Abstract: An apparatus for driving a flexible lance hose into and out of tubes in a heat exchanger tube sheet includes a housing and an upper endless belt drive assembly and a lower endless belt drive assembly spaced apart by a gap for receiving a flexible lance hose therein. One of the drive assemblies is fixed to the housing. The other drive assembly is movable within the housing toward and away from the one endless belt drive assembly. The apparatus further includes a drive motor fastened to the housing configured to engage at least one of the upper and lower endless belts and drive a flexible lance hose disposed in the gap.

Abstract: The disclosed principles provide embodiments of a novel part cleaning system, and related methods of use and manufacturing, capable of cleaning parts having any nontraditional shapes. An exemplary parts cleaning system provides at least five axes of movement, and comprises a drive rail comprised of a plurality of connectable modular sections, a base configured to support the drive rail, and a cleaning arm and nozzle. The system includes base drive assemblies translating the drive rail across the base, a powered carriage driving on the drive rail, and a feed assembly moving the cleaning arm towards and away from the turntable. The system includes a rotational assembly on the carriage and carrying the feed assembly to rotate the feed assembly and the cleaning arm. A turntable is mounted on the base and sized to carry a part to be cleaned, where the turntable bidirectionally rotates the part along a fifth axis of movement.

Abstract: A system and method for cleaning of heat exchanger tubes including an assembly, an indexer, and a communication device provided with specialized software and programming. The indexer includes orthogonally arranged first and second arms. A trolley and sensors are provided on the indexer arms. One or more lances are provided on the trolley to deliver water jets into the openings. Sensors measure displacement as the trolley is moved relative to the heat exchanger's face plate. An operator controls the system from a distance away using the communication device. During setup, the pattern of the face plate is learned and mapped utilizing information from the sensors as one of the inputs. This information is utilized to help navigate the face plate during a subsequent cleaning operation. A kit for retrofitting existing X-Y indexers is also disclosed.

Abstract: An apparatus for sensing an obstruction within a tube being cleaned and repetitively advancing and retracting a flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance within the tube is disclosed. The apparatus monitors drive roller/belt position and actual hose position, compares the belt (expected travel) to hose position (travel) and generates a position difference, or mismatch. If the mismatch is above a predetermined level, the drive motor direction is reversed for a predetermined time interval, and forward operation restored after the predetermined time interval; and the sequence of repeating the reversing and restoring operations is continued until the position difference or mismatch no longer exceeds the predetermined difference threshold.

Abstract: A nozzle for water jet equipment and a method of use thereof. The nozzle has a body including a base with a shaft extending outwardly therefrom. The shaft is inserted through a bore of a sleeve that rotatable about the shaft. The base and shaft define a bore therein. At least one opening is defined in the shaft and one or more grooves are milled into the shaft's exterior surface. Each opening places the body's bore in fluid communication with one of the grooves and the sleeve's bore. Water flowing through the body's bore will flow through each opening, into the associated groove and into a space between the shaft and sleeve. The shaft terminates in a conical section usable as a battering ram to break up blockages in pipes during cleaning operations.

Abstract: A frame apparatus for holding a flexible lance positioning drive device adjacent to and spaced from a heat exchanger tube sheet includes an upper guide rail carrying a movable carriage supporting a drive positioner rail having a drive support carriage and an air motor drive assembly fastened to each of the carriages, each air motor drive assembly comprising an air motor having a shaft driving a spur gear through a worm gear reducer, wherein the spur gear is carried within a spur gear housing fastened to the worm gear reducer, and the air motor assembly is fastened to the carriage via the spur gear housing. The spur gear housing is selectively rotatable on the carriage between a locked position with the spur gear engaging the rail to which the carriage is mounted and an unlocked position with the spur gear disengaged with the rail to which the carriage is mounted.

Abstract: A system and method for cleaning of heat exchanger tubes including an assembly, an indexer, and a communication device provided with specialized software and programming. The indexer includes orthogonally arranged first and second arms. A trolley and sensors are provided on the indexer arms. One or more lances are provided on the trolley to deliver water jets into the openings. Sensors measure displacement as the trolley is moved relative to the heat exchanger's face plate. An operator controls the system from a distance away using the communication device. During setup, the pattern of the face plate is learned and mapped utilizing information from the sensors as one of the inputs. This information is utilized to help navigate the face plate during a subsequent cleaning operation. A kit for retrofitting existing X-Y indexers is also disclosed.

Abstract: A data logger device for monitoring operation of a flexible lance drive apparatus is disclosed that includes a cylindrical housing removably connected to an air fluid pressure line to the drive apparatus, a circuit board mounted in the housing, a pressure sensing switch mounted on the circuit board and communicating with the fluid in the pressure line, and a processor and memory on the board operable to log time at which the switch changes state between two predetermined states.

Abstract: A high-pressure fluid supply system and apparatus including a battery electric powered high pressure fluid pump that can be located in proximity to a piece of equipment such as a heat exchanger in an industrial plant in need of being cleaned wherein the system is modularized on a plurality of pallets capable of being transported in the industrial plant elevator to a location near the heat exchanger location.

Abstract: A system and an apparatus for positioning a plurality of flexible cleaning lances through tubes penetrating a tube sheet of a heat exchanger tube sheet, includes a smart lance tractor drive, a controller, and a tumble box connected to the controller operable to generate and/or distribute electrical power to the AC induction sensor from an air pressure source, supply electrical power to the controller and distribute pneumatic power to pneumatic motors for positioning the tractor drive on the positioner frame. The smart tractor drive includes sensors for detection of mismatch between expected and actual lance positions, sense lance insertion distance and lance removal and provide automated drive reversal operation to remove blockages within tubes being cleaned.

Abstract: A nozzle assembly includes a hollow nozzle body having a central bore and a plurality of ports extending through the body from the central bore; a switching valve assembly disposed in the central bore that directs fluid flow to ports upon application of fluid flow above a predetermined threshold to the inlet and direct fluid flow to different ports upon fluid flow having subsequently dropped below the predetermined threshold and then exceeding the predetermined threshold; and a flow insert configured to replace the switching valve assembly for directing flow through all of the ports when switching functionality is not needed. This flow insert may be made of a low pressure material such as a polymer.

Abstract: A system for distinguishing target metal objects from each other in close proximity to each other. The method includes transmitting a first sinusoid signal via a first transmit coil to a first receive coil in close proximity to the first transmit coil; transmitting a second sinusoidal signal at a second frequency and amplitude different from the first frequency and amplitude to a second receive coil arranged in close proximity to the second transmit coil and in close proximity to the first receive coil such that received signals in the first and second receive coils include first and second frequency signals from the other of the first and second transmit coils. The received signals are separated via frequency domain multiplexing. The signals are compared to detect a presence of the target having a signal magnitude different from the first received signal and the received second signal and a known reference point.

Abstract: A multiple flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance drive apparatus includes at least a first drive motor having a first drive shaft, a spline drive roller mounted on the first drive shaft, a plurality of cylindrical guide rollers extending parallel to the spline drive roller, an endless belt wrapped around the spline drive roller and the plurality of guide rollers, and one or more follower roller modules each supporting a plurality of follower rollers for pressing against a single flexible lance. Each follower roller module independently presses its follower rollers toward the endless belt to grip the flexible lance sandwiched therebetween. Each module has an elongated block shaped housing having a central axis, a plurality of pneumatic cylinders and a piston rod carried in each pneumatic cylinder supporting a pair of spaced follower rollers that ride on the flexible lance captured between the endless belt and the follower rollers.