how to compute for the thickness of the shell of a shell and tube heat exchanger? thanks?
That shell needs to confine the maximum working pressure of the fluid it's meant to confine.
Calipers. Those should do it just fine. An idea of what you were talking about would probably help too. Shell of a shell and tube heat exchanger is not very specific as to what it is.
Shell and tube heat exchangers are typically designed to meet the pressure vessel code. There is more to the calculation than a simple formula since you have to choose things such as corrosion allowance, the material of construction, the design pressure and temperature, heat treatment and non-destructive measures. All of these enter into the wall thickness determination. There are other design considerations such as thermal expansion of the shell, tube sheet thickness and possible external loads.
