Why Clean heat exchanger with Backflushing?
- Prevent biological growth on the plate
- Remove debris, sediment and mud
- Prolong service intervals
- Reduce shutdowns
- Increase gasket lifetime, less opening and closing
- Less risk of damaging plates and crushing gaskets when frequent opening and closing
Backflushing means reversal of the flow in the heat exchanger for a short period of time thereby flushing out accumulated debris from the heat exchanger inlet channel.
What are advantages of heat exchanger backflush capability?
- Convenient self cleaning ability
- Longer service intervals
- Increased gasket lifetime.
Is there a risk of water hammering?
Answer is no.
How often should one backflush heat exchanger?
It depends on the installation, however as a rule of thumb
Backflush for 1/2 to 1 minute – for Parallel flow for a short time
there is reduced heat transfer during flushing, however this is less than 1-3% loss if flushed once an hour.
Frequency of backflushing heat exchanger for various fouling risks
- Biological fouling: Every 30 minutes
- Mud: Every 60 – 120 minutes
- Debris, sand: 2 – 4 times every 24hours
- Sea-shells, mussels: Twice every 24hours
Types of heat exchanger backflushing Mechanisms
| Cross over Piping arrangement | 4-way valve | Cylinder Valve |
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