Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 01/10576 1
RU 2,168,440
APPARATUS FOR HYDRODYNAMIC SURFACE CLEANING
(Variants)
The present invention relates to hydrodynamic
surface cleaning technique applicable to cleaning
various constructions and is concerned with variants
of developing apparatus for such hydrodynamic
cleaning. According to Variant I, the apparatus of the
invention comprises a housing, header, stator, rotor
appearing as a number of radial pipe-lines, and
generators of high-pressure jets. The housing appears
as a shaped disk partially filled with a shifting
ballast. The stator carries a platform provided with
supports. The profiled rotor vanes create a negative
pressure beneath the housing of the apparatus. The
distances between the injector and the extreme points
of the pattern of the contact between the jet and the
surface being treated are specified. Provision is also
made for a device for changing the direction of motion
of the entire cleaning apparatus. Variant II of the
apparatus for hydrodynamic cleaning of surfaces is
distinguished for the fact that the angle of turn of
the axis of the generator nozzles in a horizontal
plane with respect to the axis of the radial pipe-
lines in the direction of the rotor rotation exceeds
zero degrees. Rotation is imparted to the rotor by
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ejector nozzles, each of which is disposed on the
radial pipe-line of the rotor header at the right
angles to the axis thereof. A technical result of the
practical implementation of the present invention with
any variant of embodiment of the proposed apparatus
for hydrodynamic surface cleaning consists in higher
working reliability of the apparatus, as well as its
higher effectiveness, throughput capacity, operating
safety, and an extended range of surfaces to be
treated, including work on land. Two sheets, 16
dependent claims, 13 drawings.
The invention relates to technological apparatus
aimed at hydrodynamic cleaning of surfaces and can
find application in designing and creating apparatus
for cleaning, e.g., ships and submersible structures,
waterworks, and any other surfaces from getting fouled
with marine growth, corrosion, soiling, and other
similar deposits accumulated on the surfaces to be
treated both under water and on land.
Known from the present state of the art is a
device for mechanical cleaning ships' hulls from
getting fouled with marine microorganisms, said device
comprising a disk-shaped housing and a rotatable rotor
disposed underneath said disk-shaped housing and
receiving rotation from a motor. The rotor appears as
a number of radial scrapers producing mechanical
action, when the rotor rotates, on foul deposits
accumulated on the surface being treated for the
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surface to get rid of said deposits (cf. US Patent
#4, 372, 242, IPC3 B 63 B59/00 (NPC 114/222) , 1983) .
Also known from the relevant prior art is
hydromechanical device for cleaning underwater
surfaces of ships, comprising a housing, hydraulic
pump, disk-shaped brushes, and high-pressure nozzles
for treating the surface being treated, as well as
water-jet propelling nozzles for the device to move in
water in various directions. The high-pressure nozzles
have an adjustable setting angle, and the disk-shaped
brushes have an adjustable angle of slope (cf. RU
Patent #2, 098, 315, IPC6 B 63 B 59/08, 1996) .
Furthermore, one more hydrodynamic device for
surface cleaning is known to comprise a housing
carrying wheel-shaped supports, a ring header provided
with high-pressure nozzles and communicating, via a
reducer, with the central portion of the housing, and
a hose connected to the source of high pressure which
feeds the working fluid to the header. The header
rotates by virtue of the reaction force of the jets
discharging from the high-pressure nozzles which
simultaneously clean the surface being treated (cf. US
Patent #5,048,445, IPCS B 63 B 59/00 (NPC 114/222,
1991 ) .
However, all the above-mentioned analogs to the
herein-proposed apparatus fail to attain the required
technical result, this being due to an inadequate
cleaning efficiency attainable by the mechanical
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mechanisms used, which in turn resulting from high-
strength of foul deposits and a danger of damaging the
surface being treated by mechanical scrapers. In the
hydromechanical devices which make use a combination
of the surface-cleaning brushes and of high-pressure
jets of the working fluid the required technical
results cannot be obtained due to a low efficiency of
each of said components of the cleaning process, i.e.,
incomplete utilization of throughput capacity of the
cleaning brushes and of the high-pressure jets. In
addition, the known hydrodynamic device has a bulky
complicated construction which affects adversely the
effectiveness of the functional use of the device
itself.
