A flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance drive apparatus includes a guide rail having a longitudinal axis adapted to be positioned within a boiler water box and aligned in a fixed position with respect to a central axis of the water box. A tractor drive module is mounted on the guide rail, a helix clad high pressure fluid hose drive module is mounted on the guide rail operable to propel a flexible lance helix clad hose through the drive module along an axis parallel to the guide rail longitudinal axis, and a right angle guide rotator module is mounted on the guide rail and connected to the tractor module for positioning a rotatable high pressure nozzle carried by the helix clad hose within a guide tube attached to the rotator module.

A cleaning apparatus for cleaning a cooling tube array (15) of a heat ex-changer has a nozzle carriage (16) movably held on a truss beam, and a plurality of cleaning nozzles (40) mounted to the nozzle carriage. A truss beam has two parallel C-channel rails (20) having back sides that face each other, a tube (22) arranged separate and distant from the C-channel rails and at a different height than the C-channel rails in a cross-sectional plane of the truss beam, and truss supports (24) connecting the rails and the tube; the nozzle carriage has rollers (48) that are arranged for travelling in the C-channel rails. A water intake (82) is coupled to the nozzle manifold (42) and to a hydraulic drive (80) having a mechanical power take-off member (96) that is operably coupled to the nozzle carriage (16) for moving the nozzle carriage.

Disclosed is a scanner for scanning fire tubes in heater treaters. A scanner may include a curved body. The curved body having an outside of a curve and an inside of a curve. At least one magnet is coupled to the outside of the curve of the curved body. At least one sensor is coupled adjacent the at least one magnet on the outside of the curve of the curved body. A data transmitter is coupled to the at least one sensor. At least one wheel is coupled to an edge of the curved body. A distance measurer is coupled to the curved body. A hook coupler is coupled to the curved body. A method of using the scanner for scanning a fire tube includes placing the scanner in the tube and pushing/pulling the scanner up and down the tube around the entire circumference of the tube.

Disclosed is a scanner for scanning fire tubes in heater treaters. A scanner may include a curved body. The curved body having an outside of a curve and an inside of a curve. At least one magnet is coupled to the outside of the curve of the curved body. At least one sensor is coupled adjacent the at least one magnet on the outside of the curve of the curved body. A data transmitter is coupled to the at least one sensor. At least one wheel is coupled to an edge of the curved body. A distance measurer is coupled to the curved body. A hook coupler is coupled to the curved body. A method of using the scanner for scanning a fire tube includes placing the scanner in the tube and pushing/pulling the scanner up and down the tube around the entire circumference of the tube.

A system capable of autonomous operation is disclosed for cleaning a tube bundle of a heat exchanger core. The system comprises a lance for directing a jet of fluid into spaces between the tubes of the bundle, a carriage for advancing the lance into the bundle, a mount movable relative to the carriage for holding the lance, and a sensor for detecting relative movement between the lance and the carriage, so as to detect when a reaction force acting on the lance upon encountering an obstruction in the tube bundle exceeds a predetermined limit.

A system capable of autonomous operation is disclosed for cleaning a tube bundle of a heat exchanger core. The system comprises a lance for directing a jet of fluid into spaces between the tubes of the bundle, a carriage for advancing the lance into the bundle, a mount movable relative to the carriage for holding the lance, and a sensor for detecting relative movement between the lance and the carriage, so as to detect when a reaction force acting on the lance upon encountering an obstruction in the tube bundle exceeds a predetermined limit.

A robot is disclosed for cleaning the exterior of tubes of a heat exchanger. The robot comprises a lance for directing a jet of fluid into spaces between the tubes, a carriage for transporting the lance in a direction of travel parallel to axes of the tubes of the heat exchanger, and traction assemblies for engaging the tubes to enable the carriage to be advanced along the tubes, wherein the traction assemblies are each moveable relative to the carriage in a direction transverse to that of travel in order to change the track width of the robot.

A device, system, and method is disclosed for cleaning the interior of the tubes in air-cooled heat exchangers. The tubes are cleaned using dry finely divided abrasive entrained in high pressure air blasted through the tube to remove any accumulation in the tube or on the tube walls resulting in a bright metal condition suitable for inspection by the Internal Rotary Inspection System, or application of a corrosion-resistant coating, or a lesser level of cleanliness appropriate for return to service. The device is electromagnetically attached to the outside of a ferromagnetic tube header, or to a ferromagnetic plate secured to the outside of a non-ferromagnetic plug-type header or a plate-type header of any material, to temporarily secure a grit-resistant nozzle assembly and position the nozzle for proper application of the high pressure air and entrained abrasive to facilitate cleaning, avoid tube damage, and provide for operator safety. The disclosure still further relates to a system and a method, both employing the device, to clean the interior of the tubes with dry abrasive blasting using high pressure air, and at the other end of the tube, capturing the air, spent abrasive, and material removed from the tube, separating the spent abrasive and removed material from the waste air, filtering the waste air, and exhausting the now filtered air to the environment; all without fugitive emissions.

A device, system, and method is disclosed for cleaning the interior of the tubes in air-cooled heat exchangers. The tubes are cleaned using dry finely divided abrasive entrained in high pressure air blasted through the tube to remove any accumulation in the tube or on the tube walls resulting in a bright metal condition suitable for inspection by the Internal Rotary Inspection System, or application of a corrosion-resistant coating, or a lesser level of cleanliness appropriate for return to service. The device is electromagnetically attached to the outside of a ferromagnetic tube header, or to a ferromagnetic plate secured to the outside of a non-ferromagnetic plug-type header or a plate-type header of any material, to temporarily secure a grit-resistant nozzle assembly and position the nozzle for proper application of the high pressure air and entrained abrasive to facilitate cleaning, avoid tube damage, and provide for operator safety. The disclosure still further relates to a system and a method, both employing the device, to clean the interior of the tubes with dry abrasive blasting using high pressure air, and at the other end of the tube, capturing the air, spent abrasive, and material removed from the tube, separating the spent abrasive and removed material from the waste air, filtering the waste air, and exhausting the now filtered air to the environment; all without fugitive emissions.

Pivoting brush heads and associated machines in which cleaning of interior tube surfaces occurs by a forward non-cleaning pass of a pivoting brush head through a tube followed by a reverse cleaning pass where the pivoting brush head engages and cleans the interior surface. The pivoting brush head has a first position for the forward pass producing minimum engagement of interior tube surfaces, and a second position for the reverse pass of full cleaning engagement with the interior tube surfaces.