Problem

  • Partial blockage led to reduced heat transfer, potentially higher energy costs, and increased fluid velocity, causing potential erosion problems.

How SAM GUARD Helped

  • Sent an alert due to substantial differences in temperature, combined with all the parameters measured in the heat exchanger and other related parts of the plant.
  • All the measurements showed an accelerated fouling process, indicating a partial blockage in the heat exchanger and the operational root cause.

Value

  • 23 hours after alert was given, the heat exchanger was cleaned and the partial blockage was removed.
  • By fixing a small problem ahead of time, a greater problem was eliminated that would have caused a shutdown and lost production.