WO1984004060A1

WO1984004060A1 - Foam spraying device

Info

Publication number: WO1984004060A1
Application number: PCT/DK1984/000028
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joergen Erneberg
Original assignee: Joergen Erneberg
Priority date: 1983-04-11
Filing date: 1984-04-11
Publication date: 1984-10-25
Also published as: DE3490187T1; DK157383D0

Abstract

A foam spraying device, which is capable of being driven by compressed air of medium pressure and particularly is meant for spraying of soap or other substance to be sprayed as foam, is of the kind, by which the foam substance is contained within a receptacle being kept under pressure, and where compressed air being controllable by means of a valve is suppliable to or near to a spray nozzle, and where the spray gun through a substance carrying line which comprises a regulating valve is connected with the receptacle containing the substance. A foam spraying device is described, by which besides the compressed air regulating valve (34) a further compressed air regulating valve (24) is positioned which is inserted between an output (19) from a compressed air supplying pressure reducing valve (13) and the substance carrying line (4) between the receptacle (2) with the substance and the spray gun (28, 36). A compact apparatus exhibiting a good consistency of the foam and controllability hereof is attained, and with the, at medium pressure well functioning, device formation of poisonous aerosols is avoided, which aerosols else become generated by high pressure foam spraying devices.

Description

Foam Spraying Device.

The present invention relates to a foam spraying device being able to be driven by air under pressure possessing a medium sized air pressure, particularly for the spraying of soap or other substance to be sprayed as foam, whereby the foam spraying device is of the kind, by which the foam substance is contained within a receptacle being kept under pressure through a pressure reducing valve, and where, being controllable bymeans of a valve positioned within the vicinity of a spray nozzle of a spray gun, air under pressure is led to the spray gun comprising this spray nozzle, and where this spray gun through a regulating valve comprising pipe line, for the supply of foam substance, is connected with the receptacle which contains the foam substanc .

A large number of devices and device arrangements are known by means of which foam substances of different kinds may be sprayed out. The spraying device according to the present invention particularly aims at spraying of soap foam for cleaning of f.i. slaughterhouses, dairies, large kitchens, petrol stations, shops and institutions and at places which are tiled or are covered with flagstones, as f.i. at cleaning of floors, walls, machines and plants being cleanable by means of such foam. In connection with the known devices the problem though.existsofliπiiting the high pressure which is needed at the spraying. When the pressure becomes too high, roughly above 6 times the atmospheric pressure, the used foam substances form aerosoles which are poisonous. At low pressure, i.e. below these 6 times the atmospheric pressure, which lower pressure in the aforemen¬ tioned and within the following is refered to as medium sized air pressure, difficulties decidedly araise, namely how to get the foam substance out, which foam in case of soap foam not must be too wet, on the other side not too paste like, furthermore the device has to perform a

OMPI suitable spraying bymeans of spray.nozzles ofconventional design. After the foaming, depending upon the foam sub¬ stance condition, about 5 to 10 minutes unto half hours after the foaming, a washing with water takes place also by means of spraying but usualy by means of a flushing hose being present at the place. Therefore, it is wanted to provide a foaming device able to perform an even foaming with such an average consistency of the sprayed material that the time span during which the substance is effective becomes as short as possible, namely as close as poss_-bl __--__-r-___ned..toorbelcwthe afo ementionedlow-time durations for the soap foam substances mentioned earlier and addi¬ tionally with such a working pressure that usual commer¬ cially available compressors yielding about four to eight times the atmospheric pressure or usually installed com¬ pressed air plants at places as those mentioned above also yielding an air pressure of this size may be used as com¬ pressed air sourcesfor the foaming device without any danger that the aforementioned poisonous aerosoles may be formed. In relation hereto practice reveals that the design of such devices is difficult to carry out and ^• to handle. When a real high driving air pressure is pre¬ sent it is possible without difficulties to design such devices based upon relatively simple means. But when the driving pressure is reduced to medium sized pressures it becomes difficult to provide a device which is able reliably without adjustment difficulties to perform such a foaming as wanted. The lengths of pipe lines and the internal dimensions of employed items play an important rCle, also when they are not situated closely to or in the vicinity of the spray gun.

According to the present invention it is achieved to provide such afoaming device that fulfils all these de¬ mands and with which a stable spraying is attained without the aforementioned drawbacks and operated in just as easy a way as the opening of a water tap untill a suitable, thick

OM water spray ray is attained; the only difference is that the delivered product here is foam.

