Heat Exchanger Thermal Efficiency Testing

Hydraulic Oil to Water heat exchanger thermal efficiency testing for shell & tube, plate and bar and vacuum brazed tube and fin radiators, coolers and base cores. The facility can provide a full suite of heat exchanger thermal performance testing, pressure drop determination and thermal assessment tests of fluid to fluid heat exchangers using water and oil media. Fluid flow rates to 100 l/min oil and 400 l/min water or coolant can be delivered to the test unit at varying fluid temperatures and flow rates to fully characterise a heat exchanger for heat dissipation across its operating range. A typical 25 to 30 point test matrix will provide a detailed analysis of any heat exchangers thermal performance. For air cooled heat exchangers in cooling plants, power generation and plant cooling systems, the facility houses two calorimetric wind tunnels that can provide controlled air to water and air to oil calorimetric testing. All test media flow rates, temperatures, pressures, mass flows or face velocities can be generated and controlled to close tolerance to enable static and balanced heat rejections to be completed. Air blast mass air flow rates to 6 kg/s can be generated and forced through full face core sizes up to 1 m2 and measure heat exchanger performance to 300 kW heat rejection.

Heat Exchanger Durability Testing for product development and production validation type approval sign off tests can be undertaken, for a whole sweep of test parameters aimed at accelerated stress testing of the component. The facility conducts, thermal cycling, pressure pulsation, burst testing, tube erosion, internal fouling, external surface corrosion, leak testing, vibration testing, ageing test, salt spray and “shake and bake” testing on a range of heat exchanger sizes and weights to 100 kg. Full tear down analysis and sectioning of parts for detailed material assessments conducted with FTIR and SEM hardware. Oil and Gas fluid component testing is available for valves, injectors, fittings and hoses for in-service durability assessment, including pressure pulsation, burst and corrosion.

UKAS Calibration Laboratory Services compliments the thermal fluids test laboratory with ISO 17025 calibrations for water flow to 4000 l/min, oil flow to 700 l/min, pressure to 10,000 bar, electrical, air velocity to 100 m/s and has worldwide recognition. Oil flow meter calibrations are available on various fluid stocks form kerosene to heavy oils for turbines, positive displacement, gear, helical, coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters under heated conditions. UKAS air velocity calibration can be conducted on all styles of anemometers from 0.05 m/s for CTA’s and thermal anemometers to 80 m/s for pitot tubes. Larger rotating cup anemometers can be calibrated to 25 m/s. Validation assessments for safe working wind speeds on cranes, helipads and offshore platforms can be covered onsite with transfer standard meters logged over a 24-hour period.