Apparatus for cleaning heat exchanger tubes

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SIMULTANEOUSLY THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SURFACES OF A TUBULAR BUNDLE OF A SHELL AND TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING: A PARTIAL ENCLOSURE OPEN AT THE TOP AND BOTTOM; MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND ROTATING SAID TUBULAR BUNDLE LONGITUDINALLY WITHIN SAID PARTIAL ENCLOSURE WITH THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR BUNDLE EXTERIOR TO SAID PARTIAL ENCLOSURE; MEANS FOR DISCHARGING A CLEANING MIXTURE COMPRISING A LIQUID AND AN ABRASIVE MATERIAL ON THE OUTSIDE SURFACES OF THE TUBULAR BUNDLE, SAID PARTIAL ENCLOSURE MAINTAINING THE CLEANING MIXTURE IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH SAID TUBULAR BUNDLE; AN OVERFLOW COMPARTMENT ADJACENT SAID PARTIAL ENCLOSURE AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH AN OPEN END OF SAID TUBULAR BUNDLE; ONE SIDE OF SAID PARTIAL ENCLOSURE DEFINING AN OVERFLOW WEIR MOUNTED BETWEEN THE PARTIAL ENCLOSURE AND SAID OVERFLOW COMPARTMENT TO THEREBY PERMIT THE CLEANING MIXTURE TO OVERFLOW FROM THE PARTIAL ENCLOSURE TO THE OVERFLOW COMPARTMENT AND THEREBY FLOW THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF THE TUBES AND THEREBY CLEAN THE SAME.