Tubetech
UK industrial cleaning pioneer (1988, Essex); Mark 7 LiDAR-guided rover hydrojects heat exchanger tubes at up to 15,000 psi.
Tubetech (trading as TubeTech International Ltd.) is a UK-based industrial services company founded in 1988 by Mike Watson in Essex, England. The company is the originator of robotic convection section cleaning technology for the global refining, petrochemical, and power generation industries. TubeTech's registered address is in Rayleigh, Essex (Unit 14, Rawreth Industrial Estate, Rawreth Lane, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 9RL), with an additional operational base at Amber Business Park, Canvey Island, Essex. The company's official contact email is [email protected].
TubeTech's core technology is the development and deployment of purpose-built remotely operated cleaning robots for fired heaters, furnaces, and heat exchangers that accumulate performance-reducing fouling during industrial operation. The company's latest platform, the Mark 7 convection section cleaning rover, was developed at TubeTech's R&D facility in Rayleigh and holds two patents. The Mark 7 uses hydrojetting at working pressures up to 15,000 psi (1,000 bar)—typically operated at 10,000 psi (700 bar)—with a targeted 100mm high-pressure cleaning area that precisely removes fouling without damaging tube assets.
The Mark 7 rover autonomously crawls over intermediate tube support plates and traverses tube rows within convection banks, requiring fewer access points than traditional methods. It incorporates LiDAR distance sensing for navigation and obstacle detection, real-time HD video recording, and automatic adjustment for warped or deformed tubes. The system has been demonstrated to remove more than 90% of convection section fouling, compared to the 30–50% removal rate of conventional water jetting methods. Traditional jetting also uses approximately 25% more water than TubeTech's targeted approach.
TubeTech's customer base includes global oil and gas majors such as BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, and Texaco, as well as operators in ethylene, ammonia, methanol, hydrogen, and chemical production. The company won the 2020 EIC (Energy Industry Council) Transformation Award and has received EU funding for its carbon emissions reduction technology. TubeTech also operates a U.S. subsidiary from Houston, Texas. In 2022, TubeTech became part of Integrated Global Services (IGS), a global surface protection and heat transfer efficiency company.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
Mark 7 Convection Section Cleaning Rover
- Model: Mark 7
- Launch Year: 2022
Patented autonomous hydrojetting robot that removes 90%+ fouling from fired heater convection banks at up to 15,000 psi.
Contact Tubetech
WEBSITE
https://tubetech.com/HEADQUARTERS
United Kingdom
Company Facts
Founded
1988
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Certifications & Memberships
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