JP2001029909A - Robot for agitating/transferring/cleaning sludge in tank for petroleum, etc. - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make sludge removable efficiently by scraping/sucking the sludge simultaneously by mounting a sludge agitating/transferring apparatus which transfers the sludge on the tank bottom surface in the direction of the suction part of a discharge pump while agitating the sludge on a dolly part for an apparatus. SOLUTION: In a main body traveling part A, a small-size hydraulic unit 2 and a high pressure air supplying air pole 3 are fitted to a frame 1 having a pair of right and left crawlers 1a. In a dolly part B for an apparatus connected with the traveling part A by a hinge 1g, a pair of agitators 5 and a sludge suction pump 12 are fitted to a frame 4 having a jack 10 for adjusting a pump level. Each agitator 5 rotates an agitating/transferring brush 7 suspended by a housing 6 by an air motor 8R, and its opening is adjusted by a hydraulic cylinder 9R. In this way, sludge is scraped and sucked simultaneously to be removed efficiently.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an agitation transfer cleaning robot that cleans an oil tank or the like in place of an operator, and more particularly, efficiently removes sludge from an oil tank or the like. It belongs to the technical field of sludge stirring transfer cleaning robot.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Sludge, which is a sludge-like sediment, has settled down at the bottom of oil and other tanks with the passage of time and must be periodically removed. Required to remove sludge on the tank bottom plate. By the way, conventionally, there is no apparatus suitable for such cleaning, and when using a cleaning apparatus for other purposes, a tank such as an oil tank has only a manhole having a diameter of about 60 cm as an entrance. As a result, the cleaning device could not be carried in, and the sludge had to be removed directly from the manhole by a worker into the tank. However, this work has a bad working environment and is dangerous and severe for workers. Accordingly, the present inventor has provided a cleaning robot in which a sludge scraping device, a suction device, and the like are incorporated in a small low-floor loader that can enter and exit a manhole of a tank for oil or the like as a cleaning means in place of an operator. Solved the problem.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the cleaning robot described above has made it possible to efficiently remove sludge instead of an operator, but it has to alternately perform a sludge scraping operation and a suction operation. However, since the suction operation cannot be performed sufficiently during the scraping operation, and the suction operation cannot be performed sufficiently during the suction operation, the working efficiency cannot be said to be sufficient.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In view of the above, the present inventor has adopted a pair of spiral stirring brushes rotating in opposite directions to move the sludge inward, and to perform the scraping operation and the suction operation in parallel. The scraping device and the suction device are always functioning to shorten the work time, and by adjusting the opening of the brush, a fixed amount of sludge is always pumped regardless of the sludge accumulation state. It is intended to provide a stirring transfer cleaning robot capable of efficiently removing sludge by finding that the pump can be operated steadily as a result, and the specific solution is as follows. . (1) a main body traveling portion that travels by a crawler driven by a hydraulic motor, and is connected in front of the main body traveling portion;
A bogie unit for the device equipped with a sludge discharge pump for sucking sludge deposited on the tank bottom and discharging the sludge outside the tank,
In the robot for cleaning and transferring the sludge in a tank of petroleum or the like, the trolley for the device is provided with a sludge stirring transfer device for transferring the sludge on the bottom surface of the tank toward the discharge pump suction unit while stirring. A robot for agitating, transferring, and cleaning sludge in oil and other tanks. (2) The tank for petroleum or the like according to (1), wherein the agitating and transferring device includes a set of spiral brushes for rotating and transferring the sludge inward in a direction opposite to each other and in a direction toward a pump suction unit. Sludge stirring transfer cleaning robot. (3) The tank for petroleum or the like according to any one of (1) to (2), wherein the stirring and transferring device is configured to be able to adjust an opening degree of a set of spiral brushes in the left-right direction. Robot for cleaning and transferring sludge inside. (4) The main body traveling unit includes a small hydraulic unit driven by high-pressure air supplied from the outside, the driving unit being a hydraulic device mounted on the main body traveling unit and the device cart. 4. The robot for agitation transfer of sludge in a tank for petroleum or the like according to any one of the above items 1 to 3. (5) The petroleum or the like according to any one of (1) to (4) above, wherein an air pole that can be extended and retracted to draw high-pressure air from outside via a hose is provided in the main body traveling portion. Robot for cleaning and transferring sludge in tank. (6) The sludge stirring transfer cleaning robot in a tank for oil or the like according to any one of (1) to (5) above, wherein a weight storage section for balance adjustment is provided in the main body traveling section. (7) The robot for agitating, transferring, and cleaning sludge in a tank of oil or the like according to any one of (1) to (6) above, wherein an outer crawler track for anti-slip is attached to the crawler of the main body traveling unit. (8) The robot for agitating, transferring and cleaning sludge in a tank of petroleum or the like according to any one of (1) to (7) above, wherein the carriage for the device is provided with a pump level adjusting jack.

