阅读说明：本技术 用于将液体注入到罐中的喷嘴装置 (Nozzle device for injecting liquid into tank ) 是由 卡雷·韦塞尔·韦特乐森 奥利·梅尔德戈德·尼尔森 于 2019-07-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种喷嘴装置和方法,用于从罐(例如油罐/泥浆罐和其它类似的难以接近沉积物的罐)中移除固体和/或流体,例如污泥,优选是悬浮或包含在流体中的污泥。在优选实施例中,喷嘴装置具有旋转机构(8),该旋转机构包括：主驱动轴(13),其连接到管部段(4)；一排齿轮齿(9),其在下行管的外侧固定地布置在下行管(3)的下端部上或形成在其中；斜齿轮(10)；蜗杆齿轮(16),其被布置成由斜齿轮驱动在清洁头部(5)处旋转成角度的喷嘴管部段(7)；第二驱动轴(11),其可旋转地安装在所述管部段(4)的外侧上,并且在一个端部具有斜齿轮(10)的齿轮轮体,在另一个端部具有与该排齿轮齿(9)配合的齿轮轮体。(The present invention relates to a nozzle device and method for removing solids and/or fluids, such as sludge, preferably suspended or contained in a fluid, from tanks, such as oil/mud tanks and other similar tanks of difficult to access sediments. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzle device has a rotation mechanism (8) comprising: a main drive shaft (13) connected to the pipe section (4); a row of gear teeth (9) fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down tube (3) outside the down tube; a helical gear (10); a worm gear (16) arranged to rotate the angled nozzle tube section (7) at the cleaning head (5) driven by a helical gear; a second drive shaft (11) which is rotatably mounted on the outside of the pipe section (4) and which has at one end a gear wheel body of the helical gear (10) and at the other end a gear wheel body which cooperates with the gear wheel row (9).)

1. A nozzle arrangement (1) for injecting liquid into a tank, such as an oil/mud tank, comprising:

-a down tube (3);

-a pipe section (4);

-said pipe section is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the down pipe (3) with its axis of rotation coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the down pipe (3), and

-said pipe section (4) comprises an angled cleaning head (5) located distal to the position where the pipe section (4) is rotatably arranged at the down tube (3);

-an angled nozzle pipe section (7);

-a nozzle hub (15) arranged for rotatably connecting an angled nozzle pipe section (7) to the pipe section (4) at a cleaning head (5);

wherein the nozzle arrangement further comprises a rotation mechanism (8) comprising:

-a main drive shaft (13) connected to the pipe section (4);

-a row of gear teeth (9) fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down tube (3) and on the outside of the down tube (3);

-a bevel gear (10);

-a worm gear (16) arranged to rotate the nozzle tube section (7) at the cleaning head (5) driven by the helical gear;

-a second drive shaft (11) rotatably mounted outside the second pipe section (4) and

a gear wheel body having a bevel gear (10) at one end and a gear wheel body (12) at the other end cooperating with the row of gear teeth (9).

2. Nozzle device according to claim 1, wherein the main drive shaft (13) extends inside the down tube (3) and engages with the inside of the tube section (4) at its lower end, such that rotation of the main drive shaft (13) rotates the tube section (4).

3. A nozzle arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a mounting bracket (2) arranged on the down tube (3), in which arrangement position a part of the down tube (3) extends above the mounting bracket (2) and forms an inlet pipe (14), and another part extends below the mounting bracket (2), the mounting bracket being configured for attaching the nozzle arrangement to a wall member, such as a roof, of a tank/mud tank.

4. Nozzle device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the gear of the rotation mechanism is configured such that the nozzle hub (15) and thereby the nozzle tube section (7) rotates less than 5 degrees, such as less than 4 degrees, during a full 360 degrees rotation of the tube section (4).

5. Nozzle device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the teeth of the row of gear teeth (9) are evenly arranged along only a part of the circumference of the down tube (3).

6. Nozzle arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a drive unit (23), such as an electric or hydraulic motor, adapted to rotate the main drive shaft (13).

7. Nozzle arrangement according to claim 6, wherein the drive unit (23) further comprises a gear box (25), such as a worm gear, arranged to rotate a drive gear (26) which meshes with a main drive shaft gear (27) arranged to rotate the main drive shaft (13) when the main drive shaft gear (27) is rotated.

8. Nozzle device according to any of the preceding claims 3-6, wherein the part of the down tube (3) extending above the mounting bracket (2) and forming an inlet fitting (14) comprises a bend, and wherein the main drive shaft (13) extends inside the down tube (3) and engages with the inside of the tube section (4) at its lower end, such that rotation of the main drive shaft (13) rotates the tube section (4) and the main drive shaft (13) extends through an opening provided in the bend (14) to an outside mounted drive unit (23).

9. Nozzle arrangement according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a mechanical seal (17) arranged at the bend of the inlet pipe member (14), the main drive shaft (13) extending through the mechanical seal (17) to provide a sealed path of the main drive shaft (13).

10. Nozzle arrangement according to claim 6-9, wherein the drive unit (23) is arranged to engage with the main drive shaft (13) at the end extending to the outside through the opening provided in the bend (14).

11. Nozzle arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the worm (19) of the worm gear (16) is arranged to be longitudinally slidable on a worm shaft (18) connected at one end to the helical gear (10).

12. Nozzle device according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a tubular nozzle extension (21) arranged at the distal end of the nozzle tube section (7).

13. Nozzle device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a nozzle tube section (7) or a tubular nozzle extension (21) when dependent on claim 9a comprises a nozzle tip (20) arranged at a distal end of the nozzle tube (7) with respect to the nozzle hub (15) and configured to accelerate a fluid flowing through the nozzle tip (20), the nozzle tip (20) preferably being provided as a tubular section having a cross-sectional area converging towards an outlet of the nozzle tip.

14. Nozzle arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the cross-sectional area at the outlet of the nozzle tip (20) has a diameter or hydraulic diameter of 16mm, such as 18mm, such as 20 mm.

15. A method of cleaning a tank (e.g. mud tank/oil tank) comprising:

-providing a nozzle arrangement according to any of the preceding claims in a wall member of a tank;

-providing a connection of a source of cleaning liquid to the nozzle arrangement;

-rotating the main drive shaft (13) while spraying cleaning liquid through the nozzle arrangement.

16. A tank, such as a mud tank/oil tank, comprising a nozzle device according to any of the preceding claims 1-14, arranged in a wall section of the tank, such as in a roof.

Technical Field

In particular, the present invention relates to a nozzle device and method for removing solids and/or fluids, such as sludge, preferably suspended or contained in a fluid, from tanks, such as oil/mud tanks and other similar tanks of difficult to access sediments. In a preferred embodiment, the nozzle arrangement has a rotation mechanism comprising a main drive shaft connected to the tube section; a row of gear teeth fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down tube, preferably on the outside thereof; a helical gear; a gear (e.g. worm gear) arranged to rotate the nozzle tube section at the cleaning head driven by a helical gear; a second drive shaft rotatably mounted on the outside of the second pipe section and having at one end a gear wheel body of the helical gear and at the other end a gear wheel body cooperating with the gear wheel of the row.

Background

Cleaning larger tanks, such as oil tanks, is a difficult task that often requires care to avoid or at least mitigate health risks to the personnel involved in cleaning such tanks.

Further, since such cleaning may be performed regularly, it is necessary to solve the above-mentioned problems.

Furthermore, such cans may require cleaning of most interior surfaces (e.g., to the bottom of the side surfaces).

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus that makes the cleaning process efficient. Hence, an improved cleaning device and cleaning method would be advantageous and in particular a more efficient and/or reliable cleaning device and method would be advantageous.

Disclosure of Invention

Object of the Invention

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an alternative to the prior art

In particular, it may be seen as an object of the present invention to provide a nozzle arrangement, a method of use and/or a tank utilizing or comprising such a method and/or nozzle arrangement which solves the above mentioned problems of the prior art.

Summary of The Invention

The present invention relates in a first aspect to a nozzle arrangement for injecting liquid into a tank, such as an oil/mud tank. The nozzle device preferably comprises:

-a down tube;

-a pipe section;

it is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the downpipe with its axis of rotation coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the downpipe, and

-the tube section comprises an angled cleaning head located distal to the position where the tube section is rotatably arranged at the down tube;

-an angled nozzle tube section;

-a nozzle hub arranged for rotatably connecting the angled nozzle pipe section to the pipe section at the cleaning head;

wherein the nozzle device preferably further comprises a rotation mechanism comprising:

-a main drive shaft connected to the pipe section;

-a row of gear teeth fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down tube and on the outside of the down tube;

-a bevel gear;

-a gear, such as a worm gear, arranged to rotate the nozzle tube section at the cleaning head driven by a helical gear;

a second drive shaft rotatably mounted on the outside of the second pipe section and having at one end a gear wheel body of the helical gear and at the other end a gear wheel body cooperating with the row of gear teeth.

