Before
After
Go From This....To This... for a Fraction of the Cost of Retubing
During their operating life tubular heat exchangers are often subject to inlet tube end erosion. This erosion occurs over the first few inches of the tube end, often reducing the tube wall sufficiently enough to require the tube to be plugged. Installing a metallic tube sleeve through the eroded area of the tube end mitigates the effects of this erosion allowing the tube to be returned to service, extending the life of the heat exchanger and postponing costly retubing or bundle replacement. Sleeving may also be implemented in a program to reclaim previously plugged tubes and increase exchanger surface area.
Metallic Tube sleeves may be installed using conventional tube expanders or EST's Hydra-Loc™ hydraulic expansion techniques.
Why choose a metallic sleeve over plastic sleeves or inserts?
Metallic sleeves are superior to plastic sleeves or inserts for the following reasons.
- Metallic sleeves are expanded into intimate contact with the host tube. Plastic sleeves are glued or simply pushed into the tube ends. Metallic sleeves provide better heat transfer characteristics than plastic. Metallic sleeves are considerably thinner than plastic sleeves and do not have to be removed to clean the tubes or perform ECT or IRIS tube inspections. The thinner profile of the metallic sleeves minimizes the transition between the inner edge of the sleeve and the host tube, reducing the chance of secondary tube erosion.
- Metallic sleeves are more easily removed than glued in plastic sleeves.
Hydra-Loc™ Tube Sleeving System
The Hydra-Loc™ Tube Sleeving System hydraulically expands the sleeve into intimate contact with the tube and locks the sleeve in place. The Hydra-Loc process offers the following benefits.
- The Hydra-Loc process is faster than conventional roller expansion techniques. Because the expansion pressure is tightly controlled the hydra-Loc process eliminates damage to the host tube and tube-to-tubesheet joints caused by over-rolling.
- The Hydra-Loc's hydraulic expansion process allows the sleeve to expand and conform to the actual contours of the host tube end regardless of how eroded the tube has become.
When selecting sleeves choose a sleeve material that is similar to the tube material, or upgrade to a tougher alloy to reduce future erosion.
The length of the sleeve should be selected so that the sleeve extends a few inches beyond the most severely damaged portion of the tube end. Standard sleeve lengths of 6", 8" and 10" are the most common, longer sleeves are available upon request. Full length tube liners are also available on request.
Hands-on Training or complete Sleeve Installation Services are available through EST Field Services .