US2095725A

US2095725A - Tube cleaner

Info

Publication number: US2095725A
Application number: US734817A
Authority: US
Inventors: Whealy Wilfred
Original assignee: Standard Oil Co
Current assignee: Standard Oil Co
Priority date: 1934-07-12
Filing date: 1934-07-12
Publication date: 1937-10-12
Anticipated expiration: 1954-10-12

Description

Patented Oct. 12, 1937 2,095,725

NITED STATES `MT1-:NT'OFFICE TUBE CLEANER.

. Wilfred Whealy, Hobart, Ind., assignor' to Standard Oil Company, JCllxlcago, Ill., a corporation of Indiana I Application July 12, 19341, serian No.'134,817

3 claims. (ci. 151o4.13)

This invention relates to improvements in tube tire diameter of the tube thereby to provide equal cleaners and more particularly to tube cleaners cutting action throughout the entire cross-section of the rotary cutter type. o the accumulated deposit to be removed. l Prior to my invention various types of tube Other objects, the advantages, and uses of `the cleaners employing driven cutters have been used invention will'be apparent after reading the folfor cleaning the bore of the metal tubing used lowing description and claims and after conin tubes of pipe stills, boiler tubes and similar sideration of the drawing forming a part of this apparatus thereby to remove accumulations of specification wherein, carbon and other solid deposits from the inner Fig. 1 is a. side elevation of a tube cleaner l0 tube walls. It is important in the `cleaning of constructed in accordance with the invention; 10 tubes and pipes in such apparatus as employed in Fig. 2 is a. sectional View of the cutting head the refining of petroleum that the cleaning operof the cleaner as it appears during Athe cleaning ation be conducted in as short a time as possible operation; thereby to provide a minimum interruption` or Fig. 3 is a side elevation of another form ofthe shut-down of the processes for which the appatube cleaner; and 4 l5 ratus is employed. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of another form Of the various types of tube cleanersavailable of the cutting head. for use the. cutters are in most instances located With reference to Figs, 1 and 2, I have selected upon an axis or axes parallel to the axis o-f the for illustration therein a tube cleaner comprising 2o tube to be cleaned. This arrangement is not in general a pair of hollow hemispherical cutters 20 objectionable where the deposit of carbon or solid ,

f

2 and 3 mounted upon the respective outer ends material is relatively thin but in such cases as of opposed shafts 6 which areA inclined slightly, encountered in the majority of tube cleaning opforward to a plane perpendicular to the 1ongitu erations in thepetroleum industry the carbon or dinal axis of the cleaner and therefore to the solid deposit within th'e tubes is relatively thick axis of the tube t to be cleaned. Each hollow 25 and sometimes all but completely closes the tube hemispherical cutter is mounted on its respecor pipe. Under such a condition theV conventive shaft 6 for rotation about an axis perpentional type of tube cleaner employing cutters dicular to the plane of the hemisphere. The cutupon axes parallel to the tube'are v

vholly inadeters

2 and 3 may be driven through the medium of quate to perform the tube cleaning operation a transmission comprising la pair of bevel gears 30 within a reasonable time due principally to the 5, one upon the inner end of each of the cutter fact that the central portion of the cutter ro shafts G which gears mesh with a bevel drive gear tates at such a low circular velocity that the cutcarried 1113011 the Outer end 0f the drive Shaft ting away of the deposit at the central portion of t of an air motor 9 of conventional structure.

the tube is necessarily slow and hence the advance The transmission thus described may be housed 35 of the cutter along the tube is retarded even within afsealed hollow spherical housing Il lothough the rim speed of the cutter adjacent to the cated Within the opposed hemispherical cutters inner walls of the tube is suiciently high to proas illustrated in Fig. 2. The interior of the hous- 4vide for a reasonable cutting speed. Upon many` ing may be filled with a suitable lubricant. I

40 occasions, under the conditions described, the reprefer to make the housing Il of two parts with 40 tarding of the advance movement of the cutter a suitable gasket l2 therebetween in order to fa,- along the tube axis results in serious scoring and cilitate the introduction and assembly 0f the cutabuse to the tube walls. ters and drive' gears therein. The innermost sec- It is therefore an object of my invention to tOn I3 0f the housing H may be formed integralprovide an improved tube cleaner which may be ly with the tubular bearing and support I 4 for 45 advanced through a tube to be cleaned, wherein the drive shaft 8 and connected, as by a bushing the tube is completely, or nearly, closed by carbon l5. With the hOllSirlg 0f the air mOtGr 9 as shown'. or other similar deposits upon the inner wall If desired, an apron I 6 to surround and protect thereof, at a speed approximating that at `which the rearward portion of the hemispherical cut- I' '50 the cutter may be advanced in a tube which has ters and 3 may be located concentric with the 50 a relatively thin deposit upon the inner wall. tubular portion llt of the housing and secured A further object is to provide a tube cleaner of thereto by a lock nut Ilia. The apron i6 prethe character described wherein maximum pevents the stream of air passing through the open-v ripheral speed of the cutting vedges of the rotary ings I91of the air motor 9 (hereinafter described) cutters thereof is maintained throughout the enfrom forcing coke ,and other solid material into 55 the space between the forward edges of the

cutters

2 and 3, The apron I6 also functions to deect the current of air from the openings I9 of the air motor 9 toward the inner wall of the tube 4.being cleaned and around the

cuttersI

2 and 3 thereby blowing the loose coke toward the for- Ward end of the tube. The

cutters

2 and 3 may have conventional cutting blades as indicated at Il, extending radially from the axis of the cutter shafts 6 to the periphery of the cutters.

