GB2604887A

GB2604887A - Cleaning systems and methods for extraction or ventilation ducts

Info

Publication number: GB2604887A
Application number: GB2103675.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cunningham Gregory
Original assignee: Probionate Ltd
Current assignee: Probionate Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-17
Filing date: 2021-03-17
Publication date: 2022-09-21
Also published as: GB202103675D0

Abstract

A cleaning system 1 for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and greases within extraction and ventilation ducts (9, fig. 2). A supply pipe 2 supplies a cleaning fluid by means of a pump 3, potentially using compressed air, into an upstream end 4a of an output pipe 4. A nozzle 5, potentially a venturi nozzle, is connected to a downstream end 4b of the pipe and expels the cleaning agent into the ducts. A controller 6, which communicates with a user device, activates and deactivates the pump to control the flow of the cleaning fluid through the nozzle. The controller may communicate wirelessly with the user device and may report issues of non-performance in the system. The controller may calculate an amount of cleaning fluid required based on readings of a flow meter 7. The cleaning fluid may comprise a type of bacteria. A method is also claimed of spraying a cleaning fluid as a fog within the ventilation duct to embed droplets on the internal surface of the ventilation duct to inhibit the build-up of residue.

Description

CLEANING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXTRACTION OR VENTILATION DUCTS

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to cleaning of extraction or ventilation ducts and particularly, but not exclusively, bacterial cleaning of extraction or ventilation ducts for inhibiting the build-up of fats, greases and oils within the ducts.

Background

Commercial kitchens require adequate smoke and vapour ventilation and extraction ducts. These extraction and ventilation ducts are prone to fat, oil, grease and carbon build up on the internal walls and components which can impact efficiency of the systems and present a fire risk. Many fires in commercial kitchens are caused by such deposits of fat/oil/grease/carbon inside extraction and/or ventilation ducts.

The current method of removing these deposits is manual deep cleaning either by hand or using brushing machines. However, this manual cleaning is difficult and time intensive and it can be difficult, if not impossible, to check that the deposits have been successfully removed.

Summary

There is provided a cleaning system for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and greases within extraction and ventilation ducts, the cleaning system comprising: a fluid supply pipe for supplying a cleaning fluid; a pump unit, for example a pressure vessel or a pump, operable to pump fluid from the fluid supply pipe into an upstream end of an output pipe; a nozzle connected to a downstream end of the output pipe for expelling the cleaning fluid into the extraction and ventilation ducts; and a controller configured to activate and deactivate the pump unit to control the flow of the cleaning fluid through the nozzle.

The output pipe may comprise branches such that the output pipe has one upstream end and a plurality of downstream ends and the cleaning system may comprise one or more additional nozzles, such that each downstream end of the output pipe is connected to a respective nozzle of the cleaning system. In this way, the nozzles may be positioned inside the extraction or ventilation ducts to be cleaned throughout the system so that fluid may be spread more evenly across the system. Further, the spread of cleaning fluid throughout the extraction or ventilation ducts is not reliant on the flow of air through the extraction or ventilation ducts. Thus, cleaning may be performed at a time when the extraction or ventilation system is not in operation (such as at night).

The nozzle may be configured to distribute the cleaning fluid within the extraction and ventilation ducts as a fog. The droplets of cleaning fluid within the fog may have a diameter of between about 20km and 30km or between about 10km and 40km. The fluid may be a cleaning fluid for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and grease within the extraction and ventilation ducts. The droplets of the fog may imbed themselves within the internal surface of the ducts thereby preventing the build-up of fats, oils and grease. Furthermore, embedding droplets of the cleaning fluid on the internal surface of the duct prevents dripping or pooling of the cleaning fluid.

The nozzle may be a venturi nozzle. Furthermore, the pumping unit may comprise a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel may be configured to expel the cleaning fluid from the pressure vessel by compressed air. Alternatively, the pumping unit may comprise a pump. The pump may be configured to pump the cleaning fluid from the fluid supply pipe into the upstream end of the output pipe.