The closest technical solution selected as the
prototype of both variants of the proposed invention,
is a device for hydrodynamic surface cleaning,
comprising a disk-shaped housing, a header
accommodated centrally in the housing and consisting
of a stationary fixed stator arranged along the
housing axis, and a rotor rotating on the stator and
disposed beneath the lower surface of the housing
whose axis of rotation aligns with the axis of the
housing appearing as a number of radial pipe-lines
communicating with the ducts of the working fluid feed
line, at the ends of which pipe-lines are disposed
generators of the high-pressure jets, said generators
being arranged in the horizontal and vertical planes
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and at an angle to the header axis; supports adapted
to interact with the surface being treated; a reducer
and a piping to feed the working fluid from the
high-pressure source to the header (cf. RF Patent
#2, 122, 961, IPC6 B 63 B 59/00, 1998 ) .
Attaining the required technical result in the
prototype for both variants of the proposed invention
is impeded by an inadequate working efficiency of the
device stemming from construction features of the
rotor thereof; too a low throughput capacity and
quality of surface cleaning; no provision for
ballasting of the device which affects adversely its
performance characteristics; and the fact that the
known device cannot be used for surface cleaning on
land, e.g., in a dry dock.
It is a primary and essential object of the
present invention is to provide an apparatus for
hydraulic surface cleaning, featuring high operating
efficiency and throughput capacity, ensuring safe
operation and being equally operable both under water
and on land for cleaning the surfaces of various
constructions, buildings and structures.
The technical results attainable due to
accomplishing said object of the present .invention are
as follows: higher operating reliability of the
apparatus, as well as its efficiency, throughput
capacity, working safety, as well as an extended range
of surfaces being treated, including those carried out
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on land.
Said object is accomplished and the required
technical result as per Variant I of the invention is
attained due to the fact that in an apparatus for
hydrodynamic surface cleaning comprising a disk-shaped
housing, a header accommodated centrally in the
housing and consisting of a stationary fixed stator
arranged along the housing axis, and a rotor rotating
on the stator and disposed beneath the .Lower surface
of the housing whose axis of rotation aligns with the
axis of the housing appearing as a number of radial
pipe-lines communicating with the ducts of the working
fluid supply line, at the ends of which pipe-lines are
disposed generators of the high-pressure jets, said
generators being arranged in the horizontal and
vertical planes and at an angle to the header axis;
supports adapted to interact with the surface being
treated; a reducer, and a piping to feed the working
fluid from the high-pressure source to the header,
according to the invention, the housing appears as a
hollow shaped disk having at least one lower shaped
surface and partially filled with a shifting ballast,
the housing has a number of ports disposed
circumferentially in the central portion thereof, said
ports being overlapped with ports similar as to
disposing, shape and area and provided in a ring
mounted rotatably on the top portion of the housing in
the central portion thereof; the apparatus is further
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provided with: a platform carrying supports, said
platform being mounted on the stator of the header and
disposed beneath the rotor thereof; shaped vanes
mounted on the rotor with a possibility of
establishing a flow of the working fluid moving from
under the lower shaped surface of the housing and
directed from the center to the periphery thereof to
create a negative pressure underneath the lower
surface of the housing; and a device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus, the inj ectors of
the generator of high-pressure jets being set at an
angle a to the surface being treated such that the
borders of the contact pattern of the high-pressure
jet of working fluid with the surface being treated,
said contact pattern being shaped as an oval whose
minor axis is equal to a maximum cross-sectional
diameter of the flow body, are defined by the extreme
points on the major axis of the ellipse removed from
the exit section of the nozzle of the injector of the
high-pressure jet generator a distance determinable
from the following mathematical relationships:
Llmax = 0 ~ 8 Pp ' d0
L2min = 0 . 5 Pp ' do
where Llmax and Lzmin (mm) state for the maximum and
minimum distance, respectively;
Pois an inlet pressure of the injector;
do is a minimum diameter of the injector flow
section.
