Operator safety, efficiency, productivity are always at the top of the priority list for any recovery boiler operations superintendent. And superintendents at mills which have experienced serious operator injuries on the spout deck understand that more than anyone. They know the dangers associated with cleaning smelt spouts, and are also aware that time spent cleaning spouts is time not spent on numerous other recovery boiler tasks.
The safer way to clean smelt spouts
Keeping smelt spouts clean is dirty, dangerous, and time consuming work. Let Valmet Smelt Spout Cleaning Robot improves safety take care of that for you instead. The robot is available in a standing or hanging position, depending on your boiler spout deck layout, and is able to move laterally on a sliding rail system to clean all spouts, just as an operator would. The robot has several cleaning options, including; thorough trough cleaning, spot cleaning and opening plugged spouts. These are preprogrammed cleaning patterns set to run at specific intervals. The robot optimizes spout operation with frequent cleaning cycles while allowing the operators to focus on their other tasks. The operators also have the option to initiate additional cleaning of specific problem areas at the push of a button.
The robot is a jack-of-all-trades: with the mounted camera, operators can closely inspect operational issues, shatter jet performance and cleaning results from the comfort and safety of the control room. While cleaning, the robot is programmed not to touch the spout surface. This reduces wear from over-rodding and improves spout performance by allowing the frozen smelt layer to remain intact. The robot also has the ability to clean the hood internals and shatter jet using a water lance. Smelt samples can be taken on a scheduled basis or as required by the robot for use in evaluating operational improvements such as reduction efficiency. As an added safety feature, the robot is able to plug a smelt spout in an emergency situation. This keeps operators from entering harm's way to attempt it manually.
Optical and/or physical safety barriers are installed around the robot for operator protection on the spout deck. If the barrier is broken, the robot will immediately freeze to insure it does not injure any personnel in the vicinity.
Contact your Valmet representative to see how the Valmet Smelt Spout Cleaning Robot can improve the safety of your recovery boiler operations.
