IL33561A

IL33561A - Methods of washing vehicles

Info

Publication number: IL33561A
Application number: IL33561A
Authority: IL
Original assignee: Bernstein R; Arrow Labor Inc; Eichwald E
Priority date: 1968-12-23
Filing date: 1969-12-18
Publication date: 1972-08-30
Also published as: GB1192860A; IL33561A0; DE1943812A1; IE34027L; NO127060B; IE34027B1; BE743588A; FR2041986A5; LU60081A1; ES374679A1; SE368933B; CH530885A; AT312130B; NL6919044A

Description

invention relates to methods of and provides a method of washing a which method comprises applying to the outer surface of Firstly an acidic solution containing surfactant which soluble and the acidic an aqueoue alkaline solution to neutralise or remove the characterised that the first solution is an aqueoue acidic solution containing fluoride ions in a concentration of from to by calculated as hydrofluoric The is intended to include motor vehiclesv for vans and lorries and buses as well as railway for coaches and but not limited to classes of Suitable acids include acetic fluorosilicic hydrochloric hydrofluoric acid and sulphamic and mixtures of such The preferred acids are hydrofluoric and The concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the acid aqueoue solution is preferably from to by Concentrations below produce so little effect that they may and concentrations above are to and Similar concentrations are appropriate fo other ac an readily be determined by The surfactant for the acid aqueoue solution may be Examples of classes of suitable factants for the acid aqueoue solution are the ethylene Trade Mark polyglycol those sold under the Trade Mark the propylene oxide ethylene oxide block copolymers sold under the Trade Mark Pluronic and the fatty alkanolamides those sold under the Trade Mark The proportion of the factant used is not critical and may economically be in the range of to by weight of the weight of the acid According to a preferred feature of the invention there may be included in the acid solution a cationic factant when absorbed on the surface of the vehicle does not make the surface One group of materials having this unusual property is that having the general formula where which may be the same or in each case is a polyether chain made up of units and B is an alkylene preferably Such materials are sold by the Wyandotte Chemical Company under the Trade Mark and a particularly preferred material is that sold as Tetronic The proportion of this cationic factant is not critical and may conveniently be from to by weight of the acid It is thought that the cationic surfactant becomes positively charged in the acid solution and aids the washing process by adhering to the vehicle and to the The cationic surfactant may be used in addition to replace part or all of the When not entirely the surfactant is preferably present in an of from to by weight on the weight of the acid The alkaline solution may be an aqueous solution of any common for sodium hydroxide or sodium it preferably contains one or more of the sequestering metasilicate and potassium It may be desirable to include a proportion of a sequestering for ammonia triacetic acid or ethylenediamine tetraacetic as The alkaline solution preferably contains an for that sold under the Trade Mark Miranol These acid and alkaline solutions are generally supplied by the manufacturer in the form of concentrates automatic dilution by water in the washing equipment immediately before A concentrate of the acid solution presents no particular but a concentrate of the alkaline solution is liable to be unstable and to tate out when sodium salts are So it is preferred according to this invention that at least a quarter by weight of the alkaline material used shall be in the form of potassium as these are considerably more stable in concentrated aqueous The alkaline aqueous solutions used are suitably employed at a dilution of from to by weight on the alkaline solids The sequestering when is ferably employed at a dilution of from to are to of those for the surfactant in the acid aqueous Soft water should be used for the the water should preferably contain not more than parts of calcium carbonate per The solutions may iently be applied by being sprayed on to the While there of no objection to scrubbing the the solutions of this invention are intended to be sprayed on to the and allowed to drain off so as to make scrubbing or wiping In normal a final rinse of water ing neither acid nor alkali will be applied to the It is preferred to leave a short of perhaps a after application of the acid solution before the alkaline solution is so as to allow the acid solution to exert its full The final rinse veniently applied immediately after the alkaline Other acids and colouring materials and other additives may be added to the aqueous solutions as The volume of each solution used depends largely on the size of the In the volume of each solution used will not be less than 1 gallon per 0 of the vehicle There follow formulations of aqueous Formulation 1 Acid Solution Hydrofluoric acid Empilan P 9 oxide kg Phosphoric acid kg Hydrochloric acid kg Acetic acid kg Hydrofluosilicic acid kg Chlorazol yellow to suit to 5 gallons use at a dilution soft of from to Alkaline Solution Sodium tripolyphosphate 100 lbs Sodium metasilicate 10 lbs Trisodium phosphate 10 lbs Miranol 1 lb For use at a dilution soft of from to Formulation 2 Acid Solution Hydrofluoric acid Empilan NP9 oxide Phosphoric acid kg Hydrochloric acid kS Acetic acid kS Hydrofluosilicic acid kg Chlorazol yellow to suit Tetronic 701 SCU kg Formulation 2 Alkaline Solution Water g Potassium tetrapyrophosphate 100 g Trisodium phosphate 0 g Sodium metasilicate 172 g Potassium hydroxide 40 g Potassium carbonate 12 g Ammonia triacetic acid 22 g Miranol 2 ml Naphthalene red J S to suit Concentrate for use at a solids concentration of from to Formulation Acid Solution Hydrofluoric acid Acetic acid Phosphoric acid Hydrochloric acid Pluorosilicic acid Empilan Colour grams to make For use at a dilution soft of from to Alkaline Solution Sodium ipolyphosphate 100 lbs Trisodium phosphate 15 lbs Sodium metasilicate 10 lbs Antarox CO 1 lb For use at a dilution soft of from acid and alkaline solutions in these three formulations may be used A horizontal rootangular carrying an jets at 8 inch intervale directed inwards of the was arranged around a commerical van so tha were about 1 away from the outer surface of the Provision was made for raising and lowering the horizontal and for supplying the various aqueous solutions to the fan the frame was Just above the to of the The solution was supplied to the ets for a period of 25 seconde at a pressure of not less than 100 so that each Jet delivered gallons of the Durin this period frame gradually lowered round the van and raised After a pause of one the same procedure was repeated instead of the acid the alkaline Finally the procedure was repeated using soft This washing sequence was found adequate to clean the The hydrofluoric acid in the acid solutions of lations 1 2 and 3 be replaced wholly or part by fluoboric Here are two examples of acid solutions containing fluoboric Acid Solution A Fluoboric acid 0 kg Empilan NP9 kg Phosphoric acid kg Water to 20 litres Acid Solution B Hydrofluoric acid galls Fluoboric acid 80 galls Acetic acid 5 galls Hydrochloric acid 5 galls Fluorosilicic acid galls Empilan NP9 70 galls Colour grams Water to make 550 galls insufficientOCRQuality

