Took a 30 ton jack to a stuck tube bundle and it barely budged

Was at a refinery in Baton Rouge last month, bundle wouldn't come out after a hydro test. Had to cut the tubesheet face and pull them out one by one - took 14 hours. Has anyone else run into a bundle so tight you had to scrap the whole thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessec397d ago

Man, have you ever dealt with one that just flat out refused to move no matter what you tried? I had one at a chemical plant in Texas last year that was so stuck we tried heat, hydraulic jacks, even a sledgehammer on the shell flanges. It was like it was welded in place. Ended up having to cut the tubesheet and pull them out one by one just like you said. Took us about 10 hours and that was with a solid crew. I feel your pain on that 30 ton jack not doing the job, sometimes you just gotta accept it's scrapyard time.

janab826d ago

Oh man, "flat out refused to move" - that's the kind of language that gives me flashbacks. @jessec39, I've had one that was so stuck I swear it was holding a grudge from a past life. We put a 50 ton jack on it and the jack actually bent before the tubesheet budged a millimeter. My foreman just stood there shaking his head like I'd somehow offended the thing personally. We ended up doing the same cut and pull method, but on mine the tubesheet broke into three pieces halfway through and we had to fish out the chunks with a magnetic rod. Took us about 14 hours and I think I still have a piece of that shell in my left knee. Sometimes I think those scrap yard trips are less about failure and more about sending a message.