U.S. patent number 3,916,924 [Application Number 05/429,261] was granted by the patent office on 1975-11-04 for apparatus for emptying and rinsing containers.
Invention is credited to Francis E. Mc Gowan.
United States Patent |
3,916,924 |
Mc Gowan |
November 4, 1975 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Apparatus for emptying and rinsing containers
Abstract
Apparatus for emptying containers such as containers of the type
that have been used for holding pesticides, and whereby such
apparatus when inserted into a pesticide container of rigid
construction produce a closed system between the pesticide
container and the mixing tank and thereby substantially reduce the
hazards associated with pesticide mixing and wherein the containers
are also rinsed to make them sufficiently non-toxic, whereby such
containers can be more easily disposed of in dumps or the like. The
present invention also permits pesticide users to evacuate the
material from the container so that the container can be rinsed
more easily and quickly as compared to existing apparatus that have
heretofore been used.
Inventors: |
Mc Gowan; Francis E.
(Sacramento, CA) |
Family
ID: |
23702503 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/429,261 |
Filed: |
December 28, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
134/95.3;
134/102.1; 134/168R; 134/171; 141/286; 137/240 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B
1/14 (20130101); B08B 9/0813 (20130101); B08B
9/093 (20130101); Y10T 137/4259 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B05B
1/14 (20060101); B08B 9/093 (20060101); B08B
9/08 (20060101); B08B 003/02 (); B08B 009/08 ();
B08B 015/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;141/91,286,95
;134/99,100,101,102,166R,167R,168R,169R,171,172 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Bleutge; Robert L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blair & Brown
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a device providing a closed system for emptying and rinsing
pesticide containers by eliminating exposure to toxic liquids
during the evacuation and rinsing of the container said jet
orifices including upper slots arranged on an upward slant, and
said orifices including intermediate horizontally disposed slots,
and said orificies further including downwardly disposed downwardly
inclined slots all of said slots being located high on the nozzle,
adjacent the container seal of the type that have an opening in the
top thereof, an evacuation tube being vertically adjustable while
still maintaining a closed system and including an inclined portion
on the lower end thereof for permitting liquid to enter the lower
end of the tube to leave the container, a nozzle mounted in said
opening, said nozzle including a hose attachment, said nozzle
including a seal fitting in the opening of the container for
sealing the container and providing a closed system when the nozzle
is in place, an air inlet check valve for said nozzle, and said
nozzle being provided with a plurality of jet orifices located
above the liquid level in the container.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, and further including a hose
having a pump connected thereto, a solvent and nurse tank having
lines connected thereto for supplying rinse fluid to the container,
solenoid actuated valves in said lines, a timer connected to said
solenoid valves, a conduit connected to the upper end of the
evacuation tube and having a pump and mix tank operatively
connected thereto to receive fluid evacuated from the
container.
3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the device is adapted to
be used for emptying and rinsing rigid pesticide containers.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to apparatus for emptying and rinsing
containers such as containers that have been used for holding
liquid pesticides.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Apparatus is provided whereby containers such as pesticide
containers of the rigid type can be emptied and rinsed to rinder
the containers sufficiently non-toxic so that the containers can be
disposed of in dumps and other suitable locations or safely
reclaimed. In addition, the present invention permits the handlers
of pesticide containers to work under safer conditions since such
handlers will not be exposed to toxic materials. In accordance with
the present invention, a member is inserted into and locked in the
opening of the pesticide container of a suitable size and which
member evacuates the contents and from which a rinse solution is
provided, and wherein suitable automatic control means can be
provided or used for providing an automated system, if desired.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a safe apparatus
for emptying and rinsing containers such as pesticide containers
whereby such containers can be rendered sufficiently non-toxic so
that the containers can be more easily disposed of than has
heretofore been possible.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
pesticide container emptying and rinsing device that is rugged in
structure and generally foolproof in use and which is simple and
inexpensive to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following
specification when considered in the light of the attached
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating an automated system
utilizing the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged elevational view illustrating a pesticide
container with the nozzle and coaxial evacuation tube mounted
therein;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view illustrating the
nozzle and coaxial evacuation tube and portion of a pesticide
container;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of FIG.
