General maintenance problems in the process industry often involve decontaminations due to heating or cooling processes. Also corrosion is a general problem that can appear even in constructions made out of top quality steel. These problems lead to inefficient production, or even production loss.
At Vecom we specialize in both pre-commissioning and in-process maintenance and / or cleaning. We have extensive experience in solving problems regarding all the above mentioned issues in a wide variety of industries and offer a full range of maintenance products and services. In many cases, these are tailored to the exact needs of our customers.
One of the aspects that makes Vecom a unique partner in the field of pre / post-commission cleaning and other chemical technical cleaning projects is our broad knowledge. Within the Vecom Group there is expertise in production of maintenance, treatment and cleaning chemicals. These products are produced in three specialized factories backed up by three R&D laboratories.
With around 300 employees and 21 locations in the northwest of Europe, Vecom is active in various markets such as:
- Metal industries
- Process industries
- Food and beverage industries
- Transport industries
- Marine industries
Pre-commissioning cleaning
Installations (boilers, heat exchangers, cooling water systems etc.) are often cleaned prior to being put into use. This procedure is called pre-commission cleaning. Various procedures carried out on the installation will have resulted in contamination with grease / oil, welding scale etc. The proper assessment of which cleaning method to apply and the subsequent implementation of it requires expertise.
Post-commissioning cleaning
Steam boilers are made of carbon steel and the surface of the water side of the boiler must be kept free of undesirable deposits. Otherwise, more fuel is needed to generate steam. The heat transfer efficiency (ratio of fuel consumed to steam generated) is reduced. By means of a chemical cleaning the efficiency is improved again.
Boiler preservation
In case of a pre-commissioning or post-commissiong cleaning, a boiler will often be decommissioned for an extended period. During a new construction project it could be that, due to circumstances, there is a substantial delay between finishing the construction and the start of the chemical cleaning. A long shutdown period is often chosen with older boilers, in order to check all the ancillary installations for wear and tear.
If such is the case, it could be that the boiler will have to be decommissioned for a longer time after the chemical cleaning. In these cases, a fitting preservation of the boilers will have to be considered, as in time corrosion problems will occur in the internal parts of the boiler due to the action of oxygen.
Cleaning of urea strippers
Urea strippers are manufactured from stainless-steel alloy and consist of vertical tubes with the reaction progressing on the interior of the tubes while steam is introduced on the exterior of the tubes.
After a period of time a deposit develops in the urea stripper. This deposit causes reduced heat transfer resulting in a reduction of production process efficiency. Vecom Industrial Services has developed a special cleaning procedure to remove this deposit.
Pickling and passivating of stainless-steel systems
Stainless-steel chemical tankers and storage tanks, in which chemicals are to be stored or transported, are cleaned prior to use and periodically in the case of a new or different cargo.
Pipe pigging
Every company that works with transport and pressurized piping is familiar with the problems of internal contamination build-up, reduction in the internal pipe diameter and the associated consequences. Pipe pigging is a highly effective method for cleaning pipes. The method entails using a specific medium to push a cleaning wad, the “pig”, through the pipes. Pigging is applied when other cleaning methods are not or no longer applicable because of the length of the piping or the number of bends.
Custom cleaning solutions
Besides these standard solutions for many process contaminations, if necessary, a custom made cleaning solution can be developed in cooperation with the customer and our own laboratory.