Auto-indexing lance positioner apparatus and system
First Claim
1. A flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance drive apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
at least one drive motor having a drive axle in the housing carrying a cylindrical drive roller;
a plurality of cylindrical guide rollers on fixed axles aligned parallel to the drive roller, and wherein a side surface of each guide roller and the drive roller is tangent to a common plane between the rollers;
an endless belt wrapped around the at least one spline drive roller and the guide rollers;
a bias member supporting a plurality of follower rollers each aligned above one of the drive roller and the guide rollers, wherein the bias member is operable to press each follower roller toward one of the drive roller or one of the guide rollers to frictionally grip at least one flexible lance hose when the at least one flexible lance hose is sandwiched between the follower rollers and the endless belt;
a first sensor coupled to the drive roller or one of the guide rollers for sensing position of the endless belt;
a second sensor coupled to a first one of the follower rollers for sensing position of the first follower roller relative to a first flexible lance hose sandwiched between the first follower roller and the endless belt; and
a first comparator coupled to the first and second sensors operable to determine a first mismatch between the first follower roller position and the endless belt position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and an apparatus for positioning a plurality of flexible cleaning lances includes a frame removably fastened parallel a tube sheet of a heat exchanger. The apparatus includes a smart lance tractor drive for advancing and retracting one or more lance hoses through one or more lance guide tubes into tubes penetrating through the heat exchanger tube sheet, a controller, one or more AC induction sensors on the tubes operable to sense holes in the tube sheet, and a tumble box connected to the controller operable to generate 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 tractor drive includes sensors for detection of mismatch between expected and actual lance positions and automated drive reversal operation to remove blockages within tubes being cleaned.
23 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance drive apparatus comprising:
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a housing; at least one drive motor having a drive axle in the housing carrying a cylindrical drive roller; a plurality of cylindrical guide rollers on fixed axles aligned parallel to the drive roller, and wherein a side surface of each guide roller and the drive roller is tangent to a common plane between the rollers; an endless belt wrapped around the at least one spline drive roller and the guide rollers; a bias member supporting a plurality of follower rollers each aligned above one of the drive roller and the guide rollers, wherein the bias member is operable to press each follower roller toward one of the drive roller or one of the guide rollers to frictionally grip at least one flexible lance hose when the at least one flexible lance hose is sandwiched between the follower rollers and the endless belt; a first sensor coupled to the drive roller or one of the guide rollers for sensing position of the endless belt; a second sensor coupled to a first one of the follower rollers for sensing position of the first follower roller relative to a first flexible lance hose sandwiched between the first follower roller and the endless belt; and a first comparator coupled to the first and second sensors operable to determine a first mismatch between the first follower roller position and the endless belt position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A flexible high pressure fluid cleaning lance drive apparatus comprising:
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a housing; at least one drive motor having a drive axle in the housing carrying a cylindrical drive roller; a plurality of cylindrical guide rollers on fixed axles, wherein the plurality of cylindrical guide rollers are aligned parallel to the cylindrical drive roller; an endless belt wrapped around the cylindrical drive roller and the plurality of cylindrical guide rollers; a bias member supporting a plurality of follower rollers each aligned above one of the cylindrical drive roller or one of the plurality of cylindrical guide rollers, wherein the bias member is operable to press each follower roller toward the cylindrical drive roller or the plurality of cylindrical guide rollers to frictionally grip a flexible lance hose sandwiched between the plurality of follower rollers and the endless belt; a first sensor coupled to one of the cylindrical drive roller or one of the plurality of cylindrical guide rollers for sensing position of the endless belt; a second sensor coupled to a first one of the plurality of follower rollers for sensing a position of the first one of the plurality of follower rollers relative to the flexible lance hose sandwiched between the first one of the plurality of follower rollers and the endless belt; and a first comparator coupled to the first sensor and the second sensor operable to determine a first mismatch between the position of the first one of the plurality of follower rollers and position of the endless belt. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification