Bolted Root Ring Field Install (R stamp)

Two 34 inch (864mm) bolted root ring expansion joints were installed in the field on a shell and tube heat exchanger at a Georgia power plant. The bellows were SB443-625 GR 1 and all remaining components were SA516-70N. The root rings were necessary to take the 550 psig (37.9 barg) internal pressure at 500 F (260 C). Since this was a repair to an ASME U stamped vessel, the parts were built to ASME Sec VIII, Div 1 then U stamped and the completed repair received an R stamp with onsite approval from the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC). Both joints passed a hydro test at 715 psig (49.3 barg) after install.