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Said object is accomplished and the required
technical result as per Variant II of the invention is
attained due to the fact that in an apparatus for
hydrodynamic surface cleaning comprising a disk-shaped
housing, a header accommodated centrally in the
housing and consisting of a stationary fixed stator
arranged along the housing axis, and a rotor rotating
on the stator and disposed beneath the lower surface
of the housing whose axis of rotation aligns with the
axis of the housing appearing as a number of radial
pipe-lines communicating with the ducts of the working
fluid supply line, at the ends of which pipe-lines are
disposed generators of the high-pressure jets, said
generators being arranged in the horizontal and
vertical planes at an angle to the header axis;
supports adapted to interact with the surface being
treated; a reducer, and a piping to feed the working
fluid from the high-pressure source to the header,
according to the invention, the housing appears as a
hollow shaped disk having at least one lower shaped
surface and partially filled with a shifting ballast,
the housing has a number of ports disposed
circumferentially in the central portion thereof, said
ports being overlapped with ports similar as to
disposing, shape and area and provided in a ring
mounted rotatably on the top portion of the housing in
the central portion thereof, and the generators of
high-pressure jets are mounted on the radial pipe-
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lines such that an angle ~i of turn of the axis of the
nozzles of said generators in a horizontal plane
relative to the axis of the radial pipe-lines in the
direction of the rotor rotation exceeds 0° , and the
apparatus is further provided with ejector nozzles
each of which is disposed on the radial pipe-line of
the header at the right angles with a possibility for
the header rotor to rotate by virtue of the reaction
force arising from the jet of the working fluid
discharging from the header, said nozzles being
fluidly connected, via a radial pipe-line, to the
working fluid feed line; the apparatus is further
provided with: a platform carrying supports, said
platform being mounted on the stator of the header and
disposed beneath the rotor thereof; shaped vanes
mounted on the rotor with a possibility of
establishing a flow of the working fluid moving from
under the lower shaped surface of the housing and
directed from the center to the periphery thereof to
create a negative pressure underneath the lower
surface of the housing; and a device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus, the injectors of
the generator of high-pressure jets being set at an
angle a to the surface being treated such that the
borders of the contact pattern of the high-pressure
jet of working fluid with the surface being treated,
said contact pattern being shaped as an oval whose
minor axis is equal to a maximum cross-sectional
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diameter of the flow body, are defined by the extreme
points on the major axis of the ellipse removed from
the exit section of the nozzle of the injector of the
high-pressure jet generator a distance determinable
from the following mathematical relationships:
Llmax = 0 . 8 Po do
L2min = 0 . 5 Po do
where Llmax and L2min (mm) state for the maximum and
minimum distance, respectively;
Pois an inlet pressure of the injector;
do is a minimum diameter of the injector flow
section.
In addition, referring equally to both of the
variants of the present invention is the fact that the
device for changing the direction of motion of the
apparatus may be hydromechanical, e.g., as a number of
pairs of ejector nozzles spaced diametrically opposite
over the outside surface of the housing and directed
oppositely each other, said nozzles having their axes
oriented towards the vector of translational motion
performed by the apparatus. Besides, said nozzles are
fluidly connected, through pipe-lines, to the working
fluid feed line and mechanically associated, through a
control mechanism, with a control handle, the axes of
the ejector nozzles being parallel to each other. The
control mechanism of the device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus comprises a
spring-actuated two-position directional control valve
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for each pair of ejector nozzles, said directional
control valve being enclosed in a barrel which
communicates the pairs of ejector nozzles with a
working fluid feed pipe-line, and being connected,
through a control cable, to a control lever disposed
on the control handle.
The device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus may be hydromechanical, e.g., as a
number of unidirectional ejector nozzles spaced
diametrically opposite over the outside surface of the
housing, the axes of said nozzles being oriented
towards the vector of translational motion performed
by the apparatus, said nozzles are fluid_Ly connected,
through pipe-lines, to the working fluid feed line and
mechanically associated, through a control mechanism,
with a control handle, the axes of the ejector nozzle
being parallel to each other. The control mechanism of
the device for changing the direction of motion of the
apparatus comprises a spring-actuated two-position
directional control valve for each ejector nozzle,
said directional control valve being enclosed in a
barrel which communicates the pairs of ejector nozzles
with a working fluid feed pipe-line, and being
connected, through a control cable, to a control lever
disposed on the control handle.