[0005]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The opening degree (opening width at the front end) of a set of agitating and aspirating devices assembled in a tank for petroleum etc. for agitating, transferring and cleaning, and the height of an aspirating pipe from the bottom of a tank are determined by the tank. It is adjusted according to the state of sludge accumulation inside.
In addition, the vehicle runs at a constant speed in the tank while rotating the spiral stirring brush. Then, a set of spiral brushes feeds the sludge in the width backward while stirring and collects it under the suction nozzle of the sludge suction pump by the rotating action of the spiral, sucks the sludge by the pump and out of the tank through the discharge pipe. Discharge. At this time, under the constant speed running, the feed amount of the sludge by the spiral stirring brush becomes constant, and the amount of the sludge sucked by the suction pump is also constant, so that the rated operation can be performed.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a stirring / transfer cleaning robot according to the present invention is provided with a crawler type robot main body traveling section A equipped with an air-driven small hydraulic unit, which can be connected and separated in front thereof. Cart unit B for equipment equipped with a pair of a spiral brush for stirring and a sludge suction pump connected
It is composed of Therefore, the configuration of each of these units will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of the stirring transfer cleaning robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the stirring transfer cleaning robot of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, a main body traveling portion A includes a frame 1 having a pair of right and left traveling crawlers 1a and 1a driven by a hydraulic motor, and a small air-driven hydraulic unit 2 disposed on the frame 1. , A plurality of operating levers 1b, a driver's seat 1c, an air pole 3 for supplying high-pressure air, a sludge discharge pipe 1
f and the like, and since the main body traveling section A and the apparatus trolley section B are connected by a connecting hinge 1g provided at the front of the main body traveling section, the sludge suction / discharge device is used. Alternatively, other types of cleaning devices such as a discharge plate and a finishing brush can be mounted and used.

At the front end of the frame 1 of the main body traveling section A, a hydraulic cylinder 1e for raising and lowering the entire apparatus carriage B is provided to facilitate traveling when the apparatus carriage B is connected. At the rear, the driver's seat 1c is configured to be detachable or foldable so that the main body traveling portion A having the driver's seat 1c can pass through the manhole. In addition, the frame 1 is provided with a weight storage portion 1d,
In the case where the space 1d is filled with a heavy substance such as lead to increase the weight of the main body traveling portion A to suck and remove sludge including heavy sludge (having a viscosity equivalent to high-viscosity lubricating oil), a rubber crawler is used. Since heavy sludge is interposed between the tank and the anticorrosive lining, the contact pressure between the crawler and the floor surface is increased to increase the stepping force and prevent slippage.

Further, the sludge discharge pipe 1f provided on the frame 1 is provided so as not to make a bent portion as much as possible so that the sludge flows smoothly. The connected joint hose connection joint portion is provided at the rear end with a hose connection joint portion for discharging sludge outside the tank.

A pair of right and left traveling crawlers 1a, 1a
Similar to a conventional crawler type traveling vehicle, each is driven by a hydraulic motor, and forward and backward and direction changes are performed by controlling the hydraulic motor with an operation lever 1b. Further, the crawler tracks of the crawlers 1a and 1a use a conductive and oil-resistant rubber crawler so as not to damage the tank anticorrosion lining and generate static electricity.
The rubber crawler has a structure in which heavy sludge is interposed between the rubber crawler and the anticorrosion lining of the tank and the sliding crawling force is lost, so that a non-slip outer crawler belt can be mounted to further increase the crawling force.

