A METHOD AND A TOOL FOR INCREASING THE WIDTH IN THE CLEAR OF A CHIMNEY OR THE LIKE

Abstract: A method and a tool for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney, for instance for the cleaning of chimneys, combustion chambers, boilers and the like, which on internal surfaces are covered with coatings, e. g. tarry deposits, by means of strokes from chains. The tool is provided with a holder (4) located at the end of a rotatable shaft (6), to which holder are attached chains parts (5), e.g. consisting of simple, elongated chain links, so embodied that the chains (5) are located in several levels at right angles to the axis of rotation and are firmly fixed. In this manner several impacts at one single point are obtained, the chains being kept in their tracks by the neighbouring chains, thereby obtaining a much more effective and rapid chimney cleaning, just asto a large extent soot flakes are pulverized, whereupon they drop to the bottom in the chimney. The method and the tool may also be used for increasing the width in the clear in comparison with the original width in the clear, whereupon a chimney lining may be inserted.

Description: A METHOD AND A TOOL FOR INCREASING THE WIDTH IN THE CLEAR OF A CHIMNEY OR THE LIKE The invention relates to a method and a tool for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney or the like. The method and the tool according to the invention may for instance be used for the cleaning of chimneys, combust'ion chambers, boilers and the like, which on internal surfaces may be covered with coatings, for instance tarry deposits. A tool accor¬ ding to the invention is of the kind that is provided with a holder located at the end of a rotatable shaft, to which holder are attached chains, for instance consisting of simple, elongated, ring-shaped chain links. After the energy prices have made it financially justifiable to burn solid fuel an increased need for chimney cleaning has arisen. Said cleaning is traditionally carried out as sweeping, whereby a broom is moved up and down in the chimney thus loose¬ ning soot etc. that drops to the bottom in the chimney and is removed through a shutter at the chimney bot- torn. However, in the chimney the socalled tarry deposits may occur, same being very difficult to remove by ordinary sweeping, as the coatings have a considerable mechanical strength. Thus it may take several hours to remove tarry deposits from a chimney by the tradi¬ tional methods. Besides, tarry deposits may block up a chimney to such a degree that the use of it is reckless. These tarry deposits especially occur if different kinds of fuel are burned as it is for instance the case with boilers especially adapted for the purpose of solid as well as liquid fuel bur¬ ning. Similar coatings may furthermore occur in combustion chambers and boilers, where it may be difficult effec¬ tively to process the coatings with a broom or the like. Moreover, it may be desirable to increase the width in the clear of an existing chimney, if for stoking- technical reasons internal insulation with lining tubes with a diameter being larger than the width in the clear is required, for instance by converting to another type of fuel or to a new, stoking system. This is also the case after a chimney fire, where the interior of the chimney must be rebuilt, or by wrongly dimensioned lining tubes, where today it is necessary to pull down the chimney and rebuild a new, even if the external construction of the chim¬ ney is all right. From Swedish patents nos. 177.343 and 177.783 it is known to process the internal surfaces on a chimney with strokes from single chains to loosen soot from the chimney wall. On the tools disclosed therein chain parts are mounted slideably in axial direction on straps, which means that a chain is knocked off the course if it hits a coating or a firm object, for which reason the intensity of the impact is rather low. One object of the invention is to provide a method and a tool, same being able to remove tarry deposits from the internal surface of a chimney rapidly and effectively. Another object of the invention is to provide a method that can be used for the increasing of the width in the clear of a chimney in comparison with the existing one. According to the invention these objects are achieved by a method being characterized in that the internal surface of the chimney is processed with strokes of a high intensity from several chains in several adjacent levels. By the method of the invention several impacts are obtained at a single point, as there are several chains in each level at right angles to the axis of rotation and in several adjacent levels. It is thus prevented that a chain is knocked off the level in which it is moved, when it hits a coating or the