Cleaning of heat exchanger tubing

Claim 1

In a device of the character described: (a) a heat exchanger housing, (b) main cooling fluid input and output lines connected to said housing, (c) fluid supply means operable to provide main cooling fluid flow at a given pressure through said input line and said housing to said output line, (d) a plurality of tubes disposed within said housing for carrying said main cooling fluid in a downstream direction from said input line to said output line, said tubes having upstream and downstream ends, (e) cleaning assemblies mounted on the downstream ends of said tubes and with said assemblies including tube cleaning brushes, (f) means disposed at only one end of said tubes for compartmentalizing said tubes into a plurality of bundles, (g) a fluid counter-flow cover disposed in facing relationship with a portion of the compartmentalized tube ends, (h) fluid flow reversal means connected to said cover for reversing the downstream direction of flow of only a part of said main cooling fluid at the downstream tube ends during operation of said fluid supply means and providing a fluid back-flow upstream through said tubes at a pressure greater than said given pressure and against the normal flow of said main cooling fluid to thereby carry said brushes upstream therewith, (i) and means to move said cover progressively across the said bundles of tube ends so that a portion of the said brushes is automatically directed upstream with said reverse flow and so that said last-named brushes automatically return downstream with said cooling fluid when said cover passes from over said bundles.