Maintenance of a system's Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU) and similar shell and tube heat exchangers may be an extremely dangerous process. It needs to be disconnected, taken off line, and moved to land for repair. Tube and shell heat exchangers are manufactured from coiled tubes and may become defiled with carbon deposits. For clearing the blockage, the traditional methods include bypassing the fouled unit, cutting off curves and cleaning the tubes, then re-welding the U- complete unit replacement, and bends.
The old processes are getting to be more outmoded due to advancements in technology. It is not efficient to avoid the unit. Just as it would be less efficient to run your auto with 2 cylinders not firing. Operational costs, naturally, additionally increase. Occasionally it can be impossible or difficult to get access to reattach operational. A number of these brand new methods include the power to scrub places with limited accessibility, and clear deposits from U-curves without ever removing them. This can occasionally be done without even taking the unit offline, and usually takes less time and results in an increased level of defueling. For power plants, petrochemical plants, or enormous refineries, this can amount to six figure economies.
The U-bends many deposits are additionally retained by power, and continue to be a bottleneck to the machine. Full replacement carries the price of entirely replacing equipment that, other than the heat exchanger cleaning tube fouling, is still in working order. This technique also requires the unit be taken for the full duration of replacement. Clearly this carries serious loss and a heavy expense of production. Conventional heat exchanger cleaning methods as well as heat exchanger cleaning equipment have changed hardly any during the last few decades. Pressure jetting is the main means used by many companies, but it really is ultimately very costly, ineffective, and slow. Also, many companies are skeptical of newer techniques, falling back on the "that's the way it is always been done," chain of sense. In addition, they are weary of trying new techniques that aren't as "demonstrated" to be effective.
These new developments range from the ability to clean tight radius curves, clean units even while keeping them online, and while keeping them in place. It has additionally resulted in quicker, more effective cleaning. Many tube bundles can now be cleaned more efficiently than with pressure jetting, and jobs that used to take may take just a few hours. Difficult to accessibility units are actually reachable with these new technologies.
Some of the technology that's developed includes specific nozzles that could be used on tight curves, laser cleaning, and new "smart" metals that respond to changes in density and pressure to avoid damage to the tubes. With one of these approaches, jobs may be finished with less downtime, because descaling and cleaning could be done more rapidly. Equipment can also be less prone to be damaged in the process. A number of these new procedures are not more dangerous, create less waste, use no chemicals, and also have a significantly reduced environmental impact.
Some of the technology that's developed includes specific nozzles that could be used on tight curves, laser cleaning, and new "smart" metals that respond to changes in density and pressure to avoid damage to the tubes. With one of these approaches, jobs may be finished with less downtime, because descaling and cleaning could be done more rapidly. Equipment can also be less prone to be damaged in the process. A number of these new procedures are not more dangerous, create less waste, use no chemicals, and also have a significantly reduced environmental impact.