Claims

P.A. 33561/Xl ΙΓΗΑΤ IS CLAIMED IS I

1· A method o washing a vehicle which method comprises applying -to the outer surface of the vehicle firstly an aqueous acidic eolution containing a eurfactant which ie soluble and stable in the acidic eolution and* secondly* a aqueous alkaline ablution to neutralise or remove the acid, .characterised in that the first eolution is an aqueous acidic eolution containing fluoride ions in a concentratio of from 0.01$ to 0*2$ by weight , calculated as hydrofluoric acid.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the acid aqueous solution contains hydrofluoric anid and/or fluoborlc acid.

3* A method as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the concentration of hydrofluoric acid in the acid aqueous solution is from 0.01$ to 0·2$ by weigh ·

4. Λ method as claimed in any one o Claims 1 to 3, wherein the acid aqueous solution contains a non- onic surfactant*

5* A method as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the proportion of the non-Ionic surfactant is from 0.*1$ to 0*2^ of the weigh of the acid aqueous solution*

6. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the acid aqueous solution contains a cationic surfactant* which* when absorbed on the outer surface of the vehicle does not make the surface hydrophobic*

7* A method as claimed in Claim 6, wherein th catlonic surfactant has the general formula -lO- H - XA) - H N - (B) -■ N' H - (A)' (A) - H where A, which may be the same or different in each case, is a polyether chain made up of -CE^ - CI^-O- and/or -CH(CHj) - -0- units, and B is an alkylene diradical.-

8. Δ method as claimed in claim i wherein B is an ethylene diradical i

9. A method as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the proportion of the cationic surfactant is from 0.005$ to 0.1$ of the weight of the acid aqueous solution.

10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the alkaline aqueous solution contains sodium metasilicate or potassium tetrapyrophosphate.

11. A method as 'claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the alkaline aqueous solution contains ammonia triacetic acid or ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid.:

12. - A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the alkaline aqueous solution contains an alkali-stable surfactant.

5· A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least a quarter by weight of the alkaline material used in the alkaline aqueous solution is in the form of potassium compounds.

A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the alkaline aqueous solution is employed at a dilution of .from 50:1 to 600:1 by weight of the alkaline solids employed.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the acid and alkaline aqueous solutions are made up using soft water containing not more than 0 parts per million of calcium carbonate.

16.. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 , wherein the aqueous solutions are applied by being sprayed on to the outer surface of the vehicle.

17*· A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein a final rinse of water containing neither acid nor alkali is applied to the vehicle.

18. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17 , wherein the volume of each solution used is not less than 1 gallon per sq. ft. of the vehicle outer surface.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1,. wherein there are employed the acid and alkaline aqueous solutions hereinbefore set forth in any one of Formulations 1 to .

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described in the Example.

21 . A vehicle when washed by the method claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20. COHEN ZEDE <S SPISBACH