Kraftwerk Union Aktiengesellschaft

Josef Forster

Robert Weber

Jakob Weber

Erich Katscher

Dieter Zoberlein

Johannes Stoss

A tube lane manipulator for the high-pressure blow-down of heat exchangers with tubes spaced apart by a given tube pitch includes a guide rail extended along the tube lane having a vertical leg with holes formed therein at mutual spacings substantially matched to the tube pitch; a stepping mechanism extended along and locked to the guide rail, the stepping mechanism including two stepping mechanism members, a device for executing steps of a length substantially matched to the tube pitch, clamping feet in the form of posts, and a device for extending the posts into the holes formed in the vertical leg for fixing the stepping mechanism members in a position provided by the steps; a spraying head carrier coupled to one of the stepping mechanism members, a spraying head holder, a device for telescopically extending and guiding the spraying head holder along the spraying head carrier in a direction perpendicular to the guide rail, and a spraying head with at least one spraying nozzle disposed on the spraying head holder.

Tube lane manipulator for the high-pressure blow-down of heat exchangers

Tube lane manipulator for the high-pressure blowdown of heat exchangers having tubes being spaced apart by a given pitch forming tube lanes therebetween with tubes on opposite sides and having closeable servicing openings formed therein providing access to the tube lanes, including a car being insertible into the tube lanes through the servicing openings and being movable therein by remote control, a spraying head being supported on the car and having nozzles with orifices for spraying jets of blowdown water in a given direction into spaces between the tubes, suction lines having suction stubs for pumping off accumulated blowdown water, and extendible and retractible clamping feet disposed on the car for clamping the car to the tubes on at least one side of a tube lane along a clamping plane in conformity with the given tube pitch, the nozzles being positioned in spraying positions of a spraying position sequence by the clamping feet clamping the car, the given spraying direction from the orifices of the nozzles being adjusted to the given tube pitch and the nozzles being spaced from the clamping plane by a distance being adjusted to the given tube pitch for spraying the jets of water into the spaces between the tubes and a method for carrying out a spraying operation.

Tube lane manipulator, spraying head and corresponding spraying method

A tube lane manipulator assembly for the high-pressure blowdown of heat exchangers of steam generators includes a manipulator, at least one vehicle disposed on the manipulator having a lower base body with a substantially rectangular cross section, a spraying head with nozzles on the vehicle, the vehicle being insertible into tube lanes of the tubes of the generator through service openings and being movable in the tube lanes by remote control, the spraying head being movable into position for spraying jets into interspaces between the tubes, at least two clamping legs disposed in tandem in the feed direction on a side of the vehicle for clamping the vehicle to the tubes in conformity with a tube pitch in a clamping plane on at least one side of the tube lane for positioning the nozzles in spraying positions, the spraying direction of the nozzles and the distance thereof from the clamping plane being matched to the tube pitch for directing the spray jets into the interspaces, and at least one L-shaped guide rail extended along a feed direction within a tube lane forming an abutment for the clamping legs and a guide for the vehicle, the guide rail having a vertical leg facing away from the first row of tubes and a horizontal leg defining a space between the legs being limited in width by the row of tubes closest to the tube lane for receiving the lower base body.

Growing community of inventors

Erlangen, Germany

Josef Forster