When expanding heat exchanger tubes, achieving the proper wall reduction is crucial for a secure and leak-free seal. Sometimes, however, tubes fail to expand sufficiently, hindering the integrity of the vessel. This article outlines common causes and troubleshooting steps for incomplete tube expansion.
With the amount of rolling motors on the market, there are a lot of variables to consider. However, one of the most common questions is around torque control, setting torque, and when it’s not needed for a job.
The 850-style rolling motor has become a staple across many industries for tube rolling. This push pull style motor exhibits both quality and performance, making it ideal for expanding tubes in chillers and heat exchangers.
Alfa Laval ACE, located in Broken Arrow, OK, specializes in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling technology. With a focus on producing quality air coolers for their customers, rolling consistency was of utmost importance. With their current tube rolling method relying heavily on operator feel to regulate the amount of wall reduction, the accuracy of wall reduction was lower than desired. This resulted in too much time spent re-rolling tubes.
With a wide variety of rolling motors on the market, choosing the right one can seem overwhelming. There are several factors to consider when selecting a rolling motor. Power source, torque control, RPM, torque range, and the style of the motor will vary depending on the application.
