Project #7 - Plate & Frame Heat Exchanger Cleaning
Project #7 - Plate & Frame Heat Exchanger Cleaning / Regasketing / Dye Penetrant Testing / Close Up
Scope of Work:
The Challenge: Extend life of 25-year-old plate & frame heat exchanger
A critical healthcare facility was operating a 25-year-old plate and frame heat exchanger that had never been dye-penetrant tested, creating risk from unknown plate integrity, obsolete components, and potential internal leaks. With chiller reliability at stake and minimal allowable downtime, the facility needed to extend the unit’s life without triggering a costly full replacement.
- Detect hidden plate cracks before failure
- Extends life of aging, obsolete equipment
- Restores heat-transfer efficiency
- Eliminates fouling & flow restrictions
- Identifies internal cross-leaks
- Replaces degraded gaskets to stop seepage
TurboChyll executed a coordinated labor plus materials program to fully restore integrity & performance of the heat exchanger:
- Onsite coordination: isolated and drained exchanger with facility staff
- Plate removal: opened frame and removed plates
- Cleaning and testing: cleaned plates and performed dye-penetrant testing
- Regasketing: installed new OEM gaskets
- Reassembly: rebuilt plate pack and torqued to OEM specifications
- System restart: pressurized and leak-tested
- Documented: system performance of chiller, condenser, and heat exchanger
Delivered Results & Value
This project transformed an aging, high-risk heat exchanger into a stabilized, documented, and leak-free system, preventing failure, extending the life of a 1999 asset, and avoiding costly replacement. Coordinated execution minimized downtime, established a 15% failure benchmark for future planning, and ensured uninterrupted hospital chiller and condenser performance while delivering measurable lifecycle value.
Project Photos