chimney surface, as it is checked by the adjacent chains, for which reason it will continue in its own track and also clean the next part of the chimney surface in its track. Thus a better loosening of soot flakes than by the known methods is achieved, just as soot flakes to a great extent are pulverized or grinded into small particles which easily drop to the bottom of the chimney. According to the invention it is advantageous as disclosed in claim 2 to remove coatings from the internal surface of the chimney for recreation of the original width in the clear, which can be done in an especially simple and quick manner by the method according to the invention. An especially preferred aspect of the present inven¬ tion is, as disclosed in claim 3, to increase the width in the clear of a chimney in comparison with the original one, same surprisingly being possible by the method according to the invention, as it is thus possible e.g. to remove inner parts of a chimney, having been destroyed by a chimney fire, or to create a wider clear, e.g. by removing an existing wrongly dimensioned chimney lining, this having so far not been possible without pulling down the chimney and rebuild it and including those inconveniences resul¬ ting herefrom as regards flashing, bricklaying and painting as well as waste of resources. It is especially preferred, as disclosed in claim 4, to increase the width in the clear of the chimney to a larger size than the desired, and then to insert a chimney lining with the desired width in the clear, as thus the stoking-technical advantages of an insula¬ ted chimney are achieved. It is especially preferable to fill a void around a chimney lining with a light concrete such as Leca-concrete to cast in the lining. Furthermore, the invention relates to a tool for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney or the like, same tool being provided with a holder located at the end of a rotatable shaft, to which holder are attached chain parts, for instance consist ing of simple, elongated, ring-shaped chain links. The tool according to the invention is characterized in that the chains are located in several levels at right angles to the axis of rotation and are firmly fixed. This tool is very simple and makes it possible to process the internal surface of a chimney with strokes of a high intensity from several chains as stated above. According to the features stated in claim 7 a tool is provided which is simple and cheap to manufacture, and which may be lowered into the openings of chimneys with very thick coatings, in order then to be started in the very chimney. By using chains with an odd number of links an espe¬ cially simple manner of manufacturing the tool is achieved, and it becomes simple to ensure the balance of the holder, same holder being to a great extent self-centering. By having chains in 8 levels above each other and by using a flexible shaft, as disclosed in claim 8, an advantageous processing of a suitably large belt in a chimney is obtained, as the marginal zone becomes of minor importance, and as at the same time a not too heavy tool is obtained, same being easy to handle, just as a better possibility is obtained for cleaning chimneys, the opening of which does not extend linearly, same being often the case espe¬ cially in older buildings, where the chimney pot is located on the roof ridge, while in comparison herewith the location of the vertical part of the chimney is staggered. One or more extension shafts may, if desired, be inserted, so that the distance between the rotor head and the guiding unit can be adjusted to the current requirements. Furthermore, the extension shafts makes it possible to use the tool for the cleaning of boilers etc., where the tool is not lower¬ ed, as the shafts are creating a handle for the rotor head. By manufacturing the couplings of the tool in such a manner that they can be disconnected, the insertion of extension shafts can be carried out very easily, and the tool becomes easy to transport, as it may be disassembled. By cleaning for instance a chimney of coatings such as tarry deposits it is possible to use an electric hand drill as guiding unit, whereby a simple and practical tool is obtained, same being easy to trans¬ port, and same being also easy to carry up to- the roof ridge, same often being an exposed position. By mounting a guiding unit immediately above the rotor head, as disclosed in claim 9, it becomes pos¬ sible to control the tool according to the invention so carefully that it can be used for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney, for instance after a fire. By adjusting the length of the chains it is possible to remove more or less of the internal surface of the chimney, and it is possible to remove ordinary