TO keep power plants and other equipment operating efficiently, it’s important to undertake regular cleaning of the boilers.
That’s according to Sebastian Werner, MD at Werner Pumps, who said that over time, ash build-up forms slag deposits on the boiler tubes, which act like a layer of insulation over them.
This, he added, means more and more fuel is required to get the boilers up to temperature and to produce the same output. It also results in higher carbon emissions because of the additional fuel usage.
“Our 1000-bar and 1200-bar, V8 trailer units are ideal for scale and slag build-up cleaning applications, said Werner. “Water pressure jet cleaning is also used for condenser applications, as often used in underground mines. Because of the high-volume pumps and jets, we can reach the full distance of the boiler tubes.”
He cited the example of a recent Hendrina power utility cleaning application. “The boiler tubes were over 9m long, with an inside diameter or roughly 23cm. Our units were able to run for more than 20 hours at a go, for what is known as ‘online cleaning’, which is cleaning while the boiler is in operation.
“Although this is a delicate operation, it means no downtime for the plant. We were also thrilled to hear from the contractor that our 100% locally manufactured equipment was able to run longer and more efficiently than other similar equipment available on the market they had been using.”
Werner said scale deposits on firetubes are often worsened by burning lower-quality fuels or by incinerating materials that don’t burn cleanly – for example, in medical waste incineration applications.
“It’s important to clean tubes regularly for optimum heat transfer. Our units can be ordered in an electric version or diesel driven version. They can be skid-, trolley- or trailer-mounted depending on the customer’s requirements. We also stock a range of specialist nozzles to ensure we provide the best solution for each specific application.”
The same type of equipment can also be used for cleaning rubber lining from pipelines, while the larger 2800-bar Werner Pumps unit is ideal for paint and rust removal applications, he said.
