FAQs

Online cleaning is carried out with the boiler in full operation at up to 100% capacity where possible.

It involves the use of a cooling medium to ensure the charge remains stable while being positioned in the boiler.

Offline cleaning is carried out once a plant has shut down and where temperature is not critical to the charges.

Offline cleans are normally carried at the start of an outage or as part of a safety clean in a furnace or firebox.

The risks to plant and personnel during deslagging are minimal as long as the plant is in a good state of maintenance and safety procedures are followed. Online Cleaning Technologies always aims to minimise these risks by use of the Safe System of Work and continuous training and development of employees.

Online Cleaning always aims to minimise risks using Safe System of Work protocol, as well as the continuous training and development of all its employees.

Yes, this, and any other specifics would be explained by a one of our commercial managers when they meet with any new customer.

This can vary depending on the plant design and requirements, however 90% of all work will be carried out online, as keeping the plant running is always our top priority.

Both processes can be extremely effective depending on the situation. However the preference would always be to use online cleaning as part of a preventative maintenance regime.

The main difference between the linear cleaning and stick blasting is the positioning of the charges and the effect. The linear cleaning method can be used to clean the gas lanes of tube bundles throughout the full depth of the bundle, while stick blasting is more routinely used to clean empty passes and furnaces.

With linear cleaning it is possible to target and clean right in the heart of the installation, while with stick blasting covers a larger area to be cleaned. And, using the linear system, plants can run for up to two years providing they have the correct cleaning frequency and boiler access.

By using the linear system, plants can run for up to 2 years with the correct cleaning frequency and access to the boiler without suffering fouling issues in the boiler.

Shockwaves are very safe.  The likelihood that the materials will detonate prematurely is next to zero due to our adherence to a strict safety protocol. Only the safest materials are used due to the working environment and surroundings. As an extra safety measure, all our equipment is WIFI controlled to ensure the safest working practices.

Each team leader (or/and explosion engineer) has between two and twenty years of extensive experience, working in various shockwave fields. All of our supervisors have extensive work experience and education in the boiler and heavy industry.

No, when online cleaning we work outside using existing doors and openings. During an offline clean we can enter the plant or facility to speed up the cleaning process by placing multiple shots at once before leaving the boiler for detonation or target areas using existing doors and openings.

The percussion, shockwave, and tube vibration work together to break loose the material between and on the tubes.

It all depends on the job scope, boiler size, type and density of material, and installation scheduling. A site visit will be necessary to give a good scope based on our experience.

We can use explosives in every area based on access, whether it be the firebox, pendants, the slope area, empty paths, super heaters, economizers, precipitators, screens, hoppers etc. We can also clear clinker grinders, ash and lime silos.

Manual cleaning is time consuming and only removes about 30-40% of the contamination (ash). What may take 5-6 days, working 24 hours per day to manually to complete, would take only 10-12 hours with shockwave methods.

Because of the potentially hazardous nature of the job, if not carried out correctly, we work eight to 10 hour shifts. After about nine hours you start to get tired, your production drops significantly, and safety becomes a major factor. For safety reasons, we will not work more than 12 hours regardless of the situation. If we see that we cannot finish in 10 hours we will call in another crew to finish or stop the operation and get 8-10 hours of sleep and return to finish the job.

We always need a negative draft from the ID fan. This is to maintain a negative pressure in the installation and ensure the ash stays inside the installation.

Shockwave cleaning is safer and quicker than hydro-blasting. Shockwaves break up all of the ash regardless of its density, location or abundance, unlike hydro-blasting which can be limited. Shockwave cleaning and de-slagging reaches all the caking between the tube bundles. With hydro-blasting, only gas pass lanes can be cleared. Hydro-blasting is time consuming and only removes a fraction of the material. Finally, with shockwave cleaning there is no water left in your boiler to clean up after the job is complete.