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Category Archive: CIP Heater

Tag Archive: CIP Heater

  1. Maintaining Your Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

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    Editor’s note: This content was last updated 5/14/24.

    A pivotal component across various operations, the shell and tube heat exchanger stands out as a cornerstone in many processes. In sectors like food, beverage, and dairy, its role in safeguarding consumers from contaminated products is paramount. Similarly, within the pharmaceutical realm, heat exchangers play a vital role in upholding the quality of medications.

    The ramifications of a heat exchanger malfunction are significant. Contaminated products result in potential decreases in productivity and, in severe cases, damaging recalls that tarnish reputations. To avert such scenarios, regular review and servicing of the heat exchanger are imperative. Neglecting maintenance leaves heat exchangers vulnerable to corrosion and fouling, which in turn heightens the risk of leaks. These leaks can lead to undesirable mixing of product with cooling or heating fluids, rendering entire batches unusable. Additionally, the accumulation of corrosion and deposits within the exchanger compromises its efficiency, hindering the attainment of desired temperatures.

    Corrosion leads to bigger problems

    Like any piece of equipment, a shell and tube heat exchanger requires periodic maintenance, including cleaning, repairs, and ultimately replacement. Continuous use will inevitably lead to wear and, potentially, corrosion. The objective is to prolong the exchanger’s operational lifespan for as long as possible. Proper maintenance can extend its longevity for decades, involving meticulous and regular inspections of all components.

    Ensuring the heat exchanger’s cleanliness is paramount throughout its lifespan. Prior to initial use, a thorough examination is necessary to confirm proper assembly and to prevent contamination of the tubes and shell by dirt, dust, or other contaminants.

    Corrosion is an inevitable process that occurs over time, despite adhering to maintenance schedules. It arises from chemical reactions within or surrounding the heat exchanger. Different metals react differently with various substances. Stainless steel is an optimal choice for exchangers, particularly when handling potentially corrosive substances that could harm other metals like copper alloys. High-alloy grade stainless steel can withstand corrosion from most acidic, alkaline, and chlorinated substances. However, even though the metal exhibits high resistance to corrosion, it will gradually deteriorate with time.

    Learn about the many options you have when it comes to heat exchanger material selection.

    Water monitoring

    The best way to prevent corrosion is to make sure only the best substances for the exchanger’s material makeup enter the machine. Using the correct chemicals to treat and clean the tubes is essential. This information should be obtained before you begin using your heat exchanger to ensure you are prepared for its maintenance from the get-go.

    Many heat exchangers use water as the heat transfer liquid. Tap water is generally of an acceptable quality to use in the machine. However, it is important to double check the water before putting it into the exchanger. The pH should be neutral, and the water shouldn’t be polluted or have any bacteria or other contaminates in it. If the water comes from a natural source, is should be treated before entering the tubes.

    Learn more about the different types of water for steam applications.

    If the water isn’t treated or inspected before entering the exchanger, debris could enter the machine and block the chambers. To prevent this from happening, screens or filters can be installed to keep particles out. If they do enter, they will wear against the tubes and cause corrosion.

    Regular monitoring of the heat exchanger’s condition aids in early detection of potential failures before fouling or contamination exacerbate the issue. Assessing water quality serves as an indicator of potential or ongoing failures; cloudy water suggests impurities. Additionally, recording temperature and pressure fluctuations can reveal emerging issues. Reduced efficiency may signal scaling, a solid precipitate formed from chemical reactions, which, over time, leads to fouling and corrosion. Monitoring other parameters such as tube thickness also provides insights into emerging problems.

    If you find that you need to replace all or part of your heat exchanger, contact Enerquip today. Need something fast? Review our many stock options.

     

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  2. Process Cooling: The Salsa Cooling Challenge

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    A custom heat exchanger design allows a salsa manufacturer to effectively complete process cooling of the product and expeditiously clean-in-place between batches and shifts.

