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Abstract

This relates to a pipe cleaner for cleaning pipe interiors such as gas and oil pipelines. The pipe cleaner is adjustable for cleaning pipes of different diameters beginning as low as 12' inside diameter. However, the usual requirement for gas and oil line pipes is between 20' to 48' diameters with it being feasible to clean pipes of greater diameters. The pipe cleaner includes a cleaning head carried by a boom with the pipe cleaner consisting primarily of a high performance blast wheel driven by a hydraulic motor. The blast wheel is provided with radiating vanes which are of a flared construction and with alternating vanes being differently shaped so as to provide for a wide pattern of abrasive particles. The cleaning head is positioned within the pipe to be cleaned by being carried by a boom with the pipe being supported coaxial with that of the boom and being rotated. The boom is supplied with compressed air into which abrasive particles for the blast wheel are fed with the abrasive being carried by the compressed air and being separated from the compressed air in the cleaning head. Used abrasive particles are returned to a hopper from which the abrasive particles are dumped into a travelling hopper connected to the boom at the time the cleaning head is placed entirely within the pipe. After cleaning, the pipe is tilted so as to cause flow of abrasive particles and foreign material down therethrough into a receptacle.

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