A method including filling an internal passage of an additively manufactured (AM) article with a state change fluid, causing the state change fluid to change from a first state having a first viscosity to a second state that is either solid or has a second viscosity that is higher than the first viscosity within the internal passage, causing the state change fluid to change back from the second state to the first state, removing residual powder from the additively manufactured article by flushing the state change fluid from the internal passage, measuring electrical impedance of a piezoelectric wafer connected to the additively manufactured article, and determining that more than a threshold amount of residual powder remains within the AM article based on the measured electrical impendence of the additively manufactured article being outside of a selected range from an expected impendence value.

There is disclosed a method and apparatus for finishing an internal channel of a component. The method comprises installing the component in a flow circuit which is configured to drive a fluid flow through the internal channel and controlling the fluid flow through the internal channel so that cavitation bubbles are continuously generated by a hydrodynamic effect to erode the internal channel by implosion of the cavitation bubbles. The fluid flow may comprise abrasive media which may abrade the internal channel.

A dosing apparatus for dosing a powder product inside containers includes a hopper provided with an inner cavity for containing the product, a lower portion provided with a supply duct with a terminal aperture for the outflow of the product, a metering screw rotating inside the supply duct and a washing manifold provided with an inlet opening and containing at least a sonotrode. In a cleaning configuration of the dosing apparatus, the washing manifold is connected to the hopper coupling the inlet opening to the supply duct, so as to receive and contain a washing liquid introduced in the hopper. The sonotrode is activated to produce alternate pressure waves capable of generating in the washing liquid air bubbles adapted to propagate towards the inner cavity through the supply duct, and to implode thus creating shock waves.

The group of inventions relates to the oil-and-gas extraction industry, in particular to equipment for removing deposits of asphaltenes, resins, paraffins, hydrates, calcium salts, etc. from tubing strings of oil and gas wells without extracting said tubing strings from the wells. This instrument can also be used for cleaning water-extracting wells and other wells. The internal surface of a tubing string is cleaned by a combined action (ultrasonic, mechanical, heat) on contaminants. Owing to the fact that operation of a well does not stop, dirt atomized by the combined action is raised to the surface and removed from the well by a stream of fluid. A system for ultrasonic cleaning of a tubing string consists of an ultrasonic generator and a downhole ultrasonic scraper, which comprises a converter converting electrical vibrations into mechanical vibrations, which is placed into a protective casing and is connected to a vibration transformer, which boosts the amplitude of vibrations of ultrasonic transducers. The use of the claimed group of inventions makes it possible to increase the efficiency and economy of an operation for cleaning a tubing string.

A method includes issuing a state change fluid into an internal passage of an additively manufactured article and causing the state change fluid to change from a first state having a first viscosity to a second state that is either solid or has a second viscosity that is higher than the first viscosity within the internal passage. The method can also include causing the state change fluid to change back from the second state to the first state and flushing the state change fluid from the internal passage to remove residual powder from the additively manufactured article.

A method of applying a treatment to a surface of an open body having a volume within an interior of the open body comprises; providing an inner structure (110) shaped to complement the shape of the interior of the open body and to fill a major portion of the volume or a major portion of a width of the interior of the open body; positioning the inner structure (110) within the open body in order to form a treatment fluid inner volume comprising an inner space (150) confronting an inner surface within the interior of the open body; and introducing a treatment fluid into the treatment fluid inner volume to thereby modify the inner surface of the open body by applying the treatment using the treatment fluid. Optionally, the method includes providing a tank (120) shaped to complement and contain the open body; positioning the open body within the tank (120) in order to form a treatment fluid outer volume comprising an outer space confronting the outer surface of the open body; and introducing the treatment fluid into the treatment fluid outer volume to thereby modify the outer surface of the open body by applying the treatment using the treatment fluid.

Methods and systems for cleaning devices holding fluid which use a system such as a transducer assembly including at least one pair of protrusions acting as point-like pressure sources or at least one substantially circular protrusion acting as a substantially circular point-like pressure source, coupled to an outer surface of the device to be cleaned.

A contamination detection and auto-cleaning equipment and a method using the same are provided. The contamination detection and auto-cleaning equipment includes a contamination detection device and an automatic cleaning device. The contamination detection device is configured for detecting a cleanliness of a sample container. The automatic cleaning device is configured for cleaning the sample container. The contamination detection device includes a light emitter, a detection-light receiver and a controller. The light emitter is configured for emitting an emission light, wherein the emission light becomes a detection light after traveling through the sample container. The detection-light receiver is configured for receiving the detection light to obtain a detection-light intensity. The controller is coupled to the light emitter and the detection-light receiver, and obtain the cleanliness of the sample container according to a variation of the detection-light intensity.

A method for removing deposits inside a section in a food processing system is provided. The method comprises introducing a cleaning liquid into the section, inducing boiling of the cleaning liquid by adjusting a pressure and/or a temperature inside the section to a first pressure value and/or a first temperature value, thereby forming bubbles in the cleaning liquid, imploding the bubbles by adjusting the pressure and/or temperature to a second pressure value and/or a second temperature value, thereby forming a mechanical impact on the deposits such that these are released from the section, and transferring the deposits being released by the cleaning liquid out from the section.

A method includes placing an additively manufactured article having one or more internal channels in a non-reactive liquid to remove remainder powder from within the one or more internal channels, wherein the non-reactive liquid is a gas at room temperature and/or pressure. Placing the additively manufactured article in the non-reactive liquid includes can include placing the additively manufactured article in liquid nitrogen.