Ultrasonic cleaning method and apparatus for heat exchangers

摘要

Biofouling is removed from the external surfaces of spaced apart pipes of a heat exchanger which are in contact with a liquid by positioning a plurality of ultrasonic transducers between the pipes and operating the transducers at sufficient power levels to cause cavitation within the liquid to effect the desired cleaning action. The transducers are arranged in a planar configuration to produce bi-directional acoustic radiation. Various types of instrumentation are provided for determining extent of biofouling and effectiveness of cleaning as well as for monitoring transducer operating parameters.