Sublimable Media Cleaning Wand for Boiler Coil Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning methods for industrial equipment, such as boilers and furnaces, are inefficient in reaching and cleaning the inner surfaces of stacked coils or tubes, especially in confined spaces, and often require high-pressure water blasting which can be difficult to manage and damage equipment.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a discharge wand with a nozzle that propels sublimable or consumable media, such as dry ice or corn cob particles, at high velocity and angle to reach and clean both inner and outer surfaces of industrial equipment, allowing the media to dissipate or be consumed, thereby avoiding damage and residue left behind.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high pressure water blasting is used to remove residue, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but equipment damage risk and water management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the cleaning medium from liquid water to solid sublimable particles (dry ice). This parameter change allows the cleaning medium to effectively remove residue through sublimation and impact while eliminating the harmful effects of liquid water, including equipment damage and water management issues in enclosed spaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses sublimable particles that are consumed during the cleaning process. These particles sublime upon contact with the surface being cleaned, leaving no leftover material to damage equipment or require disposal. This disposable nature of the cleaning medium resolves the contradiction by providing effective cleaning without persistent harmful residues.
2Productivity
If conventional blasting equipment is used to clean external surfaces, then cleaning capability is achieved, but ability to reach internal surfaces of stacked coils or tubes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a flexible wand that enables the cleaning medium to access internal surfaces of stacked coils or tubes by extending into three-dimensional spaces that conventional equipment cannot reach. This dimensional extension of the cleaning approach allows simultaneous access to both external and internal surfaces, resolving the adaptability limitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible wand acts as an intermediary tool that bridges the gap between conventional blasting equipment and hard-to-reach internal surfaces. It transmits the sublimable particles from the external environment into confined internal spaces, enabling cleaning capability in previously inaccessible areas.
3Productivity
If sublimable particles are used for cleaning, then residue removal efficiency is improved, but cost of cleaning media increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sublimable particles perform dual functions: they mechanically impact and loosen residue while simultaneously sublimating to leave no residual material. This self-service characteristic eliminates the need for additional water or chemical agents, and the sublimation process itself contributes to residue removal, justifying the higher cost of the specialized media through superior efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and fast cleaning of hard-to-reach areas in industrial equipment, reducing downtime and minimizing the risk of equipment damage by using a media that effectively loosens and removes debris without leaving a spent material, suitable for use in confined spaces like biofuel production facilities.
Implementation Method 1
a propellant for moving the media from the source to the discharge wand
Implementation Method 2
The angle of the angled end is great enough to deflect propelled media to an inner surface of an object without breaking or dissipating the particles
Implementation Method 3
Sublimable particles (such as dry ice) applied at high velocity and pressure may be used in cleaning processes. Such particles are efficient in removing residue, but also sublime upon contact leaving no leftover cleaning material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of cleaning comprising propelling a sublimable media in a first direction through a discharge wand, inserting the discharge end of the wand into coils of a boiler, impinging on inner and outer surfaces the coils with the sublimable media, which subsequently dissipates or is consumed.