JP7431683B2 - wall running device - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a wall traveling device.

For example, a furnace like a coal-fired power plant is used. Various foreign substances adhere to the wall surface (furnace wall) of such a furnace over time. In order to remove this foreign material, conventionally a scaffold was erected along the furnace wall and blasting material was manually sprayed onto the furnace wall from this scaffold. On the other hand, in recent years, examples have been proposed in which blasting is performed by a robot that can run along the furnace wall.

For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a configuration in which a depressurized space is formed between a flexible ring-shaped seal member and a wall surface, and a device is adsorbed to the wall surface.

Patent No. 2836947

However, the wall surface of the above-mentioned furnace is not flat, but has an uneven shape in which convex portions having an arc-shaped cross section are arranged at intervals. For this reason, the sealing member described in Patent Document 1 cannot sufficiently follow the unevenness of the furnace wall, and there is a possibility that the device may fall off from the furnace wall. Furthermore, if the flexibility of the sealing member is increased, the drag resistance against the furnace wall becomes excessive, making it difficult to move the apparatus smoothly. Furthermore, if the sealing member lacks wear resistance, the sealing member will be damaged and can only be used for a short period of time.

The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a wall running device that can run smoothly while stably adhering to the furnace wall.

In order to solve the above problems, a wall traveling device according to the present disclosure includes: a vacuum chamber having an opening facing the furnace wall; a drive unit that moves the vacuum chamber along the furnace wall; an annular sealing member arranged to spread outward from the edge; an inner fixing part that fixes the sealing member to the vacuum chamber on the edge side; and an outer fixing part that fixes the sealing member to the vacuum chamber on the outside. , the sealing member includes a fiber sheet and an elastic layer made of an elastomer provided on the furnace wall side of the fiber sheet, and the inner fixing part is closer to the furnace wall than the outer fixing part. It is located against the wall .

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a wall running device that can run smoothly while stably adhering to the furnace wall.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a wall traveling device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a seal member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

(Configuration of wall traveling device)
Hereinafter, a wall traveling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The wall traveling device 100 is a device for performing various operations including blasting by moving along a furnace wall W extending in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the furnace wall W has a plurality of projections and depressions extending in the vertical direction. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the furnace wall W includes wall tubes A having a plurality of cylindrical surfaces arranged at intervals in the width direction of the furnace, and a flat wall connecting these wall tubes A. and a connecting part B.

The wall traveling device 100 is able to move mainly in the vertical direction while adhering to the surface of the furnace wall W. In the following description, the direction in which the wall tube A extends will be simply referred to as the "vertical direction." Further, the direction along the furnace wall W and perpendicular to this vertical direction is simply referred to as the "width direction." Furthermore, a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the width direction is simply referred to as a "normal direction."

(Configuration of drive unit)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the wall traveling device 100 includes a device main body 80 and a drive section 10. The drive unit 10 includes a plurality of (four) wheels 10w and a power source 10m that rotationally drives these wheels 10w. One wheel 10w is provided at each of the four corners of the device main body 80, which is rectangular in plan view. Each wheel 10w is rotatable around a rotation axis Ax extending in the width direction from the device main body 80. Propulsive force is given to the device main body 80 by rotating the wheels 10w by the power source 10m.

(Configuration of chamber forming part)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the device main body 80 includes a chamber forming section 30, a rubber suction cup 50, a frame 60, a blast section 70, and a seal member S. The chamber forming part 30 has a rectangular plate shape that extends in the vertical direction and the width direction. An opening h opening toward the furnace wall W is formed in the center of the chamber forming part 30. The opening h has a rectangular shape when viewed from the normal direction. A space serving as a vacuum chamber Ch is formed on the side away from the furnace wall W with this opening h as a reference. That is, the chamber forming part 30 forms the outer edge of the vacuum chamber Ch.

(Rubber sucker configuration)
A rubber suction cup 50 is attached to the opening h of the vacuum chamber Ch. The rubber suction cup 50 has a circular cross-sectional shape when viewed from the normal direction. The diameter of the rubber suction cup 50 gradually decreases from the opening h toward the furnace wall W side. The rubber suction cup 50 is integrally formed of, for example, urethane rubber. A suction cup opening 50h is formed in the center of the rubber suction cup 50. That is, the above-mentioned vacuum chamber Ch communicates with the surface of the furnace wall W through the suction cup opening 50h and the opening h.

