FINFOAM cleans blocked heat exchanger fins. Dirty fins restrict air-flow through the exchanger unit causing a significant drop in cooling efficiency and a loss in production. An environmentally friendly foam cleaner and low pressure rinse remove dirt, oil and debris from the entire heat exchanger unit. FINFOAM’s process has been tested and proven in industrial facilities throughout the world.

Planning

Our work begins with an inspection of your facility. Evaluating your equipment’s condition and location determines the appropriate cleaning mixture required. We clean “on-line” so any special safety requirements are noted along with any unique operating procedures. We plan a safe and effective course of action prior to commencement.

Setup

FINFOAM’s cleaning team works with your staff to move our equipment into place and prepare the perimiter as per your facility's safety procedures. The water supply and our pumping equipment are inspected as the work area is barricaded. Fans are locked out just prior to beginning the foaming procedure.  Plastic bags are put over the fan motors to prevent excessive water intrusion into the windings.

Application

FINFOAM technicians spray an environmentally safe foam mixture that thoroughly coats dirty fin fans. As the foam saturates and expands it completely covers all surface areas of the bundle. Cleaning formulas are carefully selected based on the type of debris and environmental requirements. Oil and dirt that has bonded to your equipment is broken down and gently removed from the delicate fin coil surface.

Rinsing

Low pressure water removes the cleaning agent and any remaining debris. Low pressure rinsing is safer for your equipment and any personnel in the area. It will not bend or damage the delicate fin coil surface and overspray is minimal. The waste water and debris are collected and disposed of as per your company’s requirements.  Typically the effulent simply goes to your waste treatment facility (WTF).  If a WTF is not available then Frac tanks and Vac trucks are typically utilized.  Regardless, our cleaning solution will not hurt bug ponds and can be disposed of readily and easily.

Hydroblasting and other methods

FINFOAM has been tested and proven to be faster and safer than traditional hydroblasting. Blasting water at high pressure damages the fragile cooling fins and pushes debris into the center of the cooling unit. On first inspection, the surface areas may appear clean but compacted debris will interrupt the flow of air through the bundle and significantly reduce cooling efficiency. Having gone behind Air and CO2 blasting the FINFOAM technique results were clearly superior.  We achieved an average increase of 10 to 15 degrees in delta T. directly following these other methods.