AU2012101421A4 - Tertiary tank cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

The water jetting tank head positively uses a fixed pivot arm positioned by rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders device instead of utilising water to rotate a 360 arm to clean a substrate uses a fixed pivot arm positioned by rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders known as the Tertiartankreinigungsgerste controlled by the operator. As the equipment is fixed to the frame and directed forward away from the operator, the water stream affects cleaning only within the direct impact radius created by the Tertiartankreinigungsgerste. This innovation improves the safety of the operation by (i) removing the potential for a nozzle shifting and swinging, and (ii) confined the arc of the water stream to a field that cannot strike the operator or any nearby persons, (iii) It also improves the water efficiency for environmental and operational benefits by directing water only at the substrate that requires the cleaning and not utilising water to rotate the device which wastes flow and then results in wasted water spray away from the substrate requiring cleaning. It consists of two rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders with a pivot arm mounted via a bearing shaft. The Tertiartankreinigungsgerste can be moved in a lateral and vertical movement and attaches it itself to any form of support and supports multiple types of nozzles through a mounting block and three-way-splitter plate with standard metric coupling plate. The nozzle is positioned hydraulically giving the water jet nozzle access to a 180 degree range of movement both vertically and horizontally. The end of the rotational bearing shaft that allows the unit to swivel has two bolt holes through it allowing the device to be bolted to any support including concrete pumping arms, frames, diggers, forklifts or elevated work platforms. The operator can position the device from their control panel without needing to be near to or touch the nozzle. The operator does not need to change the position of the nozzle as often as present designs require as it can cover a larger area of substrate once positioned than is currently possible.

Description

EDITORIAL NOTE 2012101421 There are 3 Pages of Description AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION INNOVATION PATENT HYDRAULICALLY DRIVEN HIGH PRESSURE WATERJETTING TANK POSITIONING DEVICE TO REPLACE STANDARD WATER DRIVEN THREE DIMENSIONAL TANK CLEANING HEADS CALLED THE TERTIARTANKREINIGUNGSGERATE (ALSO REFERRED TO AS "TERTIARY TANK CLEANING NOZZLE" OR "TTCN") The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: High pressure waterjetting (also known as shot-gunning, hydro-blasting, water blasting, high pressure jetting or echo blasting) uses a stream of supersonic water at pressures between 5,000 to 60,000 PSI (345-4135 Bar) to quickly remove difficult coatings and debris from a material substrate. High pressure waterjetting is different than conventional cleaning processes in that it uses much higher water pressures which require unique pump and control systems. Very hard coatings and process debris are essentially eroded from the substrate by the high pressure water droplets, while brittle coatings are fractured and spall. High pressure waterjetting covers all forms of water jetting, including the use of additives or abrasives at high pressures and is mainly used in industrial cleaning processes. The technique requires the participation of a trained operative who has demonstrated the ability and knowledge to operate the machinery in accordance with the original equipment manufacturer's instructions, specifications, training programs and national standards. Cleaning of tanks utilising a standard tank cleaning head requires constant positioning of a stationary device and sprays water in a 3600 'sphere' in order to clean all around the nozzle simultaneously. Application of water to a flat substrate through the use of standard tank cleaning equipment raises two concerns. The primary concern is safety. The current methodology has the ability to create a reaction force that swings the tank head off-centre with the potential to then direct high pressure water towards the operator or other adjacent individuals. The 'swinging' of the tank head away from the intended substrate can occur through incorrect jetting of nozzles attached or through accidental positioning of the device too close to the surface. The second concern involves effective utilisation of water both from an environmental and efficiency perspective. Current devices spray water dangerously and unnecessarily in directions away from the intended substrate for cleaning due to their design. Time is therefore also wasted in cleaning the substrate as for the majority of the operating time of a standard tank cleaning nozzle water is directed away from the nominated substrate. The Tertiartankreinigungsgerste eliminates the safety risk by positively separating the operation of nozzles from the actual positioning device during the de-scaling of the nominated substrate. This simultaneously allows the operator to control the direction of the water and direct it at the substrate without causing moving exposure of the high pressure water. Nozzles can then be directly connected to the Tertiirtankreinigungsgerite which uses specifically designed rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders to direct the nozzle with a single direction of spray reduces the risk of harm to the operators and bystanders, whilst also maximizing its effectiveness of cleaning. The device is designed to fit a range of support holding equipment and arms, including (a) concrete pumping arms, (b) gantry cranes, (c) hand-rail or other safety railing system, (d) ground surface securing through the use of retaining weights or (e) mobile plant and equipment designed to typically receive jackhammer attachments such as diggers and forklifts. The Tertiartankreinigungsgerste consists of two designed rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders attached to a support shaft with rotational bearing with support plates and mounting and blocks and coupling plates to attach nozzles. The support Shaft (34 TTCN-#005) is designed with an in-built bearing to allow for the rotation of both it and the Pivot Arm (34-TTCN-#004) as these have keyways cut to allow key insertion from the respective rack and pinion hydraulic cylinders to move the entire device and position any attached nozzles accordingly towards the nominated substrate. The support Shaft (34-TTCN-#005) has two bolt holes drilled through to allow for attachment to any approved device such as a concrete pumping arm. The Coupling Plates (34-TTCN-#009 & 34-TTCN-#010) attach to the outside of the Pivot Arm (34 TTCN-#004) and are connected using standard metric hex-head bolts through the two Spacer Plates (34-TTCN-#006). The Support Plates (34-TTCN-#013) attach to the Mounting Block (34-TTCN-#011) via the Support Rib (34-TTCN-#012) and are connected using standard metric hex-head-bolts. Any nozzles are then attached using the 3 way splitter (34-TTCN-#017) which allows for any type of nozzle commercially available to be attached in conjunction with the sealer plug (34-TTCN-#014), nipple plug (34-TTCN-#O 15) and nipple hose splitter (34-TTCN-#O 16) as required.

Claims (5)

1. A high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positing device ("Tertiartankreinigungsgerste") for high pressure water jetting that combines rack and pinion hydraulics with mounted pivot arms and bearings to remove the need for water driven rotation positioning thereby reducing the possibility of injury to the operator and nearby persons and increasing water efficiency both for cleaning and environmentally. The positioning device can move in two directions 180 degrees via rack and pinion cylinders giving a controlled field of forward impact radius. A mounting block and three-way splitter allow a variety of nozzles to be utilised. The control and direction of the water stream is regulated by the operator who remains well away from the device and does not take any physical pressure from the equipment on his/her body/torso.

2. A high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positioning device according to claim 1 wherein there is a significantly reduced risk of the operator unintentionally directing the flow of water towards him/herself removing the principal danger associated with the practice of high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning devices with rotating arms.

3. A high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positioning device according to claims 1 and 2 wherein the physical movement of a high pressure waterjetting tank nozzle is no longer through the use of high pressure water itself but rather by a hydraulic control mechanism thereby eliminating the risk of shifting by the equipment due to failure of high pressure waterjetting equipment and increasing water efficiency by utilising water only for cleaning and not the positioning of the equipment.

4. A high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positioning device according to claims 1-3 wherein the high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positioning device is manufactured from anodized stainless steel or similarly durable materials.

5. A high pressure waterjetting tank cleaning positioning device substantially as herein described with reference to the engineering drawings attached. VICON SERVICES PTY LTD 7 SEPTEMBER 2012