CONDENSER TUBE CLEANING DEVICE

Abstract

A condenser tube cleaning device comprising a circular base 101 includes four telescopic links 102 arranged with motorized omnidirectional wheels 103 for a locomotion of the base 101, a telescopic arm 104 attached on the base 101 with the help of a ball and socket joint, consisting a telescopic rod with a pointed end and bristles 105 on a lateral surface of the rod attached with an upper end of the arm 104, for inserting into the condenser tubes for a cleaning of the tubes, an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit installed on the base 101 to determine a position of the tube, an L-shaped telescopic member 106 assembled on the base 101 by means of a hinge, a pipe 202 connected with suction pump 203 provided on the base 101 for creating a suction force for a removal of debris in the tube.

Specification

Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a condenser tube cleaning device that is capable of getting inserted onto a condenser tubes in view of cleaning the condenser tube to improve the life span of the condenser, thereby handling the whole process with minimal human intervention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Condenser tube are crucial components in cooling system, especially in power plants and HVAC (Heating, ventilation and Air cooling) systems. Condensers help remove heat from hot vapors or gas, condensing it into liquid form. Cleaning the tubes are essential for maintaining efficiency and preventing performance degradation. Over time, contaminants like scale, algae, and sediment builds up, reducing heat transfer efficiency and increasing energy consumption. Regular cleaning ensures optimal heat exchange, prolongs equipment life and prevents costly repairs.

[0003] Traditionally, mechanical scrappers were commonly used to remove deposits from the condenser tubes. These scrappers typically consisted of brushes or metal blades attached to the rods. While effective in dislodging debris, the scrappers often caused the tube to damage, especially in older, more delicate systems. Additionally, they were labor intensive and time consuming. Hydro blasting or water jetting became popular as a non-destructive method for cleaning condenser tubes. Potential for water hammer damage, limited effectiveness against some types of stubborn deposits, and the need for specialized equipment and trained personnel were few challenges that limited the use of water jetting for cleaning condenser tubes.

[0004] US7975758B2 discloses the present invention relates to a condenser tubes cleaning system for alleviating the common disadvantage of the prior arts includes a flow diverter, a first branch pipe, a second branch pipe, a three-way valve, a first one-way valve, a bypass pipe, a ball barrel, a liquid supply pipe, a cleaning ball supply pipe, a cleaning ball return pipe, a liquid return pipe, a second one-way valve, a normally open two-way valve, and a ball trap. Thus, the flow diverter is provided with the three-way valve, and the ball trap is provided with the normally open two-way valve, so that the flow diverter and the ball trap have a bypass function that the prior arts do not have, to maintain the constant flow rate in the main supply pipe and the main return pipe without increasing the electrical power load of the main circulating pump. Although, US'758 discloses a condenser tubes cleaning system that aids in cleaning the condenser tube, however it is incapable of detecting a pressure in the tube for alerting a user regarding a leaking tube.

[0005] Conventionally, there exists many devices that are capable in cleaning the condenser tube, however these existing devices are fails in providing a means for assisting a user while cleaning the tube and also not capable of alerting the user regarding a leaking tube.

[0006] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there exists a need in the art to develop a device that is capable of cleaning the condenser tube by determining positioning of the tube. Moreover, the developed device should also potent enough of monitoring a pressure in the tube and notify the user regarding a leaking tube.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to develop a device that is capable of cleaning a condenser tubes by determining positioning of the tube, thereby increasing the life-span of the condenser tube.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to develop a device that is capable of detecting a pressure in the tube and accordingly alerting a user regarding a leaking tube.

[0010] Yet another object of the present invention is to develop a device that is reliable in nature.

[0011] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention relates to a condenser tube cleaning device that is capable of removing deposits from a condenser tube in view of cleaning the tube, which improves the longevity of the tube, thereby eliminating the physical effort of the user.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a condenser tube cleaning device comprises of a circular base includes four telescopic links arranged with motorized omnidirectional wheels for a locomotion of the base, a telescopic arm attached on the base with the help of a ball and socket joint, consisting a telescopic rod with a pointed end and bristles on a lateral surface of the rod attached with an upper end of the arm by a quick return mechanism, for inserting into the condenser tubes for a cleaning of the tubes and an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit installed on the base for capturing multiple images in a vicinity of the base to determine a position of the tube, an L-shaped telescopic member assembled on the base by means of a hinge, the member having a nozzle at an end of the base to pressurize the tube, a pressure sensor installed on the base that detects a pressure in the tube.

