Abstract: A sootblower hub having packing for sealing between a sootblower feed tube and lance tube. A packing gland is used which provides a live loading feature for exerting an axial force on the packing. The packing gland is comprised of elements which can be separately assembled in a manner which maintains a preload on the packing loading spring, even when it is disassembled from the sootblowing mechanism. Once the packing gland is installed into a sootblower carriage a preload maintaining member can be actuated to enable the axial loading force created by the spring to be transferred to the packing.

Abstract: A brake assembly for impeding the longitudinal travel of a moving object. The brake asembly provides for a biasing mechanism which biases an engagement block into the line of travel of the moving object. When the moving object contacts the block, movement is impeded until the object is subjected to a force capable of deflecting the block counter to the biasing member and out of the line of travel of the object. The object can thereafter move past the said brake assembly and continuing along its line of travel. In particular, the brake assembly is used to impede the longitudinal travel of a reciprocating sootblower until the cleaning nozzles of the sootblower have had their position indexed relative to a previous cleaning cycle.