# US 11,992,864 B2 · Nozzle arrangement for injecting liquid into a tank > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,992,864 B2 - Document ID: US11992864B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/261,893 - Filed: 2019-07-24 - Published: 2021-09-30 - Granted: 2024-05-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-27 - Assignees: Oreco A/S - Applicants: Oreco A/S - Inventors: Kaare Wessel Wetlesen; Ole Meldgaard Nielsen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11992864B2 ## CPC - B08B 9/0936: {using rotating jets} - B05B 13/0636: {by means of rotatable spray heads or nozzles} - F16H 1/16: comprising worm and worm-wheel - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D) - F16H: GEARING ## Abstract The present invention relates to a nozzle arrangement and method for removing solids and/or fluids, such as sludge, preferably suspended or contained in fluid, from tanks such as oil/mud-tanks and other similar difficult accessible deposits and tanks/tanks. In preferred embodiments, the nozzle arrangement has a rotating mechanism (8) comprising a primary drive shaft (13) being connected to a pipe section (4), a row of gear teeth (9) fixedly arranged on or formed in lower end of a down pipe (3) on an outside thereof, an angular gear (10), a worm gear (16) arranged to rotate an angled nozzle pipe section (7) at the cleaner head (5) driven by the angular gear, a secondary drive shaft (11) rotatably mounted on an outside of said pipe section (4) and having at one end a gear wheel of the angular gear (10) and at the other end a gear wheel co-operating with said row of gear teeth (9). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A nozzle arrangement for injecting a liquid into a tank, said nozzle arrangement comprising: a down pipe (3) having a lower end; a pipe section (4) rotatably arranged at a lower end of the down pipe (3) with a rotational axis coinciding with a longitudinal axis of the down pipe (3), and said pipe section (4) comprising an angled cleaner head (5) distal to position at which the pipe section (4) is rotatably arranged at the down pipe (3); an angled nozzle pipe section (7); a nozzle hub (15) provided for rotatably connecting the angled nozzle pipe section (7) to the pipe section (4) at the cleaner head (5); wherein the nozzle arrangement further comprises a rotating mechanism (8) comprising a primary drive shaft (13) being connected to said pipe section (4); a row of gear teeth (9) fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down pipe (3) on an outside thereof; an angular gear (10); a worm gear (16) arranged to rotate the nozzle pipe section (7) at the cleaner head (5) driven by the angular gear; and a secondary drive shaft (11) rotatably mounted on an outside of said pipe section (4) and having at one end a gear wheel of the angular gear (10) and at the other end a gear wheel (12) co-operating with said row of gear teeth (9). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the primary drive shaft (13) extends inside the down pipe (3) and engages at a lower end thereof with the inside of the pipe section (4) so that a rotation of the primary shaft (13) rotates the pipe section (4). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting bracket (2) arranged on said down pipe (3) in a position where one part of the down pipe (3) extends above said mounting bracket (2) and forms an inlet pipe (14) and another part extends below the mounting bracket (2), said mounting bracket being configured for attaching the nozzle arrangement to a wall member of the tank. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism is configured so that during a full 360 degrees rotation of the pipe section (4), the nozzle hub (15), and thereby the nozzle pipe section (7), rotates less than 5 degrees. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the teeth of the row of gear teeth (9) are evenly dispositioned only along a segment of the circumference of the down pipe (3). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a drive unit (23) adapted to rotate the primary drive shaft (13). ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the drive unit (23) further comprising a gearbox (25) arranged to rotate a driving gear (26), the driving gear meshes with a primary drive shaft gear (27) which is arranged to rotate the primary drive shaft (13) upon rotation of the primary drive shaft gear (27). ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the part of the down pipe (3) extending above the mounting bracket (2) and forming an inlet pipe (14) comprising a bend and wherein the primary drive shaft (13) extends inside the down pipe (3) and engages at a lower end thereof with the inside of the pipe section (4) so that a rotation of the primary shaft (13) rotates the pipe section (4) and said primary drive shaft (13) extends to an outside mounted drive unit (23) though an opening provided in said bend (14). ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 8, further comprising a mechanical seal (17) arranged at said bend of the inlet pipe (14) through which mechanical seal (17) the primary drive shaft (13) extends through to provide a sealed routing of the primary drive shaft (13). ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the drive unit (23) is arranged to engage the primary drive shaft (13) at the end extending to the outside through said opening provided in said bend (14). ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a worm (19) of the worm gear (16) is arranged longitudinally slideable on a worm shaft (18) connected at one end to the angular gear (10). ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a tubular nozzle extension (21) arranged at a distal end of the nozzle pipe section (7). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle pipe section (7) comprises a nozzle tip (20) having an outlet and arranged at a distal end, relative to the nozzle hub (15), of the nozzle pipe section (7), and the nozzle tip (20) being configured to accelerate fluid flowing through the nozzle tip (20). ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the cross sectional area at the outlet of the nozzle tip (20) has a diameter or hydraulic diameter of from 16 mm to 20 mm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method of cleaning a tank, comprising: providing the nozzle arrangement according to claim 1 in a wall member of a tank; providing a connection to a source of cleaning liquid to the nozzle arrangement; rotating the primary drive shaft (13) while ejecting the cleaning liquid through the nozzle arrangement. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A tank comprising the nozzle arrangement according to claim 1 arranged in a wall section of said tank. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The nozzle arrangement of claim 12, wherein the tubular nozzle extension (21) comprises a nozzle tip (20) arranged at a distal end, relative to the nozzle hub (15), of the tubular nozzle extension (21) and configured to accelerate fluid flowing through the nozzle tip (20), said nozzle tip (20) being provided as tubular section having a converging cross sectional area toward an outlet of the nozzle tip. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The nozzle arrangement according to claim 13, wherein said nozzle tip (20) is provided as tubular section having a converging cross sectional area towards an outlet of the nozzle tip.