    California-based Southwest Thermal Technology was approached by one of its OEM customers to provide a shell-and-tube cooler to chill a client’s salsa prior to bottling. The request was more challenging than it sounds.

    The Challenge

    Because of the viscosity of the salsa — around 2,000 cP while warm and much thicker at 9,165 cP when cooled — turbulent flow was extremely difficult to achieve in the tubes of a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The viscous salsa hindered efficient heat transfer. Typically, this situation is addressed by using a heat exchanger with more surface area while using a high volume of cooling water on the shell side of the heat exchanger. Such a design could achieve process cooling from 200 to 120°F (93 to 49°C).

    Southwest Thermal Technology wondered whether a more compact solution was possible. That’s when they reached out to Enerquip.

    After reviewing the problem, the engineers at Enerquip first considered a single, large heat exchanger that would perform well thermally. But the single large exchanger would be difficult to clean with the salsa maker’s clean-in-place (CIP) system. Typically, CIP works best when the cleaning solution can be circulated at 5 ft/sec or more. In a single, large exchanger, this would not be achievable.

    Of course, in food production environments, it is crucial to keep process equipment like shell-and-tube heat exchangers clean and sanitary. Regular CIP cleaning takes place between batches or shifts. This prevents cross-contamination of different products between batches and prevents unwanted bacterial growth that could contaminate food products.

    A New Approach

    The design team at Enerquip then developed a new approach. Process cooling of the salsa would occur by flowing through three smaller heat exchangers stacked in series. The salsa would pass from one heat exchanger to the next traveling through a sanitary jumper, which connected the outlet of the first exchanger to the inlet of the second exchanger, and likewise for the second-to-third exchanger connection. Meanwhile, the cooling water would flow counter-current from shell to shell, starting in the third exchanger, flowing through the second exchanger, and finally through the shell of the first unit.

    To realize this process cooling solution, three unique shell designs were created. They allowed the connecting flanges between each shell to be bolted together for the chilled water flow. Tube-side connections included an additional CIP connection on the first bonnet for the inlet and on the last bonnet for the outlet. CIP flow through the other bonnets used the jumper connections for the salsa to further reduce the piping costs and complexity.

    Enerquip Salsa Coolers – Stacked Set

    This design allowed for more efficient process cooling. In addition, the reduced exchanger size allowed the units to be cleaned effectively using the customer’s CIP system at 5 ft/sec flow through the tubes.

    Enerquip Salsa Cooler Enerquip Salsa Cooler

    Because of the acidity of the salsa, the salsa maker opted to use a higher stainless alloy for the tubes and other product-contact surfaces of the exchangers. While more expensive, super-austenitic stainless steel is more resistant to corrosion from acids and cleaning solutions.

    Another benefit of the three smaller, stacked exchangers over one larger exchanger was risk avoidance. If there was ever a tube failure in the single large exchanger, the customer would potentially be shut down completely during a repair, and the entire tube chest would need to be replaced. This would take months to achieve due to the lead-time on super-austenitic tubing. By using three smaller shell-and-tube heat exchangers in series, the salsa maker has equipment redundancy. Any of the units can be temporarily bypassed if there were a tube failure. Replacement of a smaller tube chest would be less than the cost of a single, larger one.

    Through this approach, the salsa maker was able to get more consistent process cooling and meet all the sanitary requirements for cleaning their equipment. As an added benefit, the company gained flexibility and redundancy while minimizing the risk of costly downtime.

    Article published in Process Cooling magazine: July 2019.

    Jim Peterson, Enerquip Sales Engineer

    Article Author: Jim Peterson, Enerquip Sales Engineer

    sales@enerquip.com

  3. Sani-Matic Testimonial of Enerquip Heat Exchangers

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    Sani-Matic shares why having a quality partnership with Enerquip means so much for their business. “We consider Enerquip a leader in their product range.” – Aaron Zell, President & CEO of Sani-Matic. “We can count on Enerquip – they do what they say they’re going to do. All foundations are built on trust and we have that firmly in place with Enerquip.”

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