Summer Maintenance Operation Guidelines for Electrophoresis Tank Heat Exchangers

Summer Maintenance Operation Guidelines for Electrophoresis Tank Heat Exchangers

1. Overview

The heat exchanger of the electrophoresis tank is core equipment in coating production lines, which maintains the temperature of electrophoresis bath liquid within the optimal range of 28~32°C. The high-temperature and high-humidity environment in summer imposes stricter operating requirements on heat exchangers. Maintenance frequency and intensity shall be increased to guarantee efficient and stable equipment operation.

2. Key Maintenance Priorities for Summer

Main challenges confronted by heat exchangers in summer:

• High temperature and humidity accelerate scaling and equipment corrosion, while degrading the performance of sealing materials.

• Increased cooling load requires continuous efficient operation to stabilize bath liquid temperature.

• Frequent circulation leads to easy deposition of impurities and microorganisms on plate surfaces, raising scaling risks.

3. Maintenance & Operating Procedures

3.1 Cleaning & Maintenance (Core Operation)

Adopt a combination of chemical and physical cleaning:

Cleaning Frequency: Increase cleaning frequency in summer. Judging cleaning necessity by pressure drop variations. Immediate cleaning is required when pressure drop exceeds 5 psi.

3.2 Inspection & Replacement of Sealing Gaskets

Inspection items: Check sealing gaskets for aging, deformation, damage or leakage.
Replacement Standard: Gaskets must be replaced if leakage still occurs after tightening bolts evenly to the minimum compression dimension.

Replacement Steps:

1. Strip off old gaskets;

2. Soak sealing grooves with gasoline to remove residual adhesive, then thoroughly clean and dry;

3. Apply a thin layer of 801 super glue on both the groove and the back of the new gasket;

4. Insert the gasket and compress evenly around all edges;

5. Allow a 72-hour curing period before reassembly and commissioning.

3.3 Monitoring of Operating Parameters (Daily & Weekly Mandatory Inspection)

Mandatory daily/weekly inspection items:

• Temperature monitoring: Maintain bath liquid temperature at 2832°C, cooling medium temperature at 515°C;

• Pressure monitoring: Track inlet-outlet pressure differential; abnormal rising indicates scaling or blockage;

• Flow monitoring: Ensure minimum circulation volume (4 times bath liquid volume per hour is recommended);

• Filing records: Establish archives of operating parameters for comparative trend analysis.

3.4 Anti-Corrosion Treatment

• External anti-corrosion: Coat equipment surfaces with anti-corrosion paint to isolate erosion from air and moisture.

• Internal anti-corrosion: Strictly control the pH value of circulating media; add corrosion inhibitors when necessary.

• Periodic inspection: Check plates for surface corrosion; repair or replace plates with local corrosion promptly.

• Environmental control: Keep well ventilation around equipment to lower ambient temperature and humidity and prevent erosion from corrosive gas.

3.5 Piping System Inspection

• Air vent valve inspection: Ensure air vent valves function normally to discharge trapped air inside equipment, avoiding reduced heat transfer efficiency.

• Filter cleaning: Clean filters regularly to maintain unobstructed filtration.

• Piping sealing check: Inspect all joints for leakage, especially hidden seepage under thermal insulation (judge by damp or discolored insulation layers).

3.6 Preventive Maintenance Schedule

4. Summer Operation Precautions

Startup Sequence: If hot and cold media operate under different pressures, slowly open the low-pressure side valve first, then the high-pressure side valve.
Shutdown Sequence: Slowly cut off the high-pressure fluid supply first, then the low-pressure fluid supply.

• Over-temperature and over-pressure operation is strictly forbidden; operate within the rated working temperature and pressure range specified by the equipment.

• Avoid sudden hydraulic shocks: Adjust valves gently to protect sealing performance.

• Thermal insulation inspection: High humidity in summer calls for regular checks on intact insulation to prevent internal dew condensation and corrosion.

5. Prevention of Special Summer Risks

6. Recommended Format for Maintenance Logs

The daily inspection record shall cover the following items:

• Inspection date and inspector name

• Readings of inlet/outlet temperature, pressure and flow rate

• Cleaning and maintenance activities performed

• Records of sealing gasket replacement

• Abnormal faults and corresponding disposal measures

Complete maintenance records serve as critical references for fault analysis and traceability, and form the foundation of preventive maintenance.

This document applies to summer maintenance operations of plate heat exchangers