US 2026/0243528 A1 · METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONSERVING MOVEMENT IN A BUNDLE-CLEANING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A system and method for cleaning a tube bundle may utilize a cleaning methodology for conserving movement of the lances, thereby increasing the cleaning efficiency by reducing the amount time needed to clean the bundle. The system and method may employ a top-down approach where multiple tubes in a tube bundle are cleaned by a plurality of lances. Thereafter, a trolley may advance the plurality of lances downward to another row of tubes. The vertical movement required is less than the horizontal movement required. Thus, by moving downward in a vertical movement, the system can clean the tube bundle more efficiently than if it were traveling horizontally across a row because the trolley and indexer will span a shorter distance to clean the same number of tubes.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for conserving movement of a tube cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of tubes in a tube bundle, wherein the tube bundle defines rows and columns of tubes, the method comprising:

aligning a plurality of lances with respective tube openings in a first row of tubes in the tube bundle;
inserting the plurality of lances into the respective tube openings in the first row of tubes and ejecting a fluid from the plurality of lances to clean an inner surface each tube;
extracting the plurality of lances from the respective tube openings;
moving the plurality of lances in a first direction that is parallel to the columns of tubes, wherein movement of the plurality of lances in a columnar direction is less a horizontal distance measured from a first tube to an N+1 tube in the first row of tubes, where N is equal to the number of lances;
and
cleaning all tubes in the tube bundle in a shorter amount of time than if the plurality lances were moved in a second direction that is parallel to the rows of tubes.

3 more elements

A computer program product including one or more non-transitory machine-readable mediums encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a process to conserve movement of a tube cleaning device for cleaning a plurality of tubes in a tube bundle, wherein the tube bundle defines rows and columns of tubes, and the instructions comprise:

align a plurality of lances with respective tube openings in a first row of tubes in the tube bundle;
insert the plurality of lances into the respective tube openings in the first row of tubes and ejecting a fluid from the plurality of lances to clean an inner surface each tube;
extract the plurality of lances from the respective tube openings;
move the plurality of lances in a first direction that is parallel to the columns of tubes, wherein movement of the plurality of lances in a columnar direction is less a horizontal distance measured from a first tube to an N+1 tube in the first row of tubes, where N is equal to the number of lances;
and
clean all tubes in the tube bundle in a shorter amount of time than if the plurality lances were moved in a second direction that is parallel to the rows of tubes.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for conserving movement in a bundle-cleaning assembly

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for conserving movement in a bundle-cleaning assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14