Tuesday 22 September 2015

Getting Conversant With Heat Exchanger Tube Plugs

By Daphne Bowen


When it comes to selection of the devices to be used in heat exchange, it is the house engineers and designers who have to take action. Also, the tube plugs manufacturers have their role to play. Going about it blindly will give a bad outcome. Water quality, design of the devices and techniques of operating and maintaining the devices affect the choices made. Below is an outlook of facets of heat exchanger tube plugs.

Water quality is affected by the level of chloride, sulfide, manganese, residual chlorine and dissolved oxygen. Other specs which have an effect on the quality of water include sedimentation capacity, temperature and pH level. The ions of calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron are known to go up in water coolers. It is the amount of chloride ions in the water that dictate the alloys to use in manufacture of tube plugs.

Oxygen that has dissolved in water makes the tubes corrode faster. This is why it is important to add substances to bring down the oxygen levels in water. Copper alloy tubes are not very effective when the water has high oxygen concentration. In addition, they are not resistant to dirty water when sulfate is present. The best plugs to go for in such a situation are the ones made from titanium and stainless steel.

When chlorine is mixed with water, the end product is very corrosive. Since chlorine is the only product which performs well in purification of water, its use is extensive. It is upon the selectors of tube plugs to think of ways to reduce the bad effects hypochlorite causes. One of the ways is adding suitable compounds into the H2O to reduce this effect. The effects are far-reaching if the H2O temperature is high.

Less pH indicates the presence of strong acids. These compounds have high corrosive powers. In addition, alkaline solutions have a similar effect. Ensuring these compounds are not in high concentration in the water can effectively address the situation. The pH should be kept as near neutral as possible.

Iron and manganese cause a change in the color of water during deposition. There are some plugs which have no resistance when the H2O flowing therein is fresh. Again, the copper ones are very effective. Basically, the properties of the water that will be flowing through them should be taken seriously when purchasing the heat exchanger plugs.

Sedimentation process and absorption of mass are very crucial aspects in thermal heat transfer. Maximum protection is offered if an inner lining is formed on the tube plug. Thermal transfer is controlled and the flow rate in the section. There is more resistance offered to the product flow. This is known as fouling factor. The formulas put forth to calculate it are not so effective and many times the figure is just an approximate.

Many people go for cheap products because they do not want to spend much. What they forget is that the cost of maintenance and operating such devices will cost them a lot in the end.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment