JP2002309926A - Catalyst cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a catalyst cleaning device capable of easily cleaning an exhaust gas purifying catalyst for an automobile. SOLUTION: This catalyst cleaning device 10 includes a case 12 consisting of an outside case 12a and an inside case 12b. A catalyst unit 40 is placed on a catalyst unit receiving base 14 inside the inside case 12b. From a nozzle 18 extending from an injection port 16, a solvent is sprayed to the catalyst 42 to dissolve sludge and the like sticking to the catalyst, and then, the solvent is discharged from a discharge port 20. Subsequently, the case 12 is filled with water fed from the nozzle 18, and the water is heated by a heater 32. A vibration plate 26 in an ultrasonic generator 24 is vibrated, and the catalyst is cleaned with vibration by the water and ultrasonic waves. After the water is drained, steam is blown to remove water, and hot air is supplied by means of a fan 36 to dry up the catalyst 42.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a catalyst cleaning device, and more particularly, to a catalyst cleaning device used for purifying exhaust gas of an automobile, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing one example of a catalyst unit used for purifying exhaust gas of an automobile.
The catalyst unit 1 includes a casing 2 and a casing 2
Is filled with a catalyst 3. Examples of the catalyst 3 include a catalyst called an oxidation catalyst and a catalyst called a three-way catalyst. As the oxidation catalyst, for example, palladium or platinum is used, and carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) in the exhaust gas are converted into harmless carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) and water (H ₂ O).
It works to change to. Further, as the three-way catalyst, for example, platinum, rhodium, palladium or the like is used, and in addition to CO and HC, reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) is also performed.

If such a catalyst unit 1 is used for a long period of time, sludge or carbon may adhere to the catalyst 3 and clogging may occur. In addition, the use of the catalyst 3 for a long period of time may deteriorate the function of the catalyst 3 and increase the amount of emissions of CO, NOx, and the like. In such a case, the purpose of purifying exhaust gas has been achieved by exchanging the entire catalyst unit 1 so far.

[0004]

However, the raw material for the catalyst is expensive, and there is a problem in that replacing the entire catalyst unit is costly. Therefore,
If the function of the catalyst can be restored by washing the catalyst, there is no need to replace the catalyst unit, which can contribute to a reduction in maintenance costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a catalyst cleaning apparatus capable of easily cleaning a catalyst for purifying exhaust gas of an automobile.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a catalyst cleaning apparatus for cleaning a catalyst for purifying an exhaust gas of an automobile, wherein a case for accommodating the catalyst and a case in which a cleaning liquid is filled in the case. Is a catalyst cleaning apparatus including an ultrasonic generator for cleaning a catalyst by ultrasonic waves. In such a catalyst cleaning device, a heater for heating the cleaning liquid filled in the case may be formed. Further, a nozzle for spraying a solvent onto the catalyst housed in the case and supplying a cleaning liquid into the case may be formed. Further, a fan for drying the catalyst after washing the catalyst can be formed. Further, a nozzle for blowing steam to the catalyst may be formed. Further, a timer for adjusting the driving time of the ultrasonic generator may be formed.

[0007] By storing the catalyst in the case and filling it with the cleaning liquid and generating ultrasonic waves, the catalyst is cleaned by the cleaning action of the cleaning liquid and the ultrasonic waves. At this time, by increasing the temperature of the cleaning liquid by the heater, the cleaning effect can be enhanced. In addition, by spraying a solvent on the catalyst before cleaning with the cleaning liquid and ultrasonic waves, sludge and carbon attached to the catalyst can be removed.
The same nozzle can be used for spraying such a solvent and subsequently filling the cleaning liquid. further,
After washing the catalyst, a fan is used to dry the catalyst. At this time, it is preferable to send warm air by a fan. In the case where it is difficult to dry the catalyst only with a fan, it is preferable to spray a steam to remove the cleaning liquid attached to the catalyst to some extent. If necessary, a timer for adjusting the driving time of the ultrasonic generator is provided in order to adjust the cleaning time with water and ultrasonic waves.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing one example of a catalyst cleaning apparatus of the present invention. The catalyst cleaning device 10 includes a case 12. The case 12 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape from stainless steel or the like. In the example of FIG. 1, a cylindrical inner case 12b with a bottom is formed inside a rectangular outer case 12a. A catalyst unit receiving base 14 for fixing the catalyst unit is formed on the bottom surface of the inner case 12b.

An injection port 16 is provided above the case 12.
Is formed, and a nozzle 18 extending from the inlet 16 toward the center of the inner case 12b is attached. A solvent, water used as a cleaning liquid, or the like is injected into the injection port 16 and blows out from the tip of the nozzle 18. Further, a discharge port 2 is provided below the case 12.
0 is formed, and the solvent and water injected from the nozzle 18 are discharged from the outlet 20.

