How to clean tube heat exchangers efficiently
Thread Content
I would like to ask how to clean the circulating water side of such heat exchangers, where the water flows through the shell side and all the heat exchange tubes are made of stainless steel.
It cannot be cleaned; if cleaning is necessary, it can only be done through chemical cleaning
Then there is a problem with this selection; either the circulating water has not been treated to meet the standards specified earlier
Chemical cleaning can be considered, and its effectiveness is satisfactory; the key lies in the proper ratio of the chemical cleaning agents, so as to remove scale without corroding the pipe interior
The most important thing is to identify the cause of scaling in the circulating water; by addressing the issues related to the circulating water, scaling will decrease. Chemical cleaning is relatively expensive.
Are there any good methods for chemical cleaning? We want to clean it ourselves
Physical high-pressure cleaning; chemical cleaning is not recommended
Cleaning should be carried out specifically based on the condition of the blocked pipe. Firstly, if the blockage is caused by suspended particles, such blockages are usually concentrated and easy to flush away, so physical cleaning methods are the most suitable. If it is scaling (precipitation), depending on the structure, dense scale requires mechanical removal using chemical and physical methods, or forced high-volume circulation cleaning ； Physical removal of the loose scale might be sufficient. As for the specific physical methods of mechanical cleaning or forced high-volume circulation cleaning, it depends on the specific design of the equipment. To eradicate such problems, it is recommended to address the water quality issue.