Troubleshooting
Common problems in building, retubing, maintaining and cleaning heat exchangers, condensers and boilers: causes, diagnosis, fixes and the right tools.
Rolled Tube Joints Leaking After Hydrotest: Causes and Fixes
Leaks at rolled tube-to-tubesheet joints usually come down to under- or over-rolling, tube hole condition or the wrong expander. Find the leaking joints, re-roll them, and retube any that are damaged.How to Set Tube Rolling Torque for Different Tube Materials and Sizes
There is no single torque value for tube rolling. Torque is set by trial rolling against the wall reduction your design requires, for the actual tube material, size, wall and tubesheet.Rolling Titanium Condenser Tubes: What to Watch For
Thin-wall titanium tubes are easy to over-roll and spring back more than copper. Consistent torque, the right rolled length, clean tube holes and full rolling records are what matter.Rolling Thick-Wall and Large-Diameter Steel Tubes
Large, thick-wall carbon and alloy steel tubes need more torque than standard tube rollers deliver. Use a large-tube electric roller or a hydraulic tube roller.Rolling at Intermediate Tubesheets, Double Tubesheets and Thick Tubesheets
Rolling at an intermediate tubesheet or support plate, or through a thick tubesheet, needs long-reach expanders.Tube Rolling in Hazardous Areas: Choosing an Explosion-Proof Tube Roller
Refinery and petrochemical turnarounds often involve flammable media, so electric tools are a spark risk. Use air-driven or hydraulic tube rollers.Traceable Tube Rolling Records for Inspectors and Owners
Nuclear, large power and export projects often require rolling data for every joint. Servo and electric tube rollers with built-in recording export it directly.How to Remove Tubes from a Condenser or Heat Exchanger Faster
Pulling old tubes is often the slowest step of a retube. Cutting the tubes first and using the right hydraulic tube puller makes a big difference to the schedule.Tube Broke Off in the Tubesheet During Pulling: How to Remove It
Badly corroded tubes often break during pulling and leave a stub in the tube hole. Remove it with a broken tube extractor or tube chisel, then clean the hole.Cutting Old Tubes Before Pulling: Internal and Thick-Wall Tube Cutters
Old tubes are usually cut from the inside before pulling. Choose an internal tube cutter or tube cutting machine by tube material, wall thickness and cutting position.Uneven Tube Ends After Rolling: Trimming and Facing Them Flush
Uneven tube projection after rolling causes problems for tube-to-tubesheet welding. Trim the excess with an internal cutter, then face the ends.Retubing a Condenser on a Tight Outage Schedule
With a fixed outage window, the retube must be planned in advance: work steps, number of tools and crew. Bringing tools and crew together cuts waiting on site.How to Find Leaking Tubes in a Condenser
A condenser leak shows up as poor condensate chemistry. Find exactly which tubes leak before deciding to plug or retube. A vacuum tube leak detector runs on compressed air and needs no special training.Finding Small Leaks at Tube-to-Tubesheet Joints
When the tubes are sound but a few of thousands of joints leak, finding them is slow. A vacuum joint leak detector checks each joint quickly.Leaking Heat Exchanger Tubes: Plug or Retube?
A few leaks are usually plugged. When the number of plugged tubes approaches the design margin, performance drops, or the tubes are generally thinned, it is time to retube or replace the bundle.Cleaning Scale from Boiler Tubes
Scale inside water-tube and fire-tube boiler tubes, superheaters and economizers can be removed with boiler tube cleaners.Inconsistent or Slow Tube-to-Tubesheet Welding
Manual tube-to-tubesheet welds depend on the welder and are slow when there are thousands of joints. An orbital TIG tube welder welds thin-wall tubes autogenously, and one operator can run 2–3 units.Do Tube Holes Need Grooves? Improving Rolled Joint Strength
Some designs and codes require grooved tube holes to increase the pull-out strength of rolled joints.Field Pipe Cutting and Weld Beveling
Pipe must be beveled before welding. Choose an ID-mounted beveling machine or an OD-mounted split-frame cutting and beveling machine by pipe size; both mount on site.Equipping a Heat Exchanger Production Line for Tube Rolling and Welding
Manufacturers need consistent joints, throughput and less dependence on skilled labour. Match servo rolling, dual-head rolling, automatic welding and robotics to your products and volume.How to Check and Calibrate Tube Roller Torque
Tube roller output drifts with wear, and joint quality drifts with it. A dynamic torque tester measures the actual torque while the tool is running.How to Choose a Tube Expander: the Tube Data We Need
Expanders are sized to the tube ID, tubesheet thickness and type of joint. Complete tube data is the only way to get the right size first time.
