GEA

Background

GEA was involved in constructing Heat Exchanger units for coal fired power stations. The ECOGAVO system is an indirect leakage free heat displacement system around flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) plant, enable flue-gas cooling to below the acid dew point by making use of G-Flon all-plastic heat exchangers. The only material able to withstand exposure to these gases at 200 deg C is PFA.

Problem

The Heat Exchanger comprises bundles of PFA extruded tubing supported by PFA covered steel bars. The PFA tubes had to be separated from one another so that they did not come in contact with each other.

Solution

A design was created which entailed PFA covered support bars with PFA Spacers located along it. The PFA heat exchanger coil tubes passed through the gaps created. Although PFA had to be the material of choice for these spacers, it was not important that it had to be first grade material so Holscot used reprocessed PFA from their own production and sourced from the major users of PFA material.

Although reprocessed granules were used, the accuracy of the parts still needed to be very tight on the Outside Diameter. A few parts of a mm out of line and the whole assembly could not fit with the housing. Overall, Holscot produced millions of these spacers.