The nozzle may be located in a duct of the extraction and ventilation ducts. Where the placement of a nozzle is described, it is understood that the placement refers to the output of the nozzle. A nozzle of the cleaning system maybe placed near to an inlet of the extraction or ventilation system, at a bend in the ducts and/or at a junction between a plurality of ducts in the extraction or ventilation duct system. Nozzles of the cleaning system may be placed along a duct with a regular interval. The nozzle and/or pump settings may be configured so as to fog the cleaning solution into the extraction or ventilation ducts.

The controller may be configured to communicate with a user device via a cabled connection or via wireless communication such as WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or a network such as 3G/4G/5G. The user device may be a computer, mobile telephone, tablet or any other computing device. The controller may be configured to communicate with the user device indirectly, for example via a cloud-based system. By communicating over a network such as the internet, or a mobile network, the user device may be remote from the controller.

The controller may be configured to activate the pump at regular intervals, for example at the same time each day. The controller may be configured to activate the pump according to a programme. The programme may include times or time intervals at which the pump is to be activated, an amount of fluid to be pumped in each cleaning dose and/or a length of time for each cleaning dose. The controller may be configured to set or modify the programme based on communication received at the controller, from the user device. The controller may be configured to communicate with the nozzle(s). The controller may be configured to send operational signals to the nozzles such as nozzle settings and may receive diagnostic information from the nozzles.

The controller may be housed in a protective casing which may be water resistant.

The controller may be configured to identify issues of non-performance within the cleaning system. The controller may be configured to report detected issues of non-performance to the user device.

The cleaning system may comprise one or more further pumps, each further pump being connected to a respective further output pipe. The controller may be configured to activate and deactivate the further pumps in the same manner as described for the pump. The further pumps may be connected to the fluid supply pipe, or may be connected to respective alternative supply pipe(s) which may have respective alternative inlet port(s). In this way, the cleaning system may be connected to multiple cleaning supply fluids which may be selectively released into the extraction or ventilation ducts at respective positions in the ducts and/or respective times.

The cleaning system may further comprise a flow meter on the fluid supply pipe or the output pipe. The flow meter may be communicatively connected to the controller and the flow meter may be configured to send flow rate data to the controller. The controller may be configured to process the flow rate data to calculate an amount of fluid used by the cleaning system, optionally in a pre-set time period, such as a day. The controller may be configured to report data indicative of the amount of fluid used in the system to a user device, optionally the report may be sent at the end of the pre-set time period. The data indicative of the amount of fluid used in the system may be a measure of the amount of fluid used, a prediction of the amount of fluid left in a fluid tank connected to the cleaning system based on the amount of fluid used by the cleaning system, and/or an alert to indicate the level of fluid in the fluid tank is low based on the amount of fluid used by the cleaning system. In this way, a cleaning fluid supplier may be notified that the cleaning system is running low on cleaning fluid. The report of data indicative of the amount of fluid used in the system may be triggered by a threshold amount of fluid used or a threshold amount of fluid predicted to remain in the fluid tank.

The controller may be configured to process the flow rate data to calculate an amount of fluid used in a dose. The controller may be configured to report data indicative of the amount of fluid used in a dose by the cleaning system to a user device. The controller may be configured to check whether the measured dose amount matches a pre-set value for the target dose amount and may store a result of the check. The controller may be configured to report the result of the check to the user device.

The cleaning system may further comprise a power supply system configured to be isolated from the extraction or ventilation ducts to be cleaned. The power supply system may comprise a mains supply plug. The power supply system may further comprise a battery. In this way, the battery may be used as a backup power supply if the mains supply is interrupted. By isolating the power supply from the power supply of the extraction or ventilation ducts, cleaning may be performed at a time when the extraction or ventilation system is not in operation (such as at night).

The cleaning system may further comprise an input port at an upstream end of the fluid supply pipe. The input port may be configured to attach to a fluid tank such that the fluid tank is in fluid communication with the fluid supply pipe. Thus, fluid may be pumped from the fluid tank, through the fluid supply pipe, into the output pipe and through the nozzle(s).

The cleaning system may further comprise the fluid tank. The fluid tank may contain bacteria. The bacteria, once released into the extraction and ventilation ducts by the cleaning system will consume any fat, oil and grease present and so will clean any deposits already in the ducts and prevent the build-up of deposits in the ducts. The bacteria may comprise a bacterial culture, microbial spores or may take another form. The bacteria may be a fat, oil, carbon and/or grease consuming bacteria. The cleaning fluid may be, for example, NU-VENTTm which is manufactured by lnnuscienceTM. The cleaning fluid may be food-safe and/or non-hazardous.

