Development of Automatic Chimney Cleaning and Brick Dismantling Equipment

We have developed automatic chimney cleaning and brick dismantling equipment that allows even and efficient removal of dioxin and other toxic compounds adhered to the inner surfaces of chimneys. The equipment keeps spray distance constant by enabling spray nozzles to move in accordance with the varying diameter of the chimney. The automatic cleaning operation of the equipment is done by controlling the descending speed and rotation speed of the nozzles according to the structure of the chimney and the degree of contamination in the chimney. By adding dismantling attachments, the equipment can also be used for dismantling the brickwork of the chimney, while remotely monitoring the operation with video cameras installed on the equipment. This paper outlines the equipment and presents the results of practically applying the equipment to chimney dismantling at two sites in Japan.