A device according to the present invention consists therein that additional to the compressed air regulating valve a further compressed air regulating valve is posi¬ tioned which is inserted between the pressure reducing valve output and the foam substance guiding pipe line be¬ tween the receptacle with the foam substance and the spray gun. By means of this nevertheless an additonal pipe line requiring structure in which besides an already sepa- rately to the spray gun leading and with an air supply valve, f.i. at the spray gun, fitted pipeline an additional air supply regulating valve is arranged within the struc¬ ture, which valve in practice is the valve which functions as the additional air regulating valve determining the condition of the sprayed material consisting of foam sub¬ stance arriving from the foam substance receptacle inclu¬ ding air being supplied with the compressed air and possib¬ ly including a lesser supply of air being sucked into the sprayed material leaving the spray gun, as the nozzle of the spray gun is situated within a surrounding bushing being fitted with air holes connecting it with the sur¬ rounding atmosphere, so that the sprayed jet sucks air into the jet through these air holes. The known and througha se- parate and under air pressure staying pipeline with pressuri¬ zed air supplied compressed air regulating valve which is positioned upon the spray gun and where this compressed air is supplied approximately in crosswise direction in propor¬ tion to the substance carrying pipeline leading unto the spray gun only contributes to the consistency of the sprayed substance through a fine-controlling of the consi¬ stency of this substance. This is clearly an advantage by the embodiments according to the present invention as the device then easily can be used in that way that the consi- stency is determined through the size of opening of the additional compressed air regulating valve, and the amount

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OMPI fr> of sprayed substance is controllable by means of a regula¬ ting valve for the substance and also for the added amount of air being added by means of the additional air regula¬ ting valve, whereas the compressed air regulating valve upon the spray gun yields a fine-adjustment of the consi¬ stency of the sprayed substance.

An improvement of the control of the consistency is attainable according to the present invention in case the additional compressed air regulating valve output is con- nected unto the substance carrying pipeline between the receptacle with the substance and the spray gun in vicinity of the receptacle with the substance.

In this respect it is particularly advantageous if according to the present invention the output of the addi- tional compressed air regulating valve is connected unto the substance carrying line in a direction approximately right angular in proportion to the substance carrying pipe line between the receptacle with the substance and the spray gun. By this means a larger regulating range of the consistency of the sprayed substance is attained.

In this respect a further improvement is attainable according to the present invention when at the place of the connection between the additional compressed air regulating valve output and the substance carrying pipeline this pipe line is leading towards the spray gun from the place of connection in mainly the same direction as one of the first mentioned pipe lines leading unto the place of con¬ nection.

Further improvement in this respect is according to the present invention attained when the place of connec¬ tion of the output of the additional compressed air regula¬ ting valve with the substance carrying pipe line is provided in a stud connection internally on a terminal plate unto which externally connecting lines to the spray gun are connectable, namely the substance carrying line to be passed via this stud conection, and the compressed air line

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OMPI leading to the compressed air regulating valve in the spray gun passing another on the terminal plate situated stud connection, and where by means of approximately equally long pipe lines compressed air is led to the connecting studs from the additional compressed air regulating valve and a closely to this valve situated, already mentioned, common pressure reducing valve for the supply of compressed air of the device, and where the activation handle of the additional compressed air regulating valve and the activa- tion handle of a possible on the pressure side of the pressure reducing valve positione _d compressed air supply pressure realease and/or safety valve.

By means of this embodiment a functionally particular¬ ly good solution as well as a solution which is distin- guished by simplicity because of the mutually close posi¬ tioning of the necessary means is attained, and._by means of which solution simultaneously an easy and effective opera¬ tion of the device is provided for, as a functionally good construction is related with a positioning of the means for:.the operation being.advantageous, because the means groupwise are situated in vicinity of each other.

A particularly compact straucture is also attainable according to the present invention as the receptacle with the substance may be positioned immediately behind the pressure reducing valve and the additional compressed air regulating valve. In this case the spraying device may be arranged upon a cart chassis which needn't be all to large making it possible that the device easily can be moved around inside a room, also a room having small space, and whereby wheel of a suitable size are situated below the chassis. As way of example, the spray gun then by means of twopipe line hoses are connected unto the cart part of the spraying device.