5; and
FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of FIG.
6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 20 indicates a
pesticide container of the rigid type, and the pesticide container
20 includes a bottom wall 21, cylindrical side wall 22, and top
wall 23 that has an opening 24 therein, FIG. 3.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a
nozzle that is indicated generally by the numeral 25. The numeral
26 indicates an evacuation tube that can be vertically adjusted for
different depths of containers 20. The numeral 27 indicates an
attachment that is adapted to have a hose 28 connected thereto,
FIG. 1.
In FIG. 1 there is illustrated schematically an automated system
wherein a pump 29 may be connected to the hose 28, and lines or
hoses 30 and 31 may be arranged as shown, and these lines 30 and 31
may have valves 32 and 33 therein for a purpose to be later
described. Solenoids 34 and 35 are provided for controlling
actuation of the valves 32 and 33. The numeral 36 indicates a nurse
tank for water or the like, and the numeral 37 indicates a solvent
tank.
A suitable timer 38 is adapted to be electrically connected in a
circuit and the timer 38 can be connected to the solenoids 34 and
35 by means of wires or conductors 40. The numeral 39 indicates
wires or conductors that can be used for connecting the timer and
electrical components to a suitable source of alternating current
or direct current power. As shown further in FIG. 1, a mix tank 41
may be provided which has lines or hoses 42 and 43 connected
thereto; a pump 44 may be arranged as shown, there being a hose or
line 45 provided, and the hose 45 is adapted to be connected to the
upper end of the evacuation tube 26.
As shown in FIG. 3, there is provided an expanding seal 47 that is
arranged around the exterior of the rinse nozzle and the seal 47
fits into the opening 24 of the container for sealing the container
when the nozzle is in place. The numeral 48 indicates an air inlet
check valve on the nozzle. The lower end of the evacuation tube 26
may be inclined or angled as at 49 to permit liquid, both toxicant
and rinse, to leave the container and enter the lower end of the
tube 26.
Furthermore, as shown in the drawings, the nozzle has a plurality
of orifices 50 therein. These orifices 50 may consist of an upper
groups of slots or slits 51, an intermediate group of slots 52,
lower slots 53, and a bottom group of orifices or jet openings 54
and 55, FIG. 3. These orifices or jet openings may be constructed
so that the inner portions are of slightly greater size than the
outer portions thereof as shown in FIG. 7, so that the liquid will
be discharged up through the orifices in the most advantageous
manner. Thus, in FIG. 7 the orifices 51 have their inner portions
56 slightly larger than their outer portions 57 whereby laminar
flow will be provided to maintain maximum pressure in the jet of
wash solution so that it hits the walls of the container with
maximum energy.
As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle includes an inner body portion 58
that has O-rings 59 snugly seated in recesses 60 therein, and these
O-rings and slots are illustrated in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, the numeral
61 indicates ducting formed in the nozzle and the numeral 62
indicates the portions between the ducting 61. In FIG. 8 the
enlarged sectional view illustrates the O-ring 59a which seals 25
to 26 and allows 26 to slide up and down in 25.
In the drawings, the numeral 63 indicates the outer cylindrical
wall portion or wall member for the nozzle 25.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been provided
apparatus for emptying and rinsing containers such as pesticide
containers. In use, with the parts, arranged as shown in the
drawings, after the container such as the container 20 has been
opened by removing the cap and spout from opening 24, the nozzle
25, in which the evacuation tube 26 is inserted, is placed into the
pesticide container 20, by insertion through the opening 24 as
shown in the drawings. After the pesticide container has been
substantially emptied of pesticide by evacuating such pesticide
through the evacuation tube 26, under pull from the mix tank pump
44, whereby such pesticide enters the evacuation tube 26 at its
lower end 49 and passes through the hose 45 to the mix tank 41, the
nurse tank pump 29 is then activated and rinse liquid from the
nurse tank 36 which may be in combination with or followed by
solvent from the solvent tank 37 is pumped through the hose 28 and
through the nozzle attachment 27 into the nozzle 25, thence through
the various orifices 50 to produce jets of rinse liquid 65, 67,
whereby this rinse liquid will clean and rinse the insides of the
container 20. The toxicant residue now combined in the rinse liquid
will enter the evacuation tube 26 through its lower end 49 under
pressure from the nurse tank pump 29 and under pull from the mix
tank pump 44. This combination of rinse liquid and toxicant residue
will flow out through the upper end of the evacuation tube 26,
through the hose 45 and be added to the toxicant solution within
the mix tank 41, thus capturing any residual pesticide material
from the pesticide container 20.
