Installation for internal cleaning of tubes

Abstract

With the object of reducing handling time in connection with the internal cleaning of recently drawn metal tubes and with the further object to reduce consumption of cleaning agents and obtaining a well cleaned internal surface a number of tubes (14) is gathered immediately after the drawing installation and they are connected to connecting means (16, 17) for cleaning fluids. The installation comprises a container (22) for chlorinated hydrocarbon and a container (31) for alkali solution with complex formers as additives, a steam generator (28) and preferably also a container (37) for de-ionized water. A control device (21) is programmed to arrange that the tubes are first flushed with chlorinated hydrocarbon, whereafter the tubes are blown clean with steam. The tubes are flushed with alkali solution after the blowing operation. The tubes are finally submitted to flushing with deionized water and drying with compressed air. One of the connecting means (17) is mounted on a frame, which can be moved in the length direction of the tubes in order to admit adoption to different nominal tube lengths. Taking into consideration that the tubes will have rather wide length tolerances, the connecting means are provided with connecting means (50), which are individually adjustable in the length direction of the tubes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.