A second aspect of the invention relates to a method of cleaning a tank, such as a mud tank. Such a method preferably comprises:

-providing a nozzle arrangement according to the first aspect in a wall member of a tank;

-providing a connection of a source of cleaning liquid to the nozzle arrangement;

-rotating the main drive shaft while spraying the cleaning liquid through the nozzle arrangement.

A third aspect of the invention relates to a tank, such as a mud tank/oil tank, comprising a nozzle arrangement according to the first aspect arranged in a wall section (e.g. a roof) of said tank.

In this context, orientations such as "lower" and "upper" are given with reference to the drawings, which show a preferred orientation of the nozzle arrangement with respect to gravity (downwards). Other orientations of the nozzle arrangement may be implemented, such as to translate orientations such as "lower" and "upper" to, for example, "right" and "left".

The first, second and third aspects of the invention may each be combined with any of the other aspects. These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter and with reference to the appended patent claims.

Drawings

The invention, in particular preferred embodiments thereof, will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustrate the manner in which the invention is practiced, but should not be construed as limiting other possible embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a nozzle arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the nozzle arrangement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front and side view of the nozzle arrangement of FIG. 1; the front and side views illustrate the movement of the nozzle tube segments during rotation of the main drive shaft;

figure 4 is a close-up view of a portion of the rotary mechanism with a cross-sectional view shown to show the interior of the worm gear; and

fig. 5 is a schematic view of a driving unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Reference is made to fig. 1, which is a three-dimensional view of a nozzle arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention. Reference is also made to fig. 2, which is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the nozzle arrangement of fig. 1. As illustrated here, the nozzle arrangement 1 is used for injecting liquid into tanks (e.g. oil/mud tanks) for flushing the interior of these tanks.

As shown in fig. 1, the nozzle device comprises a down tube 3. The down tube 3 is held in a fixed, non-rotatable position, for example by using a mounting flange 2 as shown (to be further disclosed below).

The down tube 3 extends towards the tube section 4. The pipe section 4 is rotatably arranged at the lower end of the downer 3 with its axis of rotation coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the downer 3. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the downpipe 3 and the pipe section 4 have substantially the same outer diameter and have a substantially cylindrical shape, such that the longitudinal axes of the pipe section and the downpipe 3 coincide.

The lower end of the pipe section 4 has an angled cleaning head 5. The cleaning head 5 is located distally of the position where the tube section 4 is rotatably arranged at the down tube 3. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the angle is 45 degrees, but a different angle may be chosen.

The nozzle device also has an angled nozzle pipe section 7. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the nozzle pipe section 7 is located at the upper end of the pipe section. The angle is shown as 45 degrees, but other angles may be used.

The pipe section 4 and the nozzle pipe section 7 are rotatably connected to each other by a nozzle hub 15. A nozzle hub 15 is provided for rotatably connecting the angled nozzle pipe section 7 to the pipe section 4 at the cleaning head (5). The hub is typically provided with a bearing, e.g. a sealing bearing, between the lower section of the pipe section 4 and the nozzle pipe section 7, and as can be seen in fig. 2, the pipe section 4 has sections extending into the nozzle pipe section 7.

The nozzle device further comprises a rotation mechanism 8 for rotating the pipe section around the longitudinal axis and rotating the nozzle pipe section 7. The rotation mechanism comprises a main drive shaft 13 connected to the pipe section 4. As can be seen in fig. 2, the main drive shaft preferably extends inside the down tube and is connected to the inside of the tube section 4. The main drive shaft 13 extends through the down tube 3 through a sealed passage and comprises bearings to allow the main drive shaft to rotate about its longitudinal direction. Thus, by rotating the main drive shaft 13, the pipe section 4 is rotated by the same amount as the main drive shaft 13.

The rotation mechanism further comprises a row of gear teeth 9, which are fixedly arranged on or formed in the lower end of the down tube 3, on the outside of the down tube 3.

It further comprises a helical gear 10 cooperating with a worm gear 16. As shown, the worm gear is arranged to rotate the nozzle tube section 7 at the cleaning head 5, driven by a helical gear. In particular, the worm of the worm gear meshes with a gear provided at the nozzle tube section 7 at the nozzle hub 15, so that when the worm is rotated by the helical gear 10, the nozzle tube section rotates.

