The 4 Most Popular Tube Cleaners
Cleaning tubes might seem tiring, but it’s a very important part of plant operations. By keeping your tubes clean, you can improve efficiency and keep your operations moving smoothly.
In industrial plants, tubes found in heat exchangers, condensers, boilers, etc. will need to be cleaned over the life of the vessel. In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of tube cleaning and the different tube cleaner types to do it effectively.
Benefits Of Tube Cleaning
Every tubed vessel requires tubes to be clean and scale-free to function efficiently. If deposits or scale are present, the flow through the vessel decreases, causing the vessel to work even harder.
Cleaning tubes regularly can:
4 Kinds Of Tube Cleaners
There are different ways to clean tubes, and the type of tube cleaning tools you use will depend on the application. Let’s take a look at some of the most common kinds of tube cleaners.
Air & Water Driven Motors
Air and water-driven motors are the most common type of tube cleaners. They use high-pressure air or water to spin a brush or cleaning head inside the tube. This method effectively removes light to heavy deposits and is suitable for most applications.
Shoot-Thru Devices
Shoot-thru devices work by shooting a stream of high-pressure water or air through the tube to dislodge debris. Additionally, a variety of rubber plugs (pigs) and brushes can be shot through the tube to remove different types of scale. This method removes light to medium deposits and is often used in power plants and other industrial applications.
Rotary Style Cleaner
Rotary style cleaners use a rotating flex shaft to clean tubes. The shaft is inserted into the tube and rotated at high speeds, spinning a brush or descaling tool to remove debris. This method effectively removes light to medium deposits and is often by mechanical contracts in food processing, power generation, institutions, etc.
Cableless Tube Cleaner
Similar to the rotary style cleaner, the cableless cleaner uses water pressure instead of a spinning cable to provide the power for the brushing action. The cableless design eliminates downtime from replacing broken cables. This method effectively removes light to medium deposits and is suitable for chiller, condenser, and heat exchanger applications.
All The Tube Cleaning Tools You Need In One Place
Now that you know the different tube cleaner types available, it’s time to choose the right one for your application. Elliott Tool Technologies offers a complete range of tube cleaners and accessories to suit all applications.
Since 1892, we’ve supported industries with high-quality industrial tools to keep all their machinery running smoothly. Our team of experts can advise you on the best way to clean your tubes, so don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.
