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Thermal cleaning : not an alternative , but a better way of cleaning
It is actually quite simple to thoroughly clean your heat exchangers .
After all , if the cleaning method used succeeds in pulverising the organic contamination to only a few percent of the original amount – more specifically in the form of easily removable dust – cleaning thoroughly is child ' s play . While this all sounds very simple ; is it also achievable in practice ?
The subject of this article was originally presented during the Heat Exchanger World Conference 2022 held in Rotterdam , the Netherlands . Our next European event will be held in 2024 . For more information on future events or to see how our 2022 edition went , check our event website : https :// heat-exchanger-worldeurope . com /
By Robert Mol , CEO of Thermo-Clean Group
To answer this question , it is important to know a little more about the technique that makes all of this possible : thermal cleaning . This technique involves the use of special ovens in which the combination of heat and low oxygen levels will ensure that the organic components in the fouling are converted into pyrolysis gases and dust residues . During the process , these gases are used as a source of energy with which the furnace plant is brought up to adequate temperatures and to maintained the heat . Thus , most of the pollution is already processed in an environmentally friendly and useful way . What remains is dust consisting of ash residues and inorganic components , which can be easily removed afterwards by hosing down the previously polluted area . As this thermal cleaning method features the combination of heat and the fact that a kilo of dirt is converted into 50 grams of dust , it is now possible to clean all those hard-toreach places .
Advantages of thermal cleaning With thermal cleaning , it is therefore possible to simultaneously remove contamination both inside pipes , around pipes , between pipes and jackets , and even in pipes with static mixers . As a result , the areas can be thoroughly cleaned and this has many advantages :
•• Improved heat exchanger performance
•• Improved heat transfer
•• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
•• Saving on operating costs
•• Fewer maintenance shutdowns
•• Longer operating hours
••
Less wastewater
A cleaning technique that can return a heat exchanger close to its original design values is a
1 kilogram
Fouling
Before and after thermal cleaning .
Dust
50 grams www . heat-exchanger-world . com Heat Exchanger World April 2023
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