A second drive shaft 11 is rotatably mounted on the outside of said second pipe section 4 and has at one end a gear wheel body of the helical gear 10 and at the other end a gear wheel body 12 cooperating with the row of gear teeth 9. Thus, by rotating the main drive shaft 13, the pipe section 4 is rotated. When the gear wheel body 12 engages the row of teeth 9, the second drive shaft rotates, causing the helical gear 10 to rotate, which rotates the worm of the worm gear 16, causing the nozzle tube section 7 to rotate. When the gear wheel body 12 is not engaged with the row of teeth 9, the pipe section 4 is still rotating when the main drive shaft 13 is rotating. This results in a stroke rotational movement of the nozzle pipe section 7, in the sense that the rotation of the nozzle pipe section only occurs during a part of a full 360 degrees of rotation of the pipe section 4.

As best seen in fig. 2, a main drive shaft 13 extends inside the down tube 3 and engages with the inside of the tube section 4 at its lower end, such that rotation of the main drive shaft 13 rotates the tube section 4. As shown, the connection between the main drive shaft 13 and the pipe section 4 may be provided by a cross member extending through the pipe section 4, preferably inserted from the outside, and through the drive shaft 13 at its lower end. Note that in fig. 2, the mechanical seal 17 is not shown.

In order to easily arrange (e.g. fix) the nozzle arrangement to e.g. a wall member of a tank, the nozzle arrangement may further comprise a mounting bracket 2. The mounting bracket 2 is arranged on the down tube 3 in such a position that a part of the down tube 3 extends above the mounting bracket 2 and forms an inlet pipe piece 14 and another part extends below the mounting bracket 2. The inlet pipe member 14 is used to supply fluid to be ejected from the nozzle into the nozzle device. The mounting bracket is configured for attaching the nozzle arrangement to a wall member, such as a roof or side wall, of the oil/mud tank. Although the nozzle arrangement may be welded to the wall member, it is generally preferred to bolt the nozzle arrangement to the wall member to allow for easy removal of the nozzle arrangement. For this purpose, the mounting bracket 2 is provided with through holes as shown. The wall member will be provided with an opening of sufficient size to allow the part of the nozzle arrangement below the mounting bracket 2 to be introduced into the tank, whilst being small enough to allow the nozzle arrangement to be attached using the mounting bracket.

The gears of the rotation mechanism, i.e. the number of teeth in the different gears, are configured such that during a full 360 degrees of rotation of the pipe section 4 the nozzle hub 15 and thereby the nozzle pipe section 7 rotates less than 5 degrees, for example less than 4 degrees.

In the preferred embodiment shown in fig. 1-4, the teeth of the row of gear teeth 9 are evenly arranged along only a portion of the circumference of the down tube 3. However, the row of teeth 9 may also be evenly distributed over the entire circumference of the down tube. The first option provides a relatively fast rotation of the nozzle pipe section 7, but it only occurs part of the time during the entire 360 degrees of rotation of the pipe section 4. The second option provides a relatively slow rotation of the nozzle pipe section, but it is distributed over a full 360 degrees of rotation of the pipe section 4. This is because rotation of the nozzle tube section 7 only occurs when the gear wheel body 12 engages with one or more of the rows of teeth 9.

Rotation of the main drive shaft is typically effected by a drive unit 23 (see fig. 5). The drive unit 23 is engaged with, for example, an upper end portion of the main drive shaft 13. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, a recess structure 22 is provided for engagement with a gear wheel body, which is rotated by a drive unit 23. Such a drive unit 23 may be an electric or hydraulic motor adapted to rotate the main drive shaft 13. The drive unit 23 may alternatively be arranged inside the down tube 3.

Fig. 5 shows an example on the drive unit 23. The drive unit comprises a motor 24, for example a hydraulic or electric motor, which is connected to a gear box 25, for example a worm gear, which is arranged to rotate a drive gear 26. When the drive unit 23 is mounted, the drive gear meshes with the main drive shaft gear 27, the main drive shaft gear 27 being arranged to rotate the main drive shaft 13 when the main drive shaft gear 27 is rotated. In the illustration of fig. 5, the main drive shaft gear 27 is not shown, but is illustrated as fitting into an opening designated by the numeral 27. In one embodiment, the main drive shaft gear 27 has splines that mate with the notches 22 on the main drive shaft 13. Typically, both the drive gear 26 and the main drive shaft gear are straight toothed, and the drive gear has 23 teeth and the main drive shaft gear 27 has 40 teeth.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1-4, the part of the down tube 3 extending above the mounting bracket 2 and forming the inlet tube piece 14 has a bend 14, which may be 90 degrees. In such an embodiment, the main drive shaft 13 advantageously extends inside the down tube 3 and engages with the inside of the tube section 4 at its lower end, e.g. as disclosed above, such that rotation of the main drive shaft 13 rotates the tube section 4 and the main drive shaft 13 extends through an opening provided in said bend 14 to an externally mounted drive unit 23 (e.g. as disclosed above).

