Tube tool

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Tube tools are tools used to service any tubing (material) in industrial applications including, but not limited to: HVAC or industrial heating and air (hospitals and universities, for example), OEM's(Original equipment manufacturer), defense contractors, the automotive industry, process industries, aluminum smelting facilities, food and sugar production plants, oil refineries, and power plants.

Application

Tube Tools can be categorized into function by application:

Tube Cleaners-tube cleaning demands vary widely by application Shell and tube heat exchangers, condensers and chillers: Deposits are typically sediment from impurities in the water circulating through the tubes. Manual scrubbing with a wire brush attached to a long rod is the traditional method of cleaning. Modern methods involve pneumatic or electric motors to pulsate the brush automatically with a medium pressure water jet to further clean out residual deposits.

Tube Testers- Use air pressure or vacuum to test for leaks, cracks, and material failures in a tube. Both manual activated and air activated models are available. To test for leaks in tubes, two operators are required with an operator at each end of the vessel. Step 1 - Seal the tube at both ends. Step 2 - Build air pressure or vacuum in the tube. Step 3 - Observe gauge to see if air pressure is dropping or vacuum is not holding.

Tube Plugs(Repair)- To regain efficiency of a heat exchanger or chiller, tube plugs are installed to take leaky tubes out of service. The rule of thumb is that a vessel will need to be retubed after approximately 10% of the tubes have been plugged. Tubes need to be plugged at both ends of the pressure vessel.

It is a good practice to: Install a plug that is the same as or a compatible material to the tube and tube sheet. Puncture the leaky tube using a one revolution tube cutter to relieve back pressure. Some contractors weld the tube plugs to the tube sheet after they are installed to permanently secure the plugs in place.

Tube Removers-One or a combination of the three below methods is used to remove a tube from a boiler or chiller vessel

Tube Installation (Tube Expanders)- Tube Expanding is the art of reducing a tube wall by compressing the outer diameter of the tube against a fixed container such as rolling tubes into tube sheets, drums, ferrules or flanges. Construction of heat exchangers, boilers, and surface condenser tubes is mainly limited to copper, steel, stainless steel, and cast iron with exceptions such as the use of titanium in ultra high pressure vessel applications. To assure a proper tube joint, the tube wall must be reduced by a predetermined percentage dependent upon the material the tube is constructed of. For example,

Pneumatic or hydraulic torque rolling devices with an expander (consisting of a mandrel, cage with rolls, case assembly with a thrust collar) are used to expand the end of the tube so it seals against the tube sheet of the vessel. It is important to note that the type of tool has to be with paired not only with material but also the inner and outer dimensions of the tube as well. Thickness of the tube sheet (what each individual tube is inserted into) has to be taken into consideration during tube removal or installation procedures.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boiler</span> Closed vessel in which fluid is heated

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compressed-air car</span> Vehicle that uses a motor powered by stored compressed air.

A compressed-air car is a compressed-air vehicle powered by pressure vessels filled with compressed air. It is propelled by the release and expansion of the air within a motor adapted to compressed air. The car might be powered solely by air, or combined with other fuels such as gasoline, diesel, or an electric plant with regenerative braking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivet</span> Permanent mechanical fastener

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure vessel</span> Vessel for pressurised gases or liquids

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiller</span> Machine that removes heat from a liquid coolant via vapor compression

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire-tube boiler</span> Type of boiler

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In machining, a tool bit is a non-rotary cutting tool used in metal lathes, shapers, and planers. Such cutters are also often referred to by the set-phrase name of single-point cutting tool, as distinguished from other cutting tools such as a saw or water jet cutter. The cutting edge is ground to suit a particular machining operation and may be resharpened or reshaped as needed. The ground tool bit is held rigidly by a tool holder while it is cutting.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surface condenser</span> Steam engine component

A surface condenser is a water-cooled shell and tube heat exchanger installed to condense exhaust steam from a steam turbine in thermal power stations. These condensers are heat exchangers which convert steam from its gaseous to its liquid state at a pressure below atmospheric pressure. Where cooling water is in short supply, an air-cooled condenser is often used. An air-cooled condenser is however, significantly more expensive and cannot achieve as low a steam turbine exhaust pressure as a water-cooled surface condenser.

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Tube bending is any metal forming processes used to permanently form pipes or tubing. Tube bending may be form-bound or use freeform-bending procedures, and it may use heat supported or cold forming procedures.

Boilers for generating steam or hot water have been designed in countless shapes, sizes and configurations. An extensive terminology has evolved to describe their common features. This glossary provides definitions for these terms.

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