Biomass Heater Design

Easy Maintenance

Serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters require minimal maintenance. When they do require maintenance, the serpentine coil can be removed and a tube can be repaired or replaced, typically in less than one day.

If you’re in the market for a new thermal fluid heater, you’ve probably been doing some research to explore and understand your options when it comes to industrial coil heaters.

Serpentine coil heaters are an ideal option for organizations in a variety of industries. Serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters offer a number of benefits that helical coil heaters do not, including higher efficiency and easier maintenance.

In addition to offering process benefits, thermal fluid heaters that feature serpentine coils also offer a number of mechanical advantages. If you are preparing to invest in a new industrial coil heater, this is important information to be aware of!

4 Mechanical Benefits of Serpentine Coil Heaters

Thermal fluid heaters that feature serpentine coils set themselves apart from helical coil heaters in a number of ways. Here, we’ll address four of the key mechanical benefits that serpentine coil heaters have to offer.

Coil Replacement

• Coil replacement in serpentine industrial coil heaters is notably easier than coil replacement in helical coil heaters. With serpentine coil thermal fluid heaters, you can replace one tube at a time instead of replacing the entire coil. This can save you thousands of dollars on the cost of purchasing a new helical coil in its entirety. Because the coil replacement can be taken care of quickly, you’ll also save hundreds of thousands of dollars by avoiding excess facility downtime.

Combustion Volume

• Serpentine coils allow for a larger combustion volume in the radiant section than helical coils. As a result, radiant chamber temperatures in serpentine coil heaters are lower than those in helical coil heaters. This means that coils in serpentine coil heaters have longer lives than those in helical coil heaters.

Fluid Replacement

• Heating fluid can degrade within your thermal fluid heater, causing problems and necessitating fluid replacement.

Helical Coil Heaters

• Fluid replacement is necessary on a somewhat regular basis, as the heater design tends to cause the film temperature to be significantly higher than the bulk temperature. This discrepancy can cause heat transfer fluid to burn up more quickly.

Serpentine Coil Heaters

• Serpentine coil heaters feature coil bundles. Compared to the helical coil design, the serpentine coil thermal fluid heater design allows for more even heat distribution and, as a result, less oil degradation. This means fluid replacement will need to happen less frequently if you are utilizing a helical coil heater.

Coil Replacement

• The heating coil is a key component of a thermal fluid heater. Most helical coil thermal fluid heaters will need to have the coil replaced at some point.

Helical Coil Heaters

• For helical coil heaters, it is assumed that coil replacement or repair will need to take place at some point as part of the maintenance plan. Typically, if an issue arises the entire coil will need to be replaced.
• Replacing a coil in a helical coil thermal fluid heater is an extensive project. This is an expensive repair that can take 12 to 14 weeks to complete.

Serpentine Coil Heaters

• Coil replacement is not viewed as a required aspect of a serpentine coil heater maintenance plan. Serpentine thermal fluid heating coils have long lives and if repairs are necessary they can typically be completed while the coils are in place within the heater.
• As a result, these repairs can be completed faster and on a smaller budget than repairs to helical coils.

Repair Downtime

• When contemplating thermal fluid heater repairs, downtime is a key factor to consider.

Helical Coil Heaters

• If an issue arises with a thermal fluid heater’s helical coil, replacing the entire coil is often the solution. As mentioned previously, repairs can take months to coordinate and complete. Because of this, your facility will likely be operating at less than capacity or will be shut down for weeks at a time.

Serpentine Coil Heaters

• Because serpentine coils can be repaired while in place and don’t usually require complete replacement, addressing issues that come up with them is significantly less time consuming than resolving issues with helical coil heaters. Serpentine coil repairs can be completed relatively quickly, meaning your plant will have minimal downtime.

Repair Expenses

• Expenses are another important factor to consider when it comes to repairing your thermic heating equipment.

Helical Coil Heaters

• Between lost profits caused by facility downtime and the expense of investing in a new helical coil or, the cost of repairing a helical coil thermal fluid heater can be very high.
• In fact, the high cost of repairs is why many facility managers should actually consider replacing their thermal fluid systems instead of repairing them.

Serpentine Coil Heaters

• Serpentine coils can be repaired and these repairs can be taken care of relatively quickly – especially when compared to the time it takes to replace a helical coil. As a result, serpentine coil thermal fluid heater repairs, are significantly less expensive than repairs to their helical coil counterparts.