Steam heat exchanger repairs
Steam heat exchanger repairs fix calorifiers and steam heated units that have stopped heating. Send the nameplate and what has happened, and a specialist who works on that type will come back to you. Coverage is UK wide.
Tell us about your steam heat exchanger repairs
Five answers, all from memory. The detail comes next, and it is optional.
See the privacy notice for how these details are handled.
Common problems that need steam heat exchanger repairs
It has failed or is leaking
Fluids mixing, a leak at the unit, or one that will not hold pressure.
Emergency repair →Losing dutyPerformance has dropped
Higher pressure drop, a wider approach temperature, or a duty it no longer reaches.
Cleaning options →PlannedA service or shutdown is coming
Planned maintenance, an outage window, or a spare that needs to be ready.
Servicing options →UnsureNot sure what is wrong
Send the nameplate and what you have noticed. That is enough to get an answer.
Send the details →Steam heated units covered
Steam heat exchanger repairs cover calorifiers and tubular and plate units on steam heating duties. Condensate side corrosion attacks from the inside where it is not seen, and a failed trap produces symptoms that look exactly like a failed exchanger.
- Steam to water calorifiers and storage vessels
- Plate and tubular units on steam heating duties
- Units not reaching temperature, or cycling
- Leaks on the steam or condensate side
- Corrosion on the condensate side, which is a common cause of failure
What happens next
Send the details
The unit, the steam pressure, and what has changed. Steam duties are unforgiving of guesswork, so the nameplate matters more than usual.
A specialist makes contact
To confirm what has failed and whether the trap and condensate system are part of the problem.
Assessment, then the work
Cleaning, tube or plate repair, or replacement, with the steam side and the condensate side both considered.
Tested and returned
Pressure tested to the design conditions before it returns, with records suitable for the examination scheme.
What affects steam duties
Condensate side corrosion
Condensate with dissolved gases in it is aggressive, and it attacks from the inside where it is not seen. It is a frequent cause of failures on steam heated units.
The trap and the condensate system
A failed trap or a flooded condensate return produces symptoms that look exactly like a failed exchanger, and it is worth ruling out first.
Pressure systems
Steam plant sits under PSSR 2000, so the written scheme of examination governs what the repair has to leave behind as well as how it is done.
Thermal shock
Steam duties cycle hard, and repeated expansion and contraction is what eventually finds the weakest joint in the unit.
Steam heat exchanger repairs questions
The unit is not reaching temperature. Is it the exchanger?
Not always. A failed steam trap, a flooded condensate return or a control valve problem all look the same from the temperature reading. The numbers and a check of the steam side usually separate them.
Can a steam heated calorifier be repaired?
Often, depending on whether the failure is the coil or the vessel. A coil can be repaired or replaced. Corrosion of the vessel is a different question, because that is the pressure envelope.
Does PSSR apply?
To steam plant, yes. The written scheme of examination sets what the competent person requires, and that is agreed before the work rather than after.