Retubing of Heat-Exchangers

Reckmann + Jung’s core business is the safe and efficient repair and retubing of heat exchangers of any
size. We are specialized in the repair of heat exchangers for at least 34 years.

Our customers are all the known names in European power and energy business like
 Siemens AG
 RWE Power
 Evonik / Steag AG
 E-On Energie
 EnBW
and many other leading companies like
 Bayer AG
 Air Liquide
 Ford AG
 Henkel KGaA
 Linde AG
 ThyssenKrupp Steel AG
 VW
 Sugar Industry Plants all over Europe

For retubing different special tools are needed. Here is a short overview about the fundamental tools that
are used if retubing a condenser.

Internal Tube Cutters: This tool uses a cobalt blade to cut the tubes from behind the tube sheet prior to
tube extraction.

The Push Type cutter is used to quickly cut tubes in large numbers, they are especially suited for tougher
tube cutting applications such as Stainless Steel, Inconel, Monel, Titanium, etc…

The unit can be used with any drill or one of our driving units with the cutting speed regulated for your
particular tube material to maximize the cutters life.

To operate adjust the collar depth, insert it into the tube, apply power, press inward and the tube will be cut
in a few seconds.

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Tube Pulling System consisting of

Hydraulic pump with according ram and hydraulic operated Gripper Type Tube
Puller

When retubing condenser and other similar types of vessel containing non-ferrous tubes this specially
developed Hydraulic Gripper Tube Puller removes tubes or tube stubs without damaging the tube sheet
holes.

The gripper is inserted in the tube until the collar reaches the tube sheet. When pulling back the mandrel the
grippers open up and cling on the tube. Then the tube is pulled out of the tube sheet against the collar of the
pulling system.

This unit can pull up to 4 to 6 tubes per minute. The hydraulic ram has a single cycle stroke of 6 inch and a
pulling power of 7 or 11 tons.

Tube Expanding Unit

The Tube Expanding unit consists of the control unit and the driving motor.

The control unit is designed to give completely repeatable torque control of the motor. The motor is more or
less a drill whose forward and reverse operation is managed by the control unit.

On top of the traction unit the tube expander is mounted.

Tube expansion can be compared to the cold rolling of steel sheets.

The tube to be expanded can also be equated like an endless Steel
sheet which, during the rolling process, has been lengthened of
enlarged to a point when the external diameter of the tube equals the
diameter of the lube sheet hole. This first stage is called "metal to metal
contact". Note that the expansion at this stage is not yet leak proof.

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Further rolling is necessary to increase the expansion and reach the point when the material is deformed.
This creates pressure tension because of the compression between the tube and the tube sheet. A leak
proof expansion is assured if this pressure tension is realer than the service pressure, which arises from the
heating, the lengthening and finally the tension of the medium, The difference of expansion between the
"contact" and the final expansion is called "expansion limit". This "expansion limit" must never cause a
rupture in the cohesion of the molecules of the tube material by an exaggerated deformation of the material.
If this were the case the tube material could become damaged.

The contact pressure which the rollers of the tube expander exert on the tube is greater than the yield point
of the tube material. The tube is thus shaped plastically and the external diameter enlarges. If the contact
pressure is increased further, the rollers finally enlarge the bore of the tube sheet.

If, at this stage, the expansion stops, even though the yield point of the tube sheet material has not yet been
reached, the bore of the tube sheet tends to spring back to its original dimension. It clamps the expanded
tube and surrounds it like a steel chain. The result is a leak proof compound.

If the contact pressure is further increased and the yield point of the tube sheet material is exceeded, the
tube sheet material does not only shape elastically but also plastically and it only partially spring back.

Too great an expansion of the tube has harmful side effects and does not, as one might think, increase the
pressure for the required clamping. The tensile strength of the tube sheet material should be greater than
that of the tube material. The amount of material between the bores, which has to be able to stand the
expansion pressure, should be sufficient for this application, and this applies equally to the tube sheet
thickness.

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Steps of retubing a condensor

Step 1 Remove covers and prepare vessel for work.

Staging, remove plugs from tubes, etc.

Step 2 The 2nd step is to cut the tubes behind the sheet at one
end of the condenser.

If there is a tube sheet coating, the coating in the area of

the retubing must be removed first.

Step 3 The 3rd step is to pull the tube on the opposite end. It is
pulled about 4 inches from the face of the tube sheet with
the pulling system, than the whole tube is pulled manually.

Step 4 The 4th step is to pull the stubs from the tube sheets left in
place from the first step.

After all tubes and stubs are removed, the tube sheet and
boreholes are checked for damages.

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Step 5 The new tubes are plugged through the tube sheets and
baffles.

Step 6 Rolling in of the new tubes.

Step 7 Facing of the overhang

For coating a overhang of 2 mm is necessary, without

coating the tube ends will be even to the tube sheet

Step 8 Static pressure test on the shell side with open covers to
check for leaks on the new installed tubes

Step 9 Repair of coating (if necessary)

Before sandblasting all tubes have to be protected with

special sandblast plugs. Then cleaning and setting of the
special coating plugs. Application of the primecoat,
application of the thicklayer, grinding, application of the last
layer, removing of the plugs.

Step 10 Closing covers and pressure test water side

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