It is remarked, that the pressure reducing valves- being positioned somewhere within the device, as hinted at, in case of certain constructions may result in that the substance or

OMPI the substances staying under pressure within the device in case of a pressure drop at the compressed air supply side of the device, f.i. in case of interruption wholly or in part of the compressed air supply, will be led through the pressure reducing valve or through the means which performs this and further on out to the supply side. As foam sub¬ stance thus may be carried by, a choking of the valve or unwanted mixings on the compressed air supply side may take place. An as well cheaper in manufacture as well as more efficient pressure reducing valve, incorporating si¬ multaneously, as an alternative, a venting and/or a safety- valve function, is according to the present invention f.i. obtained when the pressure reducing valve, particularly with the purpose of hindering a lead-back of substance or substances under pressure from the device, consists of two elements, namely a counter and/or throttle valve and a venting valve which preferably are connected unto the users side of the the counter and/or throttle valve. Such a counter valve is preferably a springloaded valve, the same applies to the venting valve. A reducing of the air pressure, being present within the device, is provided -for thereby that in case air is supplied with a too high pressure the venting valve will go into function. As the device is capable of being operated at a more than merely narrow-marginal medium pressure such a device is well suited to the purpose.

Of corresponding reasons and also in view of obtaining a smooth provision of foam during operation of the device with interrupted use of foam it is an advantage when according, to the present invention a preferably not-spring- loaded counter valve, to prevent a lead-back of substance respectively substances under pressure from the device through the pressure regulating valve, is inserted in the output connection from the pressure regulating valve, pre- ferably in vicinity of the place where connections are provided. Embodiments according to the present invention are described in more details in the following with reference to the drawing, whereupon:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates the arrangement of means within a foaming device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 illustrates a spray gun suited to be used in connection with a foaming device according to the present invention, such as f.i. an embodi- ment according to fig. 1,

Fig. 3 illustrates in the perspective a foaming device constructed according to the embodiment of fig. 1 and fig. 2, and Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment as the one shown in fig. 1, but with the pressure reducing valve 13 being subdivided into two elements 13A and 13B. An embodiment of a foam spraying device according to the present invention is shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawing. The way of connection and items for the device are shown schematically in fig. 1, and fig. 3 shows in the per¬ spective a complete device according to the present inven¬ tion.

The foam spraying device comprises a receptacle 2 con¬ taining a preferably fluent substance 1 which during supply of air under a certain pressure is capable of producing foam to be sprayed through a nozzle. This substance 1 is placed under pressure in the receptacle 2 by means of com¬ pressed air supplied through a line 15 fitted unto the top of the receptacle. A pipe line 3 is in well known manner situated with its mouth end near the bottom of the recep¬ tacle and receives substance under pressure from the recep¬ tacle. A connecting line 4 leads the substance to a place of junction 5, where the line 4 is connected unto two other lines 25 and 6. The line 6 leads in a well known manner, f.i. through easily disjointable joints as 7, the substance to a line 8, which can be a flexible hose, and unto a regula- ting valve 26 which is manually operable and is positioned at a handle 28 being fitted with an internally further- leading channel 27 and a spray pipe 36 ending in a nozzle 38, which nozzle may be arranged within a funnel-shaped means 39 having an internal diaphragm 41 with a central opening and furthermore being fitted with lateral air intake openings 40 which air is suck in by means of the spray stream passing the nozzle in well known manner. The spray tube may, in well known manner to obtain an easier manual application, possess a pipe bending f.i. at 37.

In parallel with the hose 8, as shown in fig. 2, another hose leads to the spray gun, which hose in well known manner leads compressed air unto the spray gun. This last mentioned hose 22 leads compressed air into the spray gun through another regulating valve 34 and through a channel 35. The purpose is well known and serves to augment the arriving amount of air unto the substance before the substance arrives unto the nozzle 38.

A foam spraying device shaped in this way functions in an excellent way as long as the proper pressure of the compressed air remains high enough, i.e. in connection with high pressure foam spraying devices. But when the pressure sinks below roughly 8 to 10 at . the foamy substance, par¬ ticularly in relaion to cleaning soaps, no longer is good, as the foamy substance becomes too wet and__thus contains too little air. It is naturally possible to find other solutions to solve the present task, namely with suitable means situated in the receptacle provided for a suitable stirring of the substance so that the substance contains more air when it is led to the spray gun. This way of sol¬ ing the problem on the other hand requires more device means whereto additional maintenance costs have to be ad¬ ded, etc. ϋntill now a solution along the guidelines given by means of the present invention has not led to useful results, so that the device could be suitably cheap to manu¬ f cture andcouldbe suitably easy to operate. The task is

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OMPI S . W1P0 considerably more difficult to solve what the device con¬ cerns than suspected at first glance. The present embodi¬ ment according to the present invention presents a surpri¬ singly simple solution to the problem including that the solution presents advantages at operation, even though more operation knobs have been added. The device is capable of spraying foam particularly evenly distributed"arid with a consistency of the spray foam which is easily adjustable and even in such a manner that compressed air of high pro- per pressure is avoided which high pressure else due to experience could have led to formation of poisonous aero¬ sols.

