Cable supported rotary multi-jet nozzle

A high pressure liquid swivel nozzle assembly adapted for sliding movement along a small diameter elongated support and for spraying multiple high velocity liquid streams outwardly in continuously changing directions relative to the support and comprising:

• a relatively stationary liquid input body member,
• a rotatable output liquid spray head member,
• an elongated shaft having a monolithic structure connected to said body member and to said head member and having means defining a longitudinally extending liquid flow path within said shaft between said body and head members,
• each member encircling said monolithic shaft structure and including means sealed with respect to the monolithic shaft structure for defining with the shaft structure a respective annular plenum chamber around the shaft structure with each plenum chamber communicating with said liquid flow path to enable flow of high pressure liquid from said body member to said head member,
• the means for defining said liquid flow path in said shaft including at least one longitudinally extending internal passage having an external wall with lateral port means in said wall for providing liquid flow between the passage and the respective plenum chambers and further including means for sealing the opposite ends of each liquid passage beyond its respective lateral port means,
• said monolithic shaft structure having a longitudinally extending passage with an external wall and open at both ends for passing said support,
• the walls of said liquid and elongated support passages being laterally connected to each other as part of the monolithic shaft structure along the portion of said shaft between said plenum chambers,
• bearing means for rotatably supporting one of said members relative to said shaft structure,
• means for securing the other of said members relative to said shaft structure,
• means for coupling a high pressure liquid source to said body member,
• nozzle elements carried by said head member for creating said multiple high velocity streams when high pressure liquid is supplied to said body member,
• means for rotating said head member relative to said body member to continuously change the directions of said streams during operation of the nozzle assembly,
• means for preventing rotation of said liquid input body member relative to said support during operational movement of the swivel assembly along the support,
• sealing means forming a dynamic high pressure liquid seal between said shaft structure and said one member to prevent escape of high pressure liquid from the plenum chamber at said one member.

A high pressure liquid swivel assembly comprising:

• a liquid transfer input member,
• a liquid transfer output member,
• a shaft having a longitudinal axis and having internal liquid passage means extending longitudinally within the shaft,
• each member having a liquid passage connection to the internal liquid passage means of said shaft and including means sealed with respect to the shaft for defining with the shaft a high pressure liquid flow path from said input member through said internal liquid passage means to said output member,
• means for coupling a high pressure liquid source to said input member,
• one of said members encircling said shaft,
• bearing means for rotatably supporting said one of said members for rotation relative to said shaft,
• said one member including means defining with the shaft an annular plenum chamber around said shaft communicating with said internal liquid passage means,
• sealing means at each end of said plenum chamber comprising an axially extending stack at each end of the plenum chamber including an outer shaft-encircling annular ring secured to and sealed with respect to said shaft, an intermediate shaft-encircling wear resistant sealing disk and an inner shaft-encircling deformable annular sealing element,
• said rings having flat annular faces orientated toward the plenum chamber,
• said one member having at each end of the plenum chamber a radially inwardly facing annular wall closely encircling said sealing element and said sealing disk,
• each said sealing element being subject to high pressure liquid in said plenum chamber to press said sealing element and said disk together in a respective stack and against the respective sealing ring face and to radially expand the sealing element outwardly to press against said annular wall to form a high pressure liquid sealing means between the sealing element and said wall and between the sealing element and said disk to prevent escape of high pressure liquid from said plenum chamber at said one member.