摘要:
An impermeable non-rigid seal is made between the joints of silicon carbide heat exchanger tubes and their supporting silicon carbide tube sheets by first making suitable openings for the tubes through the tube sheet before it is fired. Concentric with the small tube opening is a somewhat larger countersunk second opening, the bottom of the countersink forming a shoulder for the retention of packing material. A third countersink is made, larger than the second, to form a recess in which a graphite plug may be bonded. The tube sheet is infiltrated with silicon in a high temperature furnace and the graphite plug drilled and threaded to engage corresponding threads on a cylindrical packing follower. A silicon carbide tube is inserted in the tube sheet and packing material placed around it. The packing is enclosed by sliding the packing follower over the end of the tube and engaging it with the threaded graphite plug. Rotating the follower then compresses the packing to make an impermeable nonrigid seal between the tube and tube sheet.