STRIP & RETUBE

Once a unit arrives in our shop, it will be rapidly disassembled, and inspected by our highly trained in-house quality inspectors to assess required work—and identify any potential needed repairs. The discovery of unforeseen issues can often save our clients significant time and expense by preventing unexpected future downtime.  

We'll contact you to review all our findings—and discuss with you all needed work, potential repairs, or other recommendations.  Our team will then proceed according to the agreed plan of action.

Whether you need a partial or full retube, repairs, or any desired upgrades, our retubing specialists work 24-7 to perform all necessary work to return your heat exchanger to service—fast!

We can retube your heat exchanger in accordance with virtually any metallurgy requirements, including an extensive array of readily available materials:

In a fixed tube sheet heat exchanger, the tube bundle can't be removed as the shell and tube sheets are welded together. Because of this, we completely disassemble these units before proceeding with our work.

Following abrasive blasting of the shell interior and baffle assembly—to remove scale or other deposits that may have built up over time—we perform a thorough inspection of the shell, baffles, and other parts to detect any damage or wear such as cracks or pitting, that may not be visible when covered with deposits.  Ensuring all parts are clean and in good condition helps ensure optimal performance, efficiency, and uptime of your unit.

We'll review all findings with you prior to making any needed repairs.

The design of a floating head heat exchanger enables the entire tube bundle to be readily removed as a single unit, which streamlines the stripping process.

While easier tube access makes the retubing process more efficient than a fixed tube heat exchanger for example, our overall process is similar. If needed, abrasive blast is used as part of the cleaning process, to remove any corrosion or other build-up prior to our comprehensive inspection.  Identifying and repairing any defects ensures optimal performance, uptime—and longevity—of your unit.

We'll review all findings with you prior to beginning work and if any needed repairs are identified.  

Hairpin heat exchangers—characterized by either a U-shaped or straight configuration of concentric tubes—generally have a simpler design which eases the stripping process.

Our overall process of inspection is similar to other heat exchanger types, and begins with disassembly and cleaning. Abrasive blast will be used to remove fouling, scale and other buildup if necessary after which we perform our thorough inspection. Detecting damage that may be hidden beneath deposits—and repairing any defects discovered—helps ensure optimal performance, uptime, and long life of your unit.

After our inspection is complete, we'll review all findings with you prior to performing any needed repairs.   

The stripping process is somewhat more complex for u-tube heat exchangers, due to the shape  of the tubes, which must be carefully removed to avoid damage to the u-bends.

As with other heat exchangers, our cleaning process includes abrasive blast as needed to remove any fouling and scale from the tubes—and facilitate our thorough inspection. We pay particular attention to baffles, which provide crucial support to the tubes and are essential for preventing potential sagging or vibration and ensuring optimal operation, performance—and uptime—of your heat exchanger.

Once our inspection is complete, we'll review all findings with you before proceeding with any needed repairs.  

Our expert teams can strip and retube all TEMA, ASME, or API air cooled heat exchangers (ACHEs).

ACHEs follow a retubing process that is similar to other heat exchangers. That said, ACHE's used in refineries and oil and gas processing plants are more likely to have finned tubes, which can make the stripping process a bit more complex. Finned tube surfaces need to be handled with additional care and attention to avoid damage.

As with all shell and tube heat exchangers, cleaning is the first step and abrasive blast is used as needed to remove any fouling or scale from the tubes, prior to our inspection.  Once our inspection is complete, we'll review all findings with you before proceeding with any additional needed repairs.

Retubing air coolers with finned tubes requires specialized skills and techniques to maintain the integrity of the fins during the installation process.  Our seasoned teams have the expertise and equipment to ensure your ACHE's are retubed to the highest standards and comply with all related codes and regulations—to deliver optimal performance and uptime for your plant.