Heated Water Spill Cleanup for Deep Pore Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cleaning spills of liquid organic materials, such as oil and fuel, are inefficient and labor-intensive, failing to completely remove the materials from hard surfaces, leading to re-contamination and hazardous conditions, especially after rainfall.
Innovation Solution
A mobile cleaning system using tanks for water storage and a high-pressure vacuum system that applies heated water to penetrate and extract organic materials from hard surfaces, combined with a water-based cleaner to release and remove substances from both the surface and pores, significantly reducing cleanup time and waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If absorbent material is spread over the surface to soak up spills, then the organic materials on the surface are removed, but the cleanup process is slow and labor-intensive, taking several days
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical absorption process with a thermal extraction system. Heated water (thermally processed) is injected under pressure into the concrete pores to dissolve and extract organic materials, which are then removed by vacuum extraction. This thermal-mechanical system achieves complete removal in minutes rather than days of manual absorption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic injection of heated water under pressure to penetrate concrete pores and dissolve organic materials, combined with pneumatic vacuum extraction to remove the contaminated water. This fluid-based approach rapidly extracts materials from deep within the substrate, eliminating the slow surface-level absorption process.
2Reliability
If absorbent material is used to remove surface organic materials, then the visible spill is cleaned, but the organic material trapped in concrete pores remains and causes re-contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from surface-level cleaning to subsurface cleaning by injecting heated water vertically into the concrete pores. This dimensional approach allows extraction of organic materials from deep within the substrate (up to several inches deep), not just from the surface, preventing re-contamination by removing the source of future migration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of water by heating it to elevated temperatures before injection. This thermal parameter change enables the water to dissolve organic materials more effectively and penetrate deeper into the concrete matrix, achieving complete extraction from pores that cold water cannot reach.
3Ease of operation
If traditional absorption methods are used, then the cleanup process is simple to operate, but the amount of waste by-product is significant and requires extensive collection
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of discarding large volumes of contaminated absorbent material, the system recovers the organic materials by extracting them dissolved in heated water through vacuum extraction. The contaminated water is collected in a holding tank for centralized disposal, significantly reducing the volume of waste that must be handled and disposed of.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively cleans spills in a fraction of the time of traditional methods, eliminating re-contamination risks and minimizing hazardous waste, with a non-toxic cleaner that allows for quick restoration of surfaces, reducing cleanup time to under two hours and minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The system then sprays heated fresh water under high pressure onto the spill
Implementation Method 2
heated fresh water under high pressure onto the spill
Implementation Method 3
A high throughput vacuum system removes the hot water and the spill materials concurrently as the hot water is applied to the treated area
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile cleaning system to be used for cleaning organic liquids from a hard surface includes tanks for storing water, and for storing used, dirty water after cleanup. A water-based cleaner is sprayed onto the spill, which can be, but need not be, done in connection with the cleanup system. The system then sprays heated fresh water under high pressure onto the spill. A high throughput vacuum system removes the hot water and the spill materials concurrently as the hot water is applied to the treated area. The vacuumed liquids are stored in an on-board tank for later disposal.