High-performance longitudinal finned tubes replacing a fouled bundle in a refinery preheat train.
Background
The refinery was fighting a fouling problem in a preheat exchanger. The original high-fin tubes could not be cleaned effectively, so the unit was being bypassed more often than the operators wanted.
Solution
Longitudinal fins with a wider channel replaced the helical high fins. Surface area fell by about 20 %, but the bundle could now be mechanically cleaned on site, and the average availability over the year improved enough to offset the lower clean-state performance.
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Base tube | Carbon steel A106 Gr.B, 88.9 mm OD |
| Fin | Carbon steel, 25 mm height, 12 fins |
| Quantity | 320 tubes |
| Testing | Hydrostatic, dimensional report |
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