[0014] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the proposed device further comprises of a speaker provided on the base for to generate an audio alert for a user regarding a leaking tube if the detected pressure in the tube is below the predetermined pressure, an angle sensor provided on the base detects an angle of the tube, a pipe connected with suction pump provided on the base for creating a suction force for a removal of debris in the tube, a support frame attached on the arm consisting a motorized crank driver that drives a slider ram by a connecting rod to slide in a slotter bar, a microphone, provided on the base for receiving an audio command from the user regarding cleaning the tube, a touch-enabled display is provided on the base for enabling the user to provide touch input regarding increasing or decreasing the height of the upper body and a battery is linked with the device in view of powering up electrical and electronically operated components attached with the device.

[0015] While the invention has been described and shown with particular reference to the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that variations might be possible that would fall within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of a condenser tube cleaning device; and
Figure 1 illustrates a magnified view of a circular base associated with the proposed device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0018] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising," "comprises," and the like (which are synonymous with "including," "having" and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of," consists essentially of," and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of," "consists of, the like.

[0019] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.

[0020] The present invention relates to a condenser tube cleaning device that is capable of eliminating deposits from a condenser tube as means of cleaning the tube for increasing the longevity of the tube, thereby reducing the chances of dependency of on manual labors.

[0021] Referring to Figure 1 and 2, an isometric view of a condenser tube cleaning device and a magnified view of a circular base associated with the proposed device are illustrated, comprising a circular base 101 having four telescopic links 102 with motorized omnidirectional wheels 103 at ends of the rod for a locomotion of the base 101, a telescopic arm 104 attached on the base 101 by a ball and socket joint, having a telescopic rod with a pointed end and bristles 105 on a lateral surface of the rod, an L-shaped telescopic member 106, provided on the base 101 by a hinge, the member 106 having a nozzle 107 at an end, a speaker 201 provided on the base 101 and a pipe 202 connected with suction pump 203 provided on the base 101.

[0022] The device disclosed herein, comprises of a circular base 101 attached with four telescopic links 102 by means of motorized omnidirectional wheels 103 at ends of the rod for providing movement to the base 101. The wheels 103 move independently on the surface without changing the orientation of the wheels 103. The wheels 103 have rollers and smaller wheels 103, which creates a lateral force that allows the wheel to move in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation. The wheel's design enables it to move on any type of surface with high agility and versatility.

[0023] Herein, a touch-enabled display arranged on the base 101 and actuated by an inbuilt microcontroller for enabling the user to provide touch input regarding increasing or decreasing the height of the upper body. The touch interactive display panel as mentioned herein is typically an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen that presents output in a visible form. The screen is equipped with touch-sensitive technology, allowing the user to interact directly with the display using their fingers. A touch controller IC (Integrated Circuit) is responsible for processing the analog signals generated when the user inputs details regarding the increasing or decreasing the height of the upper body. A touch controller is typically connected to the microcontroller through various interfaces which may include but are not limited to PI (Serial Peripheral Interface) or I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit).

[0024] Based on the provided input, the microcontroller actuates an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit installed on the base 101 for capturing or recording images in a vicinity of the base 101 to monitor positioning of the tube. The artificial intelligence base 101d imaging unit is constructed with a camera lens and a processor, wherein the camera lens is adapted to capture a series of images of the surrounding present in proximity to the base 101. The processor carries out a sequence of image processing operations including pre-processing, feature extraction, and classification.

[0025] The image captured by the imaging unit is real-time images of the base 101's surrounding. The artificial intelligence based imaging unit transmits the captured image signal in the form of digital bits to the microcontroller. The microcontroller upon receiving the image signals compares the received image signal with the pre-fed data stored in a database and constantly determines positioning of the tube for efficient and precise cleaning of the tubes.

