How we help our customers reduce their costs
One of our customers had a housing and two CACW elements of an FPSO pump motor that needed to be or refurbished or re-manufactured at a reasonable cost. These were manufactured twenty years ago. See how the aftersales team helped.
Sterling Thermal Technology completed a visual inspection to identify the elements and look for any physical damage. Then, we carried out a pressure test to see if there were any leaks. We also removed the headers to inspect the internal surfaces of the tube plates, tube ends and headers.
Following these operations, it was apparent that the heat exchangers should be replaced, and the housing refurbished.
To reduce the costs, we reused the side frames. Because of the erosion damage observed in the headers, we did a small design change, and we omitted the vent holes between passes on the replacement units. We conducted a thermal design to offer our client either elements manufactured to the original design, or a newer design that would be similar to those fitted to other pump motors on the FPSO.
We shot blasted the housing and performed weld repairs where required. We removed the old, degraded insulation and its fitting mechanisms, which were corroded and in danger of falling into the machine. We repainted the outside of the housing with a three-coat marine grade paint system and the inside with one coat system and installed new insulation. Finally, we mounted the new cooling elements into the housing with the correct gaskets and fasteners.
So, what were the benefits for our customer?
A thorough assessment of the old equipment – We conducted a test, inspection and report in which we recommended two solutions.
Reliable solution – We offered a choice of cooler elements to our customer based on both the original design and an alternative using modern production methods. We backed-up the latter with a thermal design.
Cost-effective – We re-used as many parts as possible of the existing CACW.
Visit our aftermarket and service support webpage to get more information about how we can support you with your old heat exchangers.