U.S. patent number 3,878,857 [Application Number 05/358,595] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-22 for apparatus for cleaning tanks and the like.
Invention is credited to Ulf Heibo.
United States Patent |
3,878,857 |
Heibo |
April 22, 1975 |
Apparatus for cleaning tanks and the like
Abstract
Apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of tanks and the
like, of the type comprising an outer section with a flange member
for attachment to the wall of a tank to be cleaned, and with device
means for connection to a fluid supply and to a driving means, and
an inner section with a supply tube for introduction into the tank,
whereby the tube is fixed to the flange member at one end and at
its other end is provided with a flushing head which is rotatable
about the tube axis and has a tube section on which there is
pivotally mounted a nozzle unit with two oppositely directed
nozzles. The nozzle unit is rotatable about an axis at right angles
to the tube axis, and the flushing head is provided with a
mechanism for rotating the nozzle unit a small angle for each
revolution of the flushing head. The flushing head is mounted in a
holder fixed to the adjacent end of the tube, and is rotated by a
driving shaft disposed concentrically in the supply tube, which
shaft is attached to the flushing head at one end and is
connectable to the external driving device at its other end, and
further the tube section of the flushing head is provided with a
slot-like aperture in the area facing the nozzles, which aperture
extends essentially over one half of the circumference of the tube
section, for supplying cleaning fluid to only one nozzle at a
time.
Inventors: |
Heibo; Ulf (1347 Hosle,
NO) |
Family
ID: |
19878342 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/358,595 |
Filed: |
May 9, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/167R;
134/180; 239/227 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B08B
9/0936 (20130101); B05B 3/02 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
3/02 (20060101); B08B 9/093 (20060101); B08B
9/08 (20060101); B08b 003/02 (); B08b 009/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;134/167R,168R,180,181
;239/227 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bleutge; Robert L.
Claims
I claim:
1. Apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of tanks and the
like, comprising an outer section with a flange means for
attachment to the wall of a tank to be cleaned, and with means for
connection to a fluid supply and to a driving means, and an inner
section with a supply tube for introduction into the tank, which
tube is fixed to the flange means at one end and at its other end
is provided with a flushing head which is rotatable about the tube
axis and has a tube section on which there is pivotally mounted a
nozzle unit with two oppositely directed nozzles so that the nozzle
unit is rotatable about an axis at right angles to the tube axis,
the flushing head being provided with means for rotating the nozzle
unit a small angle for each revolution of the flushing head,
characterized in that the flushing head is mounted in a holder
means fixed to the adjacent end of the tube, and is rotated by
means of a driving shaft disposed concentrically in the supply
tube, which is attached to the flushing head at one end and is
connectable to the external driving means at its other end, and in
that said tube section of the flushing head is provided with a
slot-like aperture in the area facing the nozzles, which aperture
extends essentially over one half of the circumference of the tube
section, for supplying cleaning fluid to only one nozzle at a
time.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for step by
step rotation of the nozzle unit comprises a worm mounted in the
flushing head and meshing with a worm gear on the nozzle unit,
whereby the worm is intermittently acted upon by an engagement
member on the supply tube, and by means of a blocking device is
prevented from rotation outside the engagement zone, characterized
in that the blocking device consists of a square blocking wheel
mounted on the worm and having opposed concave outer surfaces for
movement along a cylindrical surface which is concentric with the
supply tube and is provided with a notch allowing an angular
rotation of the blocking wheel when the worm is acted upon by the
engagement member.
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, characterized in that the
axis of the nozzles in a plane perpendicular to the rotational axis
of the nozzle unit form a mutual angle equal to half the angle
which the nozzle unit is rotated per revolution of the flushing
head.
Description
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the
interior surfaces of tanks and the like, comprising an outer
section with a flange means for attachment to the wall of a tank to
be cleaned, and with means for connection to a fluid supply and to
a driving means, and an inner section with a supply tube for
introduction into the tank, which tube is fixed to the flange means
at one end and at its other end is provided with a flushing head
which is rotatable about the tube axis and has a tube section on
which there is pivotably mounted a nozzle unit with two oppositely
directed nozzles so that the nozzle unit is rotatable about an axis
at right angles to the tube axis, the flushing head being provided
with means for rotating the nozzle unit a small angle for each
revolution of the flushing head.
The present apparatus is especially intended for cleaning of oil
tanks on tankers. There are previously known different types of
tank cleaning devices. With the constantly increasing size of the
tankers and with the need for correspondingly effective and
simultaneously economic devices there is, however, a need for
larger, simpler and more powerful tank cleaning devices.
