Abstract: The invention relates to an installation for cleaning tubes in a tube assembly (1) such as a heat exchanger or a condenser, which assembly comprises n sections in parallel where n is an integer greater than 1, the tubes being cleaned by circulating balls in a flow of water inside the tubes. For each of its sections, the installation comprises a branch length of pipework (6) fitted with its own drive pump (8) and extending between an upstream device (7) for recovering balls that is mounted on the outlet from the section under consideration and a downstream device (10) for reinjecting balls that is mounted at the inlet (2) to said section. The installation has a single device (11) for injecting new balls which is connected to all n lengths (6) by a corresponding number of small diameter pipes (12), thereby enabling the n sections to be served in turn by means of said device and also enabling it to be located at a distance from the tubes to be cleaned, in a location that is easy to access.

Abstract: To impregnate with water the spongy balls (1) that are to be used for cleaning the tubes of a condenser, the balls are put into a tank (2) whose upper portion forms a chamber (10) that is separated from the remainder of the tank by a grid (9) to which the balls cannot pass, the chamber is connected to a pump (17) having a piston (19), and then after the tank and the volumes in communication therewith have been filled with water, all of the valves giving access to the tank are closed, the piston of the pump is pulled back, thereby causing air to be expelled from the balls in the chamber, and the volume is again completely refilled with water so as to evacuate said air and impregnate the balls with water.

Abstract: To remove worn elastic balls from a cleaning installation for a tube bundle, this installation comprising between the outlet and the inlet of the tube bundle, a recycling circuit for the balls, recourse is had to a static separator for worn balls joined to a pipe connected in bypass to the recycling pipe system and equipped with a collecting basket. The separator is joined directly between two sections of the recycling pipe system and the openings of separation of the worn balls are bounded by the crests of parallel rails extending in parallel with the liquid flow of the pipe system, the downstream ends of the rails being terminated by discontinuities adapted to detach automatically from the rails balls penetrating partially between these rails without being able to pass between them and drawn by sliding along the rails.

Abstract: For assembling together a bundle of parallel tubes (1) recourse is had to flexible and sealed pipes (2) inserted jointingly between the successive layers of these tubes, said pipes having sufficient elasticity for being successively flattened by evacuation of their inner volume, which allows positioning thereof in the bundle, then resuming their initial tubular shape by suppression of the vacuum, and said pipes are made from a partially crystalline plastic material, such as a polyamide 11, which allows them to be positioned in the bundle by simply pushing from their portion not engaged in the bundle.