Compressed air to the hose 22 is led through one or more disjointable joints 21 and arrives through a line 20 from a means which comprises a pressure reducing valve 13 with operation handle 14, from which compressed air under a wanted medium pressure partly is led to the receptacle 2 through the line 15 and partly also to the line 20. A com¬ pressed air source supplies compressed air, with a suitable higher pressure or with the same medium pressure, as indi¬ cated by an arrow A, through a line 9 to a safety- and/or venting valve 10 with venting and reset operation handle 11 and further on through a line 12 to the pressure redu¬ cing valve 13 and to a bending 17. The means, which is fundamental in connection with the present invention, is especially the additional regulating valve 24 and the way whereby this is coupled into the line system. This valve through two places of connections 5 and 19 is connected unto respectively lines 23 and 25 being connected hereto. In case of the shown embodiment particu¬ larly the lines 25 and 6 are lined up in proportion to each other whereas the line 4 is connected mainly in a crosswise, right angular, direction in proportion to these lines. In this respect it is possible that the lines 4 and 25 in connection with the shown embodiment could be interchanged arranged on the means 5.

OMPI ty. W1PO It is an advantage if the joint 5 contains sharp edges or protrusions, as formation of whirls is essential at this place between the substance and the compressed air. Hereby a better consistency of.the foam is attained than if f.i. the lines 4 and 25 like the slanting forks in a Y-shape are arranged to be combined and run further on in a combined line directed as the common stem 6 of the Y-shape.

Also the lengths of the lines play a role in the ob¬ tained result. As well structural as in regard to function a good solution is presented when the lines 4, 25 and 20 possess approximately the same lengthswhile the length of the line 6 possibly may be short or even as a whole be discarted in the way that the joint or means 5 has its run directly over in f.i. a joining means 7. Hereafter it is to be remarked that the lengths of the hoses 8, 22,which prac¬ tically may have the same length, also play a certain role and thus not can be reduced unto an unimportantly short hose length. The line lengths of 16, 18 and 23 on the other side have less influence and may be short so that a very compact construction may be attained making it possible with great advantage to provide a compactly build foam spraying device as the one illustrated in fig. 3.

According to fig. 3 the apparatus rests upon a bottom plate 49 being supported by wheels 50, 51 and carrying a receptacle 2 being fastened by means of a clamp 46 and com¬ prising a filling stud with cover 45 and furthermore carrying a compressor 48 driven by a motor 47 and a front plate 52 unto which operable from outside the safety- and venting valve 11, the pressure reducing valve 13 and the joints 7 and 21 are fastened. Furthermore a handle 53 carrying fastening means 54 for the spray gun 28, 36, 39 also is arranged for. The remaining mentioned items 4, 10, 11, 13, 8 and 22 are already described above.

It is remarked, that the provided foam spraying device possesses such a construction that it is universally adap¬ table in the way that the spray gun illustrated in fig. 2 also besides the two shown supplies, namely for respective¬ ly substance with air and compressed air indicated with arrows D and E, comprises a supply F for water to be used for flushing with the device after spraying of foam. The water is supplied via line 42 and a regulating valve 43 for the water and a channel 44 unto the internal of the handle 28. When flushing the idea is, that the valves 26 and 34 are closed. But nothing prevents that it simultaneously is possible to add an amount of substance or compressed air to the water by means of the valves 26 and 34.

In fig. 1 the pipe lines are drawn with curved pipe line lengths. Such don't necessarily have tobe.present asthe pipe lines as well might be provided as hoses.

Nozzle arrangements or rather jet nozzles 29, 30 and 32, 33 including an intermediate channel 30 in the handle 28 could also cooperate to the attainment of a good result.

With regard to the lines, which have equally long lengths, then the lengths, f.i. with an inner clear of 8mm, could have a size of roughly 150 to 250 mm, and with the same inner clear of the lines leading to the spray gun, f.i. 8 mm, the spray gun can be more meters remote of the foam spraying device comprising the additional regulating valve 24.

In fig. 4. of the drawing an alternative embodiment ba- sed upon the one shown in fig. 1 is illustrated. According to fig. 8 the compressed air pressure reducing valve 13 of fig. 1 is subdivided into two elements, of which one ele¬ ment 13A is a spring-loaded counter valve which prevents a back stream of substance or of substances in the device unto the compressed air supply arriving according to arrow A, whereas the other element is a venting valve 13B which either can be automatically venting on its own or it may be coupled unto a manually operable activating means as knob 11 to activate a venting of the pressure being present within the apparatus. Additionally, and according to an existing demand, a safety-valve 10 may be positioned which

OMPI - , WIPO is drawn in- dotted line and alternatively may comprise an operating knob 11 functioning as just described.

