DraCool-USA currently provides plate refurbishment services from both our Pennsylvania and Ohio facilities. Plate refurbishment includes cleaning, dye penetration testing, re-gasketing and heat curing of all plate packs. Our standard turnaround for plate pack refurbishment is 10-12 working days. We also offer expedited “Quick turnaround” service for customers with emergency repairs or limited down time.
THE REFURBISHMENT PROCESS
- Plates arrive at DraCool-USA dirty and clogged. They are received and logged prior to processing.
- Our non-abrasive cleaning process restores your plates by removing product buildup and water deposits.
- Between each step of our cleaning process the plates are power washed with hot water in our professionally designed plate washing facilities.
- Once the plates are clean they are checked and validated to be free of defects. Every plate is tested with a fluorescent penetrant method to ensure there are no cracks or pinholes. Early detection of plate defects eliminates cross contamination concerns and saves you costly downtime.
- Once plates are cleaned and validated, new gaskets are installed. For most plate packs the gaskets are installed on the plates using a variety of adhesives. Then the plates are heat cured (baked) at over 300 degrees in our large ovens. This process ensures a solid bond between the gasket and plate and a much better seal when your plate pack is installed.
- Plates are then inspected and packaged for return to the customer.
In some cases the customer sends the entire heat exchanger to us for service.
