The North Campus maintenance region realized significant cost and effort savings when they introduced a new method to clean chiller condenser tubes. 

Tube cleaning is a necessary annual preventative maintenance task for chillers. Failure to clean the tubes leads to excessive scaling, possible corrosion, and reduced heat transfer through the system. As heat transfer efficiency goes down, operating and maintenance costs go up.

A chiller has between 200-1,300 condenser tubes depending on its cooling capacity. Cleaning a typical large 1,300-tube chiller takes 2-3 days using the “rod and brush” method. In this method, staff push a rotating brush through the tubes to loosen build-up and flush it out with water. 

This is very physical and messy work. So when the North Campus Region found out about a new “dart” method that could be much easier, they were eager to try it on 16 of their larger chillers.

The dart system uses high-pressure water to propel a cleaning projectile through the tubes to remove deposits. The dart tube cleaners travel at a rate of 10-20 feet per second to remove hard and soft deposits in the chiller tubes. The dart system reduced the amount of time to clear the tubes by as much as 50-60% over the rod method! 

The dart system was also more ergonomic in that it reduced the physical impact on the tradesperson holding onto the rotating brush/cable. There was noticeable reduction in wear and tear on the craftsperson’s elbows and shoulders. 

While some campus chillers still require the rod and brush method depending on the chiller’s configuration, space layout, and features, the North Campus Region has embraced the new dart method wherever possible. 

Written by Samantha Brandt