Apparatus and method for cleaning tubular members
AssigneeAbClean America, Inc.
InventorRobert V. Williams, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for cleaning a tubular member having an entrance end and an interior wall including a source of pressurized gas/solids mixture, a source of pressurized liquid medium, a conveying tube to introduce the pressurized liquid medium into the tubular member through an acceleration locus interiorly of the tubular member from the particulate solids being entrained and accelerated by the accelerated liquid medium substantially at the point of the acceleration locus whereby in situ mixing of the particulate solids and liquid medium occurs just prior to contacting the surface to be cleaned.
Claims12
An apparatus for cleaning a tubular member having an entrance end and an interior wall comprising:
- a source of a pressurized gas/particulate solids mixture;
- a source of a pressurized liquid medium;
- means to introduce said pressurized liquid medium into said tubular member, said means for introducing said liquid medium comprising,
- a conveying tube, said conveying tube having a first end for extending into said tubular member, and
- a head assembly connected to said first end of said conveying tube, said head assembly including first nozzle means for accelerating liquid medium from said conveying tube in a direction at an angle, measured in the direction of flow of said liquid medium in said conveying tube, of 90.degree. or less to the direction of flow of said liquid medium in said conveying tube, said head assembly further including a nose portion, said nose portion including a deflecting surface for enhancing direction of said liquid medium from said conveying tube into a radially outward pattern toward said interior wall, said nose portion further including a passageway, said passageway being in open communication with said axially extending bore and there are second nozzle means for directing liquid medium from said conveying tube into a radially outward pattern toward said interior wall, said second nozzle mean serving to accelerate said liquid medium;
- means for introducing said pressurized gas/particulate solids mixture into said tubular member whereby said interior wall guides said gas/particulate solids mixture along said tubular member in a direction away from said entrance end into said tubular member and in generally surrounding relationship to said conveying tube, at least a portion of said particulate solids being entrained in, and accelerated by, said liquid medium from said first nozzle means;
- and
- means for moving said conveying tube and said head assembly axially along the interior of said tubular member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.