System for annulus tooling alignment with suction pickup in the stay dome on the secondary side of a steam generator
View Patent ↗A system is provided for delivering tooling, suction pickup, and alignment platforms to a stay dome region of a stem generator or the tube-free lane regions adjacent to the stay dome region and includes a suction device positioned in the stay dome region of a steam generator capable of rotating 360° about a vertical axis which also acts as a platform for mounting inter-bundle tooling and alignment devices used to position the suction device radially at any given tube location around the stay dome region to align it with an annulus based spray nozzle tube cleaning system.
1. A method of removing sludge located in the area of a steam generator stay dome generated by spraying the tube lanes with high pressure water nozzles from an annulus of the steam generator comprising the steps of:
providing a suction device in the area of the stay dome or cut out region and aligning it with a device in the annulus used for cleaning the tube lane;
actuating both the suction device and the cleaning device to push sludge toward the stay dome area only when the suction device is aligned with the cleaning device;
rotating the suction device to the next tube lane and aligning it with the cleaning device; and
actuating both the suction device and the cleaning device.
2. A method as set forth in claim 1 including the steps of rotating the suction device 360 degrees around the stay dome to pick up all the sludge pushed into the stay dome area by the cleaning device.