Opening hard-blocked heat-exchanger tubes within a plant shutdown
Dezu waterjet-cleaned preheater and vaporizer tubes and descaled the end caps at a Philippine geothermal plant. The crew worked through concentrated hard blockage and site interruptions to deliver cleaning accepted within the contracted shutdown window, with water passage confirmed and remaining nozzle-passage restrictions accepted by the plant.
Project facts
| Facility | Geothermal binary plant, Philippines |
|---|---|
| Assets | Preheater, vaporizer and removed end caps |
| Challenge | Concentrated hard blockage within a fixed shutdown window |
| Method | High-pressure water jetting of tube internals and end caps |
| Delivered | Cleaning accepted within the contracted window; water passage confirmed |
| Remaining condition | Residual nozzle-passage restrictions accepted by the plant |
What made these heat exchangers difficult to clean?
Fouling varied sharply across the bundles. Lightly fouled tubes could be cleaned readily, while concentrated bands in the vaporizer contained hard blockage that took repeated work to open. The crew had to remove those deposits within the plant’s shutdown window while working around access, water supply and weather interruptions.
How did Dezu open the blocked tubes?
Dezu cleaned the tube internals with high-pressure water jetting and descaled the removed end caps. Hard-blocked positions received further attention, and tubes flagged during the plant’s checks were re-cleaned before final verification.
The method used water without chemicals, abrasives or mechanical rodding. Cleaning was checked at the individual tube, so the difficult positions received the work they needed before handover.
How did the team keep the shutdown work progressing?
Crews worked day and night and progressed the preheater and vaporizer in parallel where access allowed. When weather interrupted tube production, the team used available ground-level work to descale end caps. Effort shifted between the assets as the preheater finished and the harder vaporizer areas remained.
That sequencing helped absorb a later workface handover and interruptions within the contracted window. Dezu carried the cleaning through the plant’s closing checks and further passes.
What was the result for the plant?
The preheater, vaporizer and end-cap cleaning was completed and accepted within the contracted shutdown window. Water passage was confirmed through the tubes, and witnessed checks established which positions also allowed the cleaning nozzle to pass. The plant received the completed cleaning scope and a clear view of the remaining restrictions for maintenance planning.
Residual nozzle-impassable positions carried water and were accepted by the plant. No cleaning damage was recorded. These are the verified cleaning results; plant-output improvement and tube-wall integrity were outside this case’s measured outcomes.
Planning heat-exchanger cleaning within a shutdown?
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Client identity is withheld for confidentiality. Full project records and client references are available in a meeting.