The parts can be made of any suitable material and in different
shapes or sizes as desired or required.
It will therefore be seen that in accordance with the present
invention there is provided a device that with substantially
increased safety both empties pesticide containers of the rigid
type and rinses them sufficiently so as to render them sufficiently
non-toxic in order to enable the disposal of such pesticide
containers in dumps such as dumps of lesser class than class 1
dumps. While it is the intention that this device provide a
mechanism for the disposal of pesticide containers, it is to be
understood that such disposal may include recycling or reclaiming
the steel or other material from which the container, once rinsed
to a level of cleanness, could be safely disposed of in a suitable
manner.
The device of the present invention provides a closed system such
as is illustrated in FIG. 1 when in operation whereby the handlers
of pesticide containers are not exposed to the toxic materials. It
further allows for the savings of that amount of pesticide paid for
but not used, due to inadequate field procedures, which remains
within the container after it has been emptied. Because of the
large amount or numbers of pesticide containers that are presently
used in various areas, it will be seen that the amount of material
remaining in empty containers represents a considerable sum of
money as well as a serious hazard to the environment. The device
allows pesticide users to evacuate the material from the container
and rinse the container in a fraction of the time presently
required.
When using the device, the device is inserted into the opening of
the pesticide container and wherein the opening is indicated by the
numeral 24, and the container may be of any suitable size such as a
1 gallon type flat top steel or plastic drum, 5 gallon, 12 gallon,
30 gallon or 55 gallon rigid pesticide container of the type that
is used for holding liquid pesticides. The tube 26 through which
the pesticide is evacuated has coaxial to it and externally
arranged thereof, a nozzle 25, which, when the container has been
evacuated of the product, flushes a rinse solution of sufficient
volume over the entire inner surface of the container. The rinse is
then evacuated by the center tube and passes directly through a
closed system into the mixing tank 41 or application equipment
tank. This rinse solution and its plumbing are such that during the
final phases of the rinse, a solvent can be injected into the rinse
solution, thereby effecting a more efficient rinse of the inner
surfaces of the container which renders it sufficiently non-toxic
to be accepted by less than Class 1 dumps, or disposed of through
other methods or means.
There is further provided an expanding seal that fits into the
opening of the container to seal the device and thus keep the
contents from leaving except by way of the evacuation tube 26. A
check valve 48 is built into the rinse nozzle 25 to maintain
sufficient internal pressure during evacuation of the contents of
the container so that the container is not collapsed by the
differential pressure created during evacuation.
Furthermore, the device is adapted to be automated by solenoids and
timers as shown in FIG. 1 to assure sufficient evacuation and rinse
volumes so as to assure a sufficiently non-toxic container 20. The
timing can be preset and changed to suit various containers and
their particular problems.
Thus, it will be seen that there has been provided a coaxial
automated closed system including the evacuation tube 26 and rinse
nozzle for pesticide containers wherein heretofore described
problems are substantially overcome or eliminated.
As shown in the drawings such as FIG. 2, wherein there is
illustrated the flow of material and the flow of the subsequent
rinse, the arrow 64 indicates the direction of the rinse liquid
which may be water. The arrows also show injection of solvent
common to the toxicant after the rinse liquid's efficiency is
exhausted, so that further removal of the toxicant can be
accomplished. The evacuation tube 26 is such that the toxicant and
subsequently the rinse is pumped out therethrough. The hose 28 is
attached as at 27. The expanding seal 47 around the exterior of the
rinse nozzle fits into the opening 24 of the container and is then
expanded to seal the container when the nozzle is in place. The air
inlet check valve 48 allows for pressure inside the container to
equalize and thus keep the container from collapsing during
evacuation. The numeral 65 indicates by an arrow the jet of rinse
solution from the nozzle that washes the interior of the container.
