At HPC we pride ourselves on our ability to provide our customers with comprehensive, turnkey services without compromising quality or safety. Our innovative Total Exchanger Management program does just that. By choosing HPC Industrial to handle the cleaning, repairs and maintenance for your heat exchangers, you eliminate potential issues that could arise from having to orchestrate multiple contractors every step of the way; using one company means one point of contact who is equipped to help you plan and then keep you informed of the job’s progress. From start to finish, our rigorously trained experts handle the minutiae of each project so you can focus on the big picture: keeping your facility running smoothly, safely and efficiently.
Industries we serve
■ Refinery
■ Chemical
■ Pulp & Paper
■ Power Gen
■ Steel
■ Automotive
■ And many more
Why you need HPC Industrial
In nearly every industry, heat exchangers play a large role in the day-to-day activities of your business, which means that they need to be monitored closely to ensure maximum efficiency. Over time, the exchanger’s overall ability to transfer heat declines due to fouling. Fouling causes an increase in resistance of the fluids within the exchanger, impacting pressure levels and flow rates and contributes to corrosion of the exchanger tubes. If left for too long without proper maintenance, catastrophic failures can occur, and your facility will have no choice but to shut down until it can be fixed.
By using HPC as your single-source provider for all steps of exchanger management, you get the peace of mind that you’re taking the best possible care of your facility. Scheduling routine maintenance – or contacting us in an emergency – has never been easier.
Total Exchanger Management
Blinding & Unbolting
Isolating the exchanger you will be working with is crucial to the success of the entire Exchanger Management process. Using the appropriate blind for the exchanger allows for safe and efficient disassembly and extraction of tube bundles by our cross-trained bolting specialists. HPC Industrial has a supply of hydraulic tensioners and hydraulic torque wrenches necessary to preload standard size bolts and studs. Manual torque wrenches are available for smaller stud sizes. We also employ the use of ultrasonic extensometers to measure bolt preload. These units provide an on-site printed evaluation of each bolt in a flange. HPC Controlled Bolting Services can also design and manufacture specialized hydraulic tooling for applications where standard industry tooling will not work.
Bundle Extraction
Once the exchanger is isolated, you will separate the tube bundle from the shell. This is done with equipment designed specifically for tube bundle extraction that keeps all site and job personnel as safe as possible.
■ Hydraulic Aerial Bundle Extractor
■ Capacity: 36’ long X 100,000 lbs. X 96” diameter
■ Rear mounted self-propelled bundle extractors
■ Capacity: 26’ long X 45,000 lbs. X 76” diameter
Transportation
After the exchanger bundle is pulled, it will be brought to a wash pad onsite or to a dedicated HPC cleaning facility. During the planning stage, you will have decided if the exchanger will stay on site, considering scheduling, timelines, sustainability concerns, environmental concerns, available space at the facility and any other relevant variables. If it is determined that a turn-key off site facility is the best option, HPC Industrial will bring the exchanger to an available wash pad and begin the cleaning process.
Cleaning
Serious power and years of expertise are what HPC Industrial brings when trusted to safely clean and extend your equipment life. Cleaning and maintaining the metal equipment in an industrial facility is a daunting task with serious bottom-line implications. Our equipment includes our ShellSide cleaner, Computerized Tube Cleaning System (CTCS) and Ultrasonic Chemical Cleaning Services to help you preserve the life of the equipment at your facility inside and out. These services can be conducted onsite or at an off site cleaning facility owned by HPC
Industrial or Clean Harbors.
Computerized Tube Cleaning System
Unlike conventional tube cleaning services, HPC Industrial delivers safety, efficiency and sustainability thanks to our Computerized Tube Cleaning System (CTCS). This technology can be operated remotely, removing employees from the line of fire of pressurized hoses. The system utilizes four lances simultaneously, which significantly decreases the amount of time it takes to complete cleaning jobs by approximately 30%-50%. Another benefit is a 25%-30% reduction in water consumption, keeping the environment healthier.
