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.

On water quality, consider the temperature, PH, residual manganese and chlorine, sulfide level, chloride level, dissolved oxygen, the water purity and the tendency to form sediments. Ions of iron, sodium, magnesium and calcium are less likely to form deposits and this is why their concentration goes up in coolers of water boilers. The type of alloys used to make the plugs depend on the chloride concentration in the H2O .

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.

Low pH means that the corrosion of plugs will happen quickly. The acidic compounds typically have low pH. Nonetheless, use of copper alloys in manufacture of devices can eliminate this problem. Besides strong acids, strong alkalis are corrosive too and they will cause damages to the tubes. The best alternative is ensuring that the pH of the water components is near neutral.

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 and mass absorption determines the degree of thermal transfer in these devices. If a protective layer is formed on the inside of the tubes, the level of thermal transfer will be reduced and also flow section degree. Another benefit this offers is resistance to transfer of thermal energy. This is referred to as fouling factor. There are no well-defined methods and formulas of calculating this factor. Many of these values given on the same are just estimates.

After the purchase of the plugs, it is important to get the details of their operation and maintenance right. This way, the devices will offer you the maximum benefits and they are likely to serve you for longer duration of time. The above mentioned factors influence the product cost significantly but if you get a quality product, the cost of maintenance will be reduced.




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