Eddy current
Heat exchangers are used in an industrial process to exchange heat from a process or product stream to water as a coolant, often in an open recirculating cooling water system.
The cooling process is critical if the industrial process is to operate properly. If the heat exchanger metal surfaces become fouled due to scale, corrosion, biological material or process contaminants, the exchanger will not properly cool the process. This results in loss of cooling capability, which can limit or stop production.
During operation, various monitoring tools are used to determine if the heat exchanger metal surfaces are clean. The monitoring methods currently available only provide indications relative to conditions in the system. During plant/rig turnarounds or shutdowns, heat exchangers are opened for inspection, cleaning and repair. It is only at these times where the actual condition of the heat exchanger can be discovered. During inspections, the actual condition of bundle tubes can be directly observed and determined.
Undetected flaws in a pressurised system can prove disastrous.
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