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Personal injury can result from hot coolant, steam and alkali. At operating temperature, engine coolant is hot and under pressure. The heat exchanger and all lines to heaters or the engine contain hot coolant or steam. Any contact can cause severe burns. Remove the filler cap slowly to relieve pressure only when the engine is stopped and the filler cap for the heat exchanger is cool enough to touch with your bare hand. Cooling System Conditioner contains alkali. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. |
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Keep all parts clean from contaminants. Contaminants may cause rapid wear and shortened component life. |
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Care must be taken to ensure that fluids are contained during performance of inspection, maintenance, testing, adjusting, and repair of the product. Be prepared to collect the fluid with suitable containers before opening any compartment or disassembling any component containing fluids. Refer to Special Publication, NENG2500, "Cat Dealer Service Tool Catalog" or refer to Special Publication, PECJ0003, "Cat Shop Supplies and Tools Catalog" for tools and supplies suitable to collect and contain fluids on Cat products. Dispose of all fluids according to local regulations and mandates. |
The interval for the maintenance of the plate type heat exchanger depends on the operating environment of the vessel and on the operating time. The sea water that is circulated through the heat exchanger and the amount of operating time of the vessel affects the following items:
- Cleanliness of the heat exchanger plates
- Effectiveness of the heat exchanger system
Operating in water that contains the following will adversely affect the heat exchanger system: silt, sediment, salt and algae. In addition, intermittent use of the vessel will adversely affect the heat exchanger system.
The following items indicate that the heat exchanger may require cleaning:
- Increased coolant temperature
- Engine overheating
- Excessive pressure drop between the water inlet and the water outlet
An operator that is familiar with the normal operating temperature of the coolant can determine when the coolant temperature is out of the normal range. Inspection of the heat exchanger and maintenance of the heat exchanger are required if the engine is overheating.
Your Cat dealer has the equipment and the personnel in order to measure the pressure drop across the heat exchanger.
Cleaning the Engine Coolant/Sea Water Heat Exchanger
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| Illustration 1 | g03455719 |
(1) Front cover (2) Sealing rings (3) Heat exchanger (4) Body (5) Spacer (6) Back cover (7) Zinc rod | |
Removal and Disassembly of the Heat Exchanger
Drain the heat exchanger. Refer to the Disassembly and Assembly Manual, "Heat Exchanger - Remove" for the removal procedure.
Refer to the Disassembly and Assembly Manual, "Heat Exchanger - Disassemble" for the disassembly procedure.
Cleaning the Heat Exchanger
- Remove the tube bundle from the heat exchanger body (4) .
- Immerse the tube bundle in a cleaning fluid for a few minutes. The cleaning solution should not damage copper, brass, aluminum, and tin.
- Reassemble the tube bundle.
- Inspect the zinc rod (7). For additional information, refer to this Operation and Maintenance Manual, "Zinc Rods - Inspect/Replace".