US1491910A - Spray cleaning system - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1924. I 2,491,910

F. M. HILGERYINK SPRAY CLEA-NING SYSTEM Filed bed. 20; 1920 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 29, 1924.; 1,491,910

F. M. HILGERINK I SPRAY CLEANING SYSTEM Fild Dec. 20. 1920, {Sheets- Shut 2 q I a r Q hue/27?? Lg Fan/a XVII/@0026 ltd till

application filed Dancer so, 1W0. serial We. till- ,038.

7 '0 all whom e't may concern Be it known that l, FRANK hi. ll-lrnennrnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllllIlOlS, have invented certain new and useful .lmrovements in Spray Cleaning Systems, a i which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a system for washing oil the exterior surfaces of locomotives or other apparatus where grease and dust accumulate, and proceeds upon the principle of forcibly spraying a crust the surface to be cleaned hot water caring a suitable content of finely subdivided cleaning oil which is delivered against the surface to be cleaned under conditions which permit the oil to act upon the accumulated grease and forei matter, reducing these to a condition whic permits it to be readily borne ofi by the water as a vehicle; the mixture of oil and water bein preferably acted upon by a subdividing an issues from the nozz as is more fully described in the patent to Durham, et al., No. 1,113,967. Get. 20, 191%.

One of the dificulties'experienced in systems of this a has existed in the matter of controlling the temperature or? the water, keeping it above a temperature at which it ceases to become efiective in removing the greasy deposit, and below an upper limit at which it becomes injurious to ainted or other surfaces againstawhich it is sprayed; and one feature of the present invention consists in providing in such a cleaning system a water heater comprising two concentric pipes, to one or which, preferably the inner one steam is supplied under comparatively high pressure and to the other of which, preferably the outer one, or to the annular space between the pipes, is supplied water to be heated; the steam and water ing led in at opposite ends so that the water encounters the hottest part of the steam as it leaves the heater; and the steam pipe being provided with a suitable trap that permits escape of its water of preci itation without passing any of the steam. or convenience and economy of space the concentric pipes are divided into connected sections, and these sections are arranged in groups, but the elfeotis that ol two long concentric pipes receiving the respective elements named, in the maer described.

A thermostat at the discharge end of the enering blast of air as it water pipe, and therefore responsive to the ultimate eds-ct of the heater, controls the valve that supplies the steam'to the steam pipe, and by varying pressure of the steam, 60

and consequently its tem rature within the heater, the heatin capacity is kept between the limits desire so that the water issues from the discharge end at the desired temperature, say, between 120 and 140 F. 65

even though the water flows to the full capacity required to supply a plurality of cleaning mixture outlets in the system, and remains between said limits of temperature even though the water be shut 0d altogether. 79

Another difilculty that has been expenamed in cleaning systems of this kind has occurred in connection with the feed of oil and the regulation of the proportion of oil to hot water. Another feature of the present, 75

invention consists in sup lying the oil constituent of the spray rom a tank and through a plurality of outlets of varying capaclty, so that instead of attempting to re late the degree of opening of a single all va ve according to the quantity of oil requlredf, one or more valves of predetermined capacity, ada either singly or collectively to supp y the exact quantity, "are emloyed. Moreover, the oil is expelled from 95 its reservoir under pressure developed by supplying water to the bottom of the oil reservoir, preferably under the same head of pressure as that which delivers the hot water supply so that the oil as well as the m but water will be responsive to the load on the distributing line or quantity of mixture consumed, and the oil will he delivered in the same ratio to water consumption regardless of the quantities used.

In order that the invention will be fully understood, an illustrative embodiment thereof will now be described in detail in connection with the accompanying draw- Fl re 4 is a view of the oil supply and the istributing system beyond the Will:

and

Fire 5 is a detail view oi the spray nozze,

an air ta on to contain air will " under pressure and supply it to the system" through a pipe 2 3 represents a steam pipe, and 4 a ipe for sup lying water un er a head pressure suficient todeliver it through the system.

5 represents a heating coil which may assume any convenient form dictated by the conditions under which it is to .be located, and which comprises an inner pipe 6 .connected indirectly through thermostatic pressure control' with the steam pipe 3 and surrounding pipe 7 which is kept supplied Wit-h water through pipe 4.