The arrow 66 indicates the rinse solution washing down the inside
of the container walls. The arrows 67 show the jet and flow of
rinse solution washing the evacuation tube. The arrow 68 indicates
the direction of evacuation of the liquid, both toxicant and rinse.
In FIG. 2 the numeral 69 shows arrows indicating evacuation of the
liquid into the lower end of the tube 26.
It will therefore be seen that there has been provided an efficient
means for evacuating and rinsing of containers of concentrated
materials where the solvent or vehicle can be included in the main
body of the mixture.
It is to be noted that it is common practice in the field of
agricultural pest control to remove the usual flexible spouts on 1
and 5 gallon rigid containers to increase the opening, thus to
facilitate the emptying of the contents. This practice has not met
with the approval of certain agricultural authorities such as State
agricultural authorities in various locations, because the
containers cannot be entirely emptied, and need to be resealed for
transport in a safe manner. Nevertheless the practice of removing
the flexible spout persists, and this creates a problem. Even with
the spout removed, the maximum drainage leaves a certain amount in
the container. For example, in a one gallon round steel flat top,
14 milliliters (ml) may be provided, and in a five gallon rigid
container flat top, 40 ml may be left therein and different amounts
are left in different containers. Field observations indicate that
the amount remaining in rigid pesticide containers for a five
gallon container may be in the range of 200 to 600 ml. While under
current field practice this condition exists, it need not continue.
It has been previously suggested that users of pesticide containers
rinse them and pour the rinse directly into the spray or mix tank.
Recently, certain agricultural chemical associations have advocated
this procedure and recommended that pesticide users rinse with
three separate volumes of water, pouring each into the spray or mix
tank. The pesticide application industry has objected to this
procedure for several reasons, one being that their workers would
be unnecessarily exposed to the toxicant each time the can or drum
is rinsed. Other objections are the additional time needed to
rinse, and the weight of the container with 20 to 25 percent of its
volumn, which could be considerable for larger containers (90 to
100 pounds for a 55 gallon drum).
A study of records of pesticide poisonings from various health
departments and agricultural organizations shows that the vast
majority of serious poisonings are those resulting from people
handling pesticides while loading and mixing these materials to be
loaded. Thus, of the remaining material in the so-called emptied
containers, approximately 98.80 percent is removed with the first
wash. Thus, under field conditions, and using a mixture such as 4
lbs. per gallon active ingredient parathion, 400 ml remains in the
container, and this is equivalent to 188 grams of parathion. Based
on an average man's weight, approximately 190 milligrams (mg) are
needed to cause death. The amount being removed in the first wash
is 1000 times greater than is necessary to cause death, and it is
so toxic that a small amount would most likely cause serious health
problems and may cause loss of work for an individual or perhaps a
stay in the hospital. At any rate, the hazards are of sufficient
magnitude to cause the pesticide application industry to refuse to
comply with the present three rinse proposal. Even during the
second rinse, approximately 1200 mg are incorporated in the
solution, which is slightly less than one magnitude in excess of
the 190 mg needed to cause death. Thus, spillage of any appreciable
amount could have serious consequences. Because organo phosphates
are cumulative poisons, the chronic low level exposures can and
have caused serious health problems. Thus, the third rinse if
spilled could, over time and continuous exposure, again cause
severe health problems. Therefore if the rinsing and emptying of
containers could be accomplished without contact or chance of
spillage, the benefits would be obvious.
As a practical matter, the emptying of rigid five gallon pesticide
containers can be accomplished easily and quickly. For example,
with the spout completely removed, thus increasing the opening to
2.46 inches in diameter, drain times are about 60 seconds. To add
the three rinses as suggested by certain agricultural chemical
associations would add an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Because the
spout has been removed, the shaking to wash the inner surface would
create an additional hazzard which would tend to inhibit proper
rinsing. Also, because it would be impractical to measure the
recommended volumes of rinse water, guesses would be necessary and
this would again decrease the efficiency of the desired
results.
