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The Importance of the Right

Maintenance Procedure

for Heat Exchangers

Since 1961 Maus Italia’s core business has been developing new
tools and technologies to facilitate maintenance and production
of shell and tube heat exchangers. In particular, it has developed
a complete series of tube bundle pullers and lifters, which fall into
two categories: aerial and self-propelled, available for on-shore
and off-shore operations in dangerous area.

Anna Agostino, Executive Office, Maus Italia SpA

hen a certain plant or factory
starts its operations, all further
activities are maintenance. In
the past a repair / maintain
principle was applied, meaning
Wwork was only carried out when
equipment stopped functioning. Such a principle
increases the risk for equipment and people on a daily
basis.
The capacity of heat exchangers - and specifically shell
and tube heat exchangers - to efficiently perform their
function has a direct impact on the overall efficiency of
power plants.
Fouling is an inherent problem that results in reductions
in heat transfer and an increase in production costs.
This requires an ongoing and annual heat exchanger
cleaning and maintenance protocol. and opportunities. This step requires the development Fig. 1 – Tube
The influence of maintenance costs on production of a new organizational culture dominated by values expander for shell
costs can reach values higher than 30%, not to such as integration, prevention, continuous and heat exchanger
mention the costs incurred, which may duplicate the improvement, knowledge, technology and innovation.
maintenance costs in critical production systems All those values are the basis of Maus Italia’s philosophy
whose inadequate maintenance may put the operation and consequently of the solutions proposed by this
safety at risk. The solutions proposed by Maus Italia company.
allow not only to perform maintenance more effectively
but also to transform it into an effective process that
can contribute to the ultimate goal of business success. Tube bundle maintenance
Overcoming a traditional approach to maintenance Since 1961 Maus Italia core business has been
conceived as a limited action at operational level with a developing new tools and technologies to facilitate
short-term perspective is necessary to implement this maintenance and production of shell and tube heat
kind of change, so that it can take on a tactical- exchangers (figure 1). During its life-cycle this particular
strategic role with a broad, medium-to-long term vision. kind of heat exchanger is subject to fouling and scaling
This way of performing maintenance aims to transform and should therefore be cleaned periodically. A light
it from a cost unit to a unit capable of producing results sludge or coating on the tubes greatly reduces their

IndustrIal Plants - May 2018
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