Tube and tubesheet assembly with damage resistance and method for protecting tube and tubesheet assemblies from damage

A heat exchanger, comprising:

• a pair of tubesheets;
• a plurality of tubes extending between the pair of tubesheets, each tube being inserted in the tubesheets at respective tube insertion apertures;
• and
• for at least one tube-to-tubesheet connection, an overlaid damage-resistant layer integrated into a surface of an edge of the corresponding tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the corresponding tube that is positioned within the corresponding tube insertion aperture, wherein the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and wherein the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer.

A method of repairing a tube in a heat exchanger, comprising:

• removing the tube from the heat exchanger;
• overlaying a damage-resistant layer to be integrated into a surface of an edge of the tube and along an inner surface of a portion of the tube that is positioned within a tube insertion aperture in a tubesheet at an inlet side of the heat exchanger, such that the inner diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the inner diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, and such that the outer diameter of the portion of the tube that includes the damage-resistant layer remains the same as the outer diameter of the portion of the tube without the damage-resistant layer, the tube having the overlaid damage-resistant layer forming a replacement tube;
• and
• inserting the replacement tube into the tube insertion aperture in the tubesheet of the heat exchanger.