Applicant's device, assuming draft pump capacities of 100 gallons
per minute, will evacuate a 5 gallon pesticide container in 3 to 4
seconds, and the timed solenoid actuated rinse system can deliver
sufficient rinse volumes to produce a safe rinsed container so that
the entire operation will take less than 30 seconds, that is, for
draining and rinsing the container.
The solenoid timed rinse can deliver a preset amount consistently
and will obviate the problems associated with guesswork and the
like.
Furthermore, under present law of some states it is illegal to
dispose of or transport pesticide containers unless rigid criteria
are met. These criteria are: sealed containers may be transported
to a Class 1 dump site and disposed of there; all pesticide
containers used by licensed pest control operators must be kept in
an enclosure while awaiting disposal. This latter factor provides
an additional cost to the pest control operator or applicator who
does not actually purchase or own the container, in most instances.
Further, if the containers are transported, then special sealed
trucks or the like must be used. Further, in most localities there
are few Class 1 dump sites and thus, to dispose of pesticide
containers in a legal manner, the applicator must in many
instances, pay for transportation and high dump fees. This added
expense, due to the keen competition within the pest control
business, cannot be passed on the the customer. Due to this and the
ever mounting piles of used containers, it is not uncommon for
operators to seek less than legal methods for disposing of
containers. In doing this, the already poisonous environmental
problems associating with these so-called empty containers are
increased vastly.
Various estimates of non combustible pesticide containers in
certain areas have been made, and these amount to very large sums
of money. Thus, assuming an average of 400 ml remaining in a 5
gallon container, and that the average formulation is four lbs. of
active ingredients per gallon, or about 47 percent active, then in
that 400 ml of material, there is about 188 grams of active
material. Thus, there is considerable sums of money involved in the
material that is not removed. In addition, with prior methods, the
considerable quantity of pesticides was released somewhere to the
environment without good purpose.
As previously noted, the presently accepted practice of disposal is
in a Class 1 dump site. In some areas Class 1 dump sites are
difficult to find in abundance and expensive to establish and the
present invention obviates the use of such Class 1 disposal
sites.
Furthermore, if a container were sufficiently clean, it could
either be disposed of in a dump site of lesser category than Class
1, or crushed and the steel reclaimed, if it were steel. If
plastic, a recycling or reclaiming system for plastics can be
utilized.
In certain areas, the poisoning of those working with pesticide
containers and the container disposal problem have become very
pressing issues in conjunction with container cleaning
problems.
Furthermore, if pesticide containers are only drained until the
material stops flowing, there is still left a considerable amount
of material in the containers and if not rinsed immediately, but
allowed to stand, especially in higher temperature zones, the
solvents and emulsifiers evaporate in a short time. If this occurs,
some of the toxicant becomes airborne creating a serious hazzard
downwind, especially if there are large quantities of these
containers stored at one location. It is conceivable that under
inversion weather conditions, high and dangerous levels of
toxicants can result, toxic to both man and his environment, and
these may be carried downwind. Further, once the solvents and
emulsifiers have evaporated from the container, the toxicant which,
in many instances, is highly water insoluble, cannot be washed out,
thus creating a serious problem in disposal and removal of
toxicants. The present invention obviates these problems. In
addition, it removes the toxicants to a level sufficient to render
the container safe by a continuous rinse of wash solutions which is
pumped directly into the mix tank or tank and the application
equipment.
With further regard to the evaporation of toxicants and their
solvents from open containers stored in large quantities, public
health officials and the like have noted concern about the outcome
of the unknown mixtures of the liquid toxicants or their vapors
which are created by the present practice, and the present
invention will alleviate such concerns.
As shown in the drawings, there is a slight angle at the point 49
in the lower end of the tube 26 that permits the liquid to enter
the lower end of the tube 26 from the container.
With further reference to the orifices, such as the orifices 50
shown in detail in FIG. 7, the object of this arrangement is to get
laminar flow to maintain maximum pressure in the jet of wash
solution so that it hits the walls of the container with maximum
energy. To get this laminar flow, there is needed at least a 1:4
diameter to the tube or orifice length, on a slit orifice. As the
orifices are preferably in the form of slits, the construction
shown in FIG. 7 accomplishes this.
