Idea for Column Cleaning Tool

Picture opening up your manway, inserting a plate shaped tool up into the column that can lock in and little or no flow by, this tool is attached to a rope so that you can never leave it in and shut the manway... or even better, the tool has a flapper valve(s) that would never stop upward flow...

Then, you flush with backset and/or citric acid, then water a couple times

maybe a handle with a trigger to dump the contents of the column...

ideas to hold it in place are either spring loaded pins with a lever release or cogs for a 5 degree or so rotation...

heck, what if we had a flapper plate built into the CD tower end that had small circular discs that were retained but could let vapor pass, and then you could defeat one with a lever through the tower end... just use a custom gasket, a bubble cap plate, and some circular discs with legs/retainers on them and it is an easy retrofit to ANY size/type of SD column....

Comments

  • for the last idea, since it has no drain activation from the outside, you would want a drain hole that would empty the column in a reasonable amount of time, but let you use a small 1-2gpm pump to keep the column full enough to keep the top plate covered.

  • edited November 2014

    I have been thinking about CIP solutions for my column, its only a home column and not commercial scale. My plan was to have a hoist on the roof to lift the column off the boiler than attach a fitting on the bottom to pump in PBW. I also wondered how feasible or possible it would be to have a triclamp on the inside of the boiler might be, which sound a little like what you are saying. The benefit here is that you could pump a cleaner into the system, with the parrot blocked off it would cascade over the bend and clean everything. I would love the have a robust conversation on CIP solutions, I hate the idea of pulling my column to pieces!

  • edited November 2014

    Want a crazy idea?

    Disconnect Parrot, Hook up a hose to a collection drum

    Hook up some kind of blower to the manway, or an electric leaf blower to a 2-4" port

    Start flooding it from the top

    I wonder if you could get enough upwards air movement to create a good scouring action

    If you are going to use pbw, citric, save it in drums and re-use it multiple times.

  • or an 8" free-swinging butterfly valve with off-center pivot that would open when pushed from below, but shut when pushed from above...

  • edited November 2014

    Teeny Tiny Sprayballs between each? Valve trays have less turndown than bubble caps, less usable range.

  • not as a bubble cap replacement, as a tool to keep cleaning solution filling the column when filled from the top..

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