Cooling Tower Coils

[cfuller]

We have 3 cooling towers with the coils leaking. One tower has been installed for 6 months and the other two have been in for 18 months. These appear to be leaking from the weld along the seam of the tubing. Has anyone experienced this before? If so what did you to fix it?

Can coils be purchased seamless?

Thanks

 

[trashcanman]

What coil? Is this a cooling tower or water-to-air heat exchanger (fin-fan)?

 

[MFJewell]

Tube leaks are not uncommon. Either replace the tube or grind down the flaw and reweld.

 

[cfuller]

These are cooling towers. It's a closed circuit Baltimore Aircoil. To replace the tube, the entire coil would need to be replaced because it's a serpentine style coil and the leaks are in the tubes buried in the coil.

Can coils be purchased with seamless tubes?

 

[willard3]

Have you contacted the manufacturer?

 

[cfuller]

Yes, the manufacturer has been contacted. These can be replaced on warrantee however this will be third set of coils on these cooling towers to be replaced. Every time it's a failure along the weld on the tube.

 

[BronYrAur]

You say welded, which leads me to think they are steel tubes. Is that correct, or are they copper? Also, what fluid are you running through the coils and at what pressure?

 

[chicopee]

Leaking at the seams of the tubes indicate a manufacturing problem by the tube manufacturer. Chinese or Asian tube manufacturer by any chance?

 

[cfuller]

Good question. We have asked BAC. They said they manufacture the tubes here in the US.

 

[chicopee]

Have a metallurgist analyze several tube samples.

 

[cfuller]

Thanks we are. BAC is have metallurgist look at them as well as our metallurgists.

 

[chicopee]

When you find out about the results lets us know about the causes. I sense that fusion welding may have been a problem.

 

[joecampbell]

count it towards the drain down rate and call it part of the design.