Your platform supply vessel is fitted with cooling water systems serving the main propulsion diesel engines as shown in the illustration. Which heat exchanger/cooler application and aspect would most likely require periodic mechanical cleaning with a specially designed brush? Illustration MO-0137
• Heat exchanger construction: which fluid normally flows inside the tubes versus on the shell/outside of tubes • Fouling tendency of raw seawater compared with closed‑loop fresh water or lube oil • Why small‑diameter tubes carrying dirty water often need mechanical brushing
• From the diagram, trace where raw water (RW) is used and where fresh water (FW) or lube oil circulates. Which side is more likely to carry marine growth, scale, and debris? • For a shell‑and‑tube cooler, think about which side (tube side or shell side) is easier to mechanically brush and is normally designed for that purpose. • Compare the lube oil cooler with the RW/FW heat exchanger: on which unit, and on which side, would fouling most quickly reduce heat transfer and flow?
• Identify which exchanger has raw seawater on one side and confirm if that seawater is on the tube side or the shell/outside side. • Confirm which fluids (lube oil, fresh water, raw water) are in closed, clean systems versus exposed to sea and likely to carry scale or organisms. • Before choosing, ask: "Which specific surface could actually be cleaned by pushing a tube brush through it?"
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