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WATER JET CONFERENCE - Waterjet Technology Association

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3 MANUAL METHODS OF <strong>JET</strong> CLEANING & AUTOMATED METHODS<br />

It is true to say that over the past few years automation has come to the fore as a method<br />

of jet cleaning. This has obvious advantages in that the operator is removed from a dirty,<br />

uncomfortable and all too often dangerous situation, Where it is not absolutely necessary to clean<br />

automatically it is also not always preferable to clean automatically. Table IV is a composite<br />

table comparing the costs of cleaning condenser/tube bundles of varying lengths with varying<br />

numbers of tubes using existing automated equipment and conventional manual methods.<br />

Griffiths (1979).<br />

The tubes in the bundles are assumed to have a soft/medium water scale and the tubes are<br />

assumed to be unblocked.<br />

The running costs for the systems are US$ and include amortisation of equipment over a<br />

6 year period assuming 80% use, fuel, spares and consumables and labour,<br />

The fuel component is 17 gph for the Automated system and 10 gph for the manual<br />

system.<br />

The spares/consumable element is $12.00 for the Automated System and $8.00 for the<br />

manual, Labour has been estimated at $12,00 for automated and $18.00 for the manual.<br />

TABLE IV<br />

Length of<br />

Bundle 5ft l0ft 15ft 25ft<br />

Cost per<br />

Bundle M A M A M A M A<br />

Tube No,<br />

100 25. 78. 51. 78. 102. 78. 155. 78.<br />

500 102. 117. 357. 117. 459. 117. 561. 156.<br />

1000 204. 195. 876. 195. 969. 195. 1173. 234.<br />

2000 408. 312. 1530. 312. 1836. 390. 2240. 429.<br />

From Table IV it will be seen that small tube bundles do not require automation, though<br />

this can become a critical necessity when long bundles with large numbers of tubes are tackled,<br />

especially at shutdown periods.<br />

The rate at which impellers have been cleaned has been measured and costed Swan<br />

(195^8) using (1) manual methods ie casting cleaned in open space outside (2) a casting cleaning<br />

machine, with a method of clamping and the facility to approach the casting through 360° in the<br />

horizontal with a tilt mechanism through 115°, thus allowing the casting to be approached from<br />

all angles - See Plate I Photograph of casting cleaning machine showing gimbal gun and<br />

turntable.<br />

473

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