Boiler Tube Cleaning and Boiler Tube Cleaner Machine

In this article, we will guide you on how to choose the right boiler tube cleaning head for your boiler tube machine.

The reason we have taken the time to write this article is because of the challenge that plant managers face when it comes to choosing these pieces of equipment. The challenge lies in the fact that there are so many of these boiler tube cleaning heads and brushes to pick from. Hence, even a seasoned professional might find it overwhelming.

How Often Should Boiler Tubes be Cleaned?

How often you clean the boiler tubes will depend on the conditions and the environment of the boiler system. If the system efficiency is being compromised, the boiler tube is due for cleaning and maintenance work. A simple indicator for this is higher stack temperature than usual. You can also invest in efficiency testers. 

Efficiency testers will indicate when any issues such as drafting, fouling, flame impingements, clogged burners, and messed up firing quantities. Regular and proper cleaning and maintenance will ensure that the boiler system will save you money. 

When boiler tubes are dirty and clogged, their efficiency drops. Boilers functioning on low efficiency consume even more fuel while producing much lesser output. To maintain the efficiency of the boiler system, preventive measures and regular cleaning is a must. The debris and deposits have an insulating effect and can increase fuel usage by at least two times. If preventive measures are not taken, wear and tear will cause repair work to pile up. This will cost you ten times more than regular maintenance. 

Fortunately, cleaning boiler tubes is not a difficult task with the latest technology. You can now descale the tubes with boiler cleaning machines in a matter of a few minutes.

Whether you are a new professional or a seasoned professional in the field of plant management, knowing just the 3 things below will help you choose the best cleaning head that is just right.

Things to Consider When Choosing Boiler Tube Cleaning Heads

industrial boiler pipes

The following are the things you should consider when choosing this piece of equipment:

1. The Size of the Tube

The first factor you need to consider is the ID (inner diameter) of the tube. Inner diameter refers to the distance between opposite sides within the tube’s interior wall. To get the internal diameter of the tube you want to clean, all you need is to get either a digital micrometer or mechanical hole gauge to measure the inner diameter.

If you don’t have any of the devices we just mentioned, then you can still calculate the inner diameter provided you know what the OD (outer diameter) and the wall gauge of the tube are. You just need to find a smart chart online that allows you to calculate the ID of the duct. Visit https://sciencing.com/ to learn how to calculate the internal diameter.

The Size of the Tube

The difference between OD and ID is that the former includes the entire diameter of the duct including the wall thickness, while the latter is limited to the diameter within the conduit. As a result, the ID is smaller than the OD.

Most boiler tubes have a diameter range of 1-1/2 to 4+ inches while heat exchangers are smaller with a diameter range of ¼ to 1-1/2 inches.

Other than the diameter of the tube, size considerations also include the length of a tube. Generally, for a longer tube, a longer cleaning shaft is needed. If you are using shoot-through scrubbers, more power will also be required for long tubes. 

To easily manage cleaning the tube, it is wise to use a cleaning shaft that is half the length of the tube. And then clean the tube from both ends. This also ensures more thorough cleaning. A shorter tube and shaft both are less likely to break or get damaged.

2. The Type of the Tube

Size is not the only factor you must know about, you should also know the conduit type. You should know whether they are curved or straight.

Straight pipes usually go through the main pressure vessel and exit at the other end. You can find this type commonly in fire tube boilers and shell & tube heat exchangers.

Curved tubes also known as U-tubes curve returns to the conduit’s front sheet. Hence, to clean this type of duct, you need a head that is flexible enough to work through the pipe’s bend. You can find this type in water tube boilers as well as U-tube exchangers.

There are some ducts known as internally enhanced tubes, especially, in heat exchangers that have twisting ridges that are similar to rifling. Read this article to learn what rifling is. The shape of the conduit enables the flow of liquid through the conduit to be more efficient and smooth with minimal turbulence.

The best head for these pipes is dual diameter brushes because their design enables them to reach both low and high areas of the conduits.

The Type of the Tube

Another thing you should know is the metal tube type that has been fit into the vessel you intend to clean. The metal used for the duct and the brush should always be the same. This way, you can guarantee minimal or no damage that could lead to a reduction in the conduit’s service life, especially for those manufactured with soft metals.

For instance, metals that have no iron content such as brass, aluminum, and copper are usually softer. Therefore, cleaning such a vessel with a steel head that is harder will definitely scratch the pipe’s internal surface. Such will, in turn, lead to untimely corrosion which will cause leaks in the future.

Hence, the softer heads made of bronze, brass, or copper should be used in such a case. You can use stainless steel with tubes made of copper-nickel alloy and titanium. Brushes with plastic nylon are perfect for any type of metal.

3. The Type of Boiler

Boilers come in two types: firetube and water tube. In the firetube boiler, debris, and scale is deposited inside the tubes. This is because the tubes are surrounded by hot water and steam travels through the tubes.

The tubes in the water-tube boiler carry the hot water. Because the program of each type of boiler is different, the type of debris and its location also differs. In a firetube boiler, the tubes have the most amount of soot. Traditionally, soot blowers were used to clean the tubes. In water tube boilers, the lining of the boiler also has scale deposits.

4. The Type of Dxebris

The type of debris that has built up in the tube also influences the type of brush or head that will be used for cleaning the pressure vessel.

There are 4 main categories of debris that you might encounter. We will look at them below:

The Type of Debris

1. Light and Medium

This debris is found in systems that undergo frequently schedule maintenance. To get rid of this kind of debris, you need spiral brushes. When combined with the water supplied through the shaft of the drive unit, the flushing will help to clean the vessel. When you discover that the water coming out from the back is clean, it shows that the conduit is now clean.

2. Soft Powdery

Moderate deposits at times might require something stronger than a spiral brush. Hence, when you encounter chemical, scale, and rust precipitates, you should get an expanding brush that has replaceable bristles. While the head on your machine’s unit shaft is spinning, the bristle cartridges will increase in size to fill the space of the tube’s interior circumference thanks to centripetal force.

These brushes have a longer life when compared to spiral brushes. When the bristles on the brush wear down, in order to reach the walls of the pipe, the cartridge will rise somewhat further. When the bristle cartridges become so worn out, you can change them. You can get them in nylon, bronze, stainless steel, and steel. Click https://www.jagranjosh.com/ to find out the difference between steel and stainless steel.

3. Soft, Wet & Gummy

To get rid of this kind of sludgy debris, you need an expanding scraper. This head can also expand and be replaced in the same manner as the expanding brush. However, they are different in the sense that the blades of the scraper are less prone to accumulating the sludgy deposits, unlike the brush bristles.

One good thing about this head is that with the aid of a flexible holder, you can use it for curved tubes.

4. Hard or Brittle Scale

For pipes that have a buildup of calcium or limescale, you need a buffing tool after you have used an expanding scraper or brush first. After that, you can get a cutter which can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

Conclusion

Cleaning your boiler tube machine or heat exchanger is also possible if you have the right cleaning head. Therefore, in the article above, we have provided you with a guide that will make the selection of these pieces of equipment a walk in the park.