Projectile tube cleaning

Fouling in large surface condensers lowers the heat transfer coefficient, reducing overall system efficiency, increasing energy use, and potentially raising operating pressures and maintenance needs. Surface condensers play a crucial role in determining the overall plant efficiency, so it is very important to keep them clean.

Goodway® projectile tube cleaning systems can remove a wide range of fouling from heat exchanger tubes. They are most effective on soft to medium-hard deposits, such as sediment, silt, algae, biofouling (slime), sand, mud, shells, zebra mussels, and barnacles. For harder deposits like limescale (calcium carbonate), special carbon steel projectiles are available. Projectile cleaning is not suitable for extremely hard deposits that require ultra-high pressure (2,500+ bar). In these cases, projectiles can be used as a secondary cleaning step to remove remaining deposits after high-pressure cleaning, often done before eddy current inspections.

Yes. Goodway® projectile tube cleaning can effectively restore flow in partially blocked tubes, especially soft to medium-hard fouling. If a tube is fully blocked by a mussel, it can be opened by shooting a projectile through the tube. Projectiles are not suited for hard blockages caused by scaling or rust.

Projectile tube cleaning is generally safe for tube materials. Polyethylene and nylon projectiles can be used safely on all tube materials. Some studies have been done to check the reduction of wall thickness when using carbon steel projectiles; the study found that the reduction was practically zero. However, risks cannot be fully excluded, especially when using metal projectile types.

For many years, power plants all over the world have been using projectile tube cleaning technology to keep their condenser tubes clean. Goodway Benelux has never received complaints regarding tube damages or scratches after the cleaning.

To clean heat exchanger tubes with projectiles, you need: a projectile tube cleaning system, projectiles sized for your tube diameters, compressed air and a collection net to catch the projectiles when they exit the tubes on the other side.

In almost all cases, the Goodway Benelux team supports customers with recommending the correct projectile type and size. For this, we need the following information: tube inner diameter, type of deposit which needs to be removed, length of the tubes and material of the tubes.

Goodway® projectiles are reusable, but their lifespan depends on the type and severity of fouling. Softer deposits cause minimal wear, while harder or abrasive deposits will wear projectiles faster. Replace projectiles once they lose their original shape, oversized fit, or cleaning effectiveness to ensure safe and efficient operation. Another important factor is the way the projectiles are collected once they exit the tubes. If they are shot against the baffle, they will easily break, often after one pass. By using a Goodway® collection net, projectiles are safely collected which maximizes their lifetime.

For soft to medium-hard fouling, such as sediment, silt, algae, biofouling, sand, mud, shells, zebra mussels, and barnacles, polyethylene and nylon projectiles are recommended. For harder fouling like limescale or calcium carbonate, nylon or carbon steel projectiles should be used. For extremely hard deposits that require ultra-high-pressure cleaning, projectiles are best used as a secondary step to remove any remaining fouling. For example; after a high-pressure cleaning.

When the correct projectile size is selected for the tube’s inner diameter, the risk of getting stuck is very low. Problems typically occur only if the tube is severely blocked, the projectile is too large, or the fouling is extremely hard and compacted. Goodway® projectiles are designed to safely navigate most tube conditions. In case a projectile still gets stuck, Goodway® offers rods which can push them out of the tubes.

Projectile tube cleaning equipment is the fastest method to clean a large amount of heat exchanger tubes. When soft to mediumhard deposits have to be removed, projectiles are an ideal match to safely and quickly remove these deposits without posing a risk to the tube material and operators using the equipment. Furthermore, the technology is cost-effective and often much more affordable than other tube cleaning methods, such as high-pressure lancing. To summarize, projectile tube cleaning is a fast, safe and easy-to-perform cleaning method for large shell-and-tube heat exchangers.