The small hydraulic unit 2 is housed in the space of the frame 1 so as not to hinder the main body traveling portion A from passing through the manhole. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, it is provided below the driver's seat 1c in consideration of the weight balance of the entire apparatus. Further, the small hydraulic unit 2 includes a hydraulic pump 14 driven by high-pressure air supplied from the outside, and a hydraulic motor (not shown) of the main body traveling unit A and the bogie unit B for the apparatus is driven by the hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 14. ) And the hydraulic cylinders 9R and 9L for adjusting the opening and the hydraulic cylinder 1e for raising and lowering the truck for the device are operated.

The high pressure air supply air pole 3 is connected to a small hydraulic unit 2 via an air hose connected to a high pressure air source.
For supplying high-pressure air to the drive unit of the sludge suction pump 12 and the air motors 8R and 8L for driving the brushes. In addition, it has a structure that can expand and contract with respect to the height limitation in the tank. Also,
The connection with the air hose uses a swivel joint to prevent the hose connection from being twisted and damaged due to the free running of the robot.

The apparatus cart B includes a frame 4 provided with a pump level adjusting jack 10, a set of agitation and transfer devices 5R and 5L suspended at the front of the frame 4, and Sludge suction pump 1 installed in
2, a traveling portion connecting portion 4a provided at a rear portion of the frame 4,
It is composed of wheels 4d that support the frame 4, and the upper and lower and left and right widths thereof are made equal to the upper and lower and left and right widths of the main body traveling portion A to facilitate passage through the manhole.

The agitating / transferring device mounting portion 4c includes a supporting portion for slidably supporting the sludge suction pipe at a central portion, and a set of cylinders 9R for adjusting the opening of a set of agitating / transferring brushes in front. , 9L are provided with a rotatable mounting portion, and an air motor mounting portion and a stirring and transferring device suspension portion on both sides. A pump level adjusting jack 10 is provided in the suction pump mounting portion 4b, and a sludge suction pump 12 mounted thereon is mounted thereon.
The height of the suction nozzle 13a of the suction pipe 13 from the tank bottom surface can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the suction pipe 13. The running portion connecting portion 4a is engaged with a hinge 1g provided at a front portion of the running portion A to connect to the running portion A, and a device bogie for lifting and lowering the device provided on the running portion A. A pivot portion for the piston of the hydraulic cylinder 1e is provided.

The sludge suction pump 12 is detachably mounted on the pump level adjusting jack 10, employs an air-driven diaphragm pump having excellent suction action, and has a joint for connecting a suction pipe 13 on the suction port side. A joint for connecting a discharge hose is provided on the pump discharge port side.
The suction nozzle 13a connected to the suction port of the sludge suction pump was made of an elbow with a short tube, and the length was minimized to enhance the suction performance of the pump. As a result, even if some air was mixed in, the emptying was immediately eliminated, the suction effect of the suction pump was recovered in a short time, and the sludge could be sucked immediately.

One set of the stirring and transferring devices 5R and 5L includes a set of the stirring and transferring brushes 7R and 7L and the stirring and transferring brushes 7R and 7L.
And a pair of air motors 8R and 8L for rotating the stirring and transferring brush, and a set of stirring and transferring devices 5R and 5L. And a set of opening-adjustment hydraulic cylinders 9R and 9L for adjusting the opening of the cylinder.

