Brazed brass fins, cooling tubes, Mesabi flexible rubber seals make BOSS radiator ideal for salt-corrosive service

Engine cooling reliability in a salt-corrosive environment is a vital issue to the offshore petroleum industry, particularly since radiators on most offshore drilling/production structures are located inside tightly enclosed engine spaces and offer little room for sprawling maintenance services.

And because of the round-the-clock running times imposed on offshore diesel and reciprocating engines, minimizing both external and internal wear and tear on their radiator-based cooling systems is crucial to avoiding costly downtimes associated with repairs or component change-out.

That’s why L&M Radiator Inc. developed the Mesabi BOSS radiator, the first such engine cooling system to incorporate brass finning brazed to brass cooling tubes, rather than the soldered fins and tubes inherent in most conventional cooling systems.

The BOSS radiator was designed specifically for long service life without need for repair or parts replacement. By mounting the brass cooling tubes in L&M’s time and field proven Mesabi flexible rubber seals, which absorb excessive engine stresses and thermal shock. Individual fins and tubes, if necessary, can be replaced easily, often without having to uncouple radiator from engine, to return the system to 100% cooling capacity.

Easy component change-out

According to the company, regular maintenance personnel can perform the entire component replacement or cleaning procedure without special skills and using a few simple hand tools.

In addition to making radiator component replacement easier, the flexible tube seals are highly resistant to cooling system additives, and like all of L&M Radiator’s Mesabi flexible seals, those provided with the BOSS radiator are warranted against leaking for 48 months.

Dennis Pointer, L&M Radiator sales/service specialist, said brazing brass fins to brass tubes during manufacture of the BOSS virtually eliminates corrosion problems typically seen with soldered type radiator cores. Additionally, he said, by fixing cooling tubes in place with the flexible rubber seals mounted in alloyed steel header sheets welded onto stainless steel tanks, the radiator core is highly resistant to fatigue damage.

“We have tested the BOSS system under controlled laboratory settings as well as in the field, and under conditions normally found in the offshore environment, it demonstrates a tenacious resistance to either external or internal corrosion,” said Pointer. “So, our belief that the BOSS is ‘virtually corrosion-proof’ is well-founded.” He added that due to the robust design of BOSS cooling tubes, the radiator’s external surface can be cleaned easily with high-pressure air or water systems normally found on offshore rigs and platforms.

In addition to the brass fins/tubes and flexible seals, the BOSS radiator framework is made from mild steel, coated specifically for offshore service. Pointer added that an optional stainless steel framework also is available.