tiles or bricks as well as concrete, parts of tile concrete elements or light concrete elements. Thus an existing chimney lining and Leca-casting can be removed or milled out. After a chimney fire it is thus easy to remove a chimney lining and insert a new one, thereby avoiding for approximately 70% of those chimneys that have been hit by a chimney fire to pull down the entire chimney and to rebuild it with the inconveniences that results herefrom. The invention will be described in more details below with reference to the drawings, wherein fig. 1 schematically shows a tool according to the invention during the lowering into a chimney, fig. 2 schematically the same tool during the cleaning of the chimney of soot coatings, fig. 3 schematically a tool according to the invention during the cleaning of a combustion chamber, fig. 4 a sectional view of a rotor head with chains according to the invention, fig. 5 schematically the tool used by the method according to the invention for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney in comparison with the origi¬ nal one, fig. 6 a sectional view along the line a- a in fig. 5 in a chimney with tradition- al brick-built construction, fig. 7 a sectional view along the line b- b in fig. 5 in the chimney in fig. 6 after the increasing of the width in the clear and insertion of a lining and casting, fig. 8 a sectional view corresponding to same in fig. 6 in a chimney of tile concrete elements, fig. 9 a sectional view corresponding to same in fig. 7 in the chimney shown in fig. 8, fig. 10 a sectional view corresponding to same in fig. 6 in a chimney of light concrete elements, and fig. 11 a sectional view corresponding to same in fig. 7 in the chimney shown in fig. 10. From figs. 1 and 2 it appears how the tool is used for the cleaning of a chimney 1. Reference number 2 indicates a coating of tarry deposits on the inter¬ nal surfaces of the chimney 1. Moreover, a guiding unit 3 is shown, which is advantageously an electric hand " drill. The guiding unit 3 is connected with a flexible shaft 6 by means of an electric coupling 7 which can be disconnected. The guiding unit can advantageously be located on the roof, as the flexible coupling 7 as well as the distance between the guiding unit 3 and the chimney 1 has the effect that during operation the guiding unit 3 will not be moving on the roof. The flexible shaft 6 is in the opposite end connected to a rotor head 4, on which are mounted a number of chains 5. In fig. 1 it is illustrated, how the rotor head 4 with chains 5 can be lowered into a chimney 1. An opening of substantially the same size as the rotor head 4 is sufficient in order that the chimney may be cleaned. After having lowered the rotor head 4 right down into the chimney 1, the guiding unit 3 is started. The chains 5 will be slung against the internal surfaces of the chimney 1 and will process these with series of strokes. Hereby the coating 2 will be milled out and broken. By taking the rotor head 4 through the chimney 1, said chimney will be effectively cleaned of internal coatings 2. In fig. 3 it is shown how the tool according to the invention is used for cleaning a boiler or a combus¬ tion chamber 11, inside which a coating 9 is deposi¬ ted. For this purpose between the rotor head 4 and the flexible shaft 6 there are inserted a number of rigid extension shafts 8 with couplings 10 that can be disconnected. In the figure two extension shafts 8 are used, but according to the kind of clea¬ ning task any number of shafts 8 may be used. More¬ over, the extension shafts 8 constitute a solid handle for the user of the tool. All connections between the guiding unit 3, the fle¬ xible shaft 6, the rotor head 4 as well as the rigid extension shafts 8 are made by means of couplings known per se that can be disconnected. In fig. 4 a more detailed rotor head 4 is shown, on which are mounted four chains 5, same having an odd number of links, and same being firmly fixed through the central links. It is of course possible to use a diffe ' rent number of chains 5, just as these may be connected to the rotor head in various manners known per se, as long as they are firmly fixed. The chains 5 are advantageously made from iron or a simi¬ lar strong and heavy material, for instance hardened steel, and preferably they have a gauge of metal of 5-6 mm. The uttermost links may, if desired, con¬ tain diamond dust, which is of particular importance if part of a concrete material is to be removed. When eight chains being located crossed above each other are used, a height of the "chain pile" of appro¬ ximately 10 cm is typically obtained. In practical experiments the method according to the invention has turned out to be superior to all known methods for the cleaning of chimneys, as