Bleeder Cleaner Versus Bleeder Cleaners

What is a bleeder cleaner?  It’s a tool used to clean bleeder valves during normal operations in refineries and petrochemical plants.  What makes one bleeder cleaner better than another one?  To answer this questionyou must understand the components that compromise bleeder cleaners.  First, we’ll examine the fittings used to construct and attach these tools to the process equipment.  As a rule,  tube fittings constructed for use in high purity applications are better quality.  These fitare simply made better.  The finishes and tolerances a much better.  The tubing which houses the cable and push rod must have a minimum wall thickness of .49″ or greater.    Tubing with lesser wall thickness is not suitableaccording to API standards.  The pressure gauge must be liquid filled.  This prevents damage from sudden pressure spikes.  The vent valve must have a locking lever to prevent inadvertant opening.  The packing material must be sufficient to withstand the pressure and temperatures known to be present in the process.  Bleeder cleaner materials of construction must be  stainless steel to resist the corrosive forces of process materials.  Bleeder cleaners must be available in three styles. There arer angle 90, angle 60 and straight bleeder cleaners.  The pressures must not be greater than 3000 psi.  This high pressure is difficult to force the handle against the process pressure.