As shown in fig. 1, the nozzle device has a mechanical seal 17 arranged at the bend of the inlet pipe member 14, the main drive shaft 13 extending through the mechanical seal 17 to provide a sealed path for the main drive shaft 13.

Thus, the drive unit 23 is arranged to engage the main drive shaft 13 at the end extending to the outside through said opening, which may be an opening sealed by a mechanical seal 17 provided in said bend 14.

Refer to fig. 4. The figure is a close-up view of a portion of a rotary mechanism with a cross-sectional view shown to show the interior of the worm gear. As shown, the worm 19 of the worm gear 16 is arranged longitudinally slidable on the worm shaft 18. The worm shaft 18 is connected at one end to the bevel gear 10. The distance the worm can slide is indicated by "d" in fig. 4. This has the effect that when the direction of rotation of the pipe section 4 is reversed, the nozzle pipe section 7 is not rotated until the worm has travelled the distance "d".

This has the benefit that in some cases, for example when the nozzle travels upwards (movement shown in figure 3), the fluid creates a flushing trajectory, leaving an unwashed area. This flushing trajectory can be flushed by reversing the direction of rotation so that the nozzle goes down into the flush because the sliding ability of the worm 19 will compensate for the travel of the nozzle because the initial rotation of the worm will cause only the worm to move along the worm shaft 19.

As shown in fig. 1, the nozzle device may for example comprise a tubular nozzle extension 21 arranged at the distal end of the nozzle tube section 7. Such a nozzle extension 21 may be a replaceable part and may allow the nozzle arrangement to be constructed with different lengths.

In order to enhance the cleaning operation by using a nozzle arrangement, it may be beneficial to provide the fluid as a jet with a relatively high momentum. To this end, the nozzle extension 21 (when applied) of the nozzle tube section 7 may comprise a nozzle tip 20 (see fig. 1). The nozzle tip 20 is arranged at a distal end of the nozzle tube 7 relative to the nozzle hub 15 and is configured to accelerate fluid flowing through the nozzle tip 20. The nozzle tip 20 may be provided as a tubular section having a cross-sectional area that converges towards the outlet of the nozzle tip.

A typical size of the cross-sectional area at the outlet of the nozzle tip (20) may be a diameter or hydraulic diameter of 16mm, such as 18mm, for example 20 mm.

The invention also relates to a method of cleaning a tank, such as a mud tank/oil tank. Such a method may include:

-providing a nozzle arrangement as disclosed herein in a wall member of a tank;

-providing a connection of a source of cleaning fluid to the nozzle arrangement;

rotating the main drive shaft 13 while spraying the cleaning liquid through the nozzle arrangement.

Further, the invention also relates to a tank, such as a mud tank/oil tank, comprising a nozzle device according to any of the preceding claims, which nozzle device is arranged in a wall section (e.g. roof) of said tank.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments, the invention should not be construed as being limited in any way to the examples presented. The scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims. In the context of the claims, the term "comprising" or "comprises" does not exclude other possible elements or steps. Furthermore, references to items such as "a" or "an" should not be construed as excluding a plurality. The use of reference signs in the claims with respect to elements shown in the figures shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention either. Furthermore, individual features mentioned in different claims may possibly be advantageously combined, and the mentioning of these features in different claims does not exclude that a combination of features is possible and advantageous.

Reference numbers used herein:

1 nozzle arrangement

2 mounting bracket

3 down tube

4 pipe section

5 cleaning head

6 drive mechanism

7 nozzle pipe section

8 rotating mechanism

9 rows of teeth

10 helical gear

11 second driving shaft

12 gear wheel body

13 main drive shaft

14 inlet pipe fitting

15 nozzle hub

16 worm gear

17 mechanical seal

18-worm shaft

19 worm of worm gear

20 nozzle tip

21 tubular nozzle extension

22 recesses for engagement with, for example, gear wheels

23 drive unit

24 motor

25 Gear case

26 drive gear

27 main drive shaft gear.