Rotating apparatus for repairing damaged tubes

A laser welding apparatus for clad welding the interior surface of a heat exchanger tube supported by a tube sheet positioned over a steam generator waterbox, comprising:

• a stationary Nd:YAG laser to produce laser energy;
• a flexible rotating sleeve for positioning through said steam generator waterbox and into said heat exchanger tube, said flexible rotating sleeve enclosing and rotating a fiber optic cable that receives said laser energy from said stationary Nd:YAG laser, said rotating sleeve including a filler passage;
• a filler metal delivery system in synchronous rotation with said rotating sleeve and delivering a filler material to said filler passage of said rotating sleeve;
• and
• a rotating welding head, with a head aperture, positioned at the end of said rotating sleeve and rotating therewith, said rotating welding head including a laser energy directional modification assembly for receiving said laser energy from said fiber optic cable and directing it through said head aperture to the interior surface of said tube, said filler passage terminating at said head aperture such that said filler material within said filler passage intersects with said energy and thereby fuses with the interior surface of said tube to produce a clad weld.