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Heat Exchanger World Europe 2022 Conference Series
Comparison between hydro blasting and thermal cleaning , based on heat transfer performance Hydro blasting
Thermal cleaning
Performance heat transfer %
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Months
Downsides As with any technique , there are some drawbacks with this cleaning method . Aside from the materials having to be able to withstand the high temperatures , pyrolysis furnaces are not mobile , so only offsite cleaning is possible . In that case , your proximity to a potential supplier possessing this technology in-house obviously plays an important role . Moreover , thermal cleaning is a highly specialised niche , and not all pyrolysis furnaces are suitable for it . Perfect temperature control , the ability to heat up and cool down slowly , and the creation of a low-oxygen environment are important prerequisites for using this technique properly and safely . Not only does the pyrolysis furnace need to be installed correctly , but the necessary expertise is also required to bring the cleaning to a successful conclusion . Because of these restrictions , only a few companies in the world can offer this in a professional manner . As a result , the current capacity is quite low , and it is sometimes difficult to clean all parts with this technique within a few days or weeks during a major
shutdown . In practice , such capacity problems usually mean that thermal cleaning is only used for the bundles that will benefit most from this excellent cleaning quality .
Looking forward Thermal cleaning is not an alternative , but simply a much better cleaning method for a very large spectrum of contaminated parts . The technique itself has been around for years and is increasingly being used to bring dirty heat exchangers from various industries to a higher level of clean . The fact that this method generates much less waste and , additionally , could result in a huge reduction in CO2 emissions , are huge assets that make thermal cleaning even more appealing for the future . Practice shows that thermal cleaning is now widely used , and the method is fortunately becoming more and more familiar to the general public . Choosing the right cleaning technique is very important , as it largely determines the efficiency of your production process in the future .
About the author
A clear example of the difference thermal cleaning can make .
Robert has been the CEO of the Thermo-Clean Group since 2005 . What started as a company with only three employees is now a network of ten sites in total , scattered across Europe . Robert regularly lectures about thermal cleaning and there are numerous articles in various trade magazines about the cleaning technique . www . heat-exchanger-world . com Heat Exchanger World April 2023
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