US2771891A - Apparatus for cleaning pipe lines - Google Patents

Description

1956 2. 0. s1". PALLEY APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PIPE LINES Filed Aug. 18, 1955 INVENTvOR. 506% APPARATUS FOR CLEANING PIPE LINES Zoltan 0. St. Palley, Branford, Conn.

Application August 18, 1955, Serial No. 529,156

3 Claims. (Cl. 134-57) My invention relates to apparatus for washing articles by means of a periodically reversed flow of cleaning fluid, and has particular utility in the cleaning of pipe lines.

One of the important objects of my invention is to provide an apparatus which, due to its high Washing efiiciency and automatic operation, can be used very effectively and economically for the sanitary cleaning of pipe lines and various other equipments in the dairy and food processing plants, without their disassembly.

Another important object of my invention is to provide an apparatus in which the deceleration of the flow of the cleaning fluid, prior to its automatic reversing, can be finely regulated so as to avoid excessive impacts detrimental to glass pipes and other delicate equipments.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, wherein, for the purpose of illustration are shown a preferred and a modified form of my invention,

Figure 1.is a diagrammatic view of my invention,

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the preferred form of the float-switch,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the same,

Figure 4 is a partial sectional view of the tank and outlet pipe with a modified arrangement of the floatswitch.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts, the numeral 1 designates, as an example, a pipe line to be cleaned, the ends of which are connected to the outlet pipes 3 and 163 of the tanks 2 and 102, respectively. These tanks are preferably portable to permit their convenient application to the pipe lines.

As these tanks and the associated mechanisms are duplicates in every respect, the description of one will be sufficient for the understanding of the invention.

The tank 2 is provided with a removable cover 4 adapted for the hermetic closing of the tank. Leading into the upper portion of the tank 2 is the air pipe 5, connected to the control valve 6. This valve serves to permit the entry of the compressed air into the tank 2 from the air supply pipe 7 in its open position; and in its closed position will open the air passage from the tank into the exhaust pipe 8. The operating rod and handle 9 permits the manual operation of the control valve 6 and will also serve as a position indicator.

Mechanically connected to this control valve 6 are two operating solenoids, so designed, that when solenoid 10 is energized it will move the valve 6 into the open position and, when solenoid 11 is energized it will move the valve 6 into the closed position.

Inserted into the energizing circuits of these solenoids 10 and 11 are the time delay relays 12 and 13, respectively. The function of these relays is to delay the transmission of the energizing current to the respective solenoid 2,771,891 Patented Nov. 27, 1956 by a predetermined length of time and these relays are provided with adjusting means whereby the length of the time delay can be selectively varied. Thesetime delay relays are known in the art, hence, their description herein is not necessary.

Connected in the energizing circuit of the opening solenoid 10 is the switch 14, used for the starting and stopping of the washing operation of the apparatus.

An important element of this invention is the liquid detector which, in the preferred form, comprises a housing 15 communicating with the outlet pipe 3, a float 16 movably mounted within the housing, a switch 17 operatively connected to said float, in such a manner, that the switch will open an electric circuit when the float rises due to its buoyancy in the liquid contained in the housing, and will close the circuit when the float will descend due to the lack of liquid in said housing. The operative connection between the float and the switch, which is schematically represented in Fig. 1 by a lever attached to the float 16 and a connecting rod attached to the switch 17, may employ other means of power transmission known in the art.

As an example, in the float-switch shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the motion of the float 16 is transmitted'to the switch 17 by means of a magnetic coupling, consisting of the magnet 18 attached to the float 16 and the magnet 19 attached to the switch 17, which is of the mercury type. The two magnets are separated by the nonmagnetic wall of the housing 15, preventing the leakage of the liquid from the housing. Fig. 3 shows the mercury switch in the closing position corresponding to the absence of liquid in the housing of the float.

As an alternative, the switch 17 may be actuated by a photo-electric cell the illumination of which being a function of the position of the float 16. It is also within the spirit of the present invention to detect the presence or the absence of the liquid in the housing 15 by means of a photo-electric cell the illumination of which being affected directly by the liquid contained in said housing, without the use of a float.

inserted into the circuit of the switch 17 is the solenoid 21 of the reversing relay 20. This relay 20 has triple contacts and is so constructed that it is kept by a spring in the normal position, shown in Fig. 1, when the solenoid 21 is not energized. When, due to the closing of the switch 17, the solenoid 21 is energized, it will move the relay 20 into the reversing position, indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing. With the opening of the switch 17 the relay 20 will be returned by a spring into the normal position.

In the companion unit, which is a duplicate of the one herein described, the corresponding elements are designated by the same numerals plus 100.

These two units are connected together by three electrical conductors 23, 24, and 25; 23 and 24 being connected to the electric supply terminals 26 and 27, respectively.

