Device and method for producing a ready-to-use solution from a concentrate

A vehicle wash facility device for producing a solution from a concentrate and a diluent, the device comprising:

• an inlet for the diluent,
• an inlet for the concentrate,
• an outlet for the solution produced,
• a line extending from the inlet for the diluent to the outlet via a confluence in the line at which the diluent and the concentrate converge,
• a mixing container disposed in the line between the confluence and the outlet, the mixing container having a larger cross section than cross sections of the line upstream and downstream thereof,
• a metering pump for delivering the concentrate connected on a suction side of the inlet for the concentrate and on a pressure side of the confluence, the metering pump a piston pump configured for operating via a pump surge in which a specific volume of the concentrate is metered into volume flow of the diluent in the line, and
• a foam generator disposed downstream of the mixing container and configured such that the solution produced in the mixing container is foamed prior to application to a vehicle to be washed, the foam generator including a chamber for receiving the solution from the outlet and a stream of compressed air, a distributor pipe connected to the chamber, and at least one nozzle extending from the distributor pipe,
• wherein foamed solution is generated in the chamber by mixing the solution with the compressed air, is transported into the distributor pipe, and is distributed over the vehicle to be washed by flowing through the at least one nozzle,
• wherein a plurality of pump surges is attributed to dwell time of liquid in the mixing container,
• wherein an interior space of the mixing container has a longitudinal dimension in a direction of flow and a transverse dimension in a direction at right angles to the direction of flow, and
• wherein a ratio of a maximum longitudinal dimension of the mixing container to a maximum transverse dimension of the mixing container is in a range of 1 to 4.