The device for changing the direction of motion
of the apparatus may be hydromechanical also in the
form of, e.g., hinged ejector nozzles spaced
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diametrically opposite over the outside surface of
the housing and having their axes offset relative
to the axis of swivel thereof, said nozzles being
mounted, through flanged holders, on hollow stands
fluidly connected, via pipe-lines, to the working
fluid feed line and mechanically associated,
through a control mechanism, with the control
handle.
The device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus comprises a pivot-mounted spring-
actuated swing cramp-iron having a tooth at one of its
ends so as to interact by said tooth or by the end
thereof, with a stop dog provided on the flange of the
hinged nozzle holder when reversing the hinged nozzle
from one working position to the other, and a control
cable interconnecting the spring-actuated cramp iron
and the control lever disposed on the control handle.
The apparatus according to both of the variants
thereof may be provided with a distribution ring which
interconnects circumferentially the radial pipe-lines
of the header rotor, said ring being either a solid
structure intercommunicating the pipelines of the
header rotor and imparting rigidity thereto, or
appearing as a tubular ring header connected to the
working fluid feed line and intercommunicating the
pipe-lines of header rotor with a possibility of
balancing the pressure of the working fluid therein.
In this case the shaped vanes may be spaced equally
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apart along the perimeter of the distribution ring on
the outer side thereof.
Used as the shifting ballast in the apparatus may
be water.
The platform-mounted supports of the apparatus may
appear either as conventional wheels, or castor
wheels, or spherical or ball supports, or magnetic
wheels, or magnetic castor wheels.
The reducer of the apparatus may appear as a
swivel pipe connector disposed on the header stator
centrally of the housing so as to communicate the
header, via a pipe-line, with a high-pressure source
of the working fluid.
In what follows the invention is illustrated by
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG.1 is a plan view of the apparatus according
to Variant I of the embodiment thereof;
FIG.2 is a plan view of the apparatus according
to Variant II of the embodiment thereof;
FIG.3 is a fragmentarily sectionalized front
view of the apparatus;
FIG.4 and FIG.5 is a schematic view of the
device for changing the direction of motion of the
apparatus and of the mechanism for its control when
is made of pairs of ejector nozzles;
FIG.6 is a plan view of the apparatus showing
the device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus made of unidirectional ejector
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nozzles;
FIG.7 is a schematic view of a control
mechanism of the unidirectional ejector nozzles;
FIG.8 is a plan view of the apparatus showing
the device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus made of hinged ejector nozzles;
FIG.9 is a fragmentarily sectionalized front view
of FIG.8;
FIG.10 and FIG.11 is a schematic view of the
control mechanism of the hinged nozzles of FIG.9; and
FIG.12 and FIG.13 give graphic representation of
setting angles a and ~ of the high-pressure jet
generators forming a contact pattern on the surface
being treated in a vertical and a horizontal plane
according to Variant I (a) and Variant II (a and ~) of
the invention.
The apparatus for hydrodynamic surface cleaning
according to Variant I has a disk-shaped housing l, a
header 2 enclosed centrally in a housing 1 and
comprising a stationary-fixed hollow stator 3 arranged
along the axis of the housing l, and a rotor 4
rotatable on the stator 3 and disposed beneath the
lower surface of the housing 1.
The axis of rotation of the rotor 4 aligns with
the axis of the housing 1. The rotor 4 appears as a
number of radial pipe-lines 5 communicating with the
ducts of the working fluid feed line (not shown).
Generators 6 of high-pressure jets are provided at the
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ends of the pipe-lines 5, said generators being
disposed at an angle to the axis thereof (i.e., the
header axis) in the horizontal and vertical planes.
The apparatus has supports 7 adapted to :interact with
a surface 8 being treated; a reducer 9, and a pipe-
line 10 to feed the working fluid from the high-
pressure source (not shown) to the header 2.