The steam pipe 6 emerges from that end of the heater 5 which is opposite the end at which the heater delivers hot water, and said steam pipe enters a trap 8 of known construction which ermits' escape of water of condensation while confining the steam. Interposed in the steam pipe 3 as it approaches the heater 5 is an automatic pressure valve 9 controlled by a thermostatic device 10 which is subject to temperature effect of water in the pipe 11 through which the water escapes from the heater; the arrangement bein such that the valve 9 is opened or close as the temperature of the water in pi 11 falls below 120 or above 140 F. A. thermometer 12 may also be introduced in the pipe 11 for convenience in observing the work of the heater. 13 represents a gauge through means of which to observe the working'conditions on the air line 2.

14 is the oil tank having a suitable filling connection 15, a plurality of discharge channel 16 16, and 16 of different capacities controlled by valves 17, 17, and 17 and having a connection 11 through which it receives hot water at bottom as a means of forcing out the oil at the top; also suitable drainage outlet 18 controlled by valve 18 through which the oil-displacing water may be discharged when it becomes necessary to mplenish oil in the tank, at which times the water supply will be cut ofi by the valve 19 and the refilling connection and drainage valve 18 opened until the tank 14 is emptied of water, when valve 18" will be closed, tank 14 will be refilled with oil throu h connection 15, said connection 15 will 51611 be closed, and the water suppl connection 19 will be opened to put the 011 tank under delivery pressure. At such times of oil re lenishment in tank 14, discharge pipe 20 or the mixture of oil and water may also be closed through valve-21, thereby avoiding the necessity of changing adjustment of the proportioning valves 17, 17', mg 12' 1 alit f d h y avmgapur y 0 mo argepassages gauged to supply, each, a redetermmed unit of an aggregate supp y of oil into the stream of vehicle water, together with means for independently controlling each passaige at it becomes an easy 2 matter to rmine with accuracy the roportion of cleansing element introduced into the water, and to accomplish thisthrough instruction of relatively unskilled labor rather than. by skill of an operator; and

passages discharge delivered to the water; that is to say, three different proportions may be delivered by sim ly selecting the first, second or third out et, another proportion by opening all of the three together, and three more proportions by opening, jointly, either the first and second, or the .first and third, or the second and third; and since the outlets all deliver under the same head of pressure the proportioningvwill be accurate, and can be carried out, under instruction, by unskilled labor by simply opening specified outlets to their full capacity.

Oil from the tank 14 meets hot water through branch 11" in the mixer 20, whence the water with 'ts properly proportioned content of oil flows into 'the pipe 20, past the valve 21 to the distributin main 23. Air pipe 2 continues to the istributing points, so that at each washing station there will be an outlet plug 24, 24", 24, etc., as well as an air outlet 2, 2 2, etc. order that each outlet 24, etc., may receive the proper supply of mixture when two or more stations may be in operation at the same time, the distributing main 23 has its capacity reduced beyondeach washing station so that it consists of a series of sections 23, 23, etc., of progressively smaller capacity.

In order to deliver the cleaning mixture against the locomotive or other surfaces to be cleaned, a delivery nozzle such as shown in Fi re 5 is'preferably used, and which comprlses the conduit 25 adapted to be connected by hose 25 to any one of the mixture plugs 24', etc., and an air conduit 26 having a hose 26 through which it may receive air supply from any one of the air outlets 2', etc. Regulating valves 25 and 26 are provided on the nozzle for regulating, res'pectively,'the supply of oil and water mixture and the supply of air. 27 represents a gri or handle throu h which the nozzle may manipulated. e outlet end of the nozzle 28 is of known construction and is such that the air discharges againstthe mixture of oil and water after the manner of an atomizer, thus insuring a very fine temperature of the fluid vehicle at a degree as well as lending impetus to the spray and greater effectiveness in its im ingement against the surfaces to be cleaned.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the hot water pipe constitutes a conduit for delivery of a fluid vehicle, whereas the oil tank constitutes a container for delivering, or adapted to deliver, a cleaning element into the fluid vehicle. It will also be seen that the heater insures the that conditions the cleaning element when delivered into the fluid vehicle; and that the use of the water supply and the head under which it is supplied to displace the oil from the tank is under conditions that maintains substantially identical discharge pres sure through one or any number of the oil discharge passages which may be opened, so that the gauging of the oil assage becomes an accurate measure of t e quantity of oil delivered.

ply having a plurality of differently gauged individually and collectively operable charge passages through which it is adapted to deliver cleansing element to said pipe, and means for controlling the discharge of clelainsing element through said passages, atw1 2. In a cleaning system, a fluid vehicle pipe, a cleansing element container, a plurality of discharge passages through each and all of which said container is adapted to deliver cleansing element to said pipe, and means for opening any number of said passages at will; said passages being gauged when fully opened to predetermined diverse ca acity.

gigned at Chicago, Illinois, this 17th day of December, '1920.

FRA M. HILGER

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