GB2228558A

GB2228558A - Jet cleaner for steam cleaning

Info

Publication number: GB2228558A
Application number: GB9000702A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Allan Clarke
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-02-01
Filing date: 1990-01-12
Publication date: 1990-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2010-01-12
Also published as: GB9000702D0; GB2228558B; GB8902131D0

Abstract

A jet cleaner for steam cleaning motor vehicle engines comprises a boiler 12 and a heat source 13 for the boiler controlled by boiler pressure. The heat source 13 is a gas burner which produces an adequate supply of steam compared to electrically heated boilers. The jet cleaner is portable. <IMAGE>

Description

This invention relates to jet cleaners such as are used for example for steam cleaning motor vehicle engines and components and like cleaning tasks in which a jet, usually of steam is produced in a boiler.

Conventionally, such cleaners may be electrically heated, but these in general produce an inadequate amount of steam for most serious cleaning applications. On the other hand, fuel-burning such cleaners, burning for example, oil or petrol, are expensive and not very mobile, though they produce adequate steam for heavy duty cleaning.

The present invention provides a jet cleaner which is portable and yet produces an adequate supply of steam, which has a simple yet effective control arrangement.

The invention comprises a jet cleaner comprising a boiler and a heat source for the boiler controlled by boiler pressure.

The boiler may be maintained at a working pressure by the heat source being controlled to supply reduced heat on increase in boiler pressure above the said working pressure, and being controlled to cut off the supply of heat on loss of boiler pressure through exhaustion of the boiler contents.

The cleaner may comprise a start-up arrangement in which the heat source is operative to supply heat to the boiler despite low boiler pressure.

Boiler pressure may be sensed by a piston-incylinder arrangement.

The jet cleaner may comprise primary and secondary heat sources, the primary source producing working pressure and the secondary source maintaining the boiler at working pressure absent jet demand.

The heat source may be a gas burner and the cleaner may comprise primary and secondary gas burner arrangements.

The boiler and the heat source may be combined in a hand-portable unit. The cleaner may have a hand held jet separate from the said portable unit and connected thereto by conduit means. The hand held jet may have valve means for controlling the jet. The hand held jet may further have a valve controlling the injection of additive into the said jet which may be stored when not in use in the handle of the hand-portable or trolly-portable unit.

The jet cleaner may have a start-up arrangement comprising a lock acting on a piston-in-cylinder arrangement subject to boiler pressure and operative to hold the same in position in which the heat source is operative, and which may be released automatically to free the piston-in-cylinder arrangement when the working pressure of the cleaner is attained.

The lock element of the start-up unit may be jammed in locking position but released by movement of the piston-in-cylinder arrangement under boiler pressure.

The jet cleaner may possess an ignition device for the gas burner.

A jet cleaner according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a diagrammatic arrangement; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a hand portable unit; Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III on Figure 2; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV on Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a side elevation of one end of the cleaner showing a detail.

The drawings illustrate a jet cleaner 11 comprising a boiler 12 and a heat source 13 for the boiler controlled by boiler pressure.

The boiler 12 is maintained at a working pressure by the heat source 13 being controlled to supply reduced heat on increase in boiler pressure above said working pressure, and being controlled to cut off the supply of heat on loss of boiler pressure through exhaustion of the boiler contents.

Boiler pressure might typically be five to ten atmospheres above atmospheric. The boiler will usually be fully or partly filled with water.

In normal operation, the jet cleaner will be operated on fully or partly filling the boiler with water and turning on heat, once steam pressure has built up, either continuously or intermittently until the boiler contents are exhausted. As steam is used, heat must be supplied to the boiler, but when steam is not being used, reduced heat is supplied to the boiler sufficient to maintain the boiler at working pressure but not to increase that pressure.

The cleaner 11 comprises primary and secondary heat sources 13a,13b, the primary source 13a producing working pressure and the secondary source maintaining the boiler 12 at working pressure absent jet demand.

The heat source 13 is a gas burner, comprising a primary burner 13a and a secondary burner 13b.

On exhaustion of boiler contents, the primary heat source 13a is turned off to avoid damage to the boiler. Use is made of the fact that when the water in the boiler is exhausted, on demand for steam, boiler pressure will drop sharply. This allows a piston-incylinder arrangement, as will be explained below, to shut off the heat source to the boiler.

