Reciprocating spray cleaning system for air-cooled heat exchangers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11408694-B2
Application number	US-202016824336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Mar 19, 2020
Publication date	Aug 9, 2022
Grant date	Aug 9, 2022

Abstract

A frame-mounted mobile cleaning system permanently positionable above or below the tube bundles of an air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHE) and in fluid communication with an external source of pressurized cleaning fluid includes a mobile transverse spray head assembly formed from a plurality of separate interchangeable fluid compartments, each fluid compartment having an inlet for receiving the pressurized cleaning fluid and a fluid discharge wall having at least one nozzle aligned with the longitudinal axes of the finned heat exchange tubes below or above, or elongated slot nozzles that are transverse to the axes of the finned tubes and that are configured to discharge a predetermined pattern of pressurized cleaning fluid onto and between the surfaces of the fins of the heat exchange tubes as the assembly is moved from one end of the ACHE tube bundles to the other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning system which is permanently positionable in spaced-apart relation above an uppermost tube bundle or below a lowermost tube bundle of an ACHE and configured for reciprocating movement along longitudinal axes of finned heat exchange tubes forming the uppermost tube bundle or the lowermost tube bundle, the cleaning system comprising:
a transversely mounted spray head assembly extending across the longitudinal axes of the finned heat exchange tubes forming the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle, the spray head assembly comprising a plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments that are securely assembled in close-fitting relation with one another to span a width of an opening of the ACHE containing the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle, each interchangeable fluid compartment having an inlet for admitting a pressurized cleaning fluid, the spray head assembly having at least one fluid conduit in fluid communication with the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments and with an external source of the pressurized cleaning fluid, each of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments having a fluid discharge wall proximate the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle, each fluid discharge wall having one or more spray nozzles in fluid communication with the interior of the interchangeable fluid compartment, the one or more spray nozzles generally aligned with the longitudinal axes of the finned heat exchange tubes forming the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle and configured to direct a spray of the pressurized cleaning fluid onto and between the finned heat exchange tubes during movement of the spray head assembly.

2. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which at least one of each of the one or more spray nozzles in the discharge wall are configured to discharge a pressurized spray pattern having a central longitudinal axis aligned with the longitudinal axis of a finned heat exchange tube to which the nozzle is proximate.

3. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which each of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments comprises the fluid discharge wall provided with at least one spay nozzle for discharging the pressurized cleaning fluid in at least one predetermined spray pattern that is directed to a finned heat exchange tube.

4. The cleaning system of claim 3 in which each of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments comprises a plurality of spray nozzles forming a spaced-apart array, each spaced-apart array of spray nozzles being aligned with finned heat exchange tubes to which they are adjacent when the spray head assembly is in an operable cleaning position on the ACHE.

5. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which the spray nozzles are separate units that are mounted in fluid-tight relation to an exterior surface of each of the interchangeable fluid compartments proximate the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle when the system is in operation.

6. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which slotted nozzles are formed in the fluid discharge wall by molding, cutting and/or drilling the fluid discharge wall.

7. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which each of the interchangeable fluid compartments has at least three transversely spaced spray nozzles, at least one of which spray nozzles discharges a spray of the pressurized cleaning fluid in a generally vertical direction to contact and pass through the uppermost or lowermost tube bundle.

8. The cleaning system of claim 1 in which the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments are maintained in alignment by at least one longitudinal member positioned below the spray head assembly.

9. The cleaning system of claim 8 in which the spray head assembly is supported by a pair of longitudinal members, the opposite ends of each longitudinal member being securely joined in parallel relation by a transverse end member to form a rigid rectilinear supporting frame structure on which the spray head assembly is mounted.

10. The cleaning system of claim 9 in which the longitudinal members are further joined by a plurality of spaced-apart cross members at locations predetermined to be displaced from the spray nozzles positioned in the supported plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments.

11. The cleaning system of claim 1 further comprising a transport mechanism operably coupled to the spray head assembly, the transport mechanism including a drive motor and drive pulleys and activated by the drive motor to move the spray head assembly longitudinally adjacent to surfaces of the finned heat exchange tubes.

12. The cleaning system of claim 11 which further comprises a pair of parallel supporting tracks securely mounted on opposing housing side walls of the ACHE that are parallel to the longitudinal axes of the finned heat exchange tubes, the tracks being dimensioned and configured to receive the spray head assembly and transport mechanism, the tracks extending to a position at one or both ends of the ACHE in which the spray head assembly is displaced from an open region containing the uppermost or lowermost bundle when the spray head assembly is not in use.

13. The cleaning system of claim 12 in which the transport mechanism comprises wheels and the tracks are U-shaped, or C-shaped or L-shaped channels.

14. The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments abuts at least another one of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments.

15. The cleaning system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments has a different size from another one of the plurality of interchangeable fluid compartments.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Otaibi Abdullah M

Classifications

• F28F1/10

  Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses (crimped or corrugated elements F28F1/06, F28F1/08) · CPC title

• F28D1/05316

  Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators (F28D1/05366 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28G15/06

  Automatic reversing devices · CPC title

• F28G1/166

  from external surfaces of heat exchange conduits · CPC title

• F28G15/02 Primary

  Supports for cleaning appliances, e.g. frames · CPC title