[0026] Based on detected position of the tube, the microcontroller actuates a ball and socket joint configured with a telescopic arm 104 arranged on the base 101 to provide orientation to the arm 104 in view of inserting a telescopic rod having a pointed end attached with the arm 104 and configured with bristles 105 for cleaning the condenser tube. The motorized ball and socket joint consists of a ball-shaped element that fits into a socket, which provides rotational freedom in various directions. The ball is connected to a motor, typically a servo motor which provides the controlled movement.

[0027] Further, the arm 104 is attached to the socket of the motorized ball and socket joint. The motor responds by adjusting the ball and socket joint and rotates the ball in the desired direction, and this motion is transferred to the socket that holds the arm 104. As the ball and socket joint move, it provides the necessary angular orientation to the arm 104 for inserting the rod for cleaning the tubes.

[0028] At the same instant of time, an L-shaped telescopic member 106 assembled on the base 101 by means of a hinge and attached with a nozzle 107 at an end, wherein the nozzle 107 connected via a conduit with an air compressor that is actuated by the microcontroller while the nozzle 107 in contact with the tube to exert pressure on the tube by the compressor till a predetermined pressure.

[0029] The air compressor which extracts the air from surrounding and increases the pressure of the air by reducing the volume of the air and which is further injected in the tubes. After pressurizing the tube with the help of air compressor, the microcontroller actuates a pressure sensor configured with the air compressor to detect pressure in the tube.

[0030] The pressure sensor contains a piezoelectric material, which generates a voltage in response to mechanical stress. When a pressure is applied by the nozzle 107 in the tubes, it deforms the piezoelectric material. The pressure applied by the nozzle 107 in the tubes causes the material to deform, creating a strain. This strain results in the generation of an electric charge across the material, producing a voltage signal proportional to the applied pressure.

[0031] Further, the generated voltage is typically very small so the signal is amplified to make it suitable for further processing. The microcontroller continuously monitors the data from the pressure sensor when the applied pressure in the tubes recedes the optimum pressure value, the microcontroller actuates a speaker 201 assembled on the base 101 for to generate an audio alert for a user regarding a leaking tube.

[0032] The speaker 201 is capable of producing clear and natural sound and is capable of adjusting its volume based on ambient noise levels. The speaker 201 consists of audio information, which is in the form of recorded voice, synthesized voice, or other sounds, generated or stored as digital data. This data is often in the form of an audio file. The digital audio data is sent to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

[0033] The DAC converts the digital data into analog electrical signals. The analog signal is often weak and needs to be amplified. An amplifier boosts the strength to a level so that the speaker 201 drives it effectively. The amplified audio signal is then sent to the speaker 201. The core of the speaker 201 is an electromagnet attached to a flexible cone. These sound waves travel through the air as pressure waves and are picked by the user's ear.

[0034] Simultaneously, the microcontroller activates an angle sensor installed on the base 101 that detects an angle of the tube. The angle sensor used herein is preferably an optical angle sensor that use light beams and optical detectors to measure changes in light reflection or transmission caused by the angle of the tube. As the angle changes, the amount of light reflected or transmitted varies, allowing the sensor to calculate the angle. The angle sensor provides an output signal to the microcontroller that represents the detected angle of the tube and in case detected angle is different from a predefined angle, then accordingly actuates the speaker 201 to generate an audio notification for the user regarding a bent tube.

[0035] Further, a pipe 202 connected with suction pump 203 attached on the base 101 that is actuated by the microcontroller for creating a suction force for a removal of debris in the tube, wherein the pipe 202 is in contact with the tube. The suction mechanism creates a negative pressure environment, pulling the air along with the debris through the inlet. The suction pump 203 efficiently capture the debris through their inlets, ensuring that only debris are collected, while other elements are not adversely affected.

[0036] Further, a microphone arranged on the base 101 that is actuated by the microcontroller for receiving an audio command from the user regarding cleaning the tube, the microphone plays a crucial role by converting spoken words or commands into electrical signals which are then processed and analyzed to trigger specific actions. When the user speaks or commands for cleaning the tube, their vocal cords vibrate, creating sound waves. These sound waves travel through the air as variations in air pressure. The microphone mentioned herein is a transducer that converts these variations in air into electric signals. The analog electrical signal is converted into digital form which is done by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The digital signal is then subjected to various signal processing techniques to enhance voice quality and eliminate noise.