There is further provided a method of cleaning extraction and ventilation ducts comprising: providing a cleaning system as described above, wherein an output of the or each nozzle is in a duct of the extraction and ventilation ducts and activating the pump, by the controller.

Nozzle (s) may be positioned in various locations through the extraction or ventilation ducts so that fluid may be spread evenly across the extraction or ventilation system as described 20 above As described above, the cleaning system may further comprise an input port at an upstream end of the fluid supply pipe. The input port may be configured to fluidly connect to a fluid tank containing cleaning fluid. The method of cleaning may further comprise pumping cleaning fluid from the fluid tank, through the fluid supply pipe, into the output pipe and through the nozzle(s) into the extraction or ventilation ducts. The cleaning system may further comprise the fluid tank. The fluid tank may contain a fluid comprising bacteria. The method of cleaning may further comprise releasing the bacteria into the extraction and ventilation ducts. The bacteria may comprise a bacterial culture, microbial spores or may take another form. The bacteria may be a fat, oil, carbon and/or grease consuming bacteria.

The cleaning fluid may be, for example, NU-VENTTm which is manufactured by lnnuscienceTM. The cleaning fluid may be food-safe and/or non-hazardous.

There is further provided a method of installation of a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts comprising: providing a cleaning system as described above, and locating the nozzle in a duct of the extraction and ventilation ducts.

S

Nozzle(s) may be positioned in various locations through the extraction or ventilation ducts so that fluid may be spread evenly across the extraction or ventilation system as described above.

There is further provided a method of monitoring a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts comprising: receiving reported information from a controller of the cleaning system and storing the reported information.

There is further provided a method of controlling a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts comprising: performing the method of monitoring a cleaning system as described above, and sending a command signal to the controller of the cleaning system, the command signal configured to modify the operation of the controller.

The reported information may comprise operational information of the cleaning system, status information of the cleaning system, diagnostic information of the cleaning system and/or programme information of the cleaning system.

The command signal may comprise operational information, programme information a request for reported information, a command to begin or stop cleaning and/or software 25 updates.

The operational information may comprise: flow rate data, length of time per cleaning dose, amount of fluid used, optionally in a time period or since a reset of the count or used in one dose, a result of a check whether an amount of fluid used in a dose matches a target amount of fluid per dose, an amount of fluid remaining in a fluid tank, an alert indicating that fluid remaining in the fluid tank is below a threshold amount, a software version that the controller is running, nozzle settings and/or pump pressure.

The status information may comprise: indication that the pump is active, that cleaning is in progress, that the cleaning system is in standby, that the cleaning system has a fault and/or that the cleaning system is running diagnostic tests.

S

The diagnostic information may comprise: fault information about the cleaning system or a component of the cleaning system, such as the flow meter, the pump, or one or more nozzles.

The programme information may comprise: planned cleaning times, planned flow rate, planned length of time per cleaning dose, target amount of fluid used, optionally in a time period or since a reset of the count or in one dose, planned nozzle settings and/or planned pump pressure.

The method of controlling may further comprise receiving a selection from a user input, the selection relating to a command to begin or stop cleaning, operational information, programme information, a request for reported information and/or software updates and sending a command signal to the controller including the information related to the selection.

The method may further comprise receiving a calibration quantity from a user input and updating a stored value for the corresponding quantity using the calibration quantity. For example, a calibration quantity may be an amount of cleaning fluid remaining in the tank and a stored value for the amount of cleaning fluid remaining in the tank may be updated to match the user input calibration quantity.

The method of controlling may further comprise storing one or more cleaning fluid types and a respective related set of information related to the or each cleaning fluid type. The selection by a user may be a type of cleaning fluid and the information relating to the selection may be the respective related set of information.

The methods of controlling and/or monitoring may be computer-implemented and may be performed wholly or partially by a user device such as a computer, tablet, and/or smart phone and/or may be performed wholly or partially by a cloud-based system which may be accessible by a user device.

