Heat Exchanger World Magazine February 2024 | Page 9

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Cover Story

and Running

Their main clientele is specialty chemical manufacturers ; however , other applications include paper mills , power generation , marine , petrochemical , and clean / alternative fuels . “ Our mantra is to keep the customer up and running ,” Lightcap continued . “ Customers come to the company because of our depth of technical knowledge . We are a go-to resource for ASME codes , as well as safety and more . Customers feel comfortable in our hands , and that helps us stand out .”
Not backing down from a challenge Referring to their mantra to keep the customer up and running and keeping downtime to a minimum , Alabama Heat Exchangers has multiple examples of going above and beyond the expectations of their customers . Lightcap recalled when a paper mill sent a fairly large heat exchanger , about 30 feet long and 5 feet in diameter , all 304L stainless steel , for a re-tube . However , when it arrived , they found stress-corrosion cracking throughout the entire exchanger , making the equipment barely operational . “ After telling the customer they essentially needed a new heat exchanger , they came back saying they would need it in four weeks . So , I spoke with my team and we agreed to get it done , and we shipped on time . The end user was
“ Our mantra is to keep the customer up and running .” and more . “ We complete a lot of dissimilar welding . This is monitored closely by our quality control process ,” explained Lightcap . Alabama Heat Exchangers uses a mix of in-house and third-party testing depending on the requirement . “ We can also meet just about any non-destructive testing requirements provided by end users or any governing standard , usually ASME ,” he continued . “ Not only do we meet the code , but we also exceed it . We view code requirements as the level where the bar is set , and we always go above the bar . It is woven into the fabric of our culture as a top-quality mindset . Everyone from our experts to someone who sweeps the floor knows that quality matters and knows our code .”
Unmatched quality and speed “ One of our unique elements is that most new fabrication is made from scratch and customized to meet our end users ’ requirements ,” explained Lightcap . Alabama Heat Exchangers is also known for going out to take field measurements to ensure a piece of existing equipment can be replaced with exact dimensions . “ We fabricate a replacement that fits perfectly back into place without the client needing to change any piping .” pleased as they did not lose any days on their shutdown window . We are very proud of that .” For reference , the normal turnaround on a similar job is estimated at about three months .
Horizontal mixing vessel - carbon steel with PWHT and high-temp coating
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