US 5,494,004 AGranted

On line pulsed detonation/deflagration soot blower

AssigneeLockheed Corporation

InventorLouis G. Hunter, Jr.

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Abstract

A pivotal housing member has an end pivotally coupled to an end of a base housing member for movement between a retracted or folded position and an extended position. The pivotal housing member has a pulsed deflagration or detonation device located therein for producing pulsed deflagration or detonation pressure waves for cleaning purposes. When the pivotal member is in its folded position, the two housing members may be moved through the opening formed through the wall of a boiler, etc. for cleaning the interior surface of the wall with the pulsed pressure waves. In order to increase the wall area cleaned from a given wall opening, the two housing members may be rotated about an axis of the base housing member and the pivotal housing member pivoted to different extended positions from its folded position.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An apparatus for cleaning the interior walls of a heat producing system of the type having an inlet opening extending through a wall thereof, comprising:

a first housing member having first and second opposite ends with an axis of rotation extending between said first and second ends and a second housing member having third and fourth opposite ends,
pivotal support means for pivotally coupling said second and third ends of said first and second housing members together for pivotal movement of said second housing member in a given plane relative to said first housing member to allow said second housing member to be moved to a folded position with said fourth end being located near said first housing member and to an extended position with said fourth end being located away from said first housing member,
means for moving said second housing member to said folded and extended positions,
means for moving said first and second housing members into and out of the heat producing system by way of the opening thereof when said second housing member is in said folded position,
means for rotating said first housing member and hence said second housing member about said axis when said first and second housing members are located in the interior of the heat producing system, and
means for injecting fluid through said fourth end of said second housing member when said first and second housing members are located in the interior of the heat producing system for cleaning the walls thereof.

3 more elements

An apparatus for cleaning the interior walls of a heat producing system of the type having an inlet opening extending through a wall thereof, comprising:

a detonator housing member having a surrounding outer wall, a rear end and an outlet end,
an intermediate cylindrical wall spaced inward from said outer wall,
a rear wall connected between said outer wall and said intermediate wall defining a detonation chamber between said outer wall, said intermediate wall and said rear wall with an outlet opening at said outlet end,
spaced apart inlet openings formed through said intermediate wall,
a rotatable valve located in said intermediate wall and comprising an inner cylindrical wall having a closed front end, a closed rear end and spaced apart outlet openings formed through said inner cylindrical wall,
said outlet and inlet openings being located and sized to allow each of said outlet openings to align with at least one of said inlet openings upon rotation of said valve to alternately allow and prevent fluid communication from the interior of said valve to said detonation chamber,
means for rotating said rotatable valve within said intermediate cylindrical wall,
means for feeding air, fuel and oxygen into the interior of said rotatable valve for forming a combustible mixture for passage into said detonation chamber,
ignition means located in said detonation chamber for igniting said combustible mixture in said detonation chamber when said inlet and outlet openings are in non-aligned positions for forming a detonation wave in said detonation chamber for flow out of said outlet opening,
a purge valve means coupled to the rear end of said detonation chamber for injecting air therein after the detonation wave is produced and when said inlet and outlet valves are in non-aligned positions to remove the residual high temperature gaseous combustion product, and
means for moving said housing member into and out of said heat producing system by way of the opening thereof.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.