The Babcock & Wilcox Company

Dean E Draxton

Hudson R Carter

Don W Smith

John C Matthews

Dean C Ackerman

Ronald E Sherrick

John G Stevens

A method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a water lance for water cleaning a furnace wall comprises a sensor or calculation equipment to derive the furnace wall emissivity and equipment that compares the emissivity to a programmed low setpoint that represents an unclean furnace wall and poor furnace operation. Water lance operation is initiated when the low setpoint is reached. The speed at which the water lance operates is also adjusted according to peak emissivity levels which are measured or derived from the furnace walls after each cleaning.

Advanced water lance control system based on peak furnace wall emissivity

A long retracting sootblower for boiler cleaning of the type having a lance tube which is advanced into and out of a boiler and simultaneously rotated, and having one or more nozzles discharging a jet of blowing medium which trace helical paths. An indexing mechanism is provided to change the positioning of the helical paths traced by the nozzles between successive actuation cycles to minimize boiler erosion and mechanical stress caused by repeated blowing medium impact against surfaces within the boiler. the indexing mechanism includes relatively slidable longitudinal advancement rack sections which cause the engaging pinion gears to index by one or more teeth upon each actuation cycle. A movable rack portion is biased by a compliant element to remain in a normal position until initial advancement of the lance carriage which causes the movable portion to be indexed with respect to the fixed portion of the rack. The movable rack portion returns to its normal position during other periods of the actuation cycle thereby providing said indexing.

Indexing sootblower

Growing community of inventors

Newark, OH, United States of America

Dean E Draxton