RU2408760C2 - Method of removing ice and sleet from various surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: process engineering.

SUBSTANCE: proposed method uses microwave radiation, mobile unit with power supply unit and electric connections. Hinged radiator is mounted on said mobile unit and connected to microwave power supply. Then microwave radiator is brought close to processed surface and switched on. Then zone of adhesion between ice crust and surface is subjected to microwave radiation. Microwave radiation heats aforesaid zone to weaken molecular bond between ice and surface. Warm air from microwave-klystron cooling system is fed into microwave radiation effect zone. Loosened crust is destructed by mechanical effect, or ice is converted into liquid phase and sucked off by pump.

EFFECT: higher efficiency of removing ice and sleet from various surfaces.

5 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of cleaning surfaces from solid natural materials using an electric field formed by a high voltage, in particular using high frequency currents to heat the bodies.

In practical application, the invention relates to the field of public care for pavement and other surfaces in the regions of the country located in the northern climatic zone, where work has been carried out for a long period to maintain roads, sidewalks and buildings in operational condition in order to reduce accident rates on motorways and roads and city streets, for the implementation of which the electric heating of the lower edge of the ice, coupled to the surface of the road surface, is applied by heating the electric skim field using microwave.

For our country, winter ice and snowdrifts with ice often become the cause of serious problems: multi-kilometer traffic jams on highways and city roads, road accidents, road accidents, injuries due to falling people during ice, limiting the possibility of travel, etc.

The current standards for winter road maintenance and the degree of cleaning of snow and ice coatings depend on the intensity of road traffic and the category of road. On the surface of roads of the highest categories (aprons, taxiways and runways of airports), the presence of snow, snow, ice, and shafts along roadsides is not allowed. Requirements for roads of a lower category are less stringent: their surface should always be cleared of snow and sprinkled with anti-icing reagents. The main winter cleaning activities in cities and towns are the timely removal of snow from the sidewalk, the removal of icicles and ice on the roof and downspouts, which are a real danger to the townspeople. The process of cleaning the sidewalks from snow and ice includes either mechanical cleaving of ice and removal of snow-ice formations (ice), or processing of the pavement with deicing materials.

To remove ice from the highway and pavement, a variety of specialized snow removal equipment is used, including a set of various quick-release devices. In the course of work, snow removal equipment rakes snow, cleaves the ice crust and loads the resulting mixture onto trucks for transportation to collection points (snow dumps and snow melters for rafting into the sewer network). To combat ice and snow, heat engines and distributors of salt and chemical reagents are used. For the winter maintenance of sidewalks, roads and airfields, removal of snow and ice, a variety of snow removal equipment is used, equipped with mounted working bodies: plow, brush, rotor (with plow, screw and milling and rotor working bodies); scraper conveyors; vacuum; thermal; distributors of anti-icing (technological) materials. In some cases, they use the chassis of cars or tractors, the transmission of which is primarily adapted to drive the working body. For a high pace of work or operation in difficult conditions, continuous snow loaders are used, airfield cleaning complexes for seasonal work, high-performance snow removal units on truck chassis equipped with an active working body.

It is known that all of the above methods using specialized vehicles and attachments are very time-consuming and require the involvement of an army of workers during the periods of snowfall for manual chipping of ice from the sidewalks. The use of chemicals in a big city is fraught with environmental degradation, an increase in respiratory diseases, and the death of animals and plants.

An analogue of the present invention can be a mounted unit with a heat “gun” mounted on a truck chassis and used to clean runways and taxiways at airports and airfields. Heat guns are used in snow removal equipment, but the efficiency of such heat systems is very low, since the main heat energy is dissipated, heating the surrounding air. In thermal “guns” the physical principle of heat transfer from the heat carrier (hot stream) to the heat receiver (water in the solid phase) is used only through heat conduction.

It is known that the heat transfer rate for most substances is very low and heat transfer is determined by the magnitude of the temperature difference - the temperature gradient. The effect of the destructive effect of a thermal stream on an ice crust in modern snow removal equipment is achieved by a high temperature of the stream. In order for the ice to begin to break down (turned into a semi-liquid state), it is necessary to transfer 427 calories to each gram of ice. And only at airports, where the costs due to the delayed departure of the airliner and aircraft downtime are even higher, you have to apply them.

The closest analogue of the present invention is a method for removing ice and ice from various surfaces, presented in RU 2303097 C2 (July 20, 2007), based on the use of microwave radiation and including the placement of a mounted emitter on a mobile installation, the effect of microwave radiation on the adhesion zone of the ice crust and surface, the weakening of the molecular bond between ice and the surface, the destruction of the weakened crust by mechanical action and the removal of ice from the surface.

