Mounting Arrangement for Turbulators of a Furnace Heat Exchanger

Abstract

A boiler apparatus having a combustion chamber, a container for receiving liquid to be heated, a flue, and tubes passing through the container to join the combustion chamber and flue includes a tube cleaning system comprising outer edges of turbulators that are in contact with the respective inner tube surface, a horizontally extending shaft over the tubes, and pivotal connections by which the downwardly depending turbulators are connected to the shaft. The shaft defines an axis about which it is pivotal, where by pivoting of the shaft the turbulators are moved relative to the tubes in vertical longitudinal sliding movement from an operating position to a raised position and back thereto so as to generate a cleaning action against the inner tube surface. Each turbulator is removably attached to the shaft independently of the other allowing each to be removed for cleaning without disassembling a remainder of the tube cleaning system.

1 . A boiler apparatus comprising:
 a boiler housing;   a combustion chamber in the boiler housing for generating heated gases including combustion products;   a flue connected to the boiler housing for discharge of the combustion products;   a container in the boiler housing for receiving a liquid material to be heated;   a plurality of vertical tubes passing through the container and extending from the combustion chamber to the flue for receiving the heated gases and communicating heat from the heated gases to the liquid material, said tubes each having an inner surface over which the heated gases and combustion products pass and an outer surface in communication with the liquid material;   each tube having therein a helical turbulator arranged to create turbulence in the flow of the heated gases, thereby increasing heat transfer from the heated gases to the inner surface of the tube;   the turbulator comprising a strip with outer edges thereof defining outside turbulator edges and following a helical path about a central axis along the respective tube such that at least one of the outer edges is arranged in its helical path generally at the inner surface of the tube so as to be arranged for contact with the inner surface of the tube;   the tubes being arranged each to one side of the next so as to generally form a row;   the plurality of turbulators being mounted with a pivotal connection to a common shaft extending parallel to the row of the tubes;   the shaft being pivotally movable about its axis so as to effect through the pivotal connection of each turbulator a longitudinal vertical sliding movement of each of the turbulators relative to the respective tube from an operating position to a raised position and back to the operating position, the contact of said at least one of the outside turbulator edges and the movement thereof effecting a cleaning of the inner surface to remove combustion products deposited on the inner surface by the heated gases;   the pivotal connection of the respective turbulator including a bracket forming a channel with an open side receiving the shaft therethrough and an ear supported on the bracket opposite the open side wherefrom the turbulator pivotally depends downwardly;   the bracket being attached to the shaft by a removable pin passing through apertures in the bracket and the shaft so as to hold the bracket of the respective turbulator in fixed relation to the shaft;   whereby each turbulator is removably attached to the common shaft independently of the other turbulators.   
     
     
         2 . The boiler apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the turbulator is arranged depending downwardly from a location radially of the axis of the shaft such that the ear extends outwardly from the shaft in a generally radial direction relative thereto, and the removable pin comprises an elongate pin portion extending generally diametrically through the shaft through said cooperating apertures and a clip portion following an arcuate curving path about a circumferential periphery of the shaft from one end of the pin portion where the clip portion is pivotally connected to the pin portion to an opposite end of the pin portion where a terminus of the clip portion is matingly securable to the pin portion externally of the shaft. 
     
     
         3 . The boiler apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein the clip portion of the pin follows the arcuate curving path about a portion of the circumferential periphery of the shaft that is opposite the ear from which the turbulator depends. 
     
     
         4 . The boiler apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the turbulators are at spaced positions along the shaft each longitudinally of the next. 
     
     
         5 . The boiler apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the turbulators are disposed in an alternating arrangement relative to the shaft such that the turbulators are staggered relative to one another about the axis of the shaft. 
     
     
         6 . The boiler apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein the pin portion where it passes through the bracket and shaft has a smooth cylindrical surface.