(Structure of seal member)
The seal member S is attached to the surface of the rubber suction cup 50 on the furnace wall W side. The seal member S has an annular shape that spreads from the edges of the suction cup opening 50h and the opening h. As will be described in detail later, the sealing member S has a sheet shape and is attached to the rubber suction cup 50 in a bent state toward the furnace wall W side. The sealing member S is fixed to the rubber suction cup 50 by an inner fixing part 51 provided on the periphery of the suction cup opening 50h and an outer fixing part 52 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the rubber suction cup 50. There is. The inner fixing part 51 is located closer to the furnace wall W than the outer fixing part 52 in the normal direction. As the inner fixing part 51 and the outer fixing part 52, a fastening structure such as a bolt and a nut is preferably used, for example.

This seal member S forms a space surrounded from the outer peripheral side (that is, from both sides in the vertical direction and both sides in the width direction) on the furnace wall W side of the suction cup opening 50h. This space communicates with the vacuum chamber Ch. By evacuating the vacuum chamber Ch with a pump through the scavenging port E (see Figure 3), the space surrounded by the sealing member S becomes negative pressure (in the following explanation, it will be referred to as negative pressure space Vn). call). By forming this negative pressure space Vn, the apparatus main body 80 can be attracted toward the furnace wall W.

Air is supplied to the space Vs between the seal member S and the rubber suction cup 50 (that is, the space formed inside the seal member S) by the pressurizing section 40 (see FIG. 3). This increases the pressure in the space Vs, allowing the sealing member S to swell toward the furnace wall W side.

As shown in FIG. 4, the seal member S has a two-layer structure. The seal member S includes a fiber sheet S1 and an elastic layer S2. The fiber sheet S1 is a layer on the side of the apparatus main body 80, and the elastic layer S2 is a layer on the side that comes into sliding contact with the furnace wall W. As the fiber sheet S1, a woven fabric with a relatively small amount of expansion and contraction and high tensile strength is used. More specifically, an aramid woven fabric having a thickness of about 0.2 mm is suitable. A specific example is Kevlar woven fabric KE3351 manufactured by Teikoku Sensai Co., Ltd.

The elastic layer S2 is an elastically deformable film made of an elastomer. The elastic layer S2 has higher elasticity than the fiber sheet S1. Moreover, the elastic layer S2 has a lower coefficient of friction and higher wear resistance than the fiber sheet. As such a material, specifically, polyurethane rubber having a thickness of about 0.2 mm, a hardness of about 90, and a coefficient of friction of 0.4 to 0.7 is preferably used. A specific example is a thermoplastic polyurethane sheet: Esmar URS (registered trademark) manufactured by Nippon Matai Co., Ltd.

The fiber sheet S1 and the elastic layer S2 are bonded to each other by adhesive. Alternatively, it is also possible to form the elastic layer S2 on the surface of the fiber sheet S1 by coating. In addition, when giving anisotropy to the elasticity of the fiber sheet S1, it is desirable to make the amount of elastic deformation in the width direction relatively large and to make the amount of elastic deformation in the vertical direction relatively small.

(Blast section configuration)
As shown in FIG. 2 or 3, the blast section 70 is attached to the chamber forming section 30. The blasting section 70 injects blasting material toward the furnace wall W through the opening h and the suction cup opening 50h. Foreign matter separated from the furnace wall W by the injection of the blasting material is led to the outside from the negative pressure space Vn along with air through the scavenging port E described above.

(effect)
Next, an example of the operation of the wall traveling device 100 according to this embodiment will be described. The wall traveling device 100 operates while adsorbed to the furnace wall W. More specifically, by bringing the space inside the sealing member S (the above-mentioned negative pressure space Vn) into a negative pressure state through the vacuum chamber Ch, the apparatus main body 80 is brought into a state of adsorption to the furnace wall W.

Here, as described above, the inner fixing part 51 (that is, the edge on the suction cup opening 50h side) of the sealing member S is closer to the furnace wall W side than the outer fixing part 52 is. This reduces the gap between the seal member S and the furnace wall W in the initial stage of adsorption. As a result, the apparatus main body 80 can be stably adsorbed to the furnace wall W from an early stage when the suction force by the vacuum chamber Ch is weak. On the other hand, when the suction force is sufficiently increased, the rubber suction cup 50 is elastically deformed from the furnace wall W in the normal direction, thereby ensuring a clearance between the inner fixing portion 51 and the furnace wall W.

