Method for cleaning pre-determinable surfaces of a heatable internal chamber and associated water lance blower

• US 5,925,193 A
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 07/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clyde Industries Inc.
• Original Assignee: Clyde Bergemann GmbH (Clyde Bergemann Power Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Simon, Stephan, Bude, Friedrich, Albers, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Arini, Zeinab
• Application Number:
  US08/979,727
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 134/22.1, 134/22.12, 134/22.18, 134/8, 134/24, 134/167 R, 134/168 R, 134/57 R, 134/18
• US Class Current: 134/18
• CPC Class Codes: F23J 3/00 Removing solid residues from passages or chambers beyond the fire, e.g. from flues by soot blowers
• CPC Class Codes: F28G 3/16 using jets of fluid for removing debris
• CPC Class Codes: F28G 3/166 from external surfaces of heat exchange conduits

Abstract

A method for determining positioning of a controllable blower lance for cleaning a pre-determinable surface of a heatable internal chamber, preferably a combustion chamber, in which deposits form, wherein at least one site of impact of a cleaning medium of the blower lance on a surface to be cleaned of the internal chamber and at least one position of at least a part of the blower lance, by means of which the direction of flow of the cleaning medium out of the blower lance can be determined, are established and recorded and a correlation is established between at least the site of impact and the position, taking into account at least one parameter concerning the internal chamber, wherein by means of the correlation, the positioning of the blower lance can be determined for cleaning the pre-determinable surface. Furthermore a method and a device are provided for cleaning an internal chamber, preferably of a combustion chamber in which deposits form, with a controllable blower lance, the cleaning medium of which must strike a pre-determinable surface to be cleaned of the internal chamber, wherein a pre-determinable control system of the blower lance is superimposed with a correlation associated with the condition in the internal chamber and/or the condition of the cleaning medium, such that the pre-determinable surface to be cleaned is struck according to plan by the cleaning medium whatever the conditions in the internal chamber. Undesired shifting of the cleaning jet of a blower lance, caused by different operating conditions in the internal chamber, can be compensated for in this way.

Claims

1. A method for positioning a controllable blower lance for cleaning a pre-determined surface of a heatable internal chamber, in which deposits form, said method comprising:

impacting at least one site with a cleaning medium of the blower lance on a surface to be cleaned of the internal chamber;

determining a direction of flow of the cleaning medium out of the blower lance;

recording at least one position of at least a part of the blower lance;

correlating the at least one site of said impacting and the at least one position of said recording, wherein said correlating comprises taking into account at least one internal chamber parameter, whereby a position of the blower lance can be determined for cleaning the pre-determined surface according to conditions in the internal chamber during said impacting at least one site.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said recording comprises recording the at least one site and wherein said correlating the at least one site and the at least one position of said recording is done over time or a time period, said method further comprising predicting the success of cleaning and/or a condition of the surface cleaned or to be cleaned using memorised values.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising identifying necessary cleaning procedures for a subsequent cleaning and determining a time for a subsequent cleaning, with the aid of values which result from a cleaning procedure carried out.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a cleaning medium parameter at the at least one site of said impacting, wherein the cleaning medium parameter is selected from a presence, a dimension, and a spatial distribution of the cleaning medium.

5. A method for cleaning a heatable internal chamber, in which deposits form, with a controllable blower lance, the method comprising:

correlating a condition in the internal chamber;

superimposing a pre-determined control system of the blower lance and a result of said correlating; and

striking a pre-determined surface of the internal chamber to be cleaned with a cleaning medium, whereby the pre-determined surface to be cleaned is struck according to plan by the cleaning medium whatever the condition in the internal chamber of said correlating.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating is based on an observation of at least one impact site of the cleaning medium on a surface of the internal chamber with certain conditions in the internal chamber, and at least one known position of at least a part of the blower lance, wherein said method further comprises determining a direction of flow of the cleaning medium out of the blower lance.

7. A method according to claim 5, further comprising positioning at least a part of the blower lance, and controlling a pressure, a volume flow or a flow speed which characterises the cleaning medium, whereby the pre-determined surface to be cleaned is struck according to plan by the cleaning medium.

8. A method according to claim 5, further comprising pre-determining an impact site by a detecting means.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said heatable internal chamber has walls and wherein said detecting means comprise sensors in the walls to be cleaned.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein said pre-determining an impact site comprises impacting with a cleaning medium to cause a physical and/or chemical effect on a surface of the internal chamber.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein said heatable internal chamber has walls and wherein said detecting means comprise optical means.

12. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises obtaining from a geometry of the position of the blower lance a relationship between an impact site and a theoretical target point of the cleaning medium on a surface to be cleaned in the internal chamber, wherein said correlating comprises entering a correction value representing a divergence between the target point and the impact site of the cleaning medium.

13. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises determining hypothetical impact sites from reference values which represent known impact sites and positions in a form of linked vector fields.

14. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises entering a mathematical model of the internal chamber, for determination of a hypothetical impact site, wherein the model accounts for several parameters which characterise the condition of the internal chamber.

15. A method according to claim 5, further comprising obtaining an impact site and an associated position of the blower lance during operation of the internal chamber, and further comprising obtaining, at the same time, a parameter which characterises the condition of the internal chamber.

16. A method according to claim 5, further comprising determining an impact site in an immediate proximity of an area at risk from the cleaning medium, such as a furnace aperture or a hatch, of a wall surface to be cleaned.

17. A method according to claim 5, further comprising testing to determine whether the cleaning medium strikes the predetermined surface to be cleaned, and correcting said correlating when the cleaning medium fails to strike the pre-determined surface.

18. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises entering at least one local condition parameter connected with the internal chamber selected from the group consisting of a pressure, a speed, a temperature, a mass flow, a composition, a variable characterising the material and a chemical variable.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising characterising an operating condition of the internal chamber of at least a part of an associated installation by means of the at least one condition parameter connected with the internal chamber, wherein the at least one condition parameter is selected from a capacity, a mass flow, a mill operation and a time or a time period.

20. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises entering at least one parameter of the cleaning medium, wherein the at least one parameter of the cleaning medium is selected from a volume flow and a flow speed.

21. A method according to claim 5, wherein said correlating comprises entering at least one parameter of the blower lance, wherein the at least one parameter of the blower lance is a value representing a nozzle of the blower lance for the cleaning medium.

22. A controllable blower lance for cleaning a heatable internal chamber, in which deposits form, with a cleaning medium which strikes a surface to be cleaned in the internal chamber, said blower lance comprising:

a programmable control of the blower lance; and

a storage which memorises at least one correlation for planned cleaning of the surface to be cleaned dependent upon at least one condition in the internal chamber.

23. A controllable blower lance according to claim 22, further comprising a controllable positioner of a delivery direction of the cleaning medium in the internal chamber.

24. A controllable blower lance according to claim 22, further comprising a regulator of the cleaning medium.

25. A controllable blower lance according to claim 22, further comprising a determinator of an impact point of the cleaning medium on the surface to be cleaned and/or a position of a part of the blower lance, and further comprising a recorder of the impact point of the cleaning medium on the surface to be cleaned and/or the position of a part of the blower lance.

26. A controllable blower lance according to claim 22, further comprising a sensor of at least one parameter concerning the conditions in the internal chamber, wherein the at least one parameter is selected from a loading state, the cleaning medium and an installation to which the internal chamber is connected.

27. A controllable blower lance according to claim 22, further comprising a recorder of cleaning carried out, an evaluator of cleaning carried out, and a controller of a following cleaning operation.

28. A controllable blower lance according claim 22, further comprising a regulator of the impact of the cleaning medium on the surface to be cleaned.