The housing 1 appears as a hollow shaped disk
having at least one lower shaped surface 11 and
partly filled with a shifting ballast 12. A number
of ports 12 are disposed circumferential.ly in the
central portion of the housing 1, said pc>rts being
overlapped with ports 14 similar as to di:>position,
shape and area and made in a ring 15 mounted
rotatably on the top portion of the housing 1 in
the central portion thereof. The apparatus is
further provided with a platform 16 carrying
supports 7. The platform 16 is disposed on the
stator 3 of the header and is arranged beneath the
rotor 4 thereof. The apparatus also has shaped
vanes 17 mounted on the rotor so as to establish a
flow of the working fluid moving from under the
lower shaped surface 11 of the housing 1 and
directed from the center to the periphery thereof
to create a negative pressure underneath the lower
surface 11 of the housing 1. Both of the variants
of the present invention further comprise a device
for changing the direction of motion of the
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apparatus. The injectors of the generators 6 of
high-pressure jets are set at an angle a to the
surface being treated such that the borders of the
contact pattern of the high-pressure jet of working
fluid on the surface being treated, said contact
pattern being shaped as an oval whose minor axis is
equal to a maximum cross-sectional diameter of the
flow body, are defined by the extreme points on the
major axis of the ellipse which are removed from
the exit section of the nozzle of the injector of
the high-pressure jet generator a distance
determinable from the following mathematical
relationships:
Llmax = 0 . 8 PO ' d0
L2min = 0 . 5 Pp ' dp
where Llmax and LZmin (mm) state for the maximum and
minimum distance, respectively;
Pois an inlet pressure of the injector;
do is a minimum diameter of the injector flow
section.
The apparatus for hydrodynamic surface cleaning
according to Variant II comprises all the features
of Variant I of the invention mentioned
hereinbefore.
However, Variant II of the present invention
differs from Variant II thereof in that the
generators 6 of high-pressure jets are disposed on
the radial pipe-lines 5 such that the angle ~i of
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turn of the axis of the generator nozzles in a
horizontal plane with respect to the axis of the
radial pipe-lines 5 in the direction of rotation of
the rotor 4 exceeds zero degrees. The apparatus is
further provided with ejector nozzles 1~ each of
which is disposed on the radial pipe-line 5 of the
rotor 4 of the header 2 at the right angles to the
axis thereof with a possibility for the rotor 4 of
the header 2 to rotate by virtue of the reaction
force arising from the jet of the working fluid
header discharging from the header 2, said nozzles
being fluidly connected, via the radial pipe-line
5, to the working fluid feed line (not shown).
The device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus may be hydromechanical in both of the
variants of the present invention, e.g., as a number
of pairs of ejector nozzles 19 spaced diametrically
opposite over the outside surface of the housing 1 and
directed oppositely each other, said nozzles having
their axes oriented towards the vector of
translational motion performed by the apparatus. The
nozzles 19 are fluidly connected, through pipe-lines
20, to the working fluid feed line (not shown) and
mechanically associated, through a control mechanism,
with a control handle 21, the axes of the ejector
nozzles being parallel to each other. The control
mechanism of this particular device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus comprises a
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spring-actuated two-position directional control valve
22 for each pair of ejector nozzles 19, said
directional control valve 22 being enclosed in a
barrel 23 which communicates the pairs of the ejector
nozzles 19 with the working fluid feed pipe-line 20.
The directional control valve 22 is mechanically
associated, through a control cable 24, to a control
lever 25 disposed on the control handle 21.
The device for changing the direction of motion of
the apparatus according to both of the variants
thereof may be hydromechanical, e.g., as
unidirectional ejector nozzles 26 spaced diametrically
opposite apart over the outside surface o.f the housing
l, the axes of said nozzles being oriented towards the
vector of translational motion performed by the
apparatus. The nozzles are fluidly connected, through
the pipe-lines 20, to the working fluid feed line (not
shown) and mechanically associated, through a control
mechanism, with the control handle 21. The axes of the
ejector nozzle are parallel to each other. The control
mechanism of this particular device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus comprises a
spring-actuated directional control valve for each
ejector nozzle, said directional control valve 27 for
each ejector nozzle 26, said control valve being
enclosed in a barrel 28 which communicates each
ejector nozzle 26 with the working fluid feed pipe-
line 20, and being connected, through the control
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cable 24, to the control lever disposed on the control
handle 21.
