US 12,031,783 B2
Tube cleaning robot
Adam Stephenson, Rayleigh (GB); and Derek Sumsion, Rayleigh (GB)
Assigned to Tube Tech Industrial Ltd., Rayleigh (GB)
Appl. No. 17/622,992
Filed by Tube Tech Industrial Limited, Rayleigh (GB)
PCT Filed Jun. 24, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/051528
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/260872, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1909266 (GB), filed on Jun. 27, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0268536 A1, Aug. 25, 2022
Int. Cl. B08B 9/023 (2006.01); F28G 9/00 (2006.01); F28G 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC F28G 9/00 (2013.01) [B08B 9/023 (2013.01); F28G 15/003 (2013.01); B08B 2209/02 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A robot for cleaning the exterior tubes of a heat exchanger, the robot comprising
a lance for directing a jet of fluid into spaces between tubes,
a carriage for transporting the lance in a direction of travel parallel to axes of the tubes of the heat exchanger,
and traction assemblies for engaging the tubes to enable the carriage to be advanced along the tubes,
characterized in that
two traction assemblies are provided and located on opposite sides of the carriage, at least one of the traction assemblies being movable relative to the carriage in a direction transverse to that of travel in order to change a track width of the robot.