A circuit housing 22 is provided between the outer case 12a and the inner case 12b.
Is formed. The circuit housing 22 has an ultrasonic generator 24
Is stored. The ultrasonic generator 24 includes a diaphragm 26, and the diaphragm 26 is attached to the bottom surface of the inner case 12b. The vibration plate 26 is formed, for example, by forming electrodes on both surfaces of a piezoelectric substrate. Further, the ultrasonic generator 24 includes an oscillation circuit board 28 for exciting the diaphragm 26, and a transformer 30 for supplying electric power to the oscillation circuit board 28 is housed in the circuit housing 22. Then, the oscillation plate 26 is self-excitedly driven by the oscillation circuit formed on the oscillation circuit board 28. At this time, the oscillation circuit board 28 is disposed on the side of the case 12 in consideration of a case where water or the like in the inner case 12b leaks. Then, by forming a door or the like on the outer case 12a in a portion where the oscillation circuit board 28 is disposed, the oscillation circuit board 28 can be inspected.

A heater 32 is formed on the inner surface of the inner case 12b. After the case 32 is filled with water, the heater 32 is used to heat the water. Further, a lid member 34 is put on the upper part of the case 12. A fan 36 is mounted inside the lid member 34. The fan 36 is used to dry the catalyst after cleaning the catalyst. When air is blown by the fan 36, it is preferable to use warm air.

In order to clean the automobile catalyst using the catalyst cleaning apparatus 10, the catalyst unit 40 is placed on the catalyst unit receiving base 14 formed in the inner case 12b. The catalyst unit 40 contains a catalyst 42 such as palladium / platinum or platinum / rhodium / palladium. Then, the exhaust port side of the catalyst unit 40 is placed on the catalyst unit receiving base 14, and the exhaust gas inlet side is disposed above.

In this state, the tip of the nozzle 18 is disposed at the exhaust gas inlet of the catalyst unit 40, and the solvent is sprayed on the catalyst 42. As the solvent, for example, a mixture of monoethanolamine and caustic soda is used. This solvent dissolves and removes sludge and carbon attached to the catalyst 42. The solvent in which sludge and carbon are dissolved is discharged from the discharge port 20.

When the solvent is discharged, the discharge port 20 is closed, and the case 12 is filled with water as a cleaning liquid from the tip of the nozzle 18. The switching between the solvent and the water can be performed by using an electromagnetic valve or the like outside the case 12, for example. When the case 12 is filled with water, the water is heated by the heater 32 and adjusted to 50 to 60 ° C. For temperature control, for example, case 1
A temperature sensor or the like may be mounted in the inside 2.

After the water is heated, the ultrasonic generator 24 is driven, and the diaphragm 26 is excited. Thereby, ultrasonic waves are radiated into the case 12 and the water vibrates, so that the catalyst 42 is washed. The cleaning time of the catalyst 42, that is, the excitation time of the diaphragm 26 can be adjusted by a timer or the like. After the catalyst 42 has been washed, the outlet 2
Water is drained from zero. Then, hot air is sent by the fan 36, and the catalyst 42 is dried.

When it is difficult to dry the catalyst 42 using only the fan 36, steam may be blown from the nozzle 18 to the catalyst 42. By doing so, water adhering to the catalyst 42 is removed to some extent by the heat of the steam, and subsequent drying by the fan 36 can be facilitated. In the above example, the solvent, water and steam are supplied using the same nozzle 18, but it goes without saying that another nozzle may be used if necessary.

Since the catalyst 42 itself does not change its quality, cleaning the catalyst 42 reduces the amount of C in the exhaust gas.
The effect of reducing O, HC, NOx, etc. can be restored. Therefore, even for catalysts used for a long time,
By performing the washing, the catalyst can be used again, and there is no need to exchange for a new catalyst. Therefore, by providing a catalyst cleaning service using the catalyst cleaning apparatus 10 by an automobile maintenance company or the like, the owner of the vehicle can receive the exhaust system maintenance at low cost.

[0019]

According to the present invention, the effect of reducing the harmful gas contained in the exhaust gas of an automobile can be recovered by cleaning the catalyst used for a long period of time, and it is necessary to replace the catalyst with a new catalyst. Since it is no longer necessary, maintenance of the vehicle can be performed at low cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing one example of a catalyst cleaning device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view showing one example of an automobile catalyst unit;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Catalyst washing | cleaning apparatus 12 Case 14 Catalyst unit receiving stand 16 Injection port 18 Nozzle 20 Discharge port 22 Circuit accommodation part 24 Ultrasonic generator 26 Vibration plate 28 Oscillation circuit board 30 Transformer 32 Heater 34 Cover member 36 Fan 40 Catalyst unit 42 Catalyst

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B08B 3/12 B08B 3/12 Z F-term (Reference) 3B201 AA46 AB01 AB45 BB11 BB22 BB82 BB84 BB85 BB92 BB95 CC12 3G091 AA02 BA00 BA11 FC01 HB00

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A catalyst cleaning device for cleaning a catalyst for purifying exhaust gas of an automobile, comprising: a case for accommodating the catalyst; and a case in which the case is filled with a cleaning liquid, by ultrasonically irradiating the catalyst. A catalyst cleaning device, including an ultrasonic generator for cleaning the catalyst. 2. The catalyst cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heater for heating the cleaning liquid filled in the case. 3. The catalyst cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle for spraying a solvent onto the catalyst housed in the case and supplying a cleaning liquid into the case. 4. The catalyst cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fan for drying the catalyst after cleaning the catalyst. 5. The catalyst cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a nozzle for blowing steam to the catalyst. 6. The catalyst cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a timer for adjusting a driving time of the ultrasonic generator.