TUBE LANE MANIPULATOR, SPRAYING HEAD AND CORRESPONDING SPRAYING METHOD FOR THE HIGH-PRESSURE BLOWDOWN OF HEAT EXCHANGERS

Tube lane manipulator for the high-pressure blowdown of heat exchangers having tubes being spaced apart by a given pitch forming tube lanes therebetween with tubes on opposite sides and having closeable servicing openings formed wherein providing access to the tube lanes, including a car being insertable into the tube lanes through the servicing openings and being movable therein by remote control, a spraying head being supported on the car and having nozzles with orifices for spraying jets of blowdown water in a given direction into spaces between the tubes, suction lines having suction stubs for pumping off accumulated blowdown water, and extendible and retractable clamping feet disposed on the car for clamping the car to the tubes on at least one side of a tube lane along a clamping plane in conformity with the given tube pitch, the nozzles being positioned in spraying positions of a spraying position sequence by the clamping feet clamping the car, the given spraying direction from the orifices of the nozzles being adjusted to the given tube pitch and the nozzles being spaced from the clamping plane by a distance being adjusted to the given tube pitch for spraying the jets of water into the spaces between the tubes and a method for carrying out a spraying operation.