Stop Settling for 80%—Clean to 100% and Watch the Costs Drop
In many refineries, it’s an accepted reality that some heat exchangers will come back from cleaning at 70–80% of their original performance - if that. But this “good enough” mindset is costing you, every single day. Reduced heat transfer equals higher energy consumption, longer runtimes, more fuel burned, and increased emissions.

Now, imagine every heat exchanger restored to like-new performance. Not just a few. Not just the easy ones. All of them - no matter the fouling type, metallurgy, or design complexity.

With Tech Sonic’s ultrasonic cleaning process, that’s exactly what you get. And the result?

✅ Lower operating temperatures and more options for optimizing heat integration

✅ Reduced overall energy consumption

✅ Less load on downstream equipment

✅ Longer intervals between maintenance

Cleaning to 100% doesn’t just improve heat recovery - it optimizes your entire energy balance, reduces stress on your process, and helps you hit throughput and emissions targets with less effort. Over time, the cumulative operational savings are massive - and the ROI speaks for itself.

Don’t pay for partial performance. Clean like you mean it—and get your plant running at its full potential.

Clean to 100% and Bank the Energy Savings
Everyone in the industry knows heat exchangers begin fouling the moment they go back into service. But here’s the thing - if you start at 100%, you’ve got a much longer runway before performance drops into the danger zone. Start at 80%, and you're already playing catch-up.

That 20% gap? It’s not just lost efficiency - it’s money, energy, and emissions pouring out of your stack every hour of every day.

Cleaning to true bare-metal condition shifts your entire energy baseline downward.
Even if fouling rates remain unchanged, your system starts cleaner, runs cooler, and operates more efficiently for longer - all within your current maintenance intervals. You don’t have to overhaul your schedule to see the savings - you just have to stop settling for “good enough” cleaning.

Stop burning money, instead, clean to 100% and get:

✅ Lower energy consumption per ton processed

✅ Reduced fuel demand on fired heaters

✅ Decreased CO₂ emissions

Multiply that by the number of exchangers in your network, the hours in your run, and the dollars per BTU—and the savings are staggering.

Tech Sonic makes that 100% clean a reality. Not “visually clean,” not “looks better than before.”
We’re talking fully restored, bare-metal performance - day one out of the washpad.

It’s time to stop throwing away energy and start squeezing every last bit of performance out of your equipment.

Clean better. Run leaner. Save big.

Proven Energy Gains—Backed by Data, Delivered by Tech Sonic

Quantifying the true energy savings unlocked by restoring heat exchanger bundles to peak performance isn’t straightforward. Variables like fouling behavior over time and the exchanger’s integration within the broader heat recovery network add complexity. Yet, at Tech Sonic, we’ve taken a multi-pronged, rigorous approach to get clarity—and the numbers speak for themselves.

Here’s how we’ve validated the substantial energy returns of our ultrasonic cleaning technology:

1. Real-World Results from the Field

Over the past decade, feedback from operators has consistently pointed to transformative results—millions of dollars in savings from a single exchanger. These outcomes are driven by a combination of:

• Superior cleaning performance
• Shorter downtime
• Extended intervals between maintenance
• Dramatically reduced water usage
• Lower total cleaning costs

Two standout case studies:

Case 1: Cleaning just half of an Alfa Laval Compabloc® network (4 out of 8 exchangers) yielded over $4 million USD in energy gains by restoring heat transfer efficiency and reducing pressure drop.

Case 2: One butadiene exchanger cleaned with Tech Sonic was tracked over a year, delivering a $2 million USD benefit. One bundle. One year. Massive return.

2. The "Black Box" Refinery Model

We simplified the refinery to its fundamentals: raw materials and energy in, products and waste energy out. This high-level, system-wide approach consistently predicts savings in the range of $0.25–$0.30 USD per barrel—a significant figure when extrapolated across daily throughput.

3. Data-Driven Bundle Trials

Through our “Measured Trial” initiative, operators shared before-and-after operating data. Using HTRI Xist® simulation software, we modeled thermal performance improvements over a full operating cycle, accounting for gradual fouling post-cleaning. The result? Average savings of $233,000 USD per bundle.

4. Independent Digital Twin Analysis

Partnering with Hexxcell, they independently applied their Hexxcell Studio™ software to a digital twin of a 100 kbbl/day refinery. The study evaluated two scenarios:

• Targeted cleaning of two crude preheat exchanger pairs (E01 & E06): $90K USD per exchanger per year
• Full CPHT network cleaning during shutdown: $186K USD in savings, plus a 1-month delay in hitting the furnace thermal limit

The Bottom Line
Across every method—operator data, empirical modeling, predictive simulation, and independent digital twin analysis—the conclusion is crystal clear:

Tech Sonic’s ultrasonic cleaning unlocks superior energy performance, consistently outpacing traditional hydroblasting. The savings are not theoretical—they’re real, repeatable, and validated by multiple streams of evidence.

When performance matters and energy costs are on the line, Tech Sonic delivers.