By the known tank cleaning devices of the above mentioned type,
which are provided with a nozzle unit with oppositely directed
nozzles, the cleaning fluid is delivered simultaneously through
both nozzles. During the slow rotation of the nozzle unit one of
the fluid jets will then move slowly downwards on the tank wall,
whereas the other fluid jet will move upwards. By washing down or
flushing of the tank walls it is, however, primarily by the
downwardly directed movement of the fluid jet than the most
effective cleaning is achieved, as oil residues or the like along
the walls are then washed downwards by the hitting fluid jets.
Besides, with the apparatus in which both nozzles deliver fluid
simultaneously, there is needed a fluid amount which is the double
of that which is needed with an apparatus in which only one nozzle
is supplied with cleaning fluid at a time.
Thus it is an object of the invention to provide a tank cleaning
apparatus which has a particularly simple construction with small
space requirements, but which is simultaneously powerful and
efficient. Simultaneously it is an object of the invention to
provide an apparatus in which only one of the nozzles delivers
cleaning fluid at a time, and with which there is achieved
effective cleaning with high washing pressure and reduced fluid
consumption.
The above objects are achieved with an apparatus of the type which
is set forth above, and which according to the invention is
characterized in that the flushing head is mounted in a holder
means fixed to the adjacent end of the tube, and is rotated by
means of a driving shaft disposed concentrically in the supply
tube, which shaft is attached to the flushing head at one end and
is connectable to the external driving means at its other end, and
in that said tube section of the flushing head is provided with a
slot-like aperture in the area facing the nozzles, which aperture
extends essentially over one half of the circumference of the tube
section, for supplying cleaning fluid to only one nozzle at a
time.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood an
embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a vertical section of an apparatus according to the
invention,
FIG. 2 shows a partly sectioned view of a portion of the apparatus
viewed in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of a portion of the
turning mechanism for the rotation of the nozzle unit, and
FIG. 4 shows a section along the line IV -- IV in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1 is shown a flange means 1 which is for instance disposed
on the upper surface of a tank on board a ship. On the flange there
is disposed a tube section 2 which in the example shown has the
form of a T and forms a supply device for the supply of the
cleaning fluid to the lower section of the apparatus. A tube 3 is
fixed to the flange 1 for supply of cleaning fluid to a flushing
head 4 and a nozzle unit 5 mounted on the flushing head. At the
lower end of the tube 3 there is arranged a holder means which is
fixed to the tube and in which the flushing head is rotatably
mounted. The holder means consists of two ring flanges 6 and 7
which are held together by means of a ring 8 which is disposed
between the ring flanges and secured thereto by welding. The ring
flange 7 carries a sliding bearing or sleeve 9 which constitutes a
bearing for the flushing head.
The flushing head 4 is an L-formed tube section with a vertical and
a horizontal portion. As mentioned above the vertical portion is
mounted in said holder means, and the nozzle unit 5 is pivotally
mounted on the horizontal portion. The flushing head is rotatable
about the axis of the tube 3 by means of a driving shaft 10 which
is concentrically disposed in the tube, of which shaft the lower
end is rigidly secured to the flushing head and the upper end is
adapted for connection to an external driving means (not shown). It
appears from FIG. 1 that the driving shaft 10 in a sealing way is
passed through the wall in the T section 2, and that a protecting
casing 11 is disposed on the upper flange of the T section. This
casing can be removed for connection of the actual driving means
which preferably consists of a hydraulically or pneumatically
driven motor which by way of a gear causes the driving shaft with
the flushing head to be rotated in the desired direction and with
the desired speed, e.g. approximately one revolution per
minute.
The nozzle unit 5 includes a nozzle holder 12 in which there are
mounted two oppositely directed tubes 13 and 14 on the outer ends
of which there are provided nozzles 15 and 16, respectively. The
flushing head is provided with a rotating mechanism which for each
revolution of the flushing head 4 about the tube axis or the
vertical axis causes the nozzle unit is turned a small angle about
the horizontal axis (i. e. at right angles to tube axis), whereby
the nozzle unit for the rest of the rotation of the flushing head
is prevented from rotating. In the present embodiment the mechanism
for the rotation of the nozzle unit includes a worm gear 17 which
is mounted on the nozzle holder 12 and which is concentric with the
horizontal tube section of the flushing head. Further the mechanism
includes a worm 18 (see FIG. 2) which is in engagement with the
worm gear and is rotatably mounted in a hub 1 which is a part of or
is fixed to the flushing head 4. At its upper end the worm 18 is
provided with a cog wheel 20 which for each revolution of the
flushing head is intermittantly actuated by an engagement member
(not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) which is attached to the underside of
the lower ring flange 7 of the holder means. Further the worm is
provided with a specially designed blocking wheel 21 which is
disposed above the cog wheel 20 and prevents rotation of the worm
when this is not actuated by the engagement member, as the blocking
wheel outside the engagement area bears against the outer surface
of the ring flange.
