S.M.I Lorraine — Heat Exchanger Overhaul
Client: Cj Consulting AB (main contractor) Site: S.M.I Lorraine, France (Lorraine region) Industry: Chemical & Industrial Process Period: August 2024 Services: Heat Exchanger Services · Industrial Welding
Context
The S.M.I Lorraine campaign is MIDAS’s French market reference project. It established MIDAS as a Polish subcontractor able to deliver cross-border into France — geographically, linguistically, and contractually — under Nordic main-contractor management.
The scope was a complete overhaul of an industrial heat exchanger. Heat exchanger overhaul is a specialist scope that sits at the intersection of pressure equipment repair, tube bundle inspection, and precision welding. It’s not high-volume work but it is high-trust work: an incorrectly reassembled exchanger comes back into service with hidden leak paths, and the plant’s reliability suffers for it.
Scope
Delivered across the August 2024 window:
- Complete disassembly of the heat exchanger — head removal, tube bundle extraction, channel separation
- Visual and dimensional inspection of shell, tube bundle, tubesheet
- Identification of defects requiring repair
- Welding restoration — shell, tubesheet, and localized tube work per scope
- Reassembly with torque control
- Hydrostatic pressure testing
- Handover to client
Heat exchanger work of this kind runs as a small-team, high-discipline campaign. Specialist welders, specialist inspection practices, and specialist documentation — all compressed into a single month of execution.
Approach
Heat exchanger overhauls demand specific preparation:
Pre-inspection review. Before disassembly, we review the original data book — OEM drawings, material certification, history of previous inspections and repairs. This tells us what we’re working with, what’s been repaired before, and what tolerances the original manufacturer built to.
Disassembly discipline. Heat exchangers are easy to damage during disassembly if shortcuts are taken. Bolts, seals, and tube bundle extraction all need specific procedures. Our crew worked methodically through each stage.
Inspection and defect identification. Once disassembled, every component is visually inspected and measured. Tube bundles are checked for straightness, wear, and corrosion. The tubesheet is checked for tube-to-tubesheet weld integrity.
Repair welding. Repair welds on pressure equipment must match original material compatibility and post-weld heat treatment requirements. Each repair was executed to a specific WPS with documentation.
Reassembly and test. Reassembly restores the exchanger to its design condition. Torque on fasteners, gasket installation, alignment checks — all per OEM and plant procedure. Final hydrostatic test confirms the result.
Outcome
MIDAS delivered the heat exchanger overhaul for Cj Consulting AB’s S.M.I Lorraine scope within the August 2024 window, handing the unit back to the plant ready for return to service.
The project is MIDAS’s only French-market reference in the 2024-2025 portfolio — and the basis for our “France-active” positioning. French industrial procurement (particularly in the Lorraine region, with its long industrial heritage and specific certification expectations like MASE) is a market where European B2B contractors are judged on real delivered scope more than on marketing claim volume. S.M.I Lorraine is the real delivered scope.
Technical summary
| Scope | Complete heat exchanger overhaul — repair welding, reassembly, hydrotest |
| Standards | ISO 3834-2, PED 2014/68/EU, OEM specification |
| Welding processes | 141 TIG, 135 MAG, 111 SMAW |
| Materials | Carbon steel, stainless (per unit specification) |
| Duration | August 2024 |
| Delivered via | Cj Consulting AB |
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Heat exchanger overhaul is specialist scope we deliver carefully. If you have a French or European industrial exchanger requiring overhaul within an outage window, send us the details.
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