It is to be noted that in Fig. 1 of the drawing the liquid detector housings 15 and are at different levels. This is to illustrate the significant fact, that in the present invention the liquid detectors may be located at any point of the outlet pipes 3 and 1113, even at the lower portion of the tanks 2 and 102, with any difference in the levels of the two liquid detectors, without affecting the reversing operation. This is due to the fact that in this invention the actual timing of the reversal of the flow is determined by the setting of the adjustable time delay relays 12, 13, 112 and 113. This feature of my invention has great utility because it enables the operator to shut off the compresed air behind the flow of liquid at any desired point of the pipe line, and allow the flow to decelerate to a predetermined extent, before the reverse.

air power is applied, reducing thereby the impact of the reversing.

Fig. 4 of the drawing shows a further alternative arrangement for the disposition of the liquid detector.

The operation of the present invention is as follows: Referring to Fig. 1, switches 14 and 114 are opened, cover 4 is removed and the cleaning fluid is deposited in tank'2, causing the rising of the float 16 and the opening of theswitch 17. Then, the time delay relays 12, 13, 112, 113, are set for the required time delays, and the cover 4.is secured in place.

The washing operation is started by the closing of the switches 14 and 114, the result of which will be the energizing of the solenoid 14), moving the control valve 6 ,into the open position (see 'Fig. 1). This opening of the valve 6 will permit the compressed air to flow from the .air supply pipe 7 into the tank 2, forcing the cleaning fluid from the tank 2 into the pipe line 1. This flow, advancing in the pipe line, will reach the liquid detector housing 115 and, by filling it, will cause the rising of the float 116. As a result of this, switch 117 will open, the solenoid v121 will be deenergized and the reversing relay .120 will move into the normal position, indicated by the full lines of the contacts in Fig. 1.

The continued advance of the flow of the cleaning fluid will reach the tank 102. Fig. 1 shows an intermediate stage when most of the cleaning fluid has been already transferred into the tank 102. Continuing this transfer, we reach the stage when all the cleaning fluid is forced out of the tank 2 and outlet pipe 3 into the pipe line 1. When this occurs, the float 16, having lost its liquid support, will descend, causing the closing of the switch 17 and the energizing of the solenoid 21. This energized solenoid 21 will move the relay 20 .into the reversing position, indicated by the dotted lines of the contacts in Fig. 1 of the drawing, with the following consequences:

First, the time delay relay 13 will be energized, which after the predetermined time delay will transmit the energization to the closing solenoid 11, causing thereby the closing of the control valve and the shutting off of the flow of compressed air from the supply pipe 7.

.Second, through the conductor 25 the time delay relay 112 will receive energization, which it will transmit, after aselected time delay, to the opening solenoid 110. The result of this will be the moving of the control valve 106 into the open position, permitting the compressed air to flow from the supply pipe 107 into the tank 102 causing the reversal of the flow of the cleaning fluid.

It is an important feature of this invention that, regardless of the level of the location of the liquid detector, the operator can shut off the compressed air, behind the flow, at any desired stage of the fluid transfer by the proper adjusting of the time delay relays connected to the closing solenoids. Also, by the proper adjustment of the time delay relays connected to the opening solenoids, the operator can provide a predetermined time interval between the shutting off of the operating air and the opening of the reverse air for obtaining a predetermined amount of a deceleration of the flow of cleaning fluid, before the reversal takes place.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herein set forth are only examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for cleaning a pipe line comprising, a pair of closed tanks for holding the cleaning fluid, each with an outlet pipe connected to opposite ends of the pipe line; air supply pipes adapted to conduct compressed air, alternately, toone .of said tanks, in order to force said cleaning fluid, through the pipe line, into the other tank; a pair of control valves, inserted into said supply pipes, each adapted to control the flow of the compressed air into one of said tanks, said valves having open and closed positions and being arranged to be in opposite positions during the cleaning operation of said apparatus; .a pair of opening solenoids, operatively connected to .said control valves, each being adapted to open one of said valves, when energized; a pair-ofclosing solenoids, operatively connected to said control valves, each being adapted to close one of said valves, when energized; a pair of liquid detector housings, each being in communication with a selected portion of one of said outlet pipes; a pair of floats, each movably mounted in one of said housings, and being adapted to assume a low position in the absence of cleaning fluid in the respective housing and to assume a raised position when buoyed by the fluid contained in said housing; a pair of switches, each operatively con nected to one of said floats and having a closed position corresponding to one position of the respective float, and an open position corresponding to the other position of said float; electrical circuit means, .interconnectingsaid switches and solenoids, and including time .delay relays,

being adapted to reverse the positions of said pair of control valves, after predetermined time delays, when oneof said floats assumes the low position.

, 2. The apparatus of claim .1 in which said liquid detector housing has communication with the tank.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said time delay relays are connected into the energizing circuits of said opening and closing solenoids, and they are so adjusted as to give a predetermined time interval between the closing of one control valve and the openin of the other control valve, in order to obtain the deceleration of the flow of cleaning fluid prior to its reversal.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Germany 'Feb. :12, 1932

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