Furthermore, the device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus according to both
of the variants thereof may be hydromechanical also
as, e.g., hinged ejector nozzles 29 spaced
diametrically apart over the outside surface of the
housing 1 and having their axes offset relative to the
swivel axis thereof. The nozzles 29 are mounted
through holders 30 having flanges 31, on hollow stands
32 fluidly connected, via pipe-lines 33, to the
working fluid feed line (not shown) and mechanically
associated, through a control mechanism, with the
control handle 21. The device for changing the
direction of motion of the apparatus has a mechanism
for its control which comprises a spring-actuated
swing cramp-iron 35 mounted on a pivot 34 and having a
tooth 36 at one of its ends. The cramp-iron 35 is
adapted to interact through its tooth 36 or through an
opposite end 37 thereof with a stop dog 38 provided on
the flange 31 of the holder of the hinged nozzle 29
when reversing the hinged nozzle 29 from one working
position to the other. The control cable 24
interconnects the spring-actuated cramp- iron 35 and
the control lever 25 disposed on the control handle
21.
The apparatus may be further provided with a
distribution ring 37 which interconnects
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circumferentially the radial pipe-lines 5 of the rotor
4 of the header 2. The distribution ring 37 may be
either a solid structure intercommunicating the
pipelines 5 of the rotor 4 of the header 2 and
imparting rigidity thereto, or appear as a tubular
ring header connected to the working fluid feed line
(not shown) so as to intercommunicate the pipe-lines 5
of the rotor 4 of the header 2 with a possibility of
balancing the pressure of the working fluid therein.
The shaped vanes 17 may be spaced equally apart
along the perimeter of the distribution ring 37 on the
outer side thereof . Water may be used as the shifting
ballast 12 in the present apparatus.
The supports 7 mounted on the platform 16 may
appear either as conventional wheels, or castor
wheels, or spherical or ball supports, or magnetic
wheels, or magnetic castor wheels.
The reducer 9 of the apparatus may appear as,
e.g., a swivel pipe connector disposed on the stator 3
of the header 2 centrally of the housing 1 so as to
communicate the header 2, via the pipe-line 10, with
the high-pressure source (not shown) of working fluid.
The apparatus of the present invention operates as
follows.
The apparatus is put on the surface to be cleaned
to assume a preset vertical position being oriented in
the direction of its motion, this being due to the
provision of the shifting ballast 12 (e. g., water)
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held in the interior of the housing 1.
When the supports 7 are magnetic ones and the
surface being treated can be magnetized regardless of
where the cleaning operations are carried out, i.e.,
under water or on land, the apparatus is magnetically
held to the surface being treated. If the supports 7
are non-magnetic, or the surface being treated cannot
be magnetized, at the initial period of time the
apparatus is held on the surface by the operator.
Then the working fluid is pressure-fed through the
pipe-line 10 and the reducer 9 to the interior of the
stator 3 of the header 2. It is due to the provision
of the reducer 9 as a swivel pipe connector that it
can assume a preset vertical position and remains so
oriented during any manipulations with the apparatus.
Further on the working fluid enters the rotor 4 along
the radial pipe-lines 5 and therefrom passes to the
working nozzles of the generators 6 of high-pressure
jets.
While discharging from the generators 6 of high-
pressure jets positioned at an angle to the surface 8
being treated, according to Variant I of the
invention, the working fluid develops a reaction force
which causes the header rotor 4 to rotate. According
to Variant II of the invention, the working fluid is
fed not only to the generators 6 of high-pressure jets
the axes of the nozzles of said generators being
turned in the direction of rotation of the rotor,
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i.e., in the direction opposite to the direction of
rotation of the rotor 4 but also to the ejector
nozzles l8positioned at the right angles to the axis
of the pipe-line 5. While discharging from the nozzles
18 the working fluid creates a reaction force which
causes the rotor 4 to rotate. A total force that
causes the rotor 4 to rotate, according to Variant II
of the invention, is defined by a difference between
the forces established by the nozzles 18 and by the
nozzles of the generators 6 of high-pressure jets.
