The issue of cleaning heat exchangers
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The circulating water at the project site contains a high level of sediment; within one or two months of use, thick layers of scale form on the heat exchangers. Is it better to build a water treatment station for the circulating water, or is it preferable to carry out regular cleaning?
The treatment processes for circulating water should be enhanced; if there are many devices, the cleaning workload becomes too large
We face this problem here as well, but generally we take the opportunity when parking spaces are available to carry out cleaning. During operation, the performance of the heat exchangers is monitored to determine which one needs to be cleaned
The simplest solution is to install a sedimentation tank. Treating the water in this way isn’t very effective and it’s also a waste of money. Moreover, with such high concentrations of contaminants, cleaning the water treatment system becomes a problem as well.
In my opinion, if funds permit, it is better in the long run to invest in a water treatment station, as this can prevent unplanned shutdowns caused by sediment accumulation and a decrease in heat exchange capacity
If possible, the water should be treated; otherwise, scale will form very quickly. Even if cleaning is carried out regularly, the cost of such cleaning will be higher than the expenses associated with maintenance. Adding a sedimentation tank and using some wastewater treatment agents should help improve water quality. Of course, it would be best to install soft water equipment. If you decide to clean the equipment, consider using better cleaning agents such as those from Foshitek Environmental Protection. After all, your equipment suffers from frequent scaling, and the harsh environment makes it easy for corrosion and leaks to occur, which would result in premature equipment failure and significant losses. I have examples of heat exchanger cleaning and maintenance in my Haichuan Space portfolio; I hope they can be useful to you
It depends on whether your equipment is turned off and on frequently – if it needs to be shut down often, it is recommended to carry out manual cleaning; otherwise, a soft water station can be installed, but the cost is high.
The silt content is high; this constitutes mechanical impurities. Natural sedimentation or filtration (such as microporous filters with backwashing) can be used, along with the addition of some sedimentation aids. The thick slurry is pumped out and removed using a slurry pump.
I’ve seen many heat exchangers being scrapped due to scaling
A technical-economic analysis would be needed for this, haha
Hehe, we’ve encountered similar problems as well. Later on, we carried out sedimentation and filtration of the circulating water in the heat exchangers, which caused scaling and reduced heat exchange efficiency; moreover, we switched to deionized water for cooling those heat exchangers that were suffering from corrosion, and the results improved significantly right away. :)