Cleaning pipes using mixtures of liquid and abrasive particles
AssigneeNational Research Development Corporation
InventorDavid H. Saunders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cleaning apparatus and method, particularly for the inner surfaces of pipes. A conical sheet water jet issues from a vortex chamber and a second conical sheet jet issues from a second vortex chamber in which the water and abrasive have swirled at lesser pressure. The two jets impinge to form a resultant conical jet which strikes and cleans the pipe wall. Guides hold the apparatus within the pipe so that the axes of the pipe and all the jets coincide, and the hoses by which water and abrasive reach the apparatus may also be used to help move the apparatus up and down the pipe. The axial sense of the resultant jet may be such that it exerts a "squeegee" action upon the pipe wall when the apparatus is withdrawn from the pipe by pulling the hoses.
Claims13
Apparatus to create a cleaning spray comprising:
- first jet means comprising a chamber formed about a first axis and including tangential inlet means for directing high-pressure liquid into tangential contact with an interior surface of said chamber, said surface being of a configuration to cause said liquid to swirl within said chamber, and an axially-facing outlet nozzle through which said liquid is discharged from said chamber as a first jet of liquid in sheet form and in the form of a hollow cone;
- second jet means connected to a source of abrasive particles and for discharging a second jet of said particles, said second jet being hollow and conforming to the surface of a solid generated about a second axis coaxial with said first axis;
- said first and second jet means being arranged so that said first and second jets intersect to form a resultant hollow jet, and so that
- said resultant jet is of substantially hollow conical form and contains both liquid and abrasive particles.
A method of cleaning pipes comprising:
- using a first vortex-generating nozzle to produce a high-pressure first jet of liquid in substantially conical sheet form, the axis of said cone being substantially coincident with that of said pipe;
- said nozzle comprising a chamber formed about a first axis and including tangential inlet means for directing high-pressure liquid into tangential contact with an interior surface of said chamber, said surface being of a configuration to cause said liquid to swirl within said chamber, and an axially-facing outlet nozzle through which said liquid is discharged from said chamber as a first jet of liquid in sheet form and in the form of a hollow cone;
- generating a second jet containing abrasive particles, said second jet being of generated form coaxial with said first jet;
- causing said first and second jets to intersect to form a resultant jet, containing both liquid and abrasive particles and of substantially conical form, also coaxial with said pipe;
- causing said resultant jet both to strike the inner wall of said pipe around its entire periphery and to move axially within said pipe, whereby to clean said inner wall of said pipe.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.