A brush that adapts to the wall

Buitink Technology has developed a new cleaning concept: the inflatable brush. An inflatable element – a ring, a cylinder or a flat panel – is fitted all around with brush strips. When folded, it is compact enough to enter through a manhole or roof hatch. When inflated, it fills the full cross-section of a silo, tank or pipe and presses the brushes against the wall around the entire circumference.

The air pressure determines how firmly the brushes press. As a result, the brush also follows a wall that is not perfectly round, with weld seams, bolts or a change in diameter – something a rigid brush or a steel frame cannot do.

How does it work?

• The folded element enters through a manhole or roof hatch and is inflated on site at low pressure with a blower or compressor.
• Lifting points on the top connect it to a winch or crane. Weights hang from the bottom to keep the element level and under tension.
• Moving the element up and down, or rotating it, brushes the wall clean. In a pipe, it is pulled through with a winch.
• The brush strips are attached with zips and are easy to replace. We select the stiffness, length and material of the bristles for each application.

Applications

Sewers and large pipes

Large sewer pipes and egg-shaped brick sewers are difficult to clean mechanically. An inflatable brush module follows the profile exactly – round, egg-shaped or slightly deformed – and is pulled through the pipe with a winch. It removes grease, sludge and deposits, for example before a camera inspection or before rehabilitation with a liner, which requires a clean wall.

Silos and storage tanks

Deposits on the walls of silos for food, animal feed or plastic granulate can be removed without anyone having to enter the silo. The element is operated from outside with winches. Its soft, flexible construction does not damage coatings or stainless steel.

Water treatment

In circular settling tanks, algae and sludge build up on walls and overflow weirs. A brush element that follows the edge keeps them clean, either manually or travelling with the rotating bridge.

Piles, piers and buoys

An inflatable collar with brushes on the inside removes marine growth from piles, mooring posts and piers. The collar consists of two halves that are placed around the pile and coupled together. It is filled with water so that it does not float: weights pull it down along the pile and a winch pulls it back up.

Large flat surfaces

Using drop-stitch technology, we make flat, rigid inflatable panels with brushes on the underside or along the edges. Large, light and gentle on glass: think of greenhouse roofs, glass roofs and facades.

Spray system on the cushion

A flat inflatable panel can also carry a spray system. The cushion rests on the surface with its brushes: the brushes are what the whole system ‘rides’ on. A spray bar on the cushion wets the surface just ahead of the brushes or applies a cleaning agent, after which the brushes scrub the dirt loose. Water is supplied through a hose. Spraying and brushing thus become a single operation. The same principle also works on a brush ring in a silo or tank.

Benefits

• Fits through a manhole – compact when folded, large when inflated.
• Follows the wall – even with out-of-roundness, weld seams and varying diameters.
• Adjustable contact pressure – set by the air pressure, from gentle to firm.
• No one in the confined space – operated from outside with winches.
• Light and quick to deploy – no heavy frames, easy to transport.
• Replaceable brushes – attached with zips, chosen per application.
• From small to very large – from about half a metre to tens of metres in diameter.

Developing it together

The inflatable brush is a concept under development. We are looking for partners and first applications to work it out and test it together. Buitink Technology designs, engineers and manufactures the inflatable element in-house and matches the brushes to your contamination and surface. Do you have a cleaning challenge in a silo, tank, sewer or pipe? Email your situation to [email protected].

FAQs