Each of the agitating and transferring brushes 7R and 7L is provided with brushes 7b and 7b spirally provided on the outer periphery of cylindrical cores 7a and 7a (FIG. 3). When the 7R, 7L is mounted on the housings 6R, 6L and rotated, the sludge contacting the portions of the stirring rotating brushes 7R, 7L on the open side surfaces of the housings 6R, 6L can be stirred and transferred in the direction of the suction nozzle 13a. Inward, toward the pump suction port. Further, the stirring and transfer brushes 7R and 7L constitute a brush unit of the stirring and transfer devices 5R and 5L as a set of two, and each of the brushes has a stirring and transfer function. The winding directions of the spirals of the brushes constituting the brush are reversed, and the structure is such that the brush can be rotated in the reverse direction.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a stirring transfer brush rotation transmission mechanism. In the figure, the stirring and transfer brushes 7R, 7L
A rotary shaft is integrally provided at the front and rear ends of the cylindrical core bodies 7a, 7a, and a bevel gear 15 is integrally mounted on a rotary shaft 18 on the rear end side. This structure has a structure in which the agitation transfer brushes 7R and 7L are engaged with the bevel gear 16 attached to the fork 17 and are forcibly rotated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the housing 6 (FIG. 1) is constituted by the housings 6R and 6L (FIG. 2), and further comprises a stirring transfer brush 7R, 7L (FIG. 2). The upper surface and the outer surface of the transfer brush 7 (FIG. 1) are covered in an L-shaped cross section, and the front and rear portions are provided with bearing portions for supporting the rotating shaft of the stirring transfer brush. Suspension for movably suspending,
On the upper surface of the intermediate portion, there are provided piston pivot portions of the opening adjustment cylinders 9R and 9L. Furthermore, housings 6R, 6L
Wheels 6a are attached to the front of the vehicle so that the device cart B can run smoothly.

The air motors 8R and 8L are attached to the agitating and transferring device mounting portion of the device bogie B to rotate the agitating and transferring brushes 7R and 7L, and are rotated by high-pressure air supplied from the outside via the air pole 3. The agitating and transferring devices 5R and 5L are composed of a pair of agitating and transferring brushes 7R and 7L whose winding directions are reversed, and both brushes are directed inward to transfer the sludge to the pump suction port. Since it is necessary to reverse the rotation directions to have a stirring and transferring function of rotating, a set of stirring and transferring devices 5R,
A set of air motors having different rotation directions is used to drive the 5L stirring transfer brushes 7R and 7L.

A set of hydraulic cylinders 9R and 9L for opening adjustment
Is used to adjust the opening degree of the set of stirring and transferring devices 5R and 5L, and either a single-acting type or a backward-acting type can be used. One end is attached to the agitating / transferring device support portion and the other end is attached to the piston pivot portion of the housing, and is driven by high-pressure oil supplied from the hydraulic pump 14 of the small hydraulic unit 2 provided in the main body traveling portion A, When the piston is extended, the stirring and transfer devices 5R and 5L open outward, the opening of the set of stirring and transfer devices 5R and 5L increases, and when the piston is reduced, the stirring and transfer devices 5R and 5L close inward, The degree of opening of the set of agitation transfer devices 5R and 5L can be reduced. The expansion and contraction of the piston is appropriately adjusted by an operator according to the state of sludge accumulation on the tank bottom. Further, the pair of opening-adjustment hydraulic cylinders 9R and 9L may control the flow rate of the conveyed material at the same time, or may individually control each of them, or may perform both of them. May be selected.

In the above embodiment, a pair of air motors 8R and 8L having different rotation directions are used for driving the agitating and transferring brushes of one agitating and transferring device, but two air motors rotating in the same direction are used. In addition, a mechanism for changing the rotation direction may be interposed in a power transmission device for any one of the stirring transfer brushes. In addition, the suspension shaft for the stirring and transfer device is coaxial with the rotation shaft of the air motor. In this case, the bevel gear 15 on the stirring and rotating brush side and the bevel gear 16 on the air motor side can directly mesh with each other. Since the two bevel gears always mesh with each other even after the adjustment, the configuration is simple and preferable, but it is not always necessary to employ the bevel gears.

At the time of using the stirring transfer suction robot having the above configuration, in order to minimize the number of assembly parts in the tank, the robot is disassembled into a traveling section A, an apparatus cart B, and a sludge suction pump 12, and A, the air pole 3 provided in A is folded down, the driver's seat 1C is folded to have a cross-sectional size that can pass through the manhole opening, and the opening degree of the set of agitating and transferring devices 5R and 5L for the device cart B is minimized. And the traveling section A,
After transporting the trolley unit B and the sludge suction pump 12 from the manhole into the tank, assembling them in the tank,
A set of agitation and transfer devices 5 according to the state of sludge accumulation
The working degree is adjusted by adjusting the opening degree of R and 5L, the height of the sludge suction nozzle 13a with respect to the bottom surface, and the like.

