Thermographic Inspection for Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers

Specialized Thermographic Inspection programs for Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger Reliability & Maintenance.

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47% Reduction in unplanned downtime

85% Faults detected before failure

3-6mo Average fault lead time

5:1 Typical program ROI

Why it matters

Key Benefits

Hot Spot Identification

Infrared thermal imaging identifies abnormal heat patterns across shell and tube heat exchangers surfaces that indicate developing faults in the tube bundle, shell, baffles, tube sheets, and expansion joints. Temperature anomalies are detected during normal operation without production interruption.

Electrical Connection Integrity

Thermographic surveys of electrical terminations and connections serving shell and tube heat exchangers identify high-resistance joints before they cause arcing, fires, or protective device trips. This is especially critical for connections carrying full load current.

Thermal Profile Baselining

Establishing thermal baselines for shell and tube heat exchangers under normal operating conditions enables rapid detection of deviations. Comparative analysis between identical units identifies underperforming equipment and prioritizes maintenance resources.

Context

Challenge & Approach

The Reliability Challenge

Shell surface temperatures on heat exchangers reflect the combined effects of process temperatures, flow distribution, fouling, and insulation condition. Distinguishing fouling from flow maldistribution requires knowledge of the exchanger's internal geometry and process conditions. Insulated exchangers require surface temperature measurement through or around insulation systems, limiting resolution. Baffle bypass creates temperature anomalies that depend on flow direction and fluid temperature differential. External corrosion under insulation (CUI) may not produce visible thermal signatures until advanced. Weather shielding and lagging jacketing materials have different emissivities than bare insulation surfaces. Process temperature variations during the survey affect baseline consistency.

Our Approach

We image shell and tube heat exchanger external surfaces along the shell length and around the circumference with emissivity corrections for insulation jacketing materials. Temperature profiles along the shell length are compared against expected thermal gradients for the exchanger's flow arrangement (counterflow, parallel flow, multi-pass). Localized temperature deviations indicate fouling zones, baffle damage, or internal bypass flow. Insulation surface temperature mapping identifies degraded or missing insulation sections per ASTM C1055 criteria and highlights locations at risk for CUI. Channel head and tubesheet areas are imaged for gasket leakage. Nozzle connection temperatures are compared with process data to verify exchanger performance. Reports include shell thermal maps, fouling distribution assessment, insulation condition rating with energy loss estimates, CUI risk identification, and recommended inspection or cleaning schedules.

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