NHE Benefits

The Dollars and Sense of Cleaning Turbine Lube Oil Coolers

Why Shell Side Cleaning?

The Dollars and Sense of Cleaning Turbine Lube Oil Coolers Lube oil performs many functions in turbine-generation, all of which are not only necessary for optimal production for the moment, but optimum equipment reliability for the future. Both production and reliability are essential elements of increased profits.

For lube oil to do it's job it must be kept clean and at the proper temperature. Lube oil coolers are an essential element in this process.

The primary purpose of lube oil coolers is to cool turbine oil. This is accomplished as the heated oil travels a serpentine path through the shell side of the bundle, while cooling water flows through the tube side. Heat is transferred from the oil to the water, keeping the oil temperature within its ideal operating range.

As the oil travels this serpentine path through the cooler the heat transfer itself helps to cause foreign materials in the oil to drop out and adhere to the outside of the tubes. This is a two edged sword. First, the build up on the shell side of the tubes becomes an insulator reducing the ability of heat to be transferred. Then, as the build up of contaminates continues, sections of the bundle will become plugged, restricting the flow and further reducing heat exchange. Eventually, some of this material will move through the bundle and cause premature wear on the bearings and other parts.

How does turbine oil become contaminated? The oil storage tanks themselves are very often located in such a place as to collect all kinds of dust and debris. They may also contain debris going all the way back to plant construction such as dust, chips and weld splatter. Leaky tubes on the coolers themselves may cause water to get into the oil. The continuous wear of machine parts, gears, couplings or the bearings themselves provide contaminates. And just the cooking and chemical action in the hot spots of the unit will cause sludge and varnish to build up on the tubes. A thin coat can cause a 10% to 15% loss in heat transfer.

Neither equipment failure nor decreased production is acceptable. The only solution is a proper preventative shell and tube side cleaning program. A thorough shell side cleaning at least every 3 to 5 years, coupled with intermittent tube side cleaning as needed, will not only increase the time between major outages, but will allow you to maintain the turbine at maximum load.

There are only three alternatives in regard to shell side cleaning. First is high pressure washing which is only about 40% effective, produces thousands of gallons of liquid waste, and actually serves to pack contaminates more tightly into the center of the bundle. Next is bubble vat cleaning. In this method the bundle is placed into a vat of chemicals and air is circulated through the tank in an attempt to break up and dissolve some of the contaminates. The bundle is then removed and pressure washed. This still produces large amounts of liquid waste and is at best only about 70% effective.

The only real solution is our patented state of the art MCC process, which utilizes a totally enclosed container. The tube nests are placed inside where they are rotated as they are sprayed full length with 1500 gallons a minute of a cleaner that is compatible to your turbine oil. This cleaning agent is heated to between 160° & 180°. All solids are captured in a closed kidney loop filter system, so only clean solution is flushed over and through your cooler at all times. With this process we are able to wash your bundle clean all the way to the center restoring 92% to 98% of new efficiency.

Why National Heat Exchange?

Quite honestly with high pressure techniques it's like taking your dirty clothes, laying them on the floor and spraying them off with a hose. It just doesn't work and makes a huge mess. A bubble vat is like putting your clothes in a washing machine, but not turning it on, pretty much all that happens is they get wet. But at NHE, with our patented process we actually turn the washing machine on. The result is your heat exchanger restored to as near to new as possible.

Boosting the Bottom Line

Boosting the Bottom Line No matter how profitable your company is, everyone needs to be constantly finding ways to lower expenses, wasted energy, and operation costs. National Heat Exchange can help.

Stop throwing money away on expensive repairs when a thorough cleaning of your heat exchanger systems may be all you need! When your heat exchangers are fouled, heat transfer obviously goes down, resulting in increased fuel costs, and wear and tear on pumps and other systems. This translates to increased maintenance costs or even forced outages. All of this equals decreased production and a smaller bottom line.

NHE can restore your heat exchangers back to 92% to 98% of their new efficiency, a level unattainable apart from our patented shell-side cleaning process. With our MCC machine, we are able to completely clean the shell side, all the way to the center. And don't be fooled - just because the shell-side is usually out of site, don't keep it out of mind. Carbon deposits will build up and eventually plug whole areas, virtually eliminating heat transfer. A complete shell-side cleaning schedule is a must. NHE accomplishes superior tube cleaning through experienced personnel; whether your need is rotary brushing, shooting scrapers or HP lancing (up to 40k), NHE has you covered. If you experience severe water problems that result in ongoing fouling, we have a solution. We can chemically circulate your individual systems between major cleanings to keep you running cool in those hot summer months. When leaking tubes are encountered we offer three methods of tube plugging, all the way up to JNT Torq N' Seal system.

We offer partial to complete retubes and ceramic cladding of waterboxes and tube sheets, to add extra years of service to worn heat exchangers.

Whatever your heat exchanger needs - When you want it clean...... think NHE!