The controller may communicate with the cloud-based system only. The cloud-based system may communicate with the controller and the user device. The user device may communicate with the cloud-based system. The controller may communicate with the user device. The controller may communicate both directly with the user device and indirectly with the user device via the cloud-based system. Multiple user devices may be used to communicate with the cloud-based system and/or the controller. Further the cloud-based system and/or the user device may communicate with controllers of multiple cleaning systems.

Such communication may be realised via a cabled connection or via wireless communication such as WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC or a network such as 3G/4G/5G.

There is further provided a method of monitoring a plurality of cleaning systems for extraction or ventilation ducts, the method comprising: receiving reported information from a controller of each of the plurality of cleaning systems and storing the reported information.

There is further provided a method of controlling a plurality of cleaning systems for extraction and ventilation ducts, the method comprising: performing the method of monitoring a plurality of cleaning systems as described above, and sending a respective command signal to the controller of each of the respective cleaning systems, the command signals configured to modify the operation of their respective controllers.

There is further provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions adapted to carry out the method described above of controlling a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts, and/or the method described above of monitoring a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts and/or the method of monitoring a plurality of cleaning systems for extraction or ventilation ducts, and/or the method of controlling a plurality of cleaning systems for extraction or ventilation ducts.

There is further provided a system comprising a cleaning system as described above and a monitoring and/or controlling system configured to perform a method of monitoring and/or controlling as described above.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of preventing the build-up of fats, oils or grease on an internal surface of a ventilation duct, the method comprising: spraying a cleaning fluid as a fog within the ventilation duct; and embedding droplets of the fog on the internal surface of the ventilation duct; wherein embedding droplets of the fog on the internal surface of the ventilation duct inhibits the build-up of fats, oils or greases on the internal surface of the ventilation duct.

The droplets may have a diameter of between 20km and 30km. Spraying the cleaning fluid may comprise expelling the cleaning fluid from a pressure vessel using compressed air. The method may comprise sucking the fog through the ventilation duct to embed the cleaning fluid throughout the duct.

The method may comprise spraying the cleaning fluid into a heat exchanger of an air conditioning system.

The optional features described above are equally applicable to all of the described methods and systems and are not limited to the particular method/system with which they are described here. Further, the methods and systems described above may be combined in any possible combination.

Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the claims and the following description.

Brief Description of Drawings

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams, in which:-Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a cleaning system for extraction or ventilation ducts; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of components of a cleaning system installed in an extraction system; Figure 3 shows a front view of components of a cleaning system for extraction or ventilation ducts; Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of communication between the controller of the cleaning system of Figure 1 and a user device and a cloud-based system; and Figure 5 shows a user interface of a system for controlling and monitoring a cleaning system for extraction or ventilation ducts.

Detailed Description

In general terms embodiments of the invention relate to a cleaning system for extraction and ventilation ducts, for example cleaning a ventilation system within a commercial restaurant setting. The cleaning system comprises a fluid supply pipe and a pump operable to pump fluid from the fluid supply pipe into an upstream end of an output pipe. A nozzle is connected to a downstream end of the output pipe for distributing the fluid as a fog within the ventilation system to prevent the build-up of fats, greases and oils on the internal walls of the ventilation and extraction ducts. A controller is configured to activate and deactivate the pump thereby controlling when the fog is injected into the ventilation and extraction ducts, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a user device.

Figure 1 shows a cleaning system 1 for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and grease on an internal surface of extraction or ventilation ducts. The cleaning system 1 comprises a pump 3 operable to pump a cleaning fluid from the fluid supply pipe 2 into an upstream end 4a of output pipe 4. Nozzles 5 are each connected to a respective downstream end 4b of the output pipe 4. Controller 6 is configured to activate and deactivate the pump 3.

Generally, the cleaning system 1 pumps a cleaning fluid through nozzles 5 into the extraction or ventilation ducts to be cleaned. The cleaning fluid is expelled from the nozzles 5 by compressed air and is delivered within the ducts as a fog. The cleaning fluid contains bacteria which consume fat, oil and grease to thereby clean away and prevent build-up of fat, oil and grease in the ducts. The cleaning system 1 and its operation is explained in more detail below.

