The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 06, 1984
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1981
Isao Okouchi, Hitachi, JP;
Sankichi Takahashi, Hitachi, JP;
Yasuteru Mukai, Hitachi, JP;
Katsumoto Otake, Hitachi, JP;
Takuya Sasaki, Hitachi, JP;
Masahiko Miyai, Mito, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A sorting apparatus for sorting elastic balls for cleaning the inner surfaces of heat transfer tubes of a heat exchanger. The apparatus comprises a casing having a cylindrical cross-section, an inlet pipe connected to an upper portion of the wall of the casing and adapted to introduce the elastic balls together with the cooling water, a substantially frusto-conical separation sleeve disposed at the center of the casing and having a peripheral wall in which formed are a multiplicity of apertures shaped and sized to permit only the worn out elastic balls smaller than a predetermined size to pass therethrough, an annular swirling passage defined between the inner peripheral surface of the casing and the outer peripheral surface of the separation sleeve and adpated to impart a swirl to the cooling water suspending the elastic balls and introduced into the casing, an outlet pipe connected to a lower portion of the wall of the casing and adapted for taking out the valid elastic balls greater than the predetermined size, and a discharge pipe also connected to the casing and adapted for discharging the worn out elastic balls which have been introduced into the separation sleeve.