Dry Ice Blasting to Decontaminate and Clean Down HRSG Fins and Tubes

Dry Ice Blasting HRSG Fin and Tubes for the Energy Sector

Dry ice blasting has a massive role to play in the oil and energy sectors. There is a myriad of production equipment that needs regular maintenance work and it is long been recognised that dry ice blasting is ‘best practice’ process for lots of decontamination work at a refinery. Dry ice blasting for HRSG fin and tube cleaning is known to be considered ‘best practice’ throughout the world.

What has surprised me recently, whilst blast cleaning at a power station, was that the site were using a dry ice blasting company based in the USA, for dry ice blasting a HRSG fin and tube array. I asked why they were using an oversees firm and they explained that they didn’t think there was a UK company with the correct machinery, methods and skill set to tackle such a challenging blast clean.

We offered him an immediate demonstration of the effectiveness of our dry ice blasting machines and systems on the HRSG fins and tubes. The current procedure is where the US firm ships all of their dry ice equipment over to the UK, along with staff. All this costs extra thousands of pounds in haulage costs etc. As we had already been passed to work ‘live’ side at the plant, a small demonstration of our machinery was put into place and, i’m glad to say, the blasting was just as effective.

A strategy will now begin on negotiating a price point and work time-frame, and i would like  to add that the client is now exploring the possibilities for Optimum Dry Ice Blasting to clean the gas side HRSG tubes and fins during the next planned shutdown (2016) and a comprehensive method plan is being put into place.

This is a massive opportunity for Optimum Dry Ice Blasting to show the one of the UK’s largest energy suppliers that we have the technical skills to implement and control the clean down. Blast cleaning the fin and tubes can be tricky. Controls have to be put in place to open a channel to reach the core of the fins by creating a lane to the back of tube arrays.

This is definitely a case of ‘right place at the right time’ and while it is never nice taking work from other companies, I think the option to use a UK based company was always in the planning process for HRSG blast cleaning.

UPDATE: Optimum have now successfully completed the dry ice blasting of a HRSG Fin and Tube array. Click here to read the updated blog.(July 2016)

 

By Ian Reynolds