Condenser Ball Cleaning

Product Details

I. Overview:

The ball cleaner is a device used to effectively clean the condenser cooling tubes of steam turbine generator sets during operation. The performance of this device directly impacts the cleanliness of the condenser and its heat transfer efficiency. Its application range is quite extensive, suitable not only for condensers of steam turbines but also for cooling tube cleaning in fixed tube sheet heat exchangers in the oil, chemical, and other industries. Under continuous operation without reducing load, this device can be put into use at any time, maintaining the cleanliness of the cooling tubes, extending their service life, reducing labor intensity, and is an indispensable device for improving the economic benefits of power plants and ensuring the safe operation of condensers.

Our factory's rubber ball device is a replacement for other rubber ball cleaning devices currently available, primarily consisting of a secondary filter and a ball collection net, which are the two current types. It features the following characteristics:

1. Innovative and rational design structure; 2. Easy to operate; 3. High gel ball recovery rate (≥96%); 4. Strong secondary filter efficiency.

Section 2: Ball Cleaning System Diagram

The rubber ball cleaning system consists of a secondary filter, ball collection net, ball loading chamber, rubber ball pump, diverter, valves, pipelines, and electrical control equipment.

III. Working Principle:

Select appropriate sponge rubber balls, with a wet diameter slightly larger than the cooling tube inner diameter (about 1-2mm) and a wet specific gravity similar to water. Place the balls into the ball chamber through the handhole, with a quantity of approximately 10% of the condenser water chamber copper tube count. Then, start the ball pump and open the ball valves at both ends of the system. The balls are then driven into the condenser water chamber by the water flow at a slightly higher pressure at the water inlet. Due to the balls being a soft, elastic, and porous material, under the pressure difference between the circulating water inlets and outlets, they are compressed through the cooling tubes, scrubbing the inner diameter of the tubes. This removes the dirt from the tube walls, which is then carried away by the water flow. The balls are collected through the outlet pipe and separated from the water by the ball collection net. They are then pumped back to the ball chamber by the ball pump, repeating the cycle for continuous automatic cleaning of the condenser cooling tubes.

IV. Components of the Gel Ball Cleaning System:

1. Secondary Filter: The secondary filter is one of the main equipment in the cooling water purification system, removing all debris larger than 6mm. It plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth flow of rubber balls and the normal operation of the condenser. For detailed working parameters and other information, refer to the manual for "New Type Electric Rotating Backwash Secondary Filter."

2. Ball Catcher: The ball catcher is a crucial component of the rubber ball cleaning system, installed on the condenser outlet pipe section. Its function is to separate rubber balls from the cooling water, ensuring it does not leak or jam balls. After the balls are collected, they are led out through a conduit from the ball catcher and returned to the ball loading room. Our factory's ball catcher features the current structural design, with its grate plate being rotatable. When the rubber ball system is in operation, the grate plate is positioned for ball collection. When the cleaning system is not in use, the grate plate can rotate to align with the water flow direction, reducing water resistance and also serving to clear debris from the grate plate.

The rotation and positioning of the web plate are executed by an electric actuator (the small ball collection net is manually controlled). Whether the grid plate is in place is a crucial factor in ensuring the collection efficiency of the ball collection net.

3. Ball Charging Room

The ball loading room is a device in the rubber ball cleaning system for adding, removing, storing balls, and observing the ball circulation. It is divided into Type I and II based on the storage capacity of the balls, and into electric and manual types according to the user's requirements. When the switch valve is placed in the "ball in" position, the balls can freely and continuously circulate within the system. When the switch valve is set to the "ball out" position, the balls are blocked within the loading room, while the cooling water can still pass through, ensuring that all balls in circulation return to the loading room.

4. Spherical ball pump

The rubber ball pump serves as the power source for the continuous circulation of rubber balls in the rubber ball cleaning system. The water flow of the densely packed balls extracted from the collection net increases the pressure head after passing through the rubber balls and is then sent into the cooling water pipes. This pump is a fixed, trouble-free centrifugal pump, featuring non-blocking, non-breaking, and minimal wear on the balls. Different rubber ball pumps with varying specifications are selected based on different operating conditions. For small condensers and heat exchanger systems, a low-flow pump should be chosen to reduce hot water backflow. For systems with long rubber ball conveying pipelines and significant resistance losses, a high-head pump should be selected to ensure the normal circulation of the balls.

5. Operational Control Cabinet (CGK-Ⅱ)

(1) Utilizes advanced, fault-tolerant HMI touch screen control for enhanced operation. (HMI Human-Machine Interface Touch Screen and PLC)

(2) Achieve precise location control for more accurate and thorough detection, ensuring high ball recovery rates. The entire process is automated. It allows for long-distance control (operation and monitoring) with a single cable.

6. Divider

A diverter valve is a three-way (pipe) valve. By switching the guide plates, it allows the rubber balls to enter the condenser side that requires cleaning. It can also be used as a three-way pipe for the convergence of the ball collection net's rubber ball outlet pipe and the分流 of the ball collection pipe.

V. Installation Instructions and Precautions:

Prior to the commissioning of the gel ball cleaning unit, ensure the condenser water chamber and the interior walls of the copper tubes are thoroughly cleaned of hard scale, and replace any copper tubes with cracks or internal diameter deformities one by one to ensure the gel balls flow unobstructed.

(2) Seal off all dead corners of the condenser one by one to prevent balling from hiding, which can affect cleaning efficiency and the recovery rate of the balls.

(3) The system pipeline layout should be simple, short, and straight, with as few bends as possible.

(4) Select a ball valve pump reasonably, ensuring sufficient flow rate and an outlet pressure slightly higher than the circulating water pressure (approximately 0.02 MPa or more).

(5) Regularly check the ball room's gel ball inventory and continuously replenish to meet cleaning requirements.

(6) Regularly check the ball recovery rate; for instance, if the recovery rate is low, investigate the following three aspects.

Is the ball collection grid panel in the collection position and properly in place?

b. Is there any debris in the condenser water chamber, blocking the cooling tube openings, and obstructing the passage of the rubber balls?

c. Is the outlet pressure of the ball pump normal?