Fluid supply pipe 2 of the cleaning system is connected to an input port 8. The input port 8 is connectable to a fluid tank (not shown) containing cleaning fluid. The fluid supply pipe 2 is connected at its opposing end to pump 3, so that the fluid supply pipe 2 connects the fluid tank to the pump 3.

The cleaning system 1 includes a flow meter 7 attached to fluid supply pipe 2. The flow meter 7 measures the flow of fluid through the fluid supply pipe 2. The flow meter 7 is communicatively connected to controller 6 and the flow meter 7 is configured to send flow rate data to the controller 6. This communication is indicated by the double ended arrow in Figure 1. In other embodiments, flow meter 7 may be attached to the output pipe 4 instead of the fluid supply pipe 2 and so will measure flow through the output pipe 4. Alternatively, a second flow meter may be included in the system to measure flow in both the fluid supply pipe 2 and the output pipe 4.

Pump 3 is configured to pump fluid from the input supply pipe 2 to the output pipe 4. The pump 3 is communicatively connected to the controller 6 as shown by the double ended arrow in Figure 1. The controller 6 sends commands to the pump 3 and the pump 3 sends status information and diagnostic information to the controller 6. The status information may be "active" or "standby", for example. Diagnostic information may include faults occurring in the pump 3, low pressure in the system or other information useful to diagnose issues occurring in the cleaning system 1.

Output pipe 4 is connected at its upstream end 4a to the pump 3. The output pipe 4 has four branches 4c so that it has four downstream ends 4b. The output pipe 4 is connected at each downstream end 4b to a respective one of the nozzles 5. The dashed lines shown in the output pipe 4 indicate that the branches may have a long length. This means that the nozzles 5 can be located throughout the extraction or ventilation system that is to be cleaned. The length of each branch of the output pipe 4 may be chosen based on the extraction or ventilation system in which the cleaning system 1 is to be used. The nozzles 5 may be venturi nozzles.

Controller 6 is communicatively connected to pump 3 and flow meter 7, for example via a cabled connection. The controller 6 is configured to send requests for flow rate data to the flow meter 7 and receive flow rate data from the flow meter 7. The controller 6 may also receive diagnostic information from the flow meter 7 such as details of a fault. The controller 6 is configured to send activation and deactivation commands to the pump 3 and may also send requests for status and diagnostic information. The controller 6 may also send operational information to the pump 3 such as a pressure to be used. The controller 6 may receive diagnostic and/or status information from the pump 3, such as an "activated" or "deactivated" status or details of a fault in the system 1.

The controller 6 may also be communicatively connected to a user device, for example a computer, a mobile phone, a tablet or the like, that is not shown in Figure 1. This communication may be implemented via a cabled or wireless connection and may include use of a network such as Wi-Fi, a cellular network such as 3G, 4G, 5G or another communication method such as Bluetooth or NFC. Further, this communication may utilise a cloud-based system. The communication of the controller with a user device and/or cloud-based system will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 4.

When the cleaning system 1 is to perform a dose of cleaning the controller 6 sends an activation command to the pump 3 to start pumping cleaning fluid from the fluid supply pipe 2 to the output pipe 4. The pump 3 is activated and begins pumping fluid from the fluid supply pipe to the output pipe 4 and may send a status indicating the pump is activated to the controller 6. The fluid is pumped through the output pipe 4 and through the nozzles 5 and into the extraction or ventilation system. The flow meter 7 measures the fluid flow through the fluid supply pipe 2 and sends this information to the controller 6. Once the amount of fluid to be used in one dose of cleaning has been measured by the flow meter 7, the controller sends a "deactivate" command to the pump 3. The pump 3 stops operation and may send a "deactivated" status to the controller. The controller 6 may send the deactivate command based on an elapsed time rather than based on the flow rate measurements. The controller may calculate the total amount of cleaning fluid used in the dose and send this information to the user device.

The cleaning fluid is delivered within the ventilation ducts as a fog wherein each droplet of cleaning fluid is between 20pm -30 pm. Distributing the cleaning fluid as a fog is beneficial as the droplets do not apply themselves to the internal surface of the ventilation system as doing so can cause the ventilation system to become wet and the cleaning fluid may pool, drip or run off the internal surfaces of the ducts. These are common problems when the cleaning fluid is distributed as a mist where the droplets are between 80pm -90pm in diameter. The fog of cleaning fluid beneficially flows or is sucked through the ducts of the ventilation system such that the droplets of the fog embed themselves on an internal surface of the duct thereby inhibiting the build-up of fats, oils and greases within the duct thereby negating the requirement for a deep clean of the ventilation system. The bacteria within the cleaning fluid produces an enzyme upon contact with fats, oils or grease which in turn prevents the build-up of fats, oils or grease within the ducts.

