One of the most important pieces of equipment at many industrial sites, especially in the oil and gas industry, is the heat exchanger. The reason for its high importance is because a heat exchanger is equipment that is designed to efficiently transfer heat. Despite the name they can actually be used for heating or for cooling…and in the petroleum industry they are typically used for the purpose of cooling.
A broken, faulty, or poorly functioning exchanger can wreak havoc on a work-site. To prevent this from happening it is crucial to service the exchanger proactively to avoid downtime or even costlier repairs. This can be accomplished with a comprehensive set of heat exchanger services including construction, installation, repair, and retubing. What follows is a more in-depth look at our exchanger services.
Complete Exchanger Re-Tube and Repair – Occasional maintenance and repair are a very necessary part of operating an exchanger. STI Group is able to perform this service on your exchanger and we can even do a full retubing when applicable. Doing so can give your exchanger a new lease on life and significantly improve its performance.
TLX – Transfer Line Exchangers (TLX) are designed to rapidly cool very hot gas. They operate in extremely harsh conditions and despite significant strides in technology, corrosion of TLX tends to be an ongoing problem. STI Group services your TLX and brings it back to peak operating performance.
Fin Fans – Fin fans are utilized as part of an air cooling system in heat exchangers. The fin fans are designed to blow onto the hot tubes, thereby cooling them. This is a very effective cooling strategy.
Condensers – Condensers are a vital part of heat exchangers. A condenser’s main role is to sufficiently cool a substance so that it condenses from a gas into a liquid. STI Group manufactures and services condensers, helping them stay in at their most efficient levels so that the exchanger itself is able to perform its task.
Chillers – Just as fin fans utilize air as their cooling medium in heat exchangers, chillers utilize water. This is a very effective means of cooling; however, in order for it to be successful the chiller must keep the water at just the right temperature: low enough to effectively cool without freezing over. STI Group services chillers and helps keep this delicate balance in check.
Ferrule Installation – A ferrule is often used in an exchanger to prevent turbulence from damaging the end of the tube. They are also often used to carry hot tubeside fluid. When it becomes necessary to replace these ferrules STI Group is on hand to help install the new ones.
Bundle Extracting – As a regular part of heat exchanger maintenance, it is often necessary to do a tube bundle extraction. Since this is often done during a turnaround or shut down it needs to be done quickly and efficiently to minimize the amount of downtime required. STI Group is very experienced in performing bundle extracting for heat exchangers.
Bolt Torquing – Bolt torquing refers to the process of fastening and securing bolts using torque. In the context of heat exchangers this is very common because it is an important step to prevent leakage. STI Group is knowledgeable about bolt torquing and can help ensure that the bolts on the exchanger have the correct degree of torque applied to them.
Truck Mounted Bundle Extractor – Using a truck mounted bundle extractor eliminates the need for crane rentals and the headache and expense of bringing a crane on site. We are able to bring the truck to the exchanger with ease to lift and transport the equipment for service. This saves time and money as well as decreases the complexity of the project.
Stud Tensioning – Stud tensioning is similar to bolt torquing in that it is a process of fastening and securing stud bolts in the exchanger in order to prevent leakage. However, with stud tensioning the process is more automated and repeatable. There is also a higher degree of accuracy and precision available with stud tensioning.
