Method of pressure pulse cleaning the interior of heat exchanger tubes located within a pressure vessel such as a tube bundle heat exchanger, boiler, condenser or the like

Patent · Tue Feb 24 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:6718950

Scharton, T D; Taylor, G B

This patent describes a tube bundle heat exchanger which includes a multiplicity of open ended heat exchanger tubes and where products of corrosion, oxidation, sedimentation and comparable chemical reactions adhere to the internal wall of the respective heat exchanger tubes. The heat exchanger is further characterized by a chamber which extends into one end of a group of open ends of the multiplicity of heat exchanger tubes. The method is described of removing the products of corrosion, oxidation, sedimentation and comparable chemical reactions which adhere to the internal wall of the respective heat exchanger tubes comprising: a. placing at least one air-gun type pressure pulse shock wave source into the chamber such that the shock wave producing elements of the at least one air-gun type pressure pulse shock wave source face the open ends of the heat exchanger tubes which go into the chamber; b. filling the heat exchanger tubes with a liquid; and c. activating the at least one air-gun type pressure pulse shock wave source to generate a repetitive series of explosive transient shock waves into the liquid within the heat exchanger tubes and from the liquid against the internal walls and against the adhered products of corrosion, oxidation, sedimentation and comparable chemical reactions.

• Assignee: Anco Engineers, Inc., Culver City, CA
• Patent Number(s): US 4645542
• OSTI ID: 6718950
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 26 Apr 1984
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
HEAT EXCHANGERS
CLEANING
TUBES
BOILERS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
CONDENSERS
CORROSION PRODUCTS
EXPLOSIVES
HIGH PRESSURE
HZ RANGE
LOW PRESSURE
MEDIUM PRESSURE
OXIDATION
PNEUMATICS
PRESSURE VESSELS
PRESSURIZING
PULSE TECHNIQUES
SEDIMENTATION
SHOCK WAVES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAINERS
FLUID MECHANICS
FREQUENCY RANGE
KINETICS
MECHANICS
REACTION KINETICS
421000* - Engineering- Combustion Systems