Product Specification

ASME SB171 C46400 Naval Brass Tubesheet for Marine Heat Exchanger and Condenser

Product Overview

ASME SB171 C46400 Naval Brass Tubesheet is a machined copper-alloy tube plate manufactured from UNS C46400 Naval Brass for shell-and-tube heat exchangers, condensers, marine cooling systems and related thermal equipment.

C46400 is a tin-bearing copper-zinc alloy commonly known as Naval Brass, Uninhibited. The material is available for applications where copper-alloy construction is specified for heat exchanger and condenser components.

ASME SB171 corresponds to ASTM B171/B171M and covers copper-alloy plate, sheet and circles cut from plate and sheet for pressure vessels, condensers and heat exchangers.

The tubesheet is CNC machined according to the approved heat exchanger drawing, including tube-hole diameter, tube pitch, tube layout, number of tubes, pass partition arrangement, bolt-hole pattern and sealing surfaces.

Product Specifications

C46400 Chemical Composition

The exact chemical composition shall be verified against the applicable edition of ASTM B171/B171M or ASME SB171 specified in the purchase order.

Mechanical Properties

Mechanical properties depend on the specified material temper and applicable edition of ASME SB171 / ASTM B171.

For pressure-vessel and heat-exchanger applications, the material condition and mechanical requirements should be confirmed according to the project specification and applicable material standard.

Customized Tubesheet Machining

The C46400 Naval Brass tubesheet can be manufactured according to customer drawings and heat exchanger design data.

Typical machining parameters include:

• Tubesheet outside diameter
• Tubesheet thickness
• Tube outside diameter
• Tube-hole diameter
• Number of tube holes
• Tube pitch
• Tube pitch circle diameter
• Tube-hole arrangement
• Tube pass configuration
• Pass partition grooves
• Bolt-hole circle
• Bolt-hole diameter
• Gasket seating surface
• Facing dimensions
• Machining tolerances

Tube Hole Layout

Tube holes can be arranged according to the heat exchanger design, including:

• Triangular layout
• Rotated triangular layout
• Square layout
• Rotated square layout
• Customized layouts

The tube-hole diameter and pitch are controlled according to the tube dimensions and approved fabrication drawing.

Manufacturing Process

1. Raw Material Preparation

C46400 Naval Brass plate or circle is prepared according to the specified ASME SB171 / ASTM B171 requirements.

2. Material Verification

The incoming material is checked for heat number, material grade and required certification.

3. Cutting

The material is cut to the required preliminary dimensions for tubesheet machining.

4. CNC Machining

The tubesheet outside diameter, thickness, facing surfaces and other specified dimensions are machined according to the approved drawing.

5. Tube Hole Drilling

Tube holes are CNC drilled according to the specified tube diameter, tube pitch, hole pattern and tube quantity.

6. Finishing

Tube-hole edges, sealing surfaces, bolt holes and other machined areas are finished according to drawing requirements.

7. Final Inspection

The finished tubesheet is inspected for dimensions, tube-hole layout, material identification and applicable quality requirements.

Quality Inspection

Quality control can include the following inspections.

Material Inspection

• Heat number verification
• Material identification
• Chemical composition
• Material Test Certificate review
• PMI where required

Mechanical Testing

• Tensile strength
• Yield strength
• Elongation
• Hardness where specified

Dimensional Inspection

• Outside diameter
• Thickness
• Tube-hole diameter
• Tube pitch
• Tube-hole position
• Tube-hole quantity
• Bolt-hole dimensions
• Partition groove dimensions
• Facing dimensions
• Flatness

Documentation

The following documents can be supplied according to project requirements:

• Material Test Certificate
• EN 10204 3.1 Certificate
• Chemical Analysis Report
• Mechanical Test Report
• Dimensional Inspection Report
• PMI Report
• Manufacturing Records
• Packing List

Third-party inspection can also be arranged when required by the purchase order or project specification.

Applications

Marine Heat Exchangers

C46400 Naval Brass tubesheets can be used in marine heat exchanger systems where copper-alloy construction is specified for cooling-water service.

Condensers

The tubesheet can be machined for shell-and-tube condenser assemblies with customized tube-hole layouts and tube-side pass arrangements.

Power Plant Cooling Equipment

C46400 tubesheets can be manufactured for condenser and cooling-water equipment according to the applicable equipment design and material requirements.

Seawater Cooling Systems

Naval Brass is used in selected marine and cooling-water applications. Material selection should consider seawater chemistry, temperature, flow velocity, oxygen conditions, tube material and galvanic compatibility.

Marine Engineering Equipment

Typical applications include:

• Marine heat exchangers
• Shipboard condensers
• Cooling-water heat exchangers
• Seawater cooling equipment
• Industrial condensers
• Coastal power equipment

C46400 Naval Brass Material Selection

C46400 Naval Brass is a copper-zinc-tin alloy with a controlled tin addition. For tubesheet applications, material selection should consider both the required mechanical properties and the service environment.

Important factors include:

• Heat exchanger operating temperature
• Shell-side and tube-side pressure
• Cooling-water chemistry
• Flow velocity
• Tube material
• Galvanic compatibility
• Tube-hole connection method
• Required machining tolerances
• Applicable equipment design code

For seawater heat exchangers, C46400 should be evaluated together with the selected tube and shell materials rather than being selected solely on the basis of the service medium.

Tubesheet Customization

We manufacture C46400 Naval Brass tubesheets according to customer drawings, heat exchanger data sheets and tube-hole layouts.

Available customization includes:

Customers can provide a heat exchanger drawing, tubesheet drawing or tube-hole layout for quotation and technical review.