The shaped vanes 17 disposed on the rotatable
rotor 4 establish a flow of the working fluid moving
from under the lower shaped surface 11 of the housing
1 and directed from the center to the periphery
thereof to create a negative pressure (rarefaction)
underneath the lower surface 11 of the housing 1 due
to both a discharge of the working fluid and the fact
that lower surface 11 of the housing 1 is shaped under
a definite law, which provides for creating an extra
force which presses the apparatus against the surface
8 being treated. In case of no magnetic interaction
between the supports 7 and the surface 8 said extra
forces press the apparatus against the surface 8 being
treated so that once the rotor 4 has started rotating,
the operator may no longer keep the apparatus forcedly
on the surface 8 being treated.
By rotating the ring 15 one can adjust the amount
of overlap of the ports 13 by the ports 14 if the ring
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15 by regulating the rate of flow of the working fluid
through said ports, thereby adjusting the pressing
force applied to the housing 1 of the apparatus.
While being discharged under pressure from the
nozzles of the generators 6 of high-pressure jets, the
working fluid shaped into a jet (a cavitating one
inclusive) acts upon the foul deposits of the surface
8 being cleaned, thus removing them from said surface
and cleaning it due to a many times repeated treatment
by the high-pressure jets of the working fluid (due to
rotation of the rotor 4) for further use or subsequent
treatment.
According to Variant II of the invention, when the
high-pressure jet of the working fluid is directed
along with the rotor rotation, the cleaning efficiency
is enhanced, insofar as first, the force of action
exerted by the high-pressure jet upon the fouls
deposits of the surface being cleaned is defined by a
sum of the flow velocity of the working fluid high-
pressure jet itself and of the rotation speed of the
rotor 4 rather than by a difference therebetween which
is the case with the Variant I of the invention, and
secondly, the high-pressure jet is directed to the
base of the deposits so as ~~to eradicate" them as it
were.
For translational motion of the apparatus over
the surface 8 being treated and for various
manipulations therewith provision is made in both
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WO 01/10576 24
variants of the invention for a device for changing
the direction of motion of the apparatus, said
device per se may have, e.g., three construction
arrangements, with the control mnemonics remaining
unaffected in all the variants proposed herein.
Translational motion of the apparatus is effected
due to a reaction force resulting from discharge of
the working fluid from the ejector nozzles 19 in one
direction, from the unidirectional nozzles 26, and
from the hinged ejector nozzles 29. Whenever it
becomes necessary to turn the apparatus to one side or
another on the surface being treated, or to turn it
around on the spot, the operator depresses the lever
25 on the control handle 21, thus acting upon through
the control cable 24, or on the spring-actuated two-
position directional control valve 22, or on the
spring-actuated directional control valve 27, or on
the spring-actuated swing cramp-iron 35.
In the first case the two-position directional
control valve 22 moves in the barrel 23 to shut off
one of the nozzles 19 in the pair and to turn on the
other nozzle thereof. When the direction of the
discharge of the working fluid from the nozzle 19 of
the second pair of nozzles, a moment of forces is
developed on the apparatus to turn it to a required
direction.
In the second case directional control valve 27
also effects control over the feed of the working
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WO 01/10576 25
fluid to either of the nozzles 26 in the pair, and the
processes proceeding as a result are similar to those
described above. Partial shutting off of either of the
nozzles 76 causes the apparatus to turn along a preset
pathway and setting the apparatus on a parallel track
to be cleaned in a reverse direction.
In the third case the control cable 24 causes the
tooth 36 of the spring-actuated swing cramp-iron 35 to
disengage the stop dog 38. The hinged nozzle 29 is
urged by the reaction force resulting from the working
medium discharging from said nozzle to turn through
180 degrees from one working position to the other
until the opposite end 37 of the cramp-iron 35 is
engaged with said stop-dog 38.
As a result, a moment of forces is developed on
the apparatus, resulting from differently directed
position of the nozzles 29, said moment causing said
nozzle to turn, thus changing the direction of its
further motion. Once the maneuver has been over, the
operator presses again the lever 25 on the control
handle 21 to turn the cramp-iron 35, whereby its end
37 disengages the stop-dog 38, and the nozzle 29
returns to the initial position as in the previous
operation, and the apparatus keeps performing
rectilinear motion in another direction.
The herein-proposed apparatus is made from
standard construction materials using routine
production processes and can therefore be manufactured
CA 02378489 2002-02-07
