Pneumatic Tank Cleaning Arrangement for Obstructed Areas
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tank cleaning methods, such as those used in aircraft waste tanks, often fail to reach all areas due to obstructions and lack of sufficient force, leading to incomplete cleaning and potential contamination.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic distributor system that creates a variable vortex within the tank using compressed air to distribute fluid through multiple ports, ensuring thorough coverage and cleaning by adjusting pressure and nozzle activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a single spinning rinse head with multiple nozzles is used to clean the tank interior, then the cleaning coverage is improved, but areas obstructed by tank components and the bottom of the tank are still not reached
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into multiple independent nozzle units distributed at different locations on the tank wall, each capable of spraying cleaning fluid independently. This segmentation allows the cleaning function to be performed from multiple positions simultaneously, ensuring complete coverage of the tank interior including obstructed areas and the bottom.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning approach transitions from a single-point spinning head to a multi-point distributed nozzle system across the tank wall. By adding spatial distribution in multiple dimensions, the system achieves comprehensive coverage that a single spinning head cannot provide, particularly reaching areas behind obstructions and at the tank bottom.
2Device complexity
If pressurized fluid is sprayed from a single location to clean the tank, then the system is simple, but the fluid does not reach all parts of the tank interior with sufficient force
Solution Approach 1:
The single pressurized fluid source is segmented into multiple spray points through the distributor system. Each nozzle receives pressurized fluid and directs it toward specific areas of the tank interior, distributing the cleaning force effectively across the entire tank surface including hard-to-reach areas.
Solution Approach 2:
A pneumatic distributor acts as an intermediary between the single pressurized fluid source and multiple nozzles. This intermediary device receives pressurized fluid at one location and distributes it to multiple nozzles positioned around the tank, enabling forceful cleaning across the entire tank interior without requiring multiple fluid sources.
3Reliability
If manual cleaning is performed to ensure complete coverage, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but safety risks and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service cleaning where the tank cleans itself through automatically controlled nozzles that spray cleaning fluid and collect waste. The pneumatic distributor and control system automatically manage the cleaning process without human intervention, eliminating safety risks associated with manual cleaning while ensuring complete coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical cleaning is replaced with an automated pneumatic system. The pneumatic distributor uses compressed air to control fluid flow to multiple nozzles, creating an automated cleaning mechanism that substitutes for manual labor, improving both safety and operational ease while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
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
Ensures complete tank interior cleaning with reduced water and detergent usage, avoiding obstructions and enhancing cleaning efficiency without additional components.
Implementation Method 1
configured to selectively route pneumatic fluid from the input to the outputs... to create a variable vortex in the tank interior
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning arrangement for cleaning the interior of a tank containing fluid, the cleaning arrangement comprising: a pneumatic distributor having a pneumatic fluid input and a plurality of pneumatic fluid outputs and configured to selectively route pneumatic fluid from the input to the outputs, each of the outputs configured to provide fluid to an interior of the tank via a respective port in a wall of the tank according to the selectively routed distribution of fluid to create a variable vortex in the tank interior