SERVICES

Heat exchanger cleaning

A cleaned heat exchanger performs better. Guaranteed

Maximum performance. Minimal downtime. Just the way your process needs it.

Heat exchangers are indispensable for cooling, heating and efficiency in any production process. But after thousands of operating hours, fouling occurs: scale, sludge, oil, salt, product residue or even biological fouling.

"In practice, we see efficiency losses of up to 40 percent with severely fouled heat exchangers, which is why cleaning is so important. During the pre-inspection, we immediately see what is needed to ensure better performance."
Joey Vredebrecht
Director - Blue Orange

Result of dirty heat exchangers:

The consequence when heat exchangers are not cleaned in a timely manner are not tender:

  • decreasing capacity

  • increased temperatures

  • more energy consumption

  • risk of failure

  • shorter life

At Blue Orange, we keep heat exchangers clean, strong and reliable – with chemical cleaning for heavy deposits and ultrasonic cleaning for deep, delicate soiling.

For industry, shipping and agricultural businesses that cannot and should not stand still.

How will we clean your heat exchanger?

Maintenance and repair is more than cleaning and replacing.
It’s about thinking ahead, identifying, improving and taking responsibility.

Therefore, our method consists of four fixed steps:

For heavy scaling, lime, silt, rust and water-side deposits.

Suitable for:

  • plate heat exchangers

  • shell & tube heat exchangers

  • condensers & evaporators

  • water/glycol systems

  • industrial coolers

Advantages:

  • safely dissolves hard deposits

  • quick result

  • ideal for industry and agriculture

  • can be done on location and in our workshop

For deep, hard-to-reach soiling in fins, fins and small openings.

Suitable for:

  • charge air coolers

  • oil coolers

  • air coolers

  • marine coolers

  • delicate plate changers

Advantages:

  • extremely thorough cleaning

  • ideal for salt, silt and biofouling

  • perfect for marine applications

  • always in controlled ultrasonic bath

Heat exchanger cleaning: here’s why it’s necessary:

Heat exchangers always pollute. But if it grows too far, the whole process becomes unbalanced.
Pollution leads to:

  • efficiency losses (in practice we see losses as high as 40% for severely fouled heat exchangers)

  • higher energy costs

  • pressure differential / reduced flow

  • rising engine temperatures (maritime)

  • deterioration of plates, tubes or fins

  • breakdowns and unplanned downtime

Cleaning is not a cosmetic procedure – it is crucial process optimization.

With the right method (chemical or ultrasonic), we restore the full capacity of your heat exchanger.

Sectors

Recognizable for your industry?

01.

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Industry

Process plants often run 24/7. A fouled heat exchanger means instant:

  • more energy consumption

  • higher production costs

  • chance of downtime

Our chemical and ultrasonic techniques restore capacity, improve flow and extend the life of critical equipment.

02.

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Maritime

Marine coolers face extreme conditions:

  • salt

  • heat

  • limited space

  • tight sailing schedules

Ultrasonic cleaning is the solution here to get charge air coolers, oil coolers and air coolers completely clean – down to deep between the fins.

03.

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Agricultural

In agricultural farms, pollution occurs due to:

  • biological deposition

  • water/glycol contamination

  • lime

  • organic material

This causes cooling problems, higher costs and risk of loss of quality.
Chemical cleaning is often the best solution here.

How do we proceed?

Every project at Blue Orange goes through the same clear structure. So we work quickly, precisely and completely transparently, from intake to completion.

Analysis & inspection

We begin with a focused inspection of the heat exchanger.
We check fouling type, flow, any leaks, and determine which cleaning method will provide the most efficiency.

Cleaning (Ultrasonic or Chemical)

Based on the diagnosis, we choose the optimal approach:

  • ultrasonic for deep, delicate or marine soiling

  • chemical for lime, sludge or water side scale

The heat exchanger is completely cleaned according to strict safety and environmental procedures.

Recovery &
Test

After cleaning, we retest the heat exchanger:

  • pressure test or leak tightness test

  • visual inspection

  • performance recovery compared to the initial situation

That way you know exactly how much capacity has been recovered.

Delivery & Reporting

You will receive a clear report with test results, photos and a recommendation for preventive maintenance.

If required, we also provide transportation or planning for another round of cleaning.

What cleaning method does your heat exchanger need?

Blue Orange inspects, tests and then chooses the cleaning that provides the greatest return – never standard, always customized.

SituationBest method
Lime / scalingChemical
Waterside foulingChemical
Salt deposits / seawater residuesUltrasonic
Fine sludge in finsUltrasonic
Biofouling / foulingUltrasonic
Severe corrosion depositChemical + inspection
Oil contaminationBoth (analysis dependent)

What will your heat exchanger cleaning do for you?

  • up to 40% more efficiency

  • lower energy costs

  • longer service life (3-7 additional years)

  • cooling capacity fully restored

  • fewer failures and less downtime

  • improved engine performance (marine)

Why?

Choosing Blue Orange?

Because every minute of downtime counts, and every detail makes a difference.

Active 24/7

we respond quickly, even outside office hours

Rapid intervention:

often operational again within 48 hours

30%

Measurable result

up to 30% more efficiency

25%

Longer lifespan

up to 25% more years of use

Request heat exchanger cleaning

Want to keep your heat exchangers in top condition?
Or is there an acute outage that needs to be resolved immediately?

Get in touch – our specialists are standing by.

We determine that during the inspection. For scale, rust and water-side fouling, we usually choose dry cleaning. For fine contamination in fins or fins (as in CACs and air coolers), ultrasonic is almost always the best choice.

No. We always choose the safest method for the type of material and contamination.
Ultrasonic and specialty cleanings remove dirt deep into plates and fins without damage to the metal.

We test each exchanger afterwards to confirm this.

This varies per situation, but in practice we see that a cleaned heat exchanger delivers 20-40% more capacity than a dirty one. We measure this afterwards with a performance measurement.

Yes. Dry cleaning can often be done on site. Ultrasonic cleaning is always done in our workshop because an ultrasonic bath is required.

Small plate exchangers are often completed within one business day. Larger shell & tube, marine or industrial coolers may take 1-3 days, depending on contamination and required testing procedures.

We dispose of all residues in an environmentally friendly way and according to applicable laws and regulations. You don't have to make any arrangements yourself.

Yes, but with severe corrosion or cracking we sometimes recommend overhaul or repair. We discuss this during the inspection and always show the underlying damage.

On average, once a year. In marine and heavy industrial environments it may be needed more often. After the cleaning, you will receive a customized recommendation.

Not always. We can ultrasonic clean small exchangers as a whole, but for fixed installations in industry or shipping, disassembly is sometimes necessary.

Cleaning does not solve leaks, but it does make leaks visible. If damage is found, we can repair or replace immediately.