Maintenance of Heat Exchanger

*Important: Follow the recommended procedure for operation. Quick start-up and shut-down is a major cause of heat exchanger damage.

Inspection of Unit - At regular intervals and as frequently as experience indicates, an examination should be made of the interior and the exterior of the heat exchanger. Neglect in keeping all tubes clean may result in complete stoppage of flow through some tubes, causing severe thermal strain, leaking tube joints, or structural damage to other components. When sacrificial anodes are provided, they should be inspected at regular intervals to determine whether they should be cleaned or replaced.

Indications of Fouling - Exchangers subject to fouling or scaling should be cleaned periodically. A light sludge or scale coating on tubes greatly reduces their efficiency. A marked increase in pressure drop and/or reduction in performance usually indicates cleaning is necessary. The unit should first be checked for air or vapor binding to confirm that this is not the cause for reduction in performance. Because difficulty of cleaning increases rapidly as scale or deposit thickness increases, intervals between cleaning should not be excessive.

Disassembly for Inspection and/or Cleaning - Before disassembly, the user must make sure that the unit has been depressurized, vented and drained, and all hazardous material purged or neutralized.

To inspect the inside of the tubes and also make them accessible for cleaning, use the following procedures, and reference the chart below.