MechChem Africa January-February 2022

Werner Pumps’ SA-manufactured boiler tube cleaning equipment Sebastian Werner, MD at Werner Pumps, talks about the importance of regular cleaning of ash build-up and slag deposits that form on boiler tubes and the role played by his company’s range of trailer-mounted high-pressure cleaning equipment in keeping boiler tubes in peak working condition.

F or over 30 years, Werner South Africa Pumps & Equipment has been designing, manufacturing, supplying and maintaining special- ist high-pressure jetting equipment. The company has built a reputation as a local industry leader through its focus on deliv- ering high-quality, low-maintenance, 100% South African manufactured products that last, all while considering clients’ budgets. “To keep power plants and other equip - ment operating efficiently, it’s important to undertake regular cleaning of the boil - ers. Over time, ash build-up forms slag deposits on the boiler tubes, which act like a layer of insulation over them. This means more and more fuel is required to get the boilers up to temperature and to produce the same output. It also results in higher carbon emissions because of additional fuel usage,” explains Sebastian Werner, MD at Werner Pumps. A key offering in this regard is Werner Pump’s range of trailer-mounted high-pres- sure cleaning equipment to help power - and other - utilities and their contractors keep their boiler tubes in peakworking condition. “Our 1 000 bar and 1 200 bar, V8 trailer units are ideal for scale and slag build-up cleaning applications,” continues Werner. “Water pressure jet cleaning is also used for condenser applications, often used in under- groundmines. Using our high-volume pumps and jets, we can reach the full distance of the boiler/condenser tubes,” he says. In a recent Hendrina power uti l ity cleaning application, the boiler tubes were over 9.0 m long with an inside diameter of roughly 23 cm. “Our units were able to run for more than an hour at a go, for what is known as ‘online cleaning’, which is cleaning while the boiler is in operation. Although this is a delicate operation, it means that no plant downtime is necessary. We were also thrilled to hear from the contractor that our 100% locally manufactured equipment was able to run longer and more efficiently than previously used equipment on the market. It’s always gratifying to see our equipment stand up to the test, and to have a satisfied customer,” he adds. Werner says that scale deposits on firetubes are often worsened by burn-

Werner Pump’s range of trailer-mounted high-pressure cleaning equipment helps to keep boiler tubes in peak working condition.

Water pressure jet cleaning using 1 000 and 1 200 bar V8 trailer units is ideal for scale and slag build-up cleaning applications and it can also be used for condenser cleaning applications in underground mines.

ing lower-quality fuels or by incinerating materials that don’t burn cleanly. He cites medical waste incineration applications as an example. “It’s important to clean tubes regularly for optimum heat transfer,” he continues. “Our units can be ordered as electric or diesel driven versions. They can be skid-, trolley- or trailer- mounted, depending

on the customer’s preferences. We stock a range of specialist nozzles to ensure we provide the best solution for each specific application.” The same type of equipment can also be used for cleaning rubber lining frompipelines, while the larger 2800barWerner Pumps unit is ideal forpaint andrust removal applications. www.wernerpumps.com

6 ¦ MechChem Africa • January-February 2022