I. Core Principle
Utilize elastic sponge rubber balls with a diameter 1-2 mm larger than the condenser cooling tube inner diameter (wet density 1.0-1.1), utilizing the pressure difference at the inlets and outlets of the circulating water. The balls are compressed through the tube bundle, removing scale, biological slime, and suspended matter by friction. After cleaning, they are collected by a ball recovery net, pumped back to the ball loading room by a ball pump, achieving closed-loop recycling. The entire process requires no shutdown or load reduction.
Section II: Main Components
Ball Room: Operation unit for filling, collecting, changing, and observing balls, equipped with a changeover valve and an exhaust valve.
Suction Ball Screen: Installed on the condenser outlet side, it intercepts rubber balls and can switch to backwash position for cleaning the screen surface. The ball collection rate requirement is ≥95%.
Secondary filter: Removes large particles from coolant, preventing pipe blockage and ball jamming.
Rubber Ball Conveying Pump (Barrier-Free Centrifugal Pump): Non-damaging to rubber balls, providing circulation power.
Divertor + Valve Pipeline: Evenly distributes rubber balls, switches process flow.
Electrical / PLC Control Cabinet: Achieves automatic ball insertion, timed cleaning, ball collection monitoring, and fault alarms.
Section 3: Standard Workflow
Ball loading (usually around 10% of the number of cooling tubes), exhaust, and establish a circulation path.
Collect the ball net to the collection position, start the rubber ball pump.
The rubber balls enter the circulating water intake from the ball loading room, are cleaned by the tube bundle, and then intercepted by the ball collection net.
The胶球pumpretrieves the balls and returns them to the ball chamber, repeating the cycle.
After cleaning, backwash the ball intake net, and recover all rubber balls back to the ball storage room for standby.
Section 4: Application Scenarios and Advantages
Applicable to steam condensers for thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, large-scale chemical and petrochemical industries, and steel mills (copper tubes/titanium tubes/stainless steel tubes).
Advantages: Online operation without affecting turbine output; Physical cleaning with no chemical contamination; Significantly improves condenser vacuum and reduces coal consumption; Extends heat exchanger tube lifespan and reduces the frequency of shutdown chemical cleaning.
Limitations: Limited effectiveness on hard or thick scale; requires chemical cleaning pretreatment; collection rate is significantly affected by the condition of the mesh deck and the aging of the rubber balls.
V. Selection and Maintenance Key Points
Golf Ball Selection: Standard Soft Golf Balls (for daily scale prevention), Sandblast Golf Balls (for mild descaling); Regularly inspect golf ball diameter and elasticity; replace promptly if aged or damaged.
Ball Collection Rate Management: Regular backwashing of the ball collection net and secondary filter to prevent debris from clogging; investigate if the collection rate falls below 90%.
Regular inspections: No abnormal vibration or noise from the ball pump; no leakage from valves; control cabinet parameters normal; perform system switching and function tests on a periodic basis.
Antifreeze and Anticorrosion: Drain accumulated water before winter shutdown to prevent cracking; use high-corrosion-resistant stainless steel materials for seawater conditions.
