The issue of keeping the device over winter
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Dear sailors from the north: How should winter installations be prepared for the cold season? What are some good solutions, such as daily management of heating systems?
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The heating system of the equipment should be checked at the end of each shift; the circulation water valves for pumps and coolers should be slightly opened. Standby pumps should have their condensate drained in advance. Regular checks should be carried out on areas within the water system that are difficult to reach, and a thermometer can be used for such inspections. Instruments have anti-freezing measures, but problems can still occur. The key is still for the team members to take care of it
Precautions for winter operation: Slightly increase the temperature at each air-cooling outlet, ensure that the fans operate at a negative angle, and keep the temperature inside the air-cooling unit above 0℃； Appropriately reduce the cooling water flow rate for the pumps (but not too much); check the return water sight glass to ensure smooth flow of cooling water, and maintain good lubrication conditions in all standby pumps ； Appropriately reduce the water circulation volume of the water cooler to ensure an adequate flow in the bypass line ； Ensure that all heat tracing pipelines are unobstructed and undergo regular inspections on schedule ； The emergency venting system releases contents on schedule ； Each idle control valve ensures the minimum valve position ； The instrument air tank should have its condensate drained on schedule ； Ensure that all traps are operating properly ； The temperature in the pump house and compressor room should not be too low ； The waterline valve chamber should be regularly inspected ； The liquid level gauges on the glass panels of each container must be carefully inspected and covered with felt ； Insulation should be provided for the drain valve at the lowest point to prevent water accumulation ； Control the liquid level in each reflux tank to prevent water carried by the reflux from freezing up the pipelines ；
Heating management is actually a key aspect of winter maintenance; it is recommended to arrange the heating systems properly during the construction phase, including the supply and return water lines, and to create a heating map. In the event of any leaks, they should be promptly addressed. It’s best for the heat tracing to be made of stainless steel, once and for all
That year, our plant was completely shut down; all the liquid-phase pipelines, including those for fresh water, demineralized water, deoxygenated water, heat-tracing hot water, and circulating cooling water, were emptied~~~ It was a year of significant scale for that shutdown. The units that have already started operating are relatively easier to handle~~~
When the fan operates at a negative angle, does it need to be set to a negative value diagonally? What degree is appropriate, and what is the effect during actual operation?
Key focus areas: hydrated materials, air cooling, water cooling, circulating water pipelines, heat exchanger pipelines, heat tracing (detailed drawings are preferred, those that exactly match the actual site), idle pipelines, etc
This post was last edited by Gangda Dadi on 2015-11-7 at 10:00. Our air-cooling fans use reversible axial flow fans (with fully symmetrical blades); the air volume generated when the fan operates in forward or reverse direction is generally similar (that is, we do not adjust the blade angle, as it remains the same in both directions). The blade angle of our fans is around 10 degrees or so. Of course, this angle can also be adjusted based on the overload current and the actual cooling effect. For example, if one of our fans trips at 16A while currently operating at 11A, we can increase the blade angle to boost the air volume. In summer, the fan operates in forward direction to blow air outward and thus lower the temperature after cooling; in winter, by changing the motor’s rotation direction, the fan draws air inward to reduce the cooling effect of the air cooler, which helps to keep the temperature inside the air-cooling unit above 0 degrees. However, when our fan runs in reverse, the hot air flows downward, and although our motor is connected by a belt, it remains outside the range of the air outlet, which results in poor cooling of the motor; therefore, a motor capable of withstanding high temperatures is required.
The heat tracing lines should be inspected regularly, and there should be no dead ends in the pipelines