Checking the tightness of heat exchanger
What can only one invisible to the eye crack in the heat exchanger lead to? How to detect it and how to avoid expensive equipment repairs?
“
For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of horseshoe nail
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost,
For want of a rider the battle was lost,
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of horseshoe nail
Green operation, safe and high performance are the main factors in the production of quality food
Heat exchangers operate in unstable, humid environments, exposed to extreme temperatures and chemical compounds.
With age, the risk of imperceptible defects smaller than an air molecule increases.
Untimely replacement of a damaged element negatively affects the quality of the product, inevitably leads to equipment failure and industrial injuries.
With age, the risk of imperceptible defects smaller than an air molecule increases.
Untimely replacement of a damaged element negatively affects the quality of the product, inevitably leads to equipment failure and industrial injuries.
Plate-type heat exchangers' types of damage
How to detect a hidden equipment defect
1,5 hours
Heat exchanger audit
per section
per section
4 hours
Detailed report ready
99%
Leak detection guarantee
300€
Average cost
per 1 section test
per 1 section test
Gas testing technology without equipment disassembling
HOW DOES THIS WORK?
GasTest —
no time or a quest!
no time or a quest!
Test steps
Preparation
- CIP cleaning of heat exchangers.
- Disconnecting product and utility piping.
Testing
- One part of the heat exchanger is pumped with safe forming gas (hydrogen 10% + nitrogen 90%).
- In the other part, a diaphragm pump provides air circulation in a closed circuit.
- If there is damage in the plate, hydrogen molecules will penetrate the part with air mixture circulation at the leak point.
- The device will fix the location and size of the defect, as well as the rate of hydrogen molecules leakage in the damaged plate.
- Checking the seals of the heat exchanger over the entire surface.
Report
- Confirmation of the presence or absence of damage.
- The size of the detected defects.
- Photographic evidences of damages.
- Recommendations for elimination of defects and further operation.
Why gas test is better than disassembly?
The equipment disassembly with subsequent visual inspection of the plate-type heat exchanger does not require large financial expenses.
However, when disassembling:
- Downtime of the production process is inevitable (up to 3 days).
- There is a high risk of damage to seals and plates.
- It is necessary to change even appropriate seals (up to 7000 Euros per set).
- A company personnel’ workforce costs increase.
- Impossibility of microcracks detection.
Comparison table of test methods for heat exchangers
Testing methods
Hydraulic proof test
Hydrochemical test
Dye-penetrant test
Gas test N2H2
Seal
condition
condition
Material
fatigue
fatigue
Corrosion
Microcrack
< 30 microns
Microcrack
> 30 microns
Through
hole
hole
GAS TEST
7 advantages
Reduces risks associated with product quality.- Detects a problem before the company incurs losses.
Uses environmentally friendly hydrogen at a safe concentration of 10%.
- Has effective efficiency (9 times) compared to other tests without disassembling.
Eliminates migration of media and refrigerant coolant dilution.
- Saves labor costs of own personnel by 95%.
- Does not require additional water consumption.
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