the cleaning of a chimney becomes substantially more rapid by the method according to the invention than it was previously possible. In fig. 5 is shown the tool according to the invention for use by the method according to the invention for milling a chimney, in order that the width in the clear is increased. In order to centre the tool in a chimney, same tool is provided with a guiding unit 15, through which the flexible shaft 6 has been conducted. The guiding unit is located immediately above the rotor head 4 and may have the form of a tube section, same at its ends being provided with two truncated cones, and with a hole through it. The diameter of the guiding unit is preferably some¬ what shorter than the width in the clear in the chim¬ ney, the width of which is to be increased, said guiding unit for a chimney flue with a width in the clear of 15 cm having for instance a diameter of 14.5 cm. Adjusting the length of the chains 5 deter mines how much is to be milled off. In this manner e.g. an "Isoksern"-lining may be milled, removing both the inner tube and the Leca-casting while leaving the chimney itself, and using as driving unit 3 a more powerful engine than for the removal of soot. Then, in the usual manner a new lining can be inserted. The tool may also be used for the removal of the interior of an "Anki"-chimney or a "Kaminent"- chimney. By the removal the lining is pulverized and drops to the bottom in the chimney. So far it has not been possible selectively to remove a lining in a chimney, either after a fire or if an increase of the width in the clear of the chimney is required out of consideration for another application than the original. When the tool is used for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney, it is of course obvious that more energy than by soot removal must be used, and in this case a guiding unit in the form of an electric motor or a combustion engine, e.g. an engine ranging up to 5 HK would be suitable. A 2 HK electric motor may for instance be used. When using the method and the tool for the removal of coatings such as soot, the rotor head is lowered into the chimney, whereupon the rotation is started. It can easily be heard when the chains have removed the soot and then hit the inner wall of the chimney, whereupon the tool may for instance be pulled upwards until it processes a coating surface again. For the removal of for instance soot coatings it is possible to hold the tool with the hand, as the cleaning is rapily done and the tool is light. When it is required, as shown in fig. 5, to increase the width in the clear of a chimney, it is advanta¬ geous to mount a rack 27 with a wheel 16, over which the flexible shaft 6 is conducted, and the engine 3 may be placed on the roof. An advantageous method in this case is to lower the tool right down to the bottom of the chimney, the width of which is to be increased, and then start up there, the chain lenght being adjusted to the required new width in the clear. The tool is started, and when it can be heard that it "runs at idle speed" it is pulled upwardly until again the chains "catch" an inner surface which is to be removed, and at the same time the tool is guided by the guiding unit 15. It is advantageous at the same time to remove the milled off or pulverized material with a vacuum cleaner at the bottom of the chimney, thereby to a large extent avoiding the incon¬ veniences of dust for the person doing the work. Figs. 6, 8 and 10 show a sectional view along the line a-a in fig. 5 in three chimneys of a traditional brick-built construction, of tile concrete elements and of light concrete elements, respectively, and fig. 7, 9 and 11 show a sectional view along the line b-b in fig. 5 after "milling" of the chimneys shown in figs. 6, 8 and 10, respectively, and inser- tion of a chimney lining, e.g. an "Isokεern"-chimney lining, and after casting around the lining with a mass, e.g. Leca-concrete. As lining may also, if desired, be inserted a steel lining, and for the casting around the lining may also be used granula¬ ted rock wool, e.g. "Rockwool"-granulate mixed with water or a product called "Fibo", corresponding to "Leca". The chimney shown in fig. 6, built of bricks 17 with mortar joints 18 may according to the method be given a smaller width in the clear by inserting a chimney lining. The lining 19 shown in fig. 7 can not be inserted in the chimney until the width in the clear has been increased to such an extent that it corre¬ sponds to a hole with limiting surfaces 20, whereupon the void around the lining 19 is filled with e.g. Leca-concrete 21. Figs. 8 and 9 show the insertion of a chimney lining 19 in a chimney made of tile concrete elements 22 after removal of the inner parts 24 of the element 22 to such an extent