In this state, the device main body 80 moves mainly in the vertical direction on the furnace wall W by applying a propulsive force by the drive unit 10 (wheels 10w). Along with the movement, the furnace wall W is subjected to a blasting process, for example, by the above-mentioned blasting section 70.

By the way, as described above, the furnace wall W is not flat, but has an uneven shape in which convex portions (wall tubes A) having an arcuate cross-sectional shape are arranged at intervals. For this reason, conventionally, the sealing member could not sufficiently follow the unevenness of the furnace wall W, and there was a risk that the apparatus main body 80 would fall off from the furnace wall W. Furthermore, when the flexibility of the sealing member is excessively increased in order to obtain the ability to follow the furnace wall W, the drag resistance against the furnace wall W becomes excessive, making it difficult to move the device main body 80 smoothly. .

Therefore, in this embodiment, the sealing member S is composed of a fiber sheet S1 and an elastic layer S2. The tensile strength of the sealing member S as a whole is ensured by the fiber sheet S1. That is, when the wall traveling device 100 moves on the furnace wall W, it can sufficiently resist the tension generated in the seal member S due to friction. Furthermore, since the fiber sheet S1 also has a certain degree of flexibility, it can also follow the irregularities of the furnace wall W as a part of the seal member S. On the other hand, the elastic layer S2 made of elastomer has high flexibility and a small coefficient of friction. This allows the seal member S to sufficiently follow the furnace wall W. Furthermore, since the frictional resistance is reduced, the possibility that the sealing member S gets caught on the unevenness of the furnace wall W can be reduced. Thereby, it becomes possible to operate the wall traveling device 100 more stably and smoothly.

Furthermore, according to the above configuration, since the elastic layer S2 has higher elasticity than the fiber sheet S1, when tensile stress is generated in the sealing member S, the elastic layer S2 stretches, and the fiber sheet S1 can bear most of the stress. In other words, no tensile load is applied to the elastic layer S2, or only a small load is applied. Thereby, the seal member S can be used stably for a longer period of time.

In addition, according to the above configuration, the elastic layer S2 has a smaller coefficient of friction than the fiber sheet S1 and has high wear resistance. Thereby, when the elastic layer S2 comes into sliding contact with the furnace wall W, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the elastic layer S2 will be caught in the unevenness of the surface. Moreover, since it can withstand continuous sliding contact with the furnace wall W, the seal member S can be used for a longer period of time.

Moreover, according to the above configuration, the sealing member S is attached in a bent state toward the furnace wall W side. This bending makes it easier for the seal member S to follow the furnace wall W. As a result, the wall traveling device 100 can be more stably adsorbed to the furnace wall.

Additionally, according to the above configuration, by pressurizing the space Vs inside the seal member S, the seal member S expands. This makes it easier for the seal member S to follow the furnace wall W. As a result, the wall traveling device 100 can be more stably attracted to the furnace wall W.

(Other embodiments)
The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above. Note that various changes and modifications can be made to the above configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the thickness of the sealing member S is made larger in the portion facing the opening h (the suction cup opening 50h) (in other words, the portion forming the negative pressure space Vn) than in other portions. It is. According to this configuration, early wear and tear due to friction of the blasting material can be suppressed in the portion in contact with the opening h through which the blasting material is sprayed. Thereby, the seal member S can be used for an even longer period of time. Further, instead of the blasting section 70, for example, a water jet spraying device or a laser cleaning device can be installed.

<Additional notes>
The wall traveling device 100 described in each embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

(1) The wall traveling device 100 according to the first aspect includes a vacuum chamber Ch having an opening h facing the furnace wall W, a drive unit 10 that moves the vacuum chamber Ch along the furnace wall W, an annular sealing member S disposed so as to spread outward from the edge of the opening h, the sealing member S being provided on the fiber sheet S1 and the furnace wall W side of the fiber sheet S1. and an elastic layer S2 made of an elastomer.