In FIG. 2, there is illustrated the mechanism inserted in a
container and illustrating the spray nozzle 25 with the inlet 27 to
the spray nozzle. There is provided in the spray nozzle the O-ring
seals 59 as shown in FIG. 3, which seal the evacuation tube
exterior surface, thus allowing the evacuation tube to be extended
to fit the various container depths. The inner inlet check valve 48
in the nozzle allows air to be drawn into the container during
evacuation, thus keeping it from collapsing. The body 58 of the
nozzle's inner surface has grooves 60 for the O-rings 59. The
numeral 63 indicates the outer wall of the nozzle. The numeral 47
indicates the expanding seal which is external to the nozzle's
outer surface and seals the nozzle to the container.
With further reference to FIG. 4, 5 and 6, FIG. 4 illustrates a
portion of the nozzle and the ducting for the rinse solution. Also
in FIG. 4, there is illustrated the outer surface of the nozzle
wall, and the ducting 61 is arranged between the inner and outer
walls of the nozzle. The web portions 62 support the inner wall and
attach the inner wall of the nozzle to the outer wall.
In FIG. 5, there is illustrated the space for liquid flow which may
be approximately 1.421 inches of area and this may be equal to the
area of the evacuation tube's cross section.
FIG. 6 illustrates the bottom end of the nozzle showing the jets in
the bottom surface of the nozzle which spray rinse solution on the
evacuation tube to clean it.
FIG. 7 illustrates a portion of the outer wall of the nozzle
showing the jet orifices and illustrating representative jets. The
jets 51 wash the top of the container and have a vector such that
the majority of the water moves radially out across the inner
surface of the container--s top, thus allowing the water to drain
across the top and down the sides as indicated by the arrows in
FIG. 2.
In FIG. 1 there is illustrated the flow and procedure of an
automated system. Once the coaxial evacuation tube rinse nozzle is
inserted into the pesticide container, the loader operator actuates
the switch starting the evacuation pump, and this is a timed
procedure and is dependent on pump capacity. Once the container is
evacuated the rinse solution solenoid opens the valve such as the
valve 33 of the nurse tank 36 and at the same time, actuates the
water pump which pumps water from the nurse tank through the rinse
nozzle which washes the container. All the time the pump 44 of the
mix tank 41 is evacuating the rinse. After a predetermined period
of time, and if necessary, a second solenoid opens a valve such as
the valve 32 from a solvent tank 37, allowing this to be mixed with
the water and thus effecting a better rinse.
Presently, there is some consideration being given to the need for
redesigning pesticide containers due to poor drainage leaving a
considerable amount of the contents in the container. The present
invention would, in most cases obviate the need to redesign
containers because it would produce a drained and safe container by
removing the entire contents. A further problem with current
containers which is prompting the consideration for redesign is
that during the emptying of the present containers, such as 5
gallon and smaller sizes, there is a great chance, due to slopping,
of being poisoned. The present invention will eliminate dangers
associated with the pouring of the contents of pesticide
containers.
Removal of the contents and rinsing to further remove contents of
the container can be thought of as a continuum having two basic
steps. Thus, after the concentrated toxicant is pumped out, the
rinsing causes a continuous dilution of the remaining material
while the rinse is being pumped out. Water being the most common
diluent and vehicle for applied pesticides, will only remove the
remaining toxicant to a level of solubility peculiar to the
toxicant. Beyond this level, water has little effect, and to remove
all of the toxicant a solvent which will increase the
solubilization of the toxicant is needed.
The evacuation tube 26 may have a cross sectional surface area of
approximately 1.35 inches, and may have a capacity of about 5 cubic
feet per minute, or sufficient to keep up with pumps in the field.
The volume of the nozzle may be sufficient to deliver ample water
for rapid and adequate rinsing.
With regard to drums such as 30 and 55 gallon drums, current
practice allows for accurate measurements by penetrating the
evacuation tube into the liquid contents to a predetermined depth.
This procedure can be utilized by marking the evacuation tube of
the present invention and extending the evacuation tube through the
rinse nozzle to predetermined positions marked on the evacuation
tube's exterior and locked into place by a spring loaded
positioning device.
Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention it
should be understood that numerous structural modifications and
adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of
the invention.
* * * * *