More benefits of CTCS:
■ Exchanger is preprogrammed and cleaned with the push of a button
■ Slicker suit eliminated
■ Real-time data collection
■ Detailed post-job reports
Ultrasonic Chemical Cleaning
Ultrasonic Chemical Cleaning is a technique that combines chemical and mechanical methods to provide a precision cleaning to both the internal and external sides of industrial equipment simultaneously. Often combined with high-pressure water blasting (HPWB) to help rinse away residual chemicals and foulant, Ultrasonic Cleaning is a powerful technique that helps return heat exchangers and parts to like new performance. The Ultrasonic vessel is equipped with ultrasonic transducers that deliver acoustic energy, which cavitates the liquid at the equipment surface to push away stuck-on deposits and break down tough scales. Our proprietary chemistries are specially designed to be compatible with the fouling type and the metallurgy of the material on your site, ensuring that we deliver the utmost care to your assets.
Key benefits to using ultrasonic cleaning:
■ Reaching interstitial areas
■ Improved heat transfer coefficient rates
■ Improved volume throughput
■ Lower fuel gas consumption resulting in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
■ 75-95% reduction in water consumption versus HPWB alone
■ Reduced manpower onsite, removing personnel from line of fire
■ Reduction in overall turn-around time for traditionally difficult to clean assets
■ Ready for NDE inspection the first time
Testing & Repair
Non-Destructive Examination & Inspection HPC offers Eddy Current testing, which is a non-destructive method of inspecting the integrity of heat exchanger tubing by detecting wall loss and determining the type of repair required. This can take place either at the client location or an off site HPC facility. Routine inspection helps identify problem areas, which avoids costly unplanned outages.
Methods
■ Eddy Current Testing (ECT)
Inspection of non-ferromagnetic materials
■ Remote Field Testing (RFT)
Inspection of ferromagnetic materials
■ Near Field Testing (NFT)
Inspection of finned tubes
■ Internal Rotary Inspection System (IRIS)
Method to measure tube wall thickness
■ Borescope
Remote visual method to confirm indications identified on Inside Diameter (ID) of tube
■ In-house Certified Welding Inspector (CWI)
■ Internally training and certifying NDE technicians
■ Visual Testing (VT)
■ Penetrate Testing (PT)
■ Magnetic Testing (MT)
■ ASNT Level III & II certified personnel
ASNT: highest standard of safety and quality
Tube Repair
After inspection is complete, tube repair can begin. HPC has the equipment and expertise to repair heat exchanger tubes and other exchanger parts, which means there’s no down time due to transportation delays or having to bring in another contractor.
Tube Repair Capabilities
■ Retube: Replacing old tubes with new tubes using size-specific tube sheets and baffles
■ Repair/Plug: Plugging the tube with tapered or pop-it plugs made of material that matches the makeup of the exchanger tube needing the repair
■ Machining/Milling: Removing material from the exchanger flange
■ Stud drill out/re-tap: Drilling out broken stud bolts/studs and re-tap a new set of threads on the flange
■ Individual tube testing: Using air pressure or vacuum to test tube integrity
■ Weld Repair/Buildup: NBIC R-Stamp
certification *coming 2025*
Exchanger Reinstall
Push Bundle & Bolt-up
When the exchanger is ready to be reincorporated, the equipment used to remove the tube bundle can be used to reinstall the bundle in the exchanger. A specialist ensures that the tube bundle is reinserted properly and any connection to other segments is reinstated using hydraulic bolting and tensioning equipment.
Hydro-test Bundle
To ensure the integrity of the installation and any repairs, HPC conducts hydro-testing of the exchanger to verify a leak-free start-up. If integrity issues are identified, the equipment is disassembled so repairs can take place. Our experts ensure the integrity of the reassembled exchanger prior to blind removal.
Blind Removal & Bolt-up
When the results of hydro testing confirm the bundle is ready for full operation, our technicians will again use our supply of hydraulic bolting and tensioning equipment to ensure a seamless reintegration of the exchanger. The inserted blinds throughout the exchanger are removed so the tube bundle is fully reincorporated and regular operations can resume.