Refinery Bundle Cleaning

Equipment

Mobile Cooler Cleaners (MCC)Our Mobile Cooler Cleaners (MCC) are Class I, Div 1, fully enclosed, self-contained, bundle cleaning machines specifically designed for shell-side cleaning. Single bundles up to 60" x 33' long, weighing up to 60,000# can be cleaned in the MCC. Multiple bundles of smaller sizes can be cleaned simultaneously. A 125HP motor drives a 1,200GPM pump, delivering a high volume, moderate high pressure flow of cleaning solution through more than 400 spray jets. These provide constant full-length contact down both sides of the bundle with the cleaning solution. Immersion heaters in the MCC's holding tank can heat the cleaning solution up to 180°F. The MCC uses a kidney-loop filtration system to capture the foulant as it's dissolved off the tubes, returning filtered cleaning solution back to the bundle. A hydraulically driven roller system on the floor of the MCC slowly rotates the bundle during the cleaning process, attacking the bundle with cleaning solution from all possible angles.

The Process

MCC ProcessCleaning solution is pulled from the customers product stream (usually light cycle oil, kerosene, or similar product). The heated, high volume, moderate high pressure flow of cleaning solution is in constant full-length contact down both sides of the slowly rotating bundle, the bundle with cleaning solution from all possible angles. Within just a few hours, the MCC cleaning process has thoroughly removed the foulant from the shell-side of the tubes as a result of the high volume flow, the heated cleaning solution, and the duration of the contact time. When cleaning is finished, the used cleaning solution is returned to the plant for reprocessing, resulting in ZERO liquid waste. A vac truck is employed to remove waste solids from the MCC. The MCC cleaning process sometimes adds an extra benefits to the cleaning: Foulant in the tubes is softened, allowing easier tube cleaning.

The Results

  Unsurpassed Cleaning Results
  • Unsurpassed cleaning results! The bundle is cleaned completely to the center!
  • Safety concerns over High Pressure accidents and trip/fall hazards are gone!
  • No adverse environmental effects since NO liquid hits the ground.
  • Highest Possible degree of heat transfer efficiency restored.
  • The MCC is the most overall cost effective method of cleaning the shell-side of heat exchanger bundles.