[0037] A battery is associated with the device to supply power to electrically powered components which are employed herein. The battery is comprised of a pair of electrode named as a cathode and an anode. The battery use a chemical reaction of oxidation/reduction to do work on charge and produce a voltage between their anode and cathode and thus produces electrical energy that is used to do work in the device.

[0038] The present invention works well in following manner, where the proposed device, comprises of the circular base 101 includes four telescopic links 102 with motorized omnidirectional wheels 103 for the locomotion of the base 101, the telescopic arm 104 via the ball and socket joint, consisting the telescopic rod with the pointed end and bristles 105 on the lateral surface of the rod, for inserting into the condenser tubes for the cleaning of the tubes and the artificial intelligence-based imaging unit for capturing multiple images in the vicinity of the base 101 to determine the position of the tube, the L-shaped telescopic member 106 by means of the hinge, the member 106 having the nozzle 107 at the end of the base 101 to pressurize the tube, the pressure sensor that detects the pressure in the tube. Further, the speaker 201 to generate the audio alert for the user regarding the leaking tube if the detected pressure in the tube is below the predetermined pressure, the angle sensor detects the angle of the tube, the pipe 202 with suction pump 203 for creating the suction force for the removal of debris in the tube, the support frame consisting the motorized crank driver that drives the slider ram by the connecting rod to slide in the slotter bar, the microphone, for receiving the audio command from the user regarding cleaning the tube, the touch-enabled display for enabling the user to provide touch input regarding increasing or decreasing the height of the upper body and the battery in view of powering up electrical and electronically operated components attached with the device.

[0039] Although the field of the invention has been described herein with limited reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. , Claims:1) A condenser tube cleaning device, comprising:

i) a circular base 101 having four telescopic links 102 with motorized omnidirectional wheels 103 at ends of said rod for a locomotion of said base 101;
ii) a telescopic arm 104 attached on said base 101 by a ball and socket joint, having a telescopic rod with a pointed end and bristles 105 on a lateral surface of said rod, attached with an upper end of said arm 104 by a quick return mechanism, for inserting into said condenser tubes for a cleaning of said tubes;
iii) an artificial intelligence-based imaging unit installed on said base 101 and integrated with a processor for recording and processing images in a vicinity of said base 101, to determine a position of said tube to trigger a microcontroller to actuate said ball and socket joint and said telescopic arm 104 to insert said telescopic rod in said tube for a cleaning of said tube;
iv) an L-shaped telescopic member 106, provided on said base 101 by a hinge, said member 106 having a nozzle 107 at an end, said nozzle 107 connected via a conduit with an air compressor configured with a pressure sensor, wherein said pressure sensor detects a pressure in said tube while said nozzle 107 is coupled with said tube to pressurize said tube by said compressor till a predetermined pressure, to trigger said microcontroller to actuate a speaker 201 provided on said base 101 for to generate an audio alert for a user regarding a leaking tube if said detected pressure in said tube is below said predetermined pressure;
v) an angle sensor provided on said base 101 detects an angle of said tube to trigger said microcontroller to actuate said speaker 201 to generate an audio notification for said user regarding a bent tube, if said detected angle exceeds a threshold angle; and
vi) a pipe 202 connected with suction pump 203 provided on said base 101, wherein said pipe 202 is connected with said tube for creating a suction force for a removal of debris in said tube.

2) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said quick return assembly comprises a support frame attached on said arm 104 having a motorized crank driver driving a slider ram by a connecting rod to slide in a slotter bar.

3) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a microphone, linked with said microcontroller, provided on said base 101 for receiving an audio command from said user regarding cleaning said tube to trigger said microcontroller to actuate said imaging unit to determine said position of said tube to actuate said ball and socket joint and said telescopic arm 104 to insert said telescopic rod in said tube for a cleaning of said tube.

4) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a touch-enabled display, linked with said microcontroller, is provided on said base 101 for enabling said user to provide touch input regarding increasing or decreasing said height of said upper body, to actuate said imaging unit to determine said position of said tube to actuate said ball and socket joint and said telescopic arm 104 to insert said telescopic rod in said tube for a cleaning of said tube.

5) The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a battery is associated with said device for powering up electrical and electronically operated components associated with said device.

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