15 September 2005 - Clyde Bergemann, the global company that provides solutions and services to the energy sector, today announced the launch of its new solution for superheater cleaning, Smart Helix at POWER-GEN Asia in Singapore.

Smart Helix is a sootblower that offers dynamic helix and lance rotation, and flexible blowing pressure. This allows operators to control the frequency, speed and pressure of the equipment, enabling selective cleaning, acting even on the toughest residue for visibly improved results.

Residues from the combustion of solid and liquid fuels create significant challenges during the operation of boiler plants, incinerators, petrochemical plants and other heat exchangers. Deposits on heating and reaction surfaces reduce efficiency and can lead to expensive operational problems. Without the installation of an effective cleaning system, frequent outages are inevitable, necessitating complex and expensive manual cleaning.

A far greater cost to consider is the revenue lost during outages caused by fouling. Although conventional cleaning devices can largely remove these deposits, stubborn deposits are often left behind.

"Clyde Bergemann has a solid understanding of the challenges of the power industry, and has a track record of consistently developing innovative products and solutions for our customers," said Franz Bartels, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clyde Bergemann Power Group. "We are delighted to continue this tradition with an offering like Smart Helix that sets new standards in the industry, and is the only such product available today."

The Smart Helix design gives operators the ability to fully optimize On-load Cleaning operations in the superheater area. It is designed for full control of all boiler cleaning parameters. The system allows operators to clean where and when required, and determine the intensity of the cleaning process.

"Slagging in superheaters is a perennial problem," added Bartels. "Operators need to tackle different slagging characteristics and development through the cross-section of the superheater. Available solutions offer fixed blowing pressure, insertion and speed, and do not completely address the situation of inconsistent slagging. Smart Helix is the smart solution to this challenge." Smart Helix is available worldwide, either for new installations or as a retrofit.