{"id":2180,"date":"2026-03-20T06:06:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T06:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boshiya.com\/?p=2180"},"modified":"2026-03-20T06:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T06:30:10","slug":"bundle-puller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/boshiya.com\/es\/blog\/bundle-puller\/","title":{"rendered":"Extractor de paquetes: tipos, procedimiento de extracci\u00f3n y gu\u00eda de selecci\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Bundle Puller: The Field Engineer’s Guide to Types, Procedure, and Equipment Selection<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Quick Specs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Pull Capacity Range<\/td>\n5\u2013150 tons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Bundle Length<\/td>\n5,000\u201315,000 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Frame Diameter Range<\/td>\n500\u20133,200 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Power Options<\/td>\nDiesel \/ Electric \/ Hydraulic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Control<\/td>\nRemote wireless operation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Standards<\/td>\nAPI 660, ASME Sec VIII, TEMA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

A bundle puller is hands-down the single most valuable machine during a heat exchanger turnaround — and for whatever reason, one of the least appreciated. Part of a complete upgrade to a heat exchangers’ reliability, this article will show you how they operate, what style is best for your specific conditions, and the precise processes that have kept most unique ex-changer extractions on schedule and under budget. If your refinery or petrochemical plant relies on shell-and-tube exchangers, it pays to sharpen your critical equipment knowledge base.<\/p>\n

What Is a Bundle Puller?<\/h2>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

A tube bundle puller is a hydraulically-driven piece of machinery used to remove tube bundles from shell-and-tube exchangers either as part of maintenance or inspection, or when replacing a heat exchanger. It clamps onto the tube sheet or a dedicated pulling ring, and applies carefully metered horizontal force in order to slide the bundle out of the shell at speeds typically somewhere between 0.3 meters\/minute (slow pull) and 1.5 meters\/minute (fast pull).<\/p>\n

Important to understand is that this is completely different equipment to cable or wire bundle pulling equipment often employed in wiring installations. This is heavy industrial maintenance equipment designed specifically for this task. Refineries, petrochemical complexes, power generators and LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminals all depend on them during almost every turnaround cycle. Each product in the bundle puller range serves a specific heat exchanger maintenance application, from small tube bundles under 5 tons to large industrial units exceeding 100 tons.<\/p>\n

Why not simply use a crane? Three reasons. One, many shell-and-tube heat exchangers are housed inside pipe-racks or other isolated structures that mount cranes too far away for load accuracy. Two, a crane will force vertical application of the horizontal load to the bundle – risk destroying the shell bore or baffle support tabs. Three, turnaround speed. Cranes do not speed-load as quickly or easily as dedicated squeeze-lift systems. Such hardware performs about twice as many efficient tube bundle extractions per shift.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udca1 Key Numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vertical lifting capacity of bundle-pulling machines varies from 5 tons for small process fixed-exit Ex-changers, up to 150 tons for large BTX (benzene-toluene-xylene) applications. Common industries deploying them include oil refining, petro-chemicals, power generation, LNG\/Gas processing, pulp and paper, marine-vessels. Large refineries (more than 200 process heat exchangers) can expect to schedule 40-60 bundle extractions per turnaround.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

BOSHIYA supplies a complete line of bundle puller solutions<\/a> capable of applying loads from 25\u2013150 tons, covering the full spectrum of shell-and-tube heat exchanger markets operating in the downstream and midstream sectors.<\/p>\n

How Tube Bundle Extraction Works \u2014 Mechanics and Force Calculation<\/h2>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The function is simple hydraulics. A diesel drive or 220V electric motor drives a hydraulic pump which pressurizes a quantity of oil and feeds it to one (or several) hydraulic cylinders. A hydraulic cylinder applies linear force to a component. The component may be any type of barreled plunger, reciprocating ram or other actuator design. The cylinder applies this force to whatever one end is mechanically fixed – in this case a ring that surrounds a heater bundle (or the faces of the tube sheet for a fixed-End Exchanger).<\/p>\n

Activation of the setup results in the hydraulic cylinder either extending or retracting, depending on which mode is selected, in order to pull the bundle out of the shell along its longitudinal axis. Most newer package systems employ a dead-straight guide rail to keep the tube bundle perfectly aligned during extraction. The tube bundle glides on rails or rollers kept along the path in order to reduce drag.<\/p>\n

Force Requirements<\/h3>\n

According to ScienceDirect’s engineering references<\/a>, a device supporting horizontal bundle pull loads must be able to exert a pulling force of 1.0 x the weight of the removable tube bundle, minimum 2,000 lb (9.0 k N). This the bare minimum. The actual pull force required is nearly always far greater; due to friction.<\/p>\n

