Bowman Heat Transfer Technology

Bowman hydraulic oil coolers provide efficient, reliable heat transfer solutions for hydraulic oils, heat transfer fluids, plus lubricating and quenching oils. Maintaining the correct oil temperature extends the useful life of the system, reducing downtime and servicing costs.

Key System Benefits

• Fully Floating Tube Stack: Features a precision engineered, fully floating tube stack design which minimises thermal stresses while providing highly efficient heat transfer and a low fluid pressure drop.
• High-Quality Material Standards: Manufactured in the UK to strict ISO 9001:2008 standards. Incorporates premium grade components with proven durability across demanding marine, land, and deep mining environments.
• Simple & Swift Maintenance: The end covers are easily removable, allowing the tube stack to be smoothly withdrawn for direct cleaning and routine service operations.
• Advanced Engineering Integration: Developed using comprehensive 3D CAD modeling parameters, facilitating straightforward installation mapping for system designers.

Pass Flow Configurations

• Three Pass (Preferred & Standard): Transfers more heat from a given water flow by splitting the internal area of the tube stack into three separate fluid pass channels.
• Two Pass: Ideal for restricted spaces. Water enters and leaves from the same end cover, simplifying surrounding pipework and accommodating higher flow rates.
• Single Pass: Deployed exclusively when cooling water supply flow rates are unavoidably high, moving the water through all tubes simultaneously.

General Guidelines for Good Operation Practice

1. Install the cooler in the return pipe to the tank. Use a separate circuit with its own pump if the system experiences violent flow and pressure fluctuations.
2. Ensure the unit operates completely full of water and is piped for counter-flow installation (water flowing opposite to the oil direction).
3. The water outlet pipe must maintain an uninterrupted run back to the return water circuit.
4. Modulating water flow control valves must always be fitted on the inlet side to prevent pressurization when the system shuts down.
5. For marine applications left idle for 4–6 days, the unit must be drained, cleaned, and kept dry to prevent stagnant fluid decomposition.

Standard Equipment Configuration

Our baseline configurations represent an exceptionally durable standard engineered for reliable operation across conventional industrial and land-based machinery fluid cooling loops.

Standard Core Assemblies

• Tube Stack Material: High-grade Cupro-Nickel tube bundles, providing superior thermal conductivity and strong resistance against mineralized or fresh cooling water loops.
• Shell and Body Construction: Precision-milled metal alloys compliant with standard pressure tolerances.
• Sealing Pack: Commercial Nitrile (NT) O-seals as standard, delivering stable performance alongside standard mineral-based hydraulic oils.
• Fluid Circuit Management: Pre-arranged internal Three-Pass configuration for optimized, standard heat dissipation.
• Connection Elements: Standard BSP parallel threaded fluid sockets on small to medium series. Integrated SAE flanged connections on the shell side for GL and larger cooler formats.
• Maintenance Interfaces: Dedicated, accessible layout screws for quick end cover removal, alongside built-in oil and water drain plugs.

Premium Upgrade Options & Accessories

To withstand aggressive cooling media, specialized fluids, and extreme operating thresholds, Bowman offers highly engineered modular components.

Advanced Material Upgrades

• Titanium Tube Stacks: The ultimate "fit and forget" selection for aggressive environments (salt water, contaminated or mineral-rich water). Prevents galvanic corrosion and chemical attack, backed by a full 10-Year Material Guarantee. Deploys higher permitted water flow rates without risk of tube erosion.
• Stainless Steel Tube Stacks: Available as a structural tube bundle upgrade for tailored chemical or processing loop compatibility.
• Specialized Fluid Sealing: High-integrity alternative seals replacing standard nitrile for fire-resistant or chemical fluid duties. Suffix upgrades include:
  • Ethylene Propylene (EP) Seals
  • Viton (VT) Seals

Specialized Application Configurations

• High-Temperature Oil Range: Tailored internal specifications designed to operate smoothly with oil inputs reaching up to 150°C.
• Extreme-Temperature Oil Range: Features heavy-duty Cast Iron shells, Viton seals, and custom-constructed tube stacks rated for temperatures up to 200°C.
• Deep Underground Mining Range: Reinforced heavy cast iron shell and strengthened end covers fitted with Viton seals, safely handling high water pressure limits up to 35 bar.
• High Flow Variations: Custom-engineered internal passes optimized to prevent high oil pressure drops if the system oil flow rate is uniquely high relative to heat dissipation loads.

Marine & Shipboard System Elements

• Double Seal Retaining Flange (DSRF): Available on GL and larger models. Fits securely between the end cover and heat exchanger body, allowing the cooling water side to be opened and inspected without disturbing the oil circuit loop—eliminating deck fluid spillage hazards.
• Calibrated Orifice Plates: Crucial restriction plates for shipboard installs linked to the main supply line. Restricts the raw sea water supply from exceeding safe velocity thresholds, preventing internal tube erosion.