Heat Exchanger Information

Detecting Heat Exchanger Leaks

• General Information
• Measuring CO₂
• Sources of CO₂
• CO₂ Data Sheet
• High Temperature Sealant - A high temperature sealant (Exhaust sealant - for temperatures up to 2300°F) may be needed in addition to these mechanical fasteners to properly seal the connection from leaking exhaust gases. The best solution would be to minimize or eliminate the flue-pipe connections located inside the barn. A source for this sealant is Cotronics Corporation.

• North Carolina State University Slide Presentation

Problems with Heat Exchangers

A lot of tobacco has now been successfully cured in retrofitted barns. Many growers are reporting only a small or insignificant increase in fuel use and are pleased with the quality of the cured tobacco. The drier heat in a heat exchanger barn (direct fired barns dump over 1 gallon of water into the barn for each gallon of fuel used) has probably resulted in less down stalk barn rot than would have occurred in this rather wet year. As more and more tobacco is cured in heat exchanger barns, we have occasionally heard of some problems possibly associated with heat exchangers. These have included barn fires, improper fuel/air adjustments, igniter problems, under capacity and some problems with barn rot. If you are aware of such problems, we would appreciate an e-mail describing the situation and as much information as possible. E-mail J. Michael Moore at jmmoore@uga.edu.

Curing Tobacco with Heat Exchangers

• General Information

North Carolina State Heat Exchanger Plans

Courtesy of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at NC State. The plans are provided for educational use only.

• Pictures of NC State Heat Exchanger (.pdf)
• Heat Exchanger Plans (.pdf)
• Stick Barn Plans (.pdf)
• NC Publication "Getting Into Hot Water" (.pdf)