The disadvantage of this method is the low efficiency of the process.

The technical result achieved by the implementation of this invention is the optimization of the technological process of destruction of the ice cover with minimal energy consumption, which allows the use of electricity efficiently, without causing environmental harm.

The use of microwave heating technology during snow removal before other known methods provides a higher heating rate, energy savings, conservation and accumulation of thermal energy from heating at various time intervals, separated by periods without heating, combining snow removal equipment with microwave technology; the choice of the frequency range of microwave radiation is carried out taking into account the interaction with the material on which the ice crust is formed.

The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that in the method of removing ice and ice from various surfaces based on the application of microwave radiation using a mobile unit including suspension units with a power unit and electrical connections, a mounted radiator is installed on the mobile unit, a microwave power supply is connected to the power unit, approximate emitter to the surface to be treated, include a microwave radiation generator, act by microwave radiation on the adhesion zone of the ice crust and the surface and heat directed Microwave radiation, thereby weakening the molecular bond between the ice and the surface to be treated, while warm air from the cooling system of the microwave klystron is supplied to the surface of the microwave radiation to the surface, the weakened crust is destroyed by mechanical action, or ice is transferred to the liquid phase and sucked off fluid using a pump.

The invention is illustrated by drawings, where figure 1 shows a snow harvester; figure 2 is a mobile installation for removing icicles from roofs; figure 3 - emitter to remove ice from the hatch; figure 4 - mobile installation for removing ice from the hull; figure 5 - portable portable installation for removing ice from the rig.

The accompanying figures show the following notation.

1. Snow harvester.

2. Mobile installation.

3. The roadway.

4. Ice crust.

5. Suspension assembly.

6. Hinged plow.

7.Hydraulic lift.

8. Mounted microwave installation.

9. Microwave generator.

10. The emitter.

11. Laser sight.

12. The optical device.

13. Icicle.

14. Drainpipe.

15. Ice.

16. Luke.

17. Manhole cover.

18. The area of radiation exposure.

19. The cooling device.

20. Air duct.

21. The side of the vessel.

22. Drilling rig.

23. The valve.

24. Flexible waveguide.

25. The pump.

26. Power unit.

27. The cable.

28. Capacity.

29. Hose with nozzle.

Figure 1 shows a snowplow with microwave processing equipment, where a snowplow 1, power unit 26, cable 27, suspension unit 5, hydraulic jack 7, microwave radiation generator 9, emitter 10, cooling device 19 with duct 20, capacity 28 for collecting water with a pump 25 and a hose with a nozzle 29.

Figure 2 shows a mobile unit 2, equipped with a device for removing icicles from roofs and ice from drainpipes, buildings, where a microwave radiation generator 9, a hydraulic lift 7, an emitter 10 - a "gun" with a laser sight 11 and an optical device 12 for monitoring aiming "guns" on the impact zone.

Figure 3 shows the emitter 10, in shape corresponding to the workpiece - hatch 16 with a cover 17.

Figure 4 shows a mobile unit for removing ice from the ship's hull, where the side of the vessel 21, ice 15, mobile unit 2, mounted microwave installation 8, emitter 10, radiation zone 18, power unit 26 connected by a cable 27 to the microwave generator radiation 9.

Figure 5 shows a portable portable installation for removing ice and thawing rig units, where the stand-alone power unit 26, microwave radiation generator 9, flexible waveguide 24, emitter 10 in a portable design.

Figure 1 shows a snow harvester 1 and below describes the main list of procedures that are typical for all applications of this method. The operator includes a power unit 26 connected to the mounted microwave installation by cable 27, using a hydraulic hoist 7 leads the emitter 10 of the mounted microwave installation 8 to the ice crust 4. Then it turns on the microwave radiation generator 9 and at the same time the cooling device 19. The microwave radiation acts on the zone adhesion of the ice crust 4 and the roadway 3, while the roadway 3 is heated in the area of the radiation exposure 18. As a result of the absorption of radiation energy, the intermolecular bonds between the icecrust and the roadway are weakened. At the same time, the operator advances the snow harvester 1 forward, cleaves and crushes the weakened ice crust 4 with a hinged plow 6 and removes it from the surface of the roadbed 3. If necessary, melts the ice crust and sucks the melted mass of ice and snow into the container using pump 25 and a hose with nozzle 29. 28.

Embodiments of a mounted microwave installation are shown in FIGS. 1-5.

