Sonic resonance : Hydrokinetics™ tube & pipe cleaning technique
The AIMM Technologies , Inc . ( AIMMTECH ) Hydrokinetics™ process was introduced into the UK in December 2000 by ASL Group ; based in the Northeast of England , the specialist industrial service company has 32 years of experience in petrochemical process cleaning .
All text and images courtesy of ASL Group
The ASL Group ’ s goal is to provide an alternative to conventional methods of cleaning the interior of tubes and pipes . The company ’ s patented Hydrokinetics™ process is based on ultrasonic , or sonic resonance , offering a more efficient , cost-effective , ecological , and safer method of clearing fouled pipes and tubes as compared with traditional methods such as hydro-blasting , baking , chemical cleaning , drilling , or brushing .
How does it work ? The technology behind the Hydrokinetics™ cleaning process , for the clearing and cleaning of fouled interiors of tubes , pipes , and lines , is based in the induction of “ sonic resonance ” into the cleaning water stream . This sonic resonance travels through the water stream and safely transfers to both the tube and the fouling material . Because of the different compositions of the tube and the fouling material , they resonate at different frequencies , breaking the bond between them and allowing the fouling to be expelled quite easily . Fouling material is generally seen extruding from the end of the tube in large snake-like pieces rather than particulate as in conventional hydro blasting . The equipment for the process is compact and portable , consisting of hydraulic monitoring devices in a sealed cabinet . A unit and a technician can be easily dispatched to a customer ’ s trouble-site anywhere in the world , provided a conventional plunger pump of adequate capacity and service air is available ( 10.000 psi @ 20gpm Plunger Pump , and 120psi air service ). This system causes no damage to the operational equipment . ASL field service technicians induce a frequency vibration through a water medium adjacent to the pipe blockage . By amplifying the pulsation with a high-pressure plunger pump , the water stream accelerates to achieve a velocity of 2100 feet per second . The generation of the sonic vibration takes a few milliseconds to complete , and the tube or pipe being cleared is exposed to the sonic wave for only a fraction of the process time . A maximum frequency of 11,250 vibrations per minute can be achieved — far below the number of cycles per second needed to cause metal fatigue in even soft metals such as copper-nickel alloys or copper . ASL Group successfully clears bundles and piping built in a wide range of materials . In many cases , many of these materials had previously been considered unclean-able by conventional methods .
Faster , safer , cleaner Based on resonant frequency , an oscillating water stream is transmitted into the tube or pipe to be cleaned . This resonance is then transferred to both the tube and the fouling material . The different densities in the two materials cause them to vibrate at different frequencies . These contrasting vibrations cause a break in cohesion between the fouling material and the tube wall , and the fouling material is flushed out of the pipe by the water stream . But what makes this system a faster , safer , and cleaner alternative ? Many of the company ’ s customers have experienced the fast service , as the ASL team can prepare equipment , clean an entire exchanger , and then be out of the facility
44 Heat Exchanger World October 2022 www . heat-exchanger-world . com