind of mechanical interface for shell-and-tube heat exchangers and fixed tube sheet heat exchangers. The tube sheet is not just one of the deciding factors for the overall mechanical reliability of the system but also plays a key role in the sealing performance and long-term operational safety of the system. Consequently, the supply of premium tube sheets is one of the ways to secure the stable heat transfer efficiency as well as meet the stringent pressure vessel design ‍‌codes.

Materials Selection for Pressure Vessel Tube Sheets

Material selection for pressure vessel tube sheet forgings is determined by operating pressure, temperature, corrosion environment, and design life. We offer tube sheets manufactured from a wide range of qualified materials, including:

Carbon steel: Q245R, Q345R

Low alloy steel: 16Mn, 15CrMo

Stainless steel: 304, 316L, S32101

Special alloys: Inconel, Hastelloy

Among these, Q345R is widely used for heat exchanger tube sheet applications due to its balanced strength, toughness, and weldability, making it suitable for most standard pressure vessel and heat exchanger designs.

Production Process of Tube Sheet Forgings

Our tube sheet forgings are manufactured using advanced open-die forging or precision die forging processes. Compared with cast products, forged tube sheets effectively eliminate internal defects such as porosity and shrinkage, resulting in a dense and uniform microstructure.

Through optimized forging reduction ratios and controlled deformation, the produced tube sheets exhibit excellent comprehensive mechanical properties, including high strength, high toughness, and superior fatigue resistance. These characteristics ensure reliable long-term performance in demanding environments commonly encountered in tube sheet heat exchanger and pressure vessel applications.

Quality Control of Heat Exchanger Tube Sheets

All pressure vessel tube sheet forgings are manufactured under a strict quality assurance system. Each product undergoes comprehensive inspection procedures, including:

100% ultrasonic testing (UT)

Magnetic particle testing (MT) or penetrant testing (PT)

Radiographic testing (RT) on critical zones

Appropriate heat treatment processes—such as normalizing and tempering or quenching and tempering—are applied to ensure uniform internal structure and effective stress relief. All tube sheets comply with international and domestic standards including ASME, PED, and GB/T 150, and are supplied with complete certification documentation. Third-party inspection by customer-designated agencies is fully supported.

Applications of Tube Sheets in Pressure Vessel and Heat Exchanger Equipment

Pressure vessel tube sheet forgings are widely used in critical industrial equipment:

Petrochemical industry: hydrogenation reactors, reforming units, ethylene cracking furnaces, aromatics processing equipment

Power and energy sector: nuclear steam generators, pressurizers, high-pressure heaters, and condensers in thermal power plants

Specialized applications: seawater desalination systems, pharmaceutical aseptic heat exchange equipment, and food processing pressure containers

In all these applications, the heat exchanger tube sheet serves as a key structural barrier that ensures pressure containment, media separation, and efficient thermal performance.

Reliable Tube Sheet Forgings for Long-Term Safety

We guarantee that each tube sheet forging is manufactured and checked thoroughly to the technical agreements and standards in force. We provide, with every shipment, a full set of quality documents, including material certificates, heat treatment sheets, non-destructive testing reports, and dimensional inspection reports.

Our tube sheet forgings mean you get the best pressure vessel components and a dependable partner that prioritizes safety, compliance, and long-term collaboration in pressure vessel and tube sheet heat exchanger ‍‌projects.