In operation the entire cutter and motor as sembly may be introduced into the tube t0 be cleaned as indicated in Fig. 1 and manually advanced along the axis of the tube. 'I'he arrangementof the' cutters 2 and '3, as will be apparent, are such as to provide maximum peripheral speed of the cuttingblades at the central portion of the tube, and therefore with a. coke or carboni deposit, such as indicated at I8, upon the tube wall, the action of the cutters will have maximum cutting efficiency, not only at the portions of the tube section adjacent to the inner walls thereof, but also at the approximate center of the tube. Thus, the cutting away of the deposit throughout the entire tube section is uniform and the advance of the tube cleaner accompanied by the manual rotation of the entire cleaner assembly about its longitudinal axis will result in the cutting away and removal of the deposit in a minimum of time per linear unit of tube. It is contemplated, as in the case of the conventional type of tube cleaner, that the exhaust air from the air motor 9 discharged through the exhaust openings l 9 of the'motor will add in the scavenging of the particles of the removed deposit through that section of the tube forwardly of the cutter thereby to maintain the motor free of contact with the hard material of the deposit.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated another form `of the cleaner assembly wherein the cutting head is constructed precisely in the same manner as indicated in Fig. 2 but is connectedwith the air motor 9 through a long exible drive shaft 2l which may be enclosed in a conventional flexible torque tube 2|a. The advantage of this arrangement is that the motor 9 need not enter the tube during the cleaning operation and therefore the possibility of damage to the motor by the introduction of hard carbonaceous material into the moving parts of the motor or bearings is precluded. As above described the entire cleaning unit may be manually rotated.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated another form of the cutter head wherein a single hemispherical cutter 22 is employed and mounted upon a.' shaft 23 extending at an angle of substantially 33 from the longitudinal axis of the tube-cleaner and of the tube. The driving connection between the cutter shaft 23 and the shaft 8 of the air motor 9 may comprise a universal drive 2d located within a closed housing 25 fllled'with a .suitable lubricant. The cutter of Fig. 4 possesses the advantages of that described in connection with the cutter head of Fig. 2 and in addition the advantage of utmost simplicity of construction and low cost. 'I'his modification has theadditional advantage in that the maximum peripheral speed of the cutting edges of the cutter is not only at the central portion of the tube as in the case of the cutting edge first described but is also at the inner wall of the tube. The tube cleaning unit thus described is manually rotated within the tube during the cleaning operation to remove all of the carbon or solid deposit therein as above mentioned. v r

Although I have described my .invention in terms of certain specic embodiments thereof,

thereof, one of said journals adapted to receive a,

drive shaft longitudinally disposed Within said tube, a second of'said'journals receiving a second `shaft disposed at an angle to said 4drive shaft greater than a right angle, a hollow hemispherical member embracing said spherical housing and n iounted on the outer end of said second named shaft for rotation-about an axis perpendicular to` the plane of said hemisphere, cutting blades formed onKthe outer periphery of vsaid hemispherical member andy extending radially from the axis of. rotation thereof, and means connecting said second named shaft with said drive shaft operating within said spherical housing in contact with said lubricant.

' 2. In a tube cleaner, a cutter assembly to be introduced in a pipe for coring out the same, comprising a hollow spherical gear housing provided. Y

with a first. `iournal for receiving a drive shaft transverse to the longitudinal axis of a tube to be cored out and having a beveled gear on the inner end thereof within said housing, said housing being further provided with two opposed journals each having a shaft therein and each provided with a beveled gear within said housing and positioned for, driving relation with said rst named beveled gear on said drive shaft, and a pair of hollow hemispherical members having their hollow portions facing each other and embracing said housing and being supported on the outer ends of said last two named shafts for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the hemisphere, said hollow hemspherical members each 'being further provided with cutting edges thereon diverging radially from the axis of` rotation, each of said last two named shafts being positioned at an angle relative to said driving shaft which is slightly greater than a right angle whereby the planes dened ,by the opposed faces of said hemispherical cutters converge at a point slightly beyond the forward portion of said assembly.

3. The structure as defined in claim 2 wherein the said housing is provided with an extension of said journal carrying said driveshaft; said extension being wedge shaped to t within the diverging faces ofthe rear portion of said cutters, and being further characterized by the provision of a saucer shaped apron thereon partially embrac i'ng the rear portion of said cutter assembly, .whereby to assist in preventing the entrance of loose material within said cutter assembly.

- WILFRED WBZEALY.