US2056240A - Method of and apparatus for producing a spray - Google Patents

Description

OCA, 6, A936. E. Y. WHEELER 2,056,240

METHOD oF AND APPARATUS Fon PRODUCING A SPRAY Filed sept. 28, 1954 .76 fg'c'a/n i, lyose i I l l 34 Z, v i Kes- /'f/b u I A Il .50 fain; a may ya En" y vPatented Oct. 6, 1936 Marilou oF AND APrAnATUs Fon l raonUcmG A sraAY Freeman Y. wheeler, Beverly-nun, cam.

.application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,865

s claims. (ci. a99-sii My invention relates to apparatus for applying liquid detergent in the form of a mist or spray.

One form of such apparatus which is in commercial use utilizes a no w of steam under fairly high pressure to effect the dissemination and application of a detergent to a surface to be cleaned and includes an electric-motor-driven pump for injecting the detergent into the steam lines. This apparatus is very satisfactory excepting that considerable expense is involved lin providing it with the motor and pump, and considerable inconvenience suffered in always having to run an electric cable to the motor to supply this with electrical energy.

It is accordingly an-object of my invention to provide an improved apparatus of the general type above described'in which the motor and pump may be eliminated without impairing the efficiency of the apparatus.

The manner of accomplishing the foregoing object as well as further objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description -I3 in which an axle Il is Journalled, the latter having wheels l5 which rest upon the floor. Secured to front ends oi' 'themembers I2 are supporting feet I9. The feet I9 are braced tothe members I2 by braces 22. L

Secured upon the 1frame .members I2 as by bolts are the legs 26 of a tank supporting base 21. Fixed to the base l2'I and resting thereon is a tank 23 which comprises the liquid detergent orA cleaning solution reservoir of my invention. Secured to the tank 28 on the opposite side from the legs I9 is a handle 29.

Mounted on thefront face of the tank 28 is a steam and detergent mixing unit 3U. This unit is clearly shown in Fig. v2 andincludes a detergent pick-up pipe 3| and a steam supply pipe 32 "'*32-fare'connected by a control valve 35. 'I'he opsteam pipe 32 and formed integral therewith is a steam diverting pipe lll.

The detergent pick-up pipe 3| connects directly with one end of a cleaning spray hose II which is provided at its other extremity with a cleaning spray nozzle l2 as clearly shown in Fig. l. The detergent pick-up pipe 3| has a detergent injecting pipe I3 opening thereinto and formed integral therewith. n i

The mixing unit also includes a steam valve 50 which is connected by an el w 5| and nipple 52 to the steam inlet 53 oi' a s eam injector 54. This injector is of any o! the well known types but is vpreferably a Penberthy injector which is Well known inthe art and which is ordinarily utilized in the injection oi' water into steam boilers. Because the construction of the injector 54 is well known, a further description of this is believed unnecessary beyond noting that it has besides the steam inlet 53 a water discharge opening 56, an overflow passage 51, and a water inlet' opening which is. connectedv by suitable fittings with a valve 58. This valve has a pipe 59 which extends throughthe wall of the tank 28 and downwardly so its lower end is just above the bottom of the tank where it is provided with a strainer 60. The water discharge opening 56 is connected by suitable iittings including a check valve 6| and an adapter 62 with the detergentdischarge pipe I3. The operation of my invention is as follows:

Operation Theapparatus I0 is adapted to be used in connection with a supply of steam (which is generally provided by a system of pipes and valves not shown), thev steam hose 38 being attached to said source'so that steam under pressure varying from twenty pounds to the square inch to two hundred pounds tothe square inch (depending upon the amount of pressure required in the cleaning operation) is delivered to the mixer unit 30 through the steam hose 33.

The tank 23 is ilrst filled in the ordinary manner by pouring thereinto a liquiddetergentor cleaning solution of any desired characteristics, such as a solution of soap in soft water or a hy-v drocarbon derivative such as gasoline.

When the steam hose 3B is lled with live steam and the apparatus I0 is out of use the, valves 35 and 50 are both turned ofi. To cause a sprayof the liquid detergent in the tank 28 to be delivered under pressure o f the steam in the hose 33 from' the nozzle 42 the valve y5|! is first opened to permit 'steam to be fed i'rom the steam pipe 32 into 65 the injector u. The valve sa 1s now opened to" permit liquid detergent to.be admitted from the tank 28 into the injector 5l. At the commencement of the operation of the injector 5I there is a slight overiiow through the passage 51, after which the liquid detergent is fed through the ywater discharge opening 55, through the check valve 6i, and through the discharge pipe I3 into the detergent pick-up pipe 3l. As soon as the cessation of overilow through the passage 51 of the injector 54 indicates vthe feeding of liquid force of the steam through the hose 4I and disl charged from the nozzle l2. l

By suitable regulation of the valves 35, Bil, and 58, a spray may be secured from the nozzle 42 with any desired amount of detergent and with any desired portion of the steam pressure available in the hose 38 utilized in the ejection of thev spray from the nozzle.

The valve 35 is extremely helpful in starting the operation of the mixing unit 38, yet this valve may be practically entirely opened after the injector 54 has started to discharge liquid detergent into the pick-up pipe 3i and a suitable ieed of detergentlnto the pipe Si maintained.