that there is room for a lining 19. After inserting the lining the void around the lining is filled with a mass 21. Figs. 10 and 11 show in an analogous manner as figs. 8 and 9 an embodiment of the invention, where a lining 19 is inserted in a chimney of light concrete elements 25 after removal of an inner part 26 thereof and casting of the void around the lining 19 with e.g. Leca-concrete 21. According to the invention it is thus possible to increase as well as reduce the width in the clear of an existing chimney or to insert a lining in a chimney while keeping the existing width in the clear without having to resort to chimney breaking and rebuilding. The insertion of a lining and the casting around the lining are carried out in a manner known per se, when space for this has been created in the chimne . The "Leca"-concrete used is preferably made as fol¬ lows: Pre-watered Leca-peas with the diameter of 3-10 mm are mixed with cement in the ratio of 1:20. After thorough mixing more water is added until the mixture obtains a ground-moist consistence, and this mixture is carefully poured into the void around the lining without tampering. The embodiments of the invention shown in the drawing are illustrative of the invention, and the invention is not restricted to said embodiments but by the claims mentioned below. . ISO-K.ERN is a registered trade mark for chimney insu¬ lation, supplied by Iso-Kaern, Bregnerødvej 127, DK- 3460 Birkerød, Denmark. KAMINENT is a registered trade mark for an element chimney, supplied by Kahlers Teglvaerk, Teglvaerksvej, Svenstrup, DK-4220 Korsør, Denmark. ANKI is a registered trade mark for chimney elements and chimney linings, supplied by Petri & Haugsted A/S, Islevdalvej 181, DK-2640 Rødovre, Denmark. ROCKWOOL is a registered trade mark for rock wool, supplied by Rockwool A/S, DK-2640 Hedehusene, Den¬ mark. LECA is a registered trade mark for products manufac¬ tured from expanded clai, supplied by Lemvis-Muller & Co., Vestergade 16, DK-1456 København K. FIBO is a registered trade mark for products manufac- tured from expanded clai, corresponding to LECA.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. A method for increasing the width in the clear of a chimney (1) or the like by means of rotating chains (5), c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the inside is processed with strokes of a high inten¬ sity from several chains (5) in several adjacent levels. 2. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that coatings (2), e.g. tarry deposits, are removed from the inside of the chimney (1) for the recreation of the original width in the clear. 3. A method according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the width ' in the clear is increa¬ sed compared to the original width. 4. A method according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that the width in the clear of the chimney is increased to a larger size than necessary for the required width, whereupon a chimney lining (19) is inserted and a remaining void around the lining is filled with a mass (21). 5. A method according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the mass (21) is "Leca"-concrete. 6. A tool for the purpose of increasing the width in the clear of a chimney or the like, said tool being provided with a holder (4) located at the end of a rotatable shaft (6), to which holder are attached chain parts (5), e.g. consisting of simple, elongated, ring-shaped chain links, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the chains (5) are located in several levels at right angles to the axis of rotation and are firmly fixed. 7. A tool according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e ¬ r i z e d in that the holder (4) in the form of a bolt, on which the chains (5) are firmly fixed by means of a nut, the chains having an odd number of links, and the bolt being driven through the cen- tral link, and that the chains are alternately mounted at right angles to one another. 8. A tool according to claim 6 or 7, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that on the holder (4) are mounted chains (5) in eight levels of chains above one a- nother, and that the rotatable shaft (6) is flexible. 9. A tool according to claim 6, 7 or 8, especially for use in connection with the method according to claim 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the shaft (6) immediately above the holder (4) is carried through and is fixed to a guide unit (15) having an outer diameter being somewhat shorter than the original width in the clear of the chimney.

Inventors: HANSEN LEO BLICHER, HANSEN, LEO, BLICHER
Applicants: HANSEN LEO BLICHER, HANSEN, LEO, BLICHER
Application year: 1985
Main classification: F23J3
IPC codes: B25D11, B28D1, E04F21, E04G23, F23J3