Figure 2 shows components of a cleaning system 1 installed in an extraction or ventilation system illustrating the positions of the output pipe 104 and nozzles 105 in relation to the ducts 9. Nozzles 105 are positioned in the walls of ducts 9 so that the outputs of the nozzles are inside of the ducts 9 such that the fog of cleaning fluid is distributed throughout the ducts 9 and spread throughout the ducts 9 as air flows through the ducts 9. The nozzles 105 are each connected to a respective branch 104c of output pipe 104. The nozzles 105 are positioned in intakes 9a of the extraction system and at bends 9b in the ducts.

Figure 3 shows components of a cleaning system 201. The fluid supply pipe 202, pump 203, output pipe 204, controller 206 and flow meter 207 operate in a similar way as the corresponding components shown in Figure 1. The fluid supply pipe 202 may be connected to a reservoir of cleaning fluid (not shown). Alternatively, the fluid supply pipe 202 may be connected to a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel may be coupled to the controller 206 such that the controller 206 may control when a valve on the pressure vessel is opened thereby allowing the cleaning fluid to be expelled from the pressure vessel as a fog into the fluid supply pipe 202.

The controller 206 has an antenna 214 to enable WiFi and GSM communication with a cloud-based system or user device.

The cleaning system 201 is provided with an isolated power supply via cable 215. The power supply is isolated from the system to be cleaned and in this embodiment is provided by mains electricity via a standard wall plug. In other embodiments a battery may be included either to replace the mains supply or as a backup power supply.

A secondary fluid supply pipe 216 may be provided with a connected flow meter 217.

Secondary pipe 216 may be connected at a first end to a secondary fluid tank and at the opposite end to the fluid supply pipe 202 between the flow meter 207 and the pump 203. Alternatively, the secondary fluid supply pipe 216 may be omitted from the cleaning system 201 In an embodiment the controller 206 may be connected to a connection hub 218 which is connected to the nozzles (not shown) and the secondary fluid tank. The controller 206 is also connected to the pump 203 and to the respective flow meters 207, 217. The secondary fluid tank may be, for example, a water reservoir used to dilute the cleaning fluid.

The controller 206 may send operational information to the nozzles such as settings and may receive diagnostic information from the nozzles.

Figure 4 shows possible communication routes between the cleaning system 1 of Figure 1, a user device 10 and a cloud-based system 11.

In some embodiments, the controller 6 communicates with the cloud-based system 11 via communication channel 13a only. The cloud-based system 11 communicates with the controller 6 via channel 13a and the user device via channel 13b. The user device 10 communicates with the cloud-based system 11 via channel 13b. In some embodiments, the controller 6 communicates with the user device 10 via communication channe112. In some embodiments, both channel 12 and channels 13a and 13b may be utilised for communication with the controller.

Communication channels 12, 13a and 13b may be realised via a cabled connection or via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC or a GSM network such as 3G/4G/5G.

The controller 6 may send status information, diagnostic information, operational information and/or programme information to the user device 10 and/or the cloud-based system 11. The controller 6 may receive requests for information and/or programme information, and/or commands to begin or stop cleaning and/or operational information such as nozzle settings, amount of fluid per dose, length of time per dose, pump pressure.

In this way, the user device 10 and/or cloud-based system 11 may control the cleaning operation by setting operational values, setting a programme for the controller 6 to follow and/or by sending commands at times when cleaning should be performed. In this way, the user device 10 or cloud-based system 11 may store the programme and send commands according to the programme or may send a programme to the controller 10 to be implemented by the controller 6. Further, a user may manually begin cleaning when required using the user device and/or the user may set an automatic programme to be followed.

Typically, the controller 6 would activate the cleaning system between once a month and once a week to distribute the cleaning fluid fog within the ventilation ducts to prevent the build-up of fats, oils and greases. Spraying the fog within the ventilation ducts at regular intervals prevents the build-up of fats, oils and greases thereby keeping the internal surface of the ducts 9 clean and negating the requirement for a deep clean.

