How to check if a heat exchanger is leaking air
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This post was last edited by txglyl on 2011-9-5 14:31. How to detect if a heat exchanger is leaking?
Open the manholes at the top and bottom of the heat exchanger; plug one end of the heat exchange tubes with a plug, and use a vacuum pump to draw air from the other end. If a vacuum can be created, it means there is no leak; if no vacuum can be created, it indicates a leak. Check each one individually.
Reply to 2# WJM2886: Isn’t it quite difficult to block it with a plug? The sealing effect cannot be guaranteed
Reply to 3# A Shan: Use a rubber stopper; it provides good sealing. That’s how we do it; no problem.
The simplest way is to open the manhole, insert a flashlight inside, check each section one by one, and then use a 1.2-meter-long rebar rod to probe the acidic sludge; the pipe that is leaking air will be wet, while those that are not leaking will be dry. Or if the test results show persistent and stable levels above the normal range, it can also be determined that there is air leakage in the heat exchange tubes (at the same time, the temperature conversion exhibits abnormal behavior and is difficult to control)
Reply to 5# lbylc: Thank you, this is a good approach
Reply to 1# Yunlang'er: During operation, it is possible to monitor whether there is an upward trend in the sulfur dioxide concentration at the inlet and outlet of the sulfur trioxide pipeline of this heat exchanger; if the sulfur dioxide concentration increases significantly, along with changes in temperature in the latter part of the conversion layer, it can be confirmed that there is a leak； (Replacement is not feasible.) If parking, the blocking method is preferable. The third method involves blowing smoke between the tubes to check for smoke emission inside them, which can be used for determination ； Pressure test for leak detection ；
During production operations, the method of measuring SO2 concentrations at the inlet and outlet is the simplest, but this approach requires high accuracy and precision in the measurement techniques.
Not bad, that’s a good idea. Have you only used this method before?
Not bad, that’s a good idea. Have you only used this method before?