A Tube Bundle Extractor, also called a Bundle Puller, is used in shell-and-tube heat exchanger maintenance. It supports tube bundle removal from the exchanger shell and tube bundle reinstallation after maintenance. Its pulling and pushing operations are part of handling the heat exchanger bundle, with equipment selection based on the bundle and the maintenance location.
During maintenance planning, the bundle weight, length and diameter should be considered separately from the required pulling force. Available working space and the selected equipment configuration also affect the handling arrangement. These project details provide a basis for selecting a suitable extractor and planning tube bundle removal and reinstallation.
The maintenance sequence includes making the tube bundle accessible for subsequent inspection, cleaning or repair. The Bundle Puller performs the extraction and reinstallation work; cleaning is carried out separately using suitable cleaning equipment. Planning these separate stages helps the maintenance team coordinate the work without treating the extractor as an inspection, cleaning or process-monitoring system.
The role of the Bundle Puller is therefore to support tube bundle handling during shell-and-tube heat exchanger maintenance. A suitable configuration and a planned sequence of pulling and pushing operations help organize removal and reinstallation work. The required configuration should be confirmed against the actual bundle dimensions, bundle weight, pulling requirement and site conditions.
