Long travel soot blower with contoured rail

Claim 1

A LONG TRAVEL SOOT BLOWER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RAIL, A CARRIAGE MOVABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RAIL, A LANCE TUBE HAVING THE REARWARD END THEREOF MOVABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND EXTENDING THEREFROM IN A DIRECTION IN ALIGNMENT WITH A WALL PORT IN THE WALL OF A HEAT EXCHANGER APPARATUS, SAID LANCE TUBE FORMED AT ITS FORWARD END WITH AT LEAST ONE NOZZLE FOR DISCHARGING A PRESSURIZED BLOWING MEDIUM AGAINST THE HEAT EXCHANGER SURFACES TO BE CLEANED, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID LANCE TUBE AND FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID LANCE TUBE TO AND FROM A RETRACTED POSITION AND A PROJECTED POSITION, SUPPORT MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE WALL PORT FOR MOVABLY SUPPORTING SAID LANCE TUBE WHILE IN SAID PROJECTED AND RETRACTED POSITIONS AND DURING ITS MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID RAIL FORMED WITH A CONTOUR VERTICALLY DISPLACED FROM A REFERENCE PLANE EXTENDING BETWEEN THE ENDS OF SAID RAIL FOR VERTICALLY MOVING SAID CARRIAGE AND SAID REARWARD END OF SAID LANCE TUBE RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS IN RESPONSE TO MOVE MENT OF SAID CARRIAGE ALONG SAID RAIL COMPENSATING FOR THE GRAVITATIONAL DEFLECTION OF SAID LANCE TUBE AND PROVIDING FOR A SUBSTANTIALLY LINEAR PATH OF TRAVEL OF THE NOZZLE END OF SAID LANCE TUBE BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS.