General Electric Company

John Watt

Bernard Patrick Bewlay

Nicole Jessica Tibbetts

Evan Jarrett Dolley

Andrew James Jenkins

Christopher Perrett

Vincent Gerard Lauria

System for selectively contacting a cleaning composition with a surface of a turbine engine component is presented. The system includes a cleaning apparatus and a manifold assembly. The cleaning apparatus includes an upper portion and a lower portion defining a cleaning chamber configured to allow selective contact between the cleaning composition and a surface of the first portion of the turbine engine component. The upper portion includes a plurality of fill holes in fluid communication with the cleaning chamber, and the lower portion includes a plurality of drain holes in fluid communication with the cleaning chamber. The manifold assembly is configured to selectively circulate the cleaning composition from a reservoir to the cleaning chamber via the plurality of fill holes, and recirculate the cleaning composition from the cleaning chamber to the reservoir via the plurality of drain holes. Methods for selectively cleaning a turbine engine component is also presented.

System and methods for selective cleaning of turbine engine components

In one embodiment of the invention, a method of cleaning a workpiece is disclosed. The method comprises providing a mobile flushing unit and servicing the workpiece as follows: a) connecting a flexible hose of the mobile flushing unit to one end of the workpiece and connecting another flexible hose of the mobile flushing unit to a second end of the workpiece; b) flowing compressed air through each hose and the workpiece; c) pumping a cleaning fluid through each hose and the workpiece for a predetermined amount of time; d) ceasing cleaning fluid flow, followed by purging with air to remove the cleaning fluid from the workpiece; e) pumping water through each hose and the workpiece for a predetermined amount of time; f) ceasing water flow, following by another purge with air to remove the water from the workpiece; and g) disconnecting each hose from the workpiece.

Mobile flushing unit and process

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Caerphilly Cardiff, United Kingdom

John Watt