Turbulator Division

Please see our answer to question 5.

Yes we can. In fat we are happy to and have arrangements with good tube mills for the tube supply as we buy large quantities for our fin tubes division.

Our data has been prepared for our customers and is meant to be of use to them. However quite naturally we wish to protect it from our    competitors and uncommitted one time customers.

We wish to build a relationship with you as your Turbulator expert and will gradually make available all the data you require as we build a good working relationship.

We will be happy to help you design. Depending on the project we charge USD 100, 150 or 200 per exchanger. (to cover our cost) For regular customers who work in partnership with us we may waive this fee.

This depends on your Turbulator type.

Rigid turbulators are generally soldered inside the tubes or at least brazed at the ends. They are thus bonded to the tube and do not require and further securing. Here the best option is to buy tubes with the turbulators installed already.

Flexible turbulators are pressure fit and in most cases do not need to be secured. As abundant caution they can be provided with anchors at the ends. (Download our catalog for details. You may also see the section on flexible turbulators in our website).

Twisted tape turbulators come with a hole at the ends. They can be secured by passing a wire through these holes in the manner illustrated in the section on twisted tape turbulators. As abundant caution they can be secured at both ends.

We do sea, air and courier shipments.

As a lot of our customer requirements are urgent or small in weight  or for a specific exchanger, We have developed very good rates with the courier company and do door delivery of thousands of Kilos per year through courier. In fact our courier rates have been designed so that delivered to your door it is cheaper than airfreight.

Again this is to build a meaningful relationship with you the customer.

Again we thrive on relationships and a huge community of happy customers. We are happy to help and courier small quantities to your door as required y you.

Yes we can. We are very interested in helping our customers develop their concepts and products and you will find us very cooperative.

The rigid Turbulator cannot be removed and reused.

The flexible turbulators can be removed and reused after cleaning. This of course depends on the level of fouling that has occurred.

The twisted tape Turbulator can also be removed, cleaned and reused a number of times.

Generally turbulators arrest the buildup of scale on the tube wall due to the turbulation they create. This protection from scale buildup is very substantial. However over time scale can build up for dirty liquids. The beauty of turbulators is that due to the increased efficiency provided by them, the exchanger will continue to perform even after some scale buildup. So when the exchanger stops performing the scale buildup may have become substantial. If it is so much that it binds the Turbulator to the tube wall it will become difficult to clean or to remove the Turbulator. In such a case the soldered Turbulator is not warranted. These should be used for cleaner liquids. The Flexible Turbulator has been given a strong stainless steel spine. This allows it to be pulled out for cleaning of the tube. However if very substantial scale has been allowed to build up the loops may become damaged and the Turbulator cannot be reused. If the tube is substantially blocked then removing this type of Turbulator may become difficult. The twisted tape Turbulator is easiest to remove clean and reinsert. Having said this, in most applications the twisted tape Turbulator is sufficiently easy to insert and remove.

It is a good question and our answer would have to be depending on your application. The following are important questions to ask.

1. What is the viscosity of the fluid.
2. What is the flow rate. Higher the flow rate, higher the pressure drop for every type of turbulator. This increase is always more than proportional. So if the flow rate and viscosity are high you may need a lighter Turbulator.
3. Is the fluid dirty and does the tube have to be periodically cleaned. In this case though the rigid soldered Turbulator may give a higher performance, it cannot be removed. Here a flexible or twisted tape may be warranted.

We will be happy to help you select the right turbulators for your application. In very general terms:

1. The rigid Turbulator has the highest performance. But cannot be removed for cleaning. Is also more expensive.
2. This is followed by the flexible Turbulator. Which is cheap, easy to install and remove and cleanable.
3. This is followed by the twisted tape. This is especially useful when retrofitting an existing heat exchanger and there are limitations on the allowable pressure drop and number of passes. They are also ideal under various conditions of flow, pressure drop limitation and viscosity. Being an old warhorse its data is part of the HTRI package used by many heat exchanger manufacturers.

With our business growing exponentially over the last decade, we are constantly researching new applications and R & D.

Yes of course.

We thrive on client engagement.

However there are two possible situations.

In the easy first case, we have the data and can guide you.

In the second case, we have an experience of clients already doing it but do not have the data. In a lot of such cases we have worked with clients to get their prototypes developed and know of their success as evidenced by orders but do not have hard data to support it.

Examples of the second case are:

Our clients use of turbulators in static mixing and online reacting.Our clients use of turbulators in Falling film evaporators.

No.  For maximum efficacy, The following conditions need to be present.

1.  The fluid should be viscous.
2.  The shell or airside coefficient is much higher or can be made higher than the tube side coefficient. Otherwise there is little sense in increasing the coefficient on the tube side.
3.  The flow is not already turbulent.
4.  Generally liquids with viscosity like water do not benefit from turbulators and liquids like oils do.
5. Gasses and air on the tube side have a significant improvement with turbulators.