Figure 2 shows the installation for removing icicles from roofs and ice from the drainpipes using microwave radiation. The operator directs the emitter 10 - microwave "gun" with a laser sight 11, acting on the area where the icicle 13 is fixed on the roof, controls the aiming with the optical device 12. Next, the operator switches the mounted microwave installation in a pulsed mode and acts on the mounting area of the icicle 13 to the roof or on the ice 15 of the drainpipe 14 until the icicle breaks off or the ice collapses from the drainpipe. Next, the operator selects the next icicle and repeats the process. After completion of work, the installation is turned off.

Figure 3 shows the local heating of the freezing zone of the cover 17 to the hatch 16. For this, an emitter 10 of annular shape in diameter of the hatch is used. The operator directs the microwave radiation to the freezing zone. After that, the heated cover 17 is easily removed from the hatch 16. The annular shape of the emitter 10 reduces the time required for exposure and the amount of energy consumed for this procedure.

Figure 4 shows a diagram of the removal of ice on the hulls of ships. The mobile unit 2 is brought to the side of the vessel 21, to the radiation exposure zone 18, the emitter 10 is turned on, and the selected zone is heated on board the vessel 21. The ice 15 is heated due to the intense absorption of the casing by the microwave metal. Warming up lead to ice collapse in the heated section of the ship.

Figure 5 presents the application of the method for removing ice and thawing units of the drilling rig. The defrosting procedure is as follows: the operator brings the microwave installation to the place of work, picks up the emitter 10, directs it to the defrosted unit, for example valve 23, and turns on the generator 9, the microwave radiation enters the emitter 10 through a flexible waveguide 24, acts on assembly metal and heats the valve. The operator controls the moment of recovery of the unit’s performance visually or in another way accessible to him.

Heating the rig aggregates and de-icing using the specified method ensures safety when used at such a fire hazardous facility as a drilling rig.

The power unit of the above installations, depending on the power of the microwave generator used, can be either autonomous or take part of the power from the main unit of the snow harvester.

Work on ice cleaning or de-icing in urban areas using the indicated method and microwave radiation device allows one to solve some of the above problems in the national economy, since microwave radiation has a significant advantage in comparison with the thermal effect used in snow removal equipment due to the practical its instantaneous action and penetration to the entire depth of the ice crust, which significantly reduces the dissipation of thermal energy into the environment.

It should be noted that in the development of mounted microwave units can be used microwave technology used in such sectors of the economy as wood drying, food processing. In wood drying, powerful microwave devices (over 40-60 kW) are used, in the creation and production of which the country is at the forefront. Multi-cavity klystrons are ideally suited for use in equipment to remove ice and ice on roads, sidewalks and building elements. For klystrons, the longitudinal size of the collector is not related to the wavelength, therefore, at powers up to 10 kW, air cooling can be used. The use of air cooling is also preferable due to the fact that hot air is used for additional heating of the product. Widely used continuous klystrons have a power of 25-50 kW with an efficiency of 45-50% in the range of 2450 MHz, and the use of multi-beam klystrons will significantly increase the durability and power output in the short-wave range (12.5 cm) used to remove moisture.

The cleaning technology due to the introduction of such a technological procedure as preliminary exposure to microwave radiation to ice and ice from the ice to weaken the adhesion of the ice crust and the surface on which it formed will find wide application, namely:

- in public utilities it will be possible to remove icicles from roofs remotely and to clean drainpipes from ice due to increased absorption of microwave radiation by the metal of the roof and drainpipes;

- in the aviation units and airports of the northern regions will reduce the dependence of their work on weather conditions;

- in the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry, it will significantly save on the procedure for cleaning ice and ice from ships, as well as the separation of steel sheets freezing at low temperatures;

- in the oil and gas and mining industries, which require effective methods and equipment for removing ice and operational defrosting mechanisms, without the use of open flame.

Claims (1)

The method of removing ice and ice from various surfaces based on the application of microwave radiation using a mobile unit including suspension units with a power unit and electrical connections, the method consists in installing a mounted radiator on a mobile unit, connecting microwave power to the power unit, emitter to the surface to be treated, include a microwave radiation generator, act by microwave radiation on the adhesion zone of the ice crust and the surface and heat it with directed microwave radiation, t thereby weakening the molecular bond between the ice and the treated surface, characterized in that warm air from the cooling system of the microwave klystron is fed into the zone of influence of microwave radiation on the surface, the weakened crust is destroyed by mechanical action, or ice is transferred to the liquid phase and the liquid is sucked off with using a pump.

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