How to Clean Heat Exchanger Tubes and Condenser Tubes
Clean heat exchanger tubes and condenser tubes is essential to keeping this equipment operating properly. Condenser and Heat Exchanger Cleaning can be a dirty job, but proper care and maintenance of this equipment can save significant amounts of money and extend their life cycles. When cleaning heat exchangers and condensers it is important to attempt to maximize the quality of the cleaning as well as the safety of the process, while at the same time minimize the cost of the cleaning and the time the equipment will have to down in order to clean it. Although these can be conflicting goals, it is important to choose a cleaning technique that will balance all of them.
Projectile’s recommended method to clean heat exchanger tubes and condenser tubes, mechanical tube cleaning, effectively balances these aspects with a high quality, safe, quick, and low cost, solution for removing tube deposits. Projectile’s method works by loading patented mechanical devices, called projectiles, into each tube and then shooting the projectile down the length of the tube to scrape off adhering deposits. The projectiles are propelled with safe, low pressure water of approximately 350psi (25 Bar). After all tubes are successfully cleaned, a technician checks each tube with a high powered spotlight to locate and mark missed projectiles. (View the video below for a more detailed explanation of the process)
The main benefit of the Projectile Tube Cleaning System is speed. Competing methods such as high pressure lancing and rotary cleaning involve feeding a lance down the length of each tube to clean it. Pushing and pulling with the lance method is much more time consuming than shooting projectiles with a pumping system. On an average job Projectile Crews can clean approximately 500 tubes per hour. Lance based methods can typically only achieve half this production rate. Since production rates are higher when cleaning condensers and heat exchanger with the projectile method, the job gets done faster and the price to clean this equipment is generally lower while providing the same end result of clean tubes.
Another benefit is safety. Since the projectiles are shot with relatively low water pressure, there is no inherent risk associated with the technology. In contrast most lance based high pressure cleaning uses at least 10,000 psi, which can be extremely dangerous.
Projectile Tube Cleaning vs. Lance Cleaning Methods
The benefits associated with Projectile’s mechanical cleaning system for condenser and heat exchangers are clear. The positive features of the system have led it to become the most commonly used process for cleaning condensers and heat exchangers in the United States and its popularity is growing fast in international markets. If you have more questions about how the system works please feel free to contact us.
