Gulf and Caribbean CCR platformer VCFEs get special treatment

Following its pioneering work cleaning a Texas tower (VCFE) in the Caribbean this Spring, Tube Tech concluded many months of delicate negotiations with the successful clean of yet another VCFE, this time in one of the foremost Arabian Gulf states.

In the Caribbean, Tube Tech broke new ground by successfully using a 'continuous drilling system' to fully clear blocked tubes from below, as the top header was welded on and could not be removed.

Topside access to the VCFEs in the Middle East was not a problem, although once again ambient conditions proved challenging, with working temperatures peaking at around 50 DegC. This time, however, there was no access available from below.

Each VCFE had 3,100 vertical tubes, 21 metres long and the client estimated that no more than 300 tubes in each exchanger were blocked. Once Tube Tech got to work, however, tt became clear that the number of tubes blocked was almost 3,000. The nature of the contamination also varied unexpectedly across the tube face from coke-like deposits to heavy gum, blocking the full length of tubes. Fortunately the Tube Tech team had taken four alternative systems with them to cover all eventualities and were able to adapt quickly to the heightened challenge.

Despite the change to the original brief, every tube was unblocked and cleaned in just five days, to a level suitable for the client's inspection.

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