The details of the combined rotating and blocking device for the
worm is shown in FIG. 3 which shows a plan view of the worm 18 with
the cog wheel 20 and the blocking wheel 21. Further this Figure
shows the lower portion of the ring flange 7 to the underside of
which there is secured an engagement member 22 (in phantom lines)
which is formed with two teeth 23. As shown the cog wheel 20 is
provided with four teeth, whereas the blocking wheel 21 is formed
as a square with opposed concave outer surfaces, where the
concavity has a radius of curvature corresponding to half the outer
diameter of the ring flange 7. The operation of the device is as
follows: During the rotation of the flushing head about the
longitudinal axis of the tube 3 one of the concave surfaces of the
blocking wheel 21 bears against the outer surfaces of the ring
flange 7 (shown in phantom lines). In the area between the teeth 23
of the engagement member 22 this outer surface is provided with a
notch 24 which allows simultaneous rotation of the blocking wheel
and the cog wheel when the teeth of the cog wheel are brought into
engagement with the teeth 23. By means of the arrangement shown one
achieves that the worm 18 is rotated exactly 90.degree. per
revolution of the flushing head. The pitch of the worm is such that
by its rotational movement the worm gear 17 and thus the nozzle
unit 5 is rotated a desired angle about the horizontal axis. When
the worm 18 with cog wheel and blocking wheel has passaed the
engagement member 22 another surface of the blocking wheel is
abutting against the outer surface of the ring flange 7, so that
further rotation of the worm in relation to the flushing head is
prevented until the blocking wheel returns to the notch 24.
Such as indicated in FIG. 4, the horizontal tube section of the
flushing head 4 is provided with a slotlike aperture 25 in the area
facing the inner openings of the tubes 13 and 14, which aperture
has a width which is essentially equal to the inner diameter of the
tube 13 and 14 and extends essentially over one half of the
circumference of the horizontal tube section. When the nozzle unit
is rotated on the flushing head in direction of the arrow B in FIG.
4, one achieves with the shown position of the slot-like aperture
that only the nozzle describing a downwardly directed circular arc,
delivers washing fluid, whereas the other nozzle is closed. Thus
the fluid jet will wash from the top to the bottom of the inner
surfaces of the tank, which gives the most effective cleaning. If
required, the washing can, however, take place in direction from
the bottom to the top. This is achieved by using opposite
rotational direction for the driving shaft 10 and thus the flushing
head 4. It appears from FIG. 3 that the used rotating and blocking
mechanism is symmetrical, so that it will function in the same way
independently of the direction in which the worm is moved along the
periphery of the ring flange 7. With the construction shown
consumption of washing fluid is avoided in the period during which
the nozzle is moved from downwardly to upwardly directed position,
i.e. during the period when the washing is less effective.
Simultaneously one achieves effective time utilization as a new
washing cycle is initiated as soon as a downwardly directed or
descending cycle through 180.degree. is completed. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 4, the axis of the nozzles form an angle of .alpha.
degrees in a plane perpendicular to the horizontal axis of
rotation. This applies for the case when the nozzle unit 5 is
rotated an angle of 2.alpha. degrees per revolution of the flushing
head. In this way one achieves that the hit stripes which are
formed by one nozzle on the inner surfaces of the tank, will be
located midway between the hit stripes for the other nozzle, when
several washing cycles are carried out sequentially. Thus the
cleaning becomes more effective.
The bearing means for the mounting of the nozzle unit 5 on the
horizontal tube section of the flushing head 4 consists of a
bearing in the form of two cylindrical sleeves 26 and 27.
Simultaneously these bearings have a sealing effect. The terminal
opening of the horizontal tube section is closed by means of a
cover 28 which is secured to or screwed onto the tube section. The
cover is provided with a flange 29 preventing that the nozzle unit
is displaced axially on the flushing head.
* * * * *