According to the above configuration, the seal member S is composed of the fiber sheet S1 and the elastic layer S2. The tensile strength of the sealing member S as a whole is ensured by the fiber sheet S1. That is, when the wall traveling device 100 moves on the furnace wall W, it can sufficiently resist the tension generated in the seal member S due to friction. Furthermore, since the fiber sheet S1 also has a certain degree of flexibility, it can also follow the irregularities of the furnace wall W as a part of the seal member S. On the other hand, the elastic layer S2 made of elastomer has high flexibility and a small coefficient of friction. This allows the seal member S2 to sufficiently follow the furnace wall W. Furthermore, since the frictional resistance is reduced, the possibility that the sealing member S gets caught on the unevenness of the furnace wall W can be reduced. Thereby, it becomes possible to operate the wall traveling device 100 more stably and smoothly.

(2) In the wall running device 100 according to the second aspect, the elastic layer S2 has higher elasticity than the fiber sheet S1.

According to the above configuration, since the elastic layer S2 has higher elasticity than the fiber sheet S1, when tensile stress is generated in the sealing member S, the elastic layer S2 stretches, and the fiber sheet S1 causes the elastic layer S2 to stretch. It can bear most of the stress. In other words, no tensile load is applied to the elastic layer S2, or only a small load is applied. Thereby, the seal member S can be used stably for a longer period of time.

(3) In the wall traveling device 100 according to the third aspect, the elastic layer S2 has a lower coefficient of friction and higher wear resistance than the fiber sheet S1.

According to the above configuration, the elastic layer S2 has a smaller coefficient of friction than the fiber sheet S1 and has high wear resistance. Thereby, when the elastic layer S2 comes into sliding contact with the furnace wall W, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the elastic layer S2 will be caught in the unevenness of the surface. Moreover, since it can withstand continuous sliding contact with the furnace wall W, the seal member S can be used for a longer period of time.

(4) In the wall traveling device 100 according to the fourth aspect, a portion of the seal member S that is in contact with the opening h is thicker than other portions.

According to the above configuration, for example, the thickness of the sealing member S is greater in the portion in contact with the opening h where the blasting material is injected than in other portions. Therefore, it is possible to suppress early wear and tear caused by the blasting material rubbing against the relevant portion. Thereby, the seal member S can be used for an even longer period of time.

(5) In the wall traveling device 100 according to the fifth aspect, the sealing member S is attached in a bent state toward the furnace wall W side.

According to the above configuration, the sealing member S is attached in a bent state toward the furnace wall W side. This bending makes it easier for the seal member S to follow the furnace wall W. As a result, the wall traveling device 100 can be more stably adsorbed to the furnace wall.

(6) The wall traveling device 100 according to the sixth aspect further includes a pressurizing section 40 that pressurizes the space Vs inside the seal member S.

According to the above configuration, by pressurizing the space Vs inside the seal member S, the seal member S is expanded. This makes it easier for the seal member S to follow the furnace wall W. As a result, the wall traveling device 100 can be more stably attracted to the furnace wall W.

100 Wall traveling device 10 Drive section 10m Power source 10w Wheels 30 Chamber forming section 40 Pressure section 50 Rubber suction cup 51 Inner fixing section 52 Outer fixing section 50h Suction cup opening 70 Blast section A Wall tube Ax Rotating shaft B Connection section Ch Vacuum chamber E Scavenging port h Opening S Seal member S1 Fiber sheet S2 Elastic layer Vn Negative pressure space Vs Space W Furnace wall

Claims (6)

a vacuum chamber having an opening facing the furnace wall;
a drive unit that moves the vacuum chamber along the furnace wall;
an annular sealing member arranged to spread outward from an edge of the opening;
an inner fixing part that fixes the sealing member to the vacuum chamber on the edge side, and an outer fixing part that fixes the sealing member to the vacuum chamber on the outside;
Equipped with
The sealing member is
fiber sheet,
an elastic layer made of an elastomer provided on the furnace wall side of the fiber sheet;
has
The inner fixing part is a wall traveling device located closer to the furnace wall than the outer fixing part . The wall running device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer has higher elasticity than the fiber sheet. The wall running device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the elastic layer has a lower coefficient of friction and higher wear resistance than the fiber sheet. The wall traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a portion of the sealing member that contacts the opening has a larger thickness than other portions. The wall traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the sealing member is attached in a bent state toward the furnace wall. The wall traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a pressurizing section that pressurizes a space inside the sealing member.

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