Figure 5 shows an example of a user interface shown on a user device 10 that is in communication with a cleaning system 1 or 201. The user is able to choose operational values and programme settings for the cleaning system 1 and enter calibration quantities such as amount of fluid remaining in the fluid tank. The user can also start or stop a cleaning dose and view the status and history of the cleaning system.

If the user device is in communication with more than one cleaning system, the user may view and control each cleaning system separately.

Although particular embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example and for the purposes of illustration only. The aforementioned embodiments are not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims.

For example, the cleaning system may be used to inject a cleaning fluid or disinfectant into an air conditioning system. The cleaning fluid may, for example, be injected into a heat exchanger of an air conditioning system to kill any virus particles circulating within the air conditioning system thereby improving the quality or air being circulated by the air conditioning system.

It is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A cleaning system for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and greases within extraction and ventilation ducts, the cleaning system comprising: a fluid supply pipe for supplying a cleaning fluid; a pump unit operable to pump the cleaning fluid from the fluid supply pipe into an upstream end of an output pipe; a nozzle connected to a downstream end of the output pipe for expelling the cleaning fluid into the extraction and ventilation ducts; and a controller configured to activate and deactivate the pump unit to control the flow of the cleaning fluid through the nozzle, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with a user device.
2. A cleaning system according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle is configured to expel the cleaning fluid within the extraction and ventilation ducts as a fog.
3. A cleaning system according to claim 2, wherein droplets of the cleaning fluid within the fog have a diameter of between 20pm and 30pm.
4. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the nozzle is a venturi nozzle.
5. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the pumping unit comprises a pressure vessel and wherein the cleaning fluid is expelled from the pressure vessel by compressed air.
6. A cleaning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pumping unit comprises a pump and wherein the pump is configured to pump the cleaning fluid from the fluid supply pipe into the upstream end of the output pipe.
7. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the cleaning fluid is a fluid for preventing the build-up of fats, oils and grease within the extraction and ventilation ducts.
8. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the user device via wireless communication.
9. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to activate the pump at regular intervals.
10. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim, wherein the controller is configured to activate the pump according to a programme, the programme including times or time intervals at which the pump is to be activated.
11. A cleaning system according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to set or modify the programme based on communication received at the controller, from the user device.
12. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim wherein, the controller is configured to identify issues of non-performance within the cleaning system and the controller is configured to report detected issues of non-performance to the user device.
13. A cleaning system according to any preceding claim further comprising a flow meter on the fluid supply pipe or the output pipe, the flow meter being communicatively connected to the controller, and the flow meter being configured to send flow rate data to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to process flow rate data to calculate an amount of fluid used by the cleaning system and report data indicative of the amount of fluid used by the cleaning system to the user device.
14. The cleaning system of any preceding claim, the cleaning system further comprising a power supply system configured to supply power to the cleaning system and configured to be isolated from the extraction or ventilation ducts to be cleaned.
15. The cleaning system of any preceding claim, the cleaning system further comprising an input port at an upstream end of the fluid supply pipe and a fluid tank containing bacteria, the input port attached to the fluid tank such that the fluid tank is in fluid communication with the fluid supply pipe.
16. The cleaning system of any preceding claim, wherein the nozzle is located in a wall of a duct of the extraction and ventilation ducts.
17. A method of preventing the build-up of fats, oils or grease on an internal surface of a ventilation duct, the method comprising: spraying a cleaning fluid as a fog within the ventilation duct; and embedding droplets of the fog on the internal surface of the ventilation duct; wherein embedding droplets of the fog on the internal surface of the ventilation duct inhibits the build-up of fats, oils or greases on the internal surface of the ventilation duct.
18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the droplets have a diameter of between 20pm and 30pm.
19. A method according to claim 17 or 18, wherein spraying the cleaning fluid comprises expelling the cleaning fluid from a pressure vessel using compressed air.
20. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 19, comprising sucking the fog through the ventilation duct.
21. A method according to any one of claims 17 to 20, comprising spraying the cleaning fluid into a heat exchanger of an air conditioning system.