Patent ID: 8104139

Claim:
Apparatus for clearing by a gas stream a pipe for transferring liquids and slurries in industrial oil, petrochemical, chemical, drink, food and feed environments, the pipe having an inlet end and an outlet end, wherein the apparatus comprises: a pressure container, connectable to the inlet end of the pipe, and a supportive gas flow generator connectable to the inlet end of the pipe or to the container, to generate a gas flow in the pipe having a pressure and a velocity, wherein the container is adapted to generate a gas pressure of at least 0.15 MPa at the outlet end of the pipe, and the gas flow generator is adapted to generate a gas flow at 0.06 MPa of at least 100 m 3 /h; a controllable pressure regulating valve to connect the supportive gas flow generator with the inlet end of the pipe when the pressure in the pipe at the inlet has decreased to a predefined value; and a controller which imposes a predefined pressure pattern on the gas flow.