The Automatic Tube Brushing (ATB) System by Water Technology cleans chiller condensers and other shell and tube heat exchangers automatically without shutting down the equipment. This permanently installed system virtually eliminates tube fouling by removing debris from tube surfaces many times each day.
The ATB system 4-way voalve reverses the condenser water flow for about 30seconds every 6 hours.
ATB system brushes and baskets, the key to a strong system payback, installed in a condenser tube sheet.
The four-way valve automatically reverses water flow in the condenser for about thirty seconds, once every six hours. The valve fits into the condenser supply and return piping and is custom manufactured to suit any piping configuration.
Nylon-bristled brushes are propelled through the tubes with the reversed water flow. Working in conjunction with good chemical treatment, the brushes clean the tube walls to eliminate scale formation and fouling. Each brush is designed to have a 0.025-inch interference fit in the tube wall.
Open-ended low-pressure drop catch baskets are installed in the tube ends at the tube sheet to capture the brushes in the condenser heads. Removable end-clips allow for eddy-current testing and brush replacement, which is normally recommended every four to five years.
ATB system brushes and baskets, the key to a strong system payback, installed in a condenser tube sheet.
The benefits include:
Energy Savings - Lower fouling factors provide more efficient heat transfer. Electrical energy consumption is reducted by 10% to 30% when average fouling is eliminated. The ATB System is guaranteed to provide a 0.0001 fouling factor or better.
Maintenance Savings - The need to manually clean tubes is eliminated as the ATB system cleans condenser tubes daily. Labour and material costs for maintenance are greatly reduced.
Reduction of downtime - The ATB system eliminates the need to shut down heat transfer equipment throughout the year. In process industries, unscheduled downtime to manually clean tubes costs even more than the energy loss created by tube fouling.
Reduction of chemicals - Normal chemical treatment on tube walls can be redued as the ATB system keeps precipitation from forming on the walls. This prevention of precipitation also helps to eliminate periodic acid cleaning.
