Rotating Nozzle Conveyor for Automated High-Pressure Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-pressure cleaning devices for dirty components in the chemical and refinery sectors face challenges in automating the cleaning process, leading to potential industrial accidents and increased physical labor, as existing systems often require manual operation and lack effective protection for operators from high-velocity water jets.
Innovation Solution
A high-pressure cleaning device featuring a conveyor belt system with deflection rollers and rotating nozzle assemblies, where components are cleaned from multiple angles by water jets passing through passages on the conveyor belt, ensuring the cleaning process occurs in a protected area inaccessible to humans, reducing the risk of accidents and allowing for automated operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual operation is used for high-pressure cleaning, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but operator safety is compromised and physical labor increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system performs cleaning operations autonomously through automated conveyor belts and rotating nozzle assemblies. The system serves itself by continuously conveying components through the cleaning zone without requiring manual intervention, thereby eliminating physical labor while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical operation is replaced with an automated mechanical system comprising motor-driven conveyor belts and rotating nozzle assemblies. This substitution eliminates the need for operators to physically handle high-pressure water jets while maintaining the mechanical cleaning function.
2Reliability
If automated cleaning systems are implemented, then operator safety is improved and physical labor is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt system serves multiple functions: it conveys components through the cleaning zone, positions components for cleaning, and provides structural support for the nozzle assemblies. The rotating support structure similarly provides both rotation and positioning functions, reducing the need for separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The nozzle assembly is merged with the rotating support structure, combining the cleaning function with the positioning and rotation functions in a single integrated unit. This reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system architecture.
3Productivity
If nozzles are positioned close to components for effective cleaning, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but the risk of water jet rebound and industrial accidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt acts as an intermediary between the water jets and the operators. It positions components in a controlled manner through the cleaning zone, ensuring that water jets are directed only at the components and not rebound toward operators. The automated system mediates the interaction between high-pressure water and the cleaning process.
Solution Approach 2:
The high-pressure water jet's cleaning power is converted into a beneficial force by directing it precisely at contaminated surfaces through the rotating nozzle assembly. The system harnesses the potentially harmful high-pressure jets and converts them into an effective cleaning tool by controlling their direction and application points.
4Productivity
If continuous conveyor operation is used, then productivity is improved, but the complexity of controlling and protecting the cleaning area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a continuous conveyor belt as a flexible barrier that separates the cleaning zone from the operator area. This thin film structure provides protection while allowing continuous operation, as it can be easily positioned and adjusted without requiring complex rigid enclosures.
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 enables automated and efficient cleaning of components with reduced operator risk, as the conveyor belt and nozzle arrangements ensure that cleaning occurs in a controlled environment, minimizing physical labor and enhancing safety by preventing direct human access to high-pressure water jets.
Implementation Method 1
At the high pressure values, the water jets emerging from a nozzle have such a high momentum that they mechanically remove contaminants from the components
Implementation Method 2
the water jets emerging from the nozzles have such a high momentum that they mechanically remove contaminants
Implementation Method 3
a conveyor belt which is guided around deflection rollers
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The high-pressure cleaning device for soiled components (48) has a) a frame (20), b) a conveyor belt (28) guided around deflection rollers, forming an upper run (38) on which the components (48) are located during operation, and a lower run (40), and having a large number of openings (44), c) an inlet station (22) located near a front deflection roller (30) and having an inlet table (46), d) an outlet station (23) located near a rear deflection roller (32) and having an outlet table (50), e) an upper nozzle assembly (56) arranged above the upper run (38), rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation and having downward-facing nozzles directed towards the upper run (38), and f) a lower nozzle assembly (54) arranged between the upper run (38) and the lower run (40) to provide a vertical axis of rotation is rotatable and has nozzles directed upwards towards the passages (44).