[0024]

As described above, in the stirring transfer cleaning robot of the present invention, the opening degree of the tip of the pair of spiral brushes can be adjusted and the amount of the sludge transferred by stirring can be kept constant. The performance of the pump can be utilized to the maximum without adding it. In addition, since a constant amount of sludge is continuously supplied to the suction port of the pump, continuous operation can be performed and the operation time can be reduced. In addition, since the rotary spiral brush is employed, polishing and cleaning of the bottom surface of the tank for oil or the like can be performed simultaneously with removal of sludge. Furthermore, since a small hydraulic unit is mounted on the traveling body part A, there is no need to pull in a high-pressure hose for supplying high-pressure oil from the manhole and apply a load to the cleaning robot. Since the carriage unit B is configured to be connectable and separable, another hydraulically driven cleaning device can be sequentially replaced and used in accordance with the cleaning operation procedure instead of the stirring and transferring device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a stirring transfer cleaning robot of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a stirring transfer cleaning robot of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a stirring transfer brush rotation transmission mechanism.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A main body traveling unit 1 frame 1a traveling crawler 1b driving operation lever 1c driver's seat 1d weight storage unit 1e hydraulic trolley for device lifting / lowering 1f sludge discharge pipe 1g hinge 2 small hydraulic unit 3 air pole B equipment trolley 4 frame 4a traveling unit Connecting part 4b Sludge suction pump mounting part 4c Stirring transfer device mounting part 4d Wheels 5R, 5L Stirring transfer device 6 Housing 6a Wheels 7R, 7L Stirring transfer brush 7a Core 7b Spiral brush 8R, 8L Air motor 9R, 9L For opening adjustment Hydraulic cylinder 10 Pump level adjustment jack 12 Sludge suction pump 13 Suction pipe 13a Suction nozzle 15 Bevel gear 16 Bevel gear 17 Air motor rotation axis 18 Rotation axis

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle comprising a main body traveling portion which is driven by a crawler driven by a hydraulic motor, and a sludge discharge pump connected to a front of the main body traveling portion for sucking sludge deposited on a tank bottom surface and discharging the sludge to the outside of the tank. And a robot for transporting and cleaning the sludge in an oil tank or the like, comprising a sludge stirring and transfer device for transferring the sludge on the bottom of the tank toward the suction unit while stirring the sludge on the bottom surface of the tank. A robot for stirring, transferring, and cleaning sludge in a tank for oil or the like. 2. The cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the stirring and transferring device includes a pair of spiral brushes rotating in opposite directions. 3. The petroleum or the like according to claim 1, wherein the stirring and transferring device is configured to be able to adjust a degree of opening of a set of spiral brushes in the left-right direction. Robot for cleaning and transferring sludge in tank. 4. A small hydraulic unit driven by high-pressure air supplied from the outside, wherein the main body traveling portion is driven by a hydraulic device mounted on the main body traveling portion and the device carriage. The sludge stirring transfer cleaning robot in a tank for petroleum etc. according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. The petroleum according to claim 1, wherein an air pole that can be extended and retracted to draw high-pressure air from outside via a hose is provided in the main body traveling portion. Robot for cleaning and transferring sludge in tanks. 6. The robot for agitating, transferring and cleaning sludge in a tank for petroleum or the like according to claim 1, wherein a weight storage section for balance adjustment is provided in the main body traveling section. 7. The robot for agitating and transferring sludge in a tank such as petroleum according to claim 1, wherein an outer crawler belt for preventing slippage is mounted on the crawler of the main body traveling portion. 8. The robot for agitating, transferring and cleaning sludge in a tank such as petroleum according to claim 1, wherein the carriage for the apparatus is provided with a pump level adjusting jack.