There are three friction factors that result in the true pull force on site being well above the theoretical minimum. Corrosion film build-up between the bundle outer tube surfaces and the shell bore can raise friction coefficients from 0.15 (clean carbon steel against a clean carbon steel surface) to 0.4+, as fouling deposits such as scale, coke, biofilms act as an adherent in a long run time (4+ years). Gasket compression between the tube sheet and shell flange can also cause bundle binding, especially if the retainer bolts were initially over tightened during assembly and have not loosened over time.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udcd0 Engineering Note<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pull Force Estimate: Fpull<\/sub> = Wbundle<\/sub> \u00d7 (1 + \u03bcfriction<\/sub>), where \u03bc ranges from 0.15 (clean recently serviced) to 0.5+ (heavily fouled, 6+years run time). For a 30-ton bundle with moderate fouling (\u03bc = 0.3), the required pull force is roughly 39 tons. Always build in a safety factor of 20% over the theoretical value for safe equipment sizing. A pre-pull inspection via borescope of shell bore conditions and fouling history can prevent under-sizing your puller on site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Work pressure for the hydraulic systems is normally between 200 bar and 350 bar. Cylinder sizes are from 150 mm bore on light duty units to 300+ mm bore for heavy duty models. Stroke travel per cycle can be from 300 mm up to 1500 mm allowing the puller to reach across large equipment and getting several pulls from the rail system assuming the rack and pinion will go further than 1 stroke each cycle.<\/p>\n

Types of Bundle Pullers: Diesel vs Electric vs Aerial<\/h2>\n

\"Types<\/p>\n

Bundle pullers can be divided into 4 groups, based on the type of environment they are designed for. Selecting the incorrect type results in different delays, safety hazards and congestion on your turn around schedule.<\/p>\n

Diesel Bundle Pullers<\/h3>\n

Diesel driven units form the core of the outdoor turnaround. As they generate their own source of power, usually a 53 k W diesel engine, they are fully independent of any electrical power sources, perfect for remote locations, offshore platforms or green field developments until a switchboard is installed for operational use. They will generate off site emissions which makes their operation unsuitable for process areas enclosed spaces.<\/p>\n

Electric Bundle Pullers<\/h3>\n

Electric units operate on 3 phase electrical power, commonly 380-480V. They generate no off site emissions and are required by majority of LNG facilities, hazardous process areas and emission abatement centers. They require between 37-75 kW depending on their size of capacity. They are significantly quieter than diesel, 72-78 d B at 1 meter rather than 85-95 d B at 1 meter.<\/p>\n

Aerial \/ Crane-Mounted Bundle Extractors<\/h3>\n

Hot, heat exchanger arrays are frequently located 10 – 20 meters above grade and require a crane boom or dedicated mast with an aerial bundle extractor<\/a> mounted. They sacrifice some free pulling capacity, typically max 100 tons to allow for elevation changes. The actual bundle pulling still occurs horizontally, effectively the bay must be able to move the crane to place the boom at the correct elevation, then allow hydraulic cylinders to do the pulling.<\/p>\n

Self-Propelled Units<\/h3>\n

Self-propelled bundle pullers pair a mobile chassis with the hydraulic bundle extraction system. These units travel under their own power between exchangers rather than rely upon the deployment of a dedicated transport vehicle. Self-propelled bundle pullers tend to be prevalent within extensive refinery complexes with 20+ exchangers scheduling service within a particular turnaround window.<\/p>\n

Comparison Table<\/h3>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Feature<\/th>\nDiesel<\/th>\nElectric<\/th>\nAerial<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Capacity Range<\/td>\n25\u2013150 tons<\/td>\n30\u2013150 tons<\/td>\n5\u2013100 tons<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Typical Power<\/td>\n53 kW<\/td>\n37\u201375 kW<\/td>\n30\u201355 kW<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Max Bundle Length<\/td>\n15,000 mm<\/td>\n15,000 mm<\/td>\n12,000 mm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Emissions<\/td>\nYes (exhaust)<\/td>\nZero<\/td>\nZero<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best For<\/td>\nOutdoor \/ remote sites<\/td>\nIndoor \/ emission zones<\/td>\nElevated pipe racks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
External Power<\/td>\nNot required<\/td>\nRequired (3-phase)<\/td>\nNot required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Diesel Bundle Puller \u2014 Advantages and Limitations<\/h3>\n
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\u2714 Advantages<\/strong><\/p>\n