It is to be understood that the apparatus of my invention is adapted to be used with hot or cold liquid detergent and with either high or low pressure steam supplied through the hose 38, although a steam pressure of about seventy-five pounds is preferable. The term "steam is used herein to broadly cover all forms of vapor under superatmospheric pressure. In some circumstances I have found it advantageous to force a wet or saturated vapor through the steam supply hose 38, the free vapor therein being sufilcient in such a case to operate theinjector 54 and feed detergent from the tank 28 into the detergent pick-up pipe 3i. The detergent thus injected into the stream oi' saturated vapor thoroughly mixes therewith and results in a much wetter spray being emitted from the nozzle 42 than where dry steam is used. Such a wet spray is highly desirable in meeting certain cleaning problems.

Y.Another very important advantage of my invention hereinabove described is that I am able to connect the hose 38 with steam lines varying greatly in steam pressure and still obtain a llow of steamv through the hose 4l at a uniform pressure regardless of the pressure in the hose 38. This' is accomplished by regulating the degree which the valve 351s opened during the operation of the device.

While I do not wish to limit myself to any specinc theory of the operation of the method or apparatus of my invention I desire to state that my present best understanding of the operation of the injector 56 is as follows: 'This injector may be a standard Penberthy injector, such as is well known in the art and which is commonly used for the injecting'of water into boilers, thejinjector being actuated by steam delivered from the' boiler into ,which the injector injects water. As the steam enters thednjector through the pipeV 52 it passes through a small nozzle and expands in a conhed space to a pressure which is less than atmospheric) thereby causing liquid detergentto be sucked up through the pipe 58 into this confined space.

This liquid detergent, which "is many times the v weight of the steam involved, lcondenses the steam, and the resulting mixture, which is now I hot detergent solution, acquires enough energyI from the latent heat of vaporization of the steam to build up a pressure greater than the initial steam pressure in the pipe 32 and thus force its way into the detergent pick-up pipe 3|.

What I claim is:

l.. In a cleaning apparatus the combination of: a liquid detergent reservoir; a pipe adapted to allow relatively free passage therethrough of a suiilcientvolume of steam to form a substantially high velocity stream to be used for cleaning purposes when discharged into the atmosphere,

said pipe comprising a detergent pick-up pipe; a steam pipe for supplying steam under pressure to said pick-up pipe; a control valve connecting said steam pipe to said pick-up pipe; a steam lnjector; a valved pipe connecting the water inlet of said injectorto said reservoir; a valved pipe connecting the steam inlet of said injector to said steam pipe; and a pipe connecting the waterunder-pressure outlet of said injector with said pipe through said wall and downwardly adjacent the bottom of said reservoir; and a screen covering the outlet on the lower end of said valved Awater pipe. e

3. In an apparatus for cleaning a surface by a spray of detergent directed thereagainst, the 35,

combination of: means for conning and conducting a continuous stream of steam to a given point and for releasing said stream o1' steam from coniinement at said point and discharging said stream at ay relatively high velocity; means forming a liquid detergent reservoir; a steam operated water injector; means for connecting the water inlet of said injector to said detergent reservoir; means for connecting the water outlet oi' said injector with said first-above-mentioned means; and means for diverting steam from said ilrst-above-mentioned means at a point in advance of its connection with said injector and conveying the steam so diverted to said injector to operate the same to draw liquid detergent fromk 5o said reservoir and inject the same into said rstabove-mentioned means at the point where said injector is connected therewith.

4. The method of producing a cleaning spray which comprises: confining and conducting a continuous stream of steam to a given point, re-fl leasing said stream of steam from conilnement ,at said point and discharging said steam from said point at a relatively high velocity. diverting a portion of steam from the aforesaid confined so stream, permitting said portion of steam to expand rapidly to a pressure less than atmospheric, confining the space in which said expansion takes place, providing a' tank'of detergent, connecting said space with said detergent to cause said sub- 05 first aforementioned stream of steam thereby i permitting pressure built up by energy acquired from the latent heat ofl vaprization of said diverted portion oil steam tovforce said detergent from said confined space into said ilrst aforementioned stream of steam thereby causing said de- 'l5 tergent "to mix therewith and be discharged as a spray.

5. The method of producing a spray in which steam is -used. as a vehicle and in which a liquid is disseminated. throughout said steam in iineiy divided condition which comprises: confining and conducting a rapid and continuously owing stream of steam to a. given point, releasing said stream of steam from connement at said point` so as to discharge said steam into theatmosphere at a relatively high velocity, providing a. reserve body of `the aforesaid liquid, diverting a portion of steam from the aforesaid confined stream, ex-

panding said diverted steam into a confined space,

connecting said space wit said reserve body of liquid and with the rst a orementioned stream of steam beyond the point of diversion from the latter as aforesaid, utilizing the principle of the injector to inject said liquid into said stream v of steam thus causing said liquid to mix therewith and be diffused therein and be discharged .l with said steam at said point in the forming of 1n.

the spray.

FREEMAN Y. wrmmma.

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