The traditional approach to removing fouling from severely blocked hot oil heaters/WHRUs often involves:

• Bypassing the fouled unit – results in higher operating costs.
• Doing nothing and accepting the increasingly inefficient burning of fuel within the WHRU/hot oil heater.
• Removing/cutting off the WHRU bends to allow straight access to all tubes for fouling removal – not only time-consuming¸ but sufficient access for welding cannot be guaranteed and is in any case best avoided in situ.
• Replacing the complete WHRU/hot oil heater unit – not only expensive, but also entails a six-month manufacturing lead time for a new WHRU/hot oil heater.

Tube Tech has developed unique WHRU fouling removal technologies that:

• Removes fouling from Waste Heat Recovery Units in situ.
• Keep the waste volume created by Waste Heat Recovery Unit fouling removal to a minimum.
• Consider safety and environmental factors.
• Are custom designed to negotiate multiple bends during Waste Heat Recovery Unit fouling removal.
• Complete Waste Heat Recovery Unit fouling removal faster than traditional methods.
• Include a complete internal tube inspection of all tubes/pipes including coiled.

Tube Tech has extensive specialised experience in unblocking, descaling, and removing fouling from the difficult bends that are peculiar to WHRUs in the oil and gas industry. Tube Tech’s teams have successfully removed fouling from several WHRUs in the past at a very competitive rate. Tube Tech’s methods do not involve cutting nor removal of any U-bends and the company develops specialised systems to solve access problems often encountered during WHRU fouling removal.

These successful contracts include:

• Serpentine WHRU/hot oil heater fouling removal – WHRU fouling removed mechanically and IN SITU on a North Sea oil platform.
• Hot oil heater/WHRU fouling removal – WHRU unblocked and descaled with access only through the header box.
• WHRU fouling removal – Novel engineering approach to WHRU fouling removal saves client £500,000.