ProDecon® Case Studies

The closed circuit cooling water system at a UK CHP plant was operating towards the maximum allowable temperature due to the plate heat exchangers being fouled with corrosion material/water scale that had been generated over time without any preventative maintenance to remove it. The closed circuit cooling water system provides cooling to the gas turbine lube oil coolers and to the generator lube oil coolers. As the temperature of the cooling water system was nearing the maximum allowable temperature of 65°C, there was a risk of the plant tripping. This situation could compromise steam supplies to a variety of clients in the area as well as reduced power supplies, costing the client vast amounts of money.

The plate heat exchangers provided the primary cooling for the lube oil systems, An off-line clean of the plate exchangers would not have been practical as the exchangers could not be isolated from the main cooling water system. The client was concerned the cooling water system would exceed the maximum operating temperature in the very near future and required an online solution to restore the performance of the plate heat exchangers to a standard that would allow it to stay online until their planned outage in 5 months’ time.