High-pressure units, which supply water with a pressure above 2000 bar, are devices that allow you to clean all hard-to-reach places where there is dirt that may cause ineffective operation of the installation or even a failure. An example is the regular cleaning of heat exchangers. Lack of diligence and systematicity in this matter over time increases operating costs and reduces the throughput of the installation, and thus generates problems. And all you need is an appropriate power generator with accessories and the matter becomes simple.
Washing heat exchangers is a broad term
The heat exchanger itself is quite a broad concept. Generally speaking, it is a device that transfers heat between two or more fluids. This is a considerable simplification, because the term refers to a fairly large group of devices of different construction, complexity and mode of operation, and thus application. Usually we associate them with industry or at most a boiler room in a large building, and at that time exchangers can be found in domestic gas combi boilers, water heaters, heaters or car coolers. Heat exchangers come in several types, but the most common applications are tube, plate, coil and fin heat exchangers. So it can be seen that also washing of heat exchangers cannot be always the same, since their structure is different. Appropriate knowledge and knowledge of methods is necessary, which will allow for the accurate use of tips in the form of lances, rigid or flexible hoses with a head. In addition, the exchangers themselves are not the end of the operation, because it is also necessary to clean other parts of the installation, e.g. condensers or evaporators. Depending on the degree and type of contamination, chemical support is often used, but the use of water under very high pressure for cleaning heat exchangers significantly reduces this necessity.
Washing of heat exchangers – methods and equipment
Heat exchangers must be periodically inspected and cleaned to operate smoothly and efficiently. However, cleaning of the heat exchangers must be adapted to their type and size. The entire operation takes place with high or very high pressure water, preferably between 2,000 and 2,500 bar. Depending on the dimensions of the tubes, appropriate endings are used. Wherever the cross-section allows it, rigid lances or guns can be used, but it often happens that it is necessary to introduce a flexible hose with a swivel head. Piercing nozzles, combined with high pressure, can also withstand any blockage or narrowing of the tube’s lumen. Often, additional chemicals are used to either soften the deposits before you use water, or to etch the rest of the contaminants after using it. Often, however, professional experience shows that regular cleaning of heat exchangers and the use of appropriate water pressure significantly reduces the need for chemicals.