The jet cleaner 11 comprises a start-up arrangement 14 in which the heat source 13 is operative to supply heat to the boiler 12 despite low boiler pressure. Clearly, at start-up, there will be no boiler pressure above atmospheric. In this no-pressure, condition, of course, the control arrangement would normally shut down the heat source.

Boiler pressure is sensed by a piston-in-cylinder arrangement 15.

The piston-in-cylinder arrangement 15 comprises two spring loaded pistons 15a and 15f in the cylinder 15b. The pistons 15a and 15f are subject to boiler pressure. The piston l5a has a reduced section valve portion 15c which, according to boiler pressure, connects a burner gas inlet port 15d to a port 15e for the primary burner 13a.

Should the boiler pressure rise significantly above the working pressure, the piston 15f connects the steam inlet to an open port 15h thereby discharging the boiler pressure.

On loss of boiler pressure gas supply is cut off to port 15e.

The piston 15a has an extension 15g outside the cylinder 15b and the start-up arrangement could comprise a lock 16 with a counterbalance 16a acting on the extension 15g operative to hold the same in position, to which it can on start-up be manually moved, in which gas is supplied to the burner 13. The lock 16 is released automatically to free the piston 13a when working pressure is attained. The lock 16 is, on start-up, jammed in locking position by spring pressure and released by the slight movement of the piston as working pressure is attained in the boiler The boiler 12 and heat source 13 are contained in a hand-portable or trolley-portable unit. The cleaner 11 has a hand held jet 17 separate from the unit and connected to the boiler 11 by conduit means 18. The hand held jet 17 has a valve 19 for controlling the jet.

It may be desired to include an additive, for example, a surfactant, in the jet, and a separate compartment 21, is contained within or is associated with the unit to hold such additive which is supplied to the jet through a separate conduit 22, under control of the valve 22a.

The jet 17 may be mountable when not in use on a handle 23 of the unit.

An electric ignition means for the burner 13 is operated by a push button 24.

The arrangement is portable on a trolley 25 which holds e.g. propane bottles 26 for the burner 13 and water and additive containers 27 from which the boiler may be filled through the filler cap 28.

Claims

1. A jet cleaner comprising a boiler and a heat source for the boiler controlled by boiler pressure.

2. A jet cleaner according to claim 1, in which the boiler is maintained at a working pressure by the heat source being controlled to supply reduced heat on increase in boiler pressure above the said working pressure, and being controlled to cut off the supply of heat on loss of boiler pressure through exhaustion of the boiler contents.

3. A jet cleaner according to claim 2, comprising a start-up arrangement in which the heat source is operative to supply heat to the boiler despite low boiler pressure.

4. A jet cleaner according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which boiler pressure is sensed by a piston-incylinder arrangement.

5. A jet cleaner according to any one of claims 2 to 4, comprising primary and secondary heat sources, the primary source producing working pressure and the secondary source maintaining the boiler at working pressure absent jet demand.

6. A jet cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the heat source is a gas burner.

7. A jet cleaner according to claim 6, comprising primary and secondary gas burner arrangements.

8. A jet cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which the boiler and the heat source are combined in a hand-portable or trolley-portable unit.

9. A jet cleaner according to claim 8, having a hand held jet separate from the said portable unit and connected thereto by conduit means.

10. A jet cleaner according to claim 9, in which the hand held jet has valve means for controlling the jet.

11. A jet cleaner according to claim 9, having a valve for control of the jet from the boiler and a valve controlling injection of additive into the said jet.

12. A jet cleaner according to any one of claims 9 to 11, in which the hand held jet is mountable when not in use on the hand-portable unit.

13. A jet according to claim 12, in which a handle of the portable unit houses the hand held jet when not in use.

14. A jet cleaner according to claim 3, in which the start-up arrangement comprises a lock acting on a pistonin-cylinder arrangement subject to boiler pressure and operative to hold the same in a position in which the heat source is operative, and being released automatically to free the piston-in-cylinder arrangement when working pressure is attained.

15. A jet cleaner according to claim 14, in which the lock is jammed in locking position and released by movement of the piston-in-cylinder arrangement under boiler pressure.

16. A jet cleaner according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising ignition means for a gas burner.