Sootblower having a rotational delay mechanism

Abstract

A sootblower to project a blowing medium into a boiler is disclosed herein. The sootblower includes a hub, in which a first end of the hub is configured to receive a lance and a second end of the hub is configured to receive the blowing medium. The sootblower further includes a drive assembly configured to convert bidirectional rotation from a drive shaft to bidirectional rotation for the hub. The drive assembly then includes a rotation delay mechanism configured to delay a transition between a first directional rotation and a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub with respect to the drive shaft when the drive shaft is transitioning from a first directional rotation to a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub.

1 . A sootblower to project a blowing medium into a boiler, the sootblower comprising:
 a hub, wherein a first end of the hub is configured to receive a lance and a second end of the hub is configured to receive the blowing medium; and   a drive assembly configured to convert bidirectional rotation from a drive shaft to bidirectional rotation for the hub;   wherein drive assembly comprises a rotation delay mechanism configured to delay a transition between a first directional rotation and a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub with respect to the drive shaft when the drive shaft is transitioning from a first directional rotation to a second directional rotation of the bidirectional rotation for the hub.   
   
   
       2 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly comprises a rotation delay mechanism comprising a first member with a slot formed therein and a second member having a pin attached thereto, wherein the pin of the second member is configured to be disposed within the slot of the first member. 
   
   
       3 . The sootblower of  claim 2 , wherein one of the first member and the second member comprises a static member attached to the drive shaft, wherein the other of the first member and the second member comprises a spur gear disposed about and configured to rotate about the drive shaft. 
   
   
       4 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , wherein the hub connects the lance to a feed line supplying the blowing medium to the sootblower. 
   
   
       5 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , further comprising a housing to contain the drive shaft, the hub, and the rotation delay mechanism. 
   
   
       6 . The sootblower of  claim 5 , further comprising a lubricant disposed within the housing. 
   
   
       7 . The sootblower of  claim 5 , wherein the hub is positioned substantially on a vertical centerline of the housing. 
   
   
       8 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , further comprising pinion gears attached to the drive shaft, wherein the pinion gears are configured to engage a rack to provide translational motion for the sootblower. 
   
   
       9 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , wherein the blowing medium is steam. 
   
   
       10 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , wherein the lance comprises a venturi nozzle to emit the blowing medium. 
   
   
       11 . The sootblower of  claim 1 , further comprising a worm gear attached to the drive shaft, wherein a motor is configured to provide bidirectional rotational motion to a worm engaging the worm gear, thereby providing bidirectional rotational motion for the drive shaft. 
   
   
       12 . A drive assembly for a sootblower to project a blowing medium into a boiler, the drive assembly comprising:
 a drive shaft;   a static member attached to the drive shaft; and   a spur gear disposed about and configured to rotate about the drive shaft;   wherein one of the static member and the spur gear comprises a pin attached thereto;   wherein the other of the static member and the spur gear comprises a slot formed therein; and   wherein the pin slidably engages the slot.   
   
   
       13 . The drive assembly of  claim 12 , wherein when the pin slidably engages the slot, the pin is configured to rotate by about 60 degrees within the slot with respect to an axis of the drive shaft. 
   
   
       14 . The sootblower of  claim 12 , wherein the drive shaft, the static member, and the spur gear are disposed within a housing. 
   
   
       15 . The sootblower of  claim 14 , further comprising a lubricant disposed within the housing. 
   
   
       16 . The sootblower of  claim 15 , further comprising rollers rotatably attached to the housing with bearings disposed therein, wherein the bearings of the rollers are in fluid communication with the housing such that the lubricant disposed within the housing flows into the rollers to lubricate the bearings. 
   
   
       17 . The sootblower of  claim 16 , wherein the lubricant comprises synthetic oil. 
   
   
       18 . A sootblower used to project a blowing medium, the sootblower comprising:
 a housing having a lubricant disposed therein;   rollers rotatably attached to the housing and configured to travel along tracks; and   bearings disposed inside of the rollers;   wherein the bearings of the rollers are in fluid communication with the housing.   
   
   
       19 . The sootblower of  claim 18 , wherein the lubricant comprises synthetic oil. 
   
   
       20 . The sootblower of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 a hub disposed within the housing, wherein a first end of the hub is configured to receive a lance and a second end of the hub is configured to receive the blowing medium; and   a drive assembly disposed within the housing, wherein the drive assembly is configured to convert bidirectional rotation from a drive shaft to bidirectional rotation for the hub.