Ceramic Wear Inserts Can Greatly Extend the Life of Tubular Air Heaters; Yielding Significant Savings

NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/7/2009

Contact:           Mickey Lavicska, voice: 518-436-1263 x43

                        email: mlavicska@blaschceramics.com

Very often whole 20+ foot tubes must be cut out and replaced - a time consuming and expensive exercise, especially if it is unplanned.

ALBANY, NY (1/7/2009) - Tubular air heaters, or air preheaters, are used in a variety of proceses to capture heat from combustion and use it to preheat air coming into the boiler or furnace.  Many times this air contains high levels of corrosive and erosive compounds. 

In these cases, plant operators often find serious damage within the first few inches of tubing.  This requires immediate attention, and many times it is not foreseen, adding substantial cost and time to the outage. 

The Blasch Precision Ceramics air heater insert is designed to protect the end of the tube and the first 8" -10" of the tube ID.  Most times, after this distance, the flow has straightened out, the abrasive wear drops off.

Installation is simple, and fast.  A couple of beads of Red RTV around the outside of the insert and in it goes.  Since pressure drop is always a concern, we have made sure to keep wall thicknesses well under 0.100"

These inserts have been proven to last for years in a wide range of applications including waste coal, rice husks, sugar cane, pulp and paper, and agricultural waste.   

Blasch inserts may be manufactured with round flanges, to cover just the tube end, or square, to cover the entire tubesheet between the tubes. 

Why does the ceramic work so much better than steel?  Simple.  Ceramic and metals wear in very different ways.  Metals wear as abrasive particles are dragged across their relatively "soft" surfaces, and ceramics work best in that type of situation due to their much harder properties.

Founded in 1979, Blasch Precision Ceramics serves a variety of manufacturing and processing industries throughout the world, providing innovative, customized solutions for chemically difficult or high temperature applications.

For additional information about Blasch Cast Ceramic Shapes for the Power Generation Industry, call 1-800-550-5768 (or 518-436-1263) extension 43, write Blasch Precision Ceramics, 580 Broadway, Albany, NY 12204, FAX 518-436-0098, email mlavicska@blaschceramics.com or visit www.blaschceramics.com.