A CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A FLUID/ABRASIVE JET CUTTING ARRANGEMENT

摘要

A control system for a high pressure cutting arrangement is disclosed. The cutting arrangement comprises a liquid stream and a slurry stream, the slurry comprising abrasive particles suspended in a fluid. The liquid stream and the slurry stream are both supplied under pressure of about 300MPa to a cutting tool, with at least a portion of the supplied pressure being converted to kinetic energy in the cutting tool to produce a combined liquid and abrasive stream at high velocity. The cutting tool includes a combining chamber into which both the liquid and slurry streams are introduced, the pressure in an entry region of the combining chamber being determined by the pressure of the liquid stream. The control system acts to actuate or prevent flow of slurry in the slurry stream by activation or de-activation of an energising means up-stream of the chamber. Pressure in the slurry stream is substantially equal to the pressure in the entry region of the combining chamber whether or not slurry is flowing.