Leaks at rolled tube-to-tubesheet joints usually come down to under- or over-rolling, tube hole condition or the wrong expander. Find the leaking joints, re-roll them, and retube any that are damaged.How to Set Tube Rolling Torque for Different Tube Materials and Sizes
There is no single torque value for tube rolling. Torque is set by trial rolling against the wall reduction your design requires, for the actual tube material, size, wall and tubesheet.Rolling Titanium Condenser Tubes: What to Watch For
Thin-wall titanium tubes are easy to over-roll and spring back more than copper. Consistent torque, the right rolled length, clean tube holes and full rolling records are what matter.Rolling Thick-Wall and Large-Diameter Steel Tubes
Large, thick-wall carbon and alloy steel tubes need more torque than standard tube rollers deliver. Use a large-tube electric roller or a hydraulic tube roller.Rolling at Intermediate Tubesheets, Double Tubesheets and Thick Tubesheets
Rolling at an intermediate tubesheet or support plate, or through a thick tubesheet, needs long-reach expanders.Tube Rolling in Hazardous Areas: Choosing an Explosion-Proof Tube Roller
Refinery and petrochemical turnarounds often involve flammable media, so electric tools are a spark risk. Use air-driven or hydraulic tube rollers.Traceable Tube Rolling Records for Inspectors and Owners
Nuclear, large power and export projects often require rolling data for every joint. Servo and electric tube rollers with built-in recording export it directly.How to Remove Tubes from a Condenser or Heat Exchanger Faster
Pulling old tubes is often the slowest step of a retube. Cutting the tubes first and using the right hydraulic tube puller makes a big difference to the schedule.Tube Broke Off in the Tubesheet During Pulling: How to Remove It
Badly corroded tubes often break during pulling and leave a stub in the tube hole. Remove it with a broken tube extractor or tube chisel, then clean the hole.Cutting Old Tubes Before Pulling: Internal and Thick-Wall Tube Cutters
Old tubes are usually cut from the inside before pulling. Choose an internal tube cutter or tube cutting machine by tube material, wall thickness and cutting position.Uneven Tube Ends After Rolling: Trimming and Facing Them Flush
Uneven tube projection after rolling causes problems for tube-to-tubesheet welding. Trim the excess with an internal cutter, then face the ends.Retubing a Condenser on a Tight Outage Schedule
With a fixed outage window, the retube must be planned in advance: work steps, number of tools and crew. Bringing tools and crew together cuts waiting on site.How to Find Leaking Tubes in a Condenser
A condenser leak shows up as poor condensate chemistry. Find exactly which tubes leak before deciding to plug or retube. A vacuum tube leak detector runs on compressed air and needs no special training.Finding Small Leaks at Tube-to-Tubesheet Joints
When the tubes are sound but a few of thousands of joints leak, finding them is slow. A vacuum joint leak detector checks each joint quickly.Leaking Heat Exchanger Tubes: Plug or Retube?
A few leaks are usually plugged. When the number of plugged tubes approaches the design margin, performance drops, or the tubes are generally thinned, it is time to retube or replace the bundle.Cleaning Scale from Boiler Tubes
Scale inside water-tube and fire-tube boiler tubes, superheaters and economizers can be removed with boiler tube cleaners.Inconsistent or Slow Tube-to-Tubesheet Welding
Manual tube-to-tubesheet welds depend on the welder and are slow when there are thousands of joints. An orbital TIG tube welder welds thin-wall tubes autogenously, and one operator can run 2–3 units.Do Tube Holes Need Grooves? Improving Rolled Joint Strength
Some designs and codes require grooved tube holes to increase the pull-out strength of rolled joints.Field Pipe Cutting and Weld Beveling
Pipe must be beveled before welding. Choose an ID-mounted beveling machine or an OD-mounted split-frame cutting and beveling machine by pipe size; both mount on site.Equipping a Heat Exchanger Production Line for Tube Rolling and Welding
Manufacturers need consistent joints, throughput and less dependence on skilled labour. Match servo rolling, dual-head rolling, automatic welding and robotics to your products and volume.How to Check and Calibrate Tube Roller Torque
Tube roller output drifts with wear, and joint quality drifts with it. A dynamic torque tester measures the actual torque while the tool is running.How to Choose a Tube Expander: the Tube Data We Need
Expanders are sized to the tube ID, tubesheet thickness and type of joint. Complete tube data is the only way to get the right size first time.