The internal connections between the comprised items in practice are as according to fig. 1 , though an alterna- tive run of lines is shown, by means of which the connecting elements 16, 17, 18, 19 are substituted by joining posi¬ tions 102 and 103,

A preferably not-spring-loaded counter valve 101 is inserted in the connecting line 25. The best foam building efficiency is attained when the counter valve 101 is posi¬ tioned close to the joining position 5. The building or forming of foam is as a whole much more even after inser- tation of "this counter valve 101 than without the counter valve. Simultaneously the counter valve 101 as an important function protects the valve 24 against depositing of substance.

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Claims

C L A I M S

1. Foam spraying device being able to be driven by air under pressure possessing a medium sized air pressure, par¬ ticularly for the spraying of soap or other substance to be sprayed as. foam, whereby the foam spraying device is of the kind, by which the foam substance is contained within a receptacle being kept under pressure through a pressure re¬ ducing valve, and where, being controllable by means of a valve positioned within the vicinity of a spray nozzle of a spray gun, air under pressure is led to the spray gun com¬ prising this spray nozzle, and where this spray gun through a regulating valve comprising pipe line, for the supply of foam substance, is connected with the receptacle which con¬ tains the foam substance, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t additional to the compressed air regulating valve (34) a further compressed air regulating valve (24) is po¬ sitioned which is inserted between the pressure reducing valve (13; 13A, 13B) output (19) and the foam substance guiding pipe line (4) between the receptacle (2) and the spray gun (28, 36).

2. Foam spraying device according to claim 1 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the additional compressed air regulating valve (24) output (25) is connec¬ ted unto the substance carrying pipeline (4) between the receptacle (2) and the spray gun (28, 36) in vicinity of the receptacle (2) with the substance.

3. Foam spraying device according to claim 1 or 2 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the output (25) of the additional compressed air regulating valve (24) is connected unto the substance carrying line (4) in a direc¬ tion approximately right angular in proportion to the sub- stance carrying pipe line (4) between the receptacle (2) with the substance and the spray gun (28, 36).

4. Foam spraying device according to claim 3 _C h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t at the place (5)

1_UREA, OMPI ^• W1P0 of the connection between the additional compressed air re¬ gulating valve (24) output (25) and the substance carrying pipeline (4) this pipeline (4) is leading towards the spray gun (28, 36) from the place (5) of connection in mainly the same direction as one (25 or 4) of the first mentioned pipe lines (25, 4) leading unto the place (5) of connection.

5. Foam spraying device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or

4 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the place (5) of connection of the output (25) of the additional com- pressed air regulating valve (24) with the substance carrying pipe line (4) is provided in a stud connection (5, 7) internally on a terminal plate (52) unto which external¬ ly connecting lines (8, 22) to the spray gun (28, 36) are connectable, namely the substance carrying line (4) to be passed via this stud connection (7) and the compressed air line (22) leading to the compressed air regulating valve (34) in the spray gun (28, 36) passing another on the ter¬ minal plate (52) situated stud connection (21), and where by means of approximately equally long pipe lines com- pressed air is led to the connecting studs (7, 21) from the additional compressed air-regulating valve (24) and^' a closely to this valve (24) situated, already mentioned, common pressure reducing valve (13; 13A, 13B) for the supply of compressed air (A) of the device, and where the activation handle of the additional compressed air regula¬ ting valve (24) and the activation handle (11) of a possible on the pressure side of the pressure reducing valve (13; 13A, 13B) positioned compressed air supply pressure release and/or safety valve (10).

6. Foam spraying device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the re¬ ceptacle (2) with the substance is positioned immediately behind the pressure reducing valve (13; 13A, 13B) an the additional compressed air regulating valve (24) .

7. Foam spraying device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4,

5 or c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t the

OMPI S W1PO pressure reducing valve (13A, 13B) , particularly with the purpose of hindering a lead-back of substance or substances under pressure from the device, consists of two elements, namely a counter and/or throttle valve (13A) and aventing valve (13B) which preferably are connected unto the users side of the counter and/or throttle valve (13A).

8. Foam spraying device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 • c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n t h a t a preferably not-spring-loaded counter valve (101), to prevent lead-back of substance respectively substances under pressure from the device through the pressure regulating valve (24), is inserted in the output (25) connection from the pressure regulating valve (24) , preferably in vicinity of the place (5) where connections are provided.