How to Improve and Maintain the Performance of Your Heat Exchanger?

The usage of heat exchangers is quite common in various industries. Whether it is thermal power generation, oil and gas, or petrochemical plant, heat exchangers are used to cool down the stream or to pre-heat different liquid required in the process. However, with micro-fouling and scaling in the tubes of heat exchangers, the plant output is reduced. During the heat transfer procedure, fouling and scaling is unavoidable and it acts as insulation layer against heat transfer, reduces heat recovery, reduces process efficiency, and through put. The only thing that increases is the operating and maintenance cost of the plant.

Thus, it is important to invest time and money in regular heat exchanger maintenance. This will ensure it works efficiently and up to its maximum capacity. You can hire professionals offering heat exchanger cleaning services which can enable the heat exchanger to work without any breakdowns or fouling.

The cleaning services usually have two approaches for cleaning and maintenance of the heat exchanger- offline cleaning and online cleaning. Here’s a look at both of them.

Offline cleaning

Pigging is one of the most used approaches in offline cleaning. In this method of cleaning, a bullet like device is put inside each tube and forced inside the tube by high pressure air. There are other methods also which are used in the offline cleaning which includes hydro-blasting, hydro- lancing, or chemical cleaning.

Once the heat exchanger is cleaned, it starts operating at its highest level of efficiency and heat transfer rate. However, after some time, the scaling and fouling happens again. It is important for the plants to devise a plan for regular cleaning and maintenance of heat exchangers.

On-line cleaning

This method of preventing scaling and biological fouling needs no shut down of the heat exchanger or interruption of plant operation. When used alone or in conjunction with some chemical treatment, the on-line cleaning helps in preventing the reduction in the heat transfer rate, maintain the cleanliness of tubes, help in increasing tube life, and most importantly enhance the efficiency of heat exchanger. Any industry can benefit from reducing the operating costs and eliminating the heat exchanger shut down. There are two types of on-line cleaning methods which have been used in thermal power generation, refinery, and petrochemical industries namely brush and basket type and the re-circulating ball type system. You can discuss your requirements about heat exchanger cleaning services and methods of cleaning they use to ensure that you get the best out of their services. Also, don’t forget to discuss about the cost of service and warranty as it is an important factor when hiring the professional cleaners. Explore the web for more information on heat exchanger maintenance and how it benefits in the long run.

Author Bio: Joseph Yap works in a manufacturing plant and he is pro at managing processes related to heat exchanger maintenance. He is a keen writer and loves to write about things that can help factory owners and management to manage their plants efficiently and reduce their machinery repair costs. His recent blog about things to consider while choosing a company offering heat exchanger cleaning services was a great post and was loved by many.