Cleaning heat exchanger tubes

We work to provide the highest quality ERW steel tubes in the West Midlands. These utensils come in handy for all kinds of applications. As such, we are an easy source of them. Our collection includes a plethora of sizes and shapes to suit any specification. Also, each tube is available for competitive rates.

The preferred cleaning approach

ERW steel tubes West MidlandsIf you’re using heat exchanger tubes, you will want to make sure you clean them. The tube inside a condenser is the main method of heat exchange. When they are filthy or have scale on the interior, costs go up and efficiency goes down. It takes a lot to run a chiller. When efficiency decreases, costs increase considerably. Other system components wear out as well. With tube scaling, it normally includes mud, slime, and sludge. When scale deposits exist, the efficiency goes down even more.

The preferred cleaning method here depends on what deposits you are working with. A rotary tube cleaning system can work well. It includes both brush and shaft technology with integrated flushing for medium or soft organic deposits. If there are hard deposits, it is often best to use a chemical descaling agent. In extreme circumstances, you can use a combination of the two.

Let’s look at individual cleaning methods in more detail. This will help you decide which to use to get the best from your equipment. Then, you can speak to us if you want to order high quality ERW steel tubes in the West Midlands.

High-pressure water jet cleaning

Firstly, we have is a more traditional tube cleaning strategy. It is what the name suggests too. The very high PSI of water ejected from the nozzle can wash dirt and debris away.

The issue here is that jet washing is not as fast as competing procedures. It can be slower as you push the gun down and along the neck of your tubes. Also, the operator is vulnerable to hazards because of the water jet. High-pressure water jetting uses up more than its fair share of water as well. Recovery/disposal of the cleaning water increases the project’s cost.

Mechanical tube cleaning methods

This strategy utilises projectiles instead of water jets for cleaning. It has become increasingly popular too as maintenance technology has improved. Due to the higher safety and cost saving potential, it has become more popular than high-pressure water jets. What happens is that you fire a tube cleaner into the heat exchanger tubes. While rapidly moving through the tubing, the cleaning projectiles scrape and blow through debris within. The kind of cleaner you employ depends on the hardness and type of dirt.

Mechanical tube cleaning does a wonderful job at removing debris. What’s more, it is cheaper and quicker than classic methods. The primary reason for the cost saving is the high speed. Normally, a team of three to four tube cleaners can clean 450 to 500 tubes per hour. This rate is far swifter than competing methods. Speak to us if you need the top ERW steel tubes West Midlands has.

Chemical cleaning

This uses chemicals to decompose, remove, or eliminate scale and similar deposits on the heat exchanger’s surface. You don’t need disassembly and reassembly here. As a result, it streamlines the whole cleaning procedure and minimises the labour intensity. The downside is that if you use a poor cleaning solution, it may not effectively remove the deposits. Plus, there can be a risk to equipment if you use strong corrosives.

Ultrasonic cleaning

Finally we have a process that employs ultrasonic sound fields to produce fluid mechanics. The ultrasonic fields actually lead to many changes in the chemical attributes and physical shape of deposits. The result is them loosening, breaking, dispersing, etc. So, it can effectively clean tubing.

We provide the best ERW steel tubes in the West Midlands

At Union Steel Tubes, we supply first rate products to every client. We are aware that projects call for the best utensils. As such, we do everything possible to ensure you get them. This includes quality management processes. Our team also aims to get orders out quickly.

So, if you are after the greatest ERW steel tubes in the West Midlands, talk to us. We can even offer advice if you need to know what applications you can use them for.