APU CLEANING SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of cleaning an aircraft auxiliary power unit contained within a compartment in a fuselage, said compartment being accessible through a pair of doors, the method comprising:
- opening the pair of doors to reveal an access port into the compartment, the access port having a base and width;
providing a basin, the basin having a bottom and sidewalls defining an open top container, the basin having a base and width that are at least as large as the base and width of the access port;
positioning the basin beneath the access port;
providing a curtain, the curtain having a height to extend from tops of the doors to the basin, and the curtain having a width to surround the basin;
releasably attaching top edges of the curtain to the tops of the doors;
releasably attaching bottom edges of the curtain to top edges of the sidewalls of the basin, thereby forming a substantially enclosed cleaning station at the access port;
cleaning at least a portion of the APU with a fluid cleaner; and
collecting, in the basin, runoff from the cleaned portion of the APU.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method of cleaning an aircraft APU entails positioning an elevated platform beneath the APU compartment, suspending a curtain from the doors of the APU compartment, positioning a basin beneath the curtain, attaching the curtain to the basin and pressure washing the APU or a portion thereof with steam and/or hot water. Runoff collected in the basin is transferred to a storage container for industrial wastewater treatment.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of cleaning an aircraft auxiliary power unit contained within a compartment in a fuselage, said compartment being accessible through a pair of doors, the method comprising:
- opening the pair of doors to reveal an access port into the compartment, the access port having a base and width;
providing a basin, the basin having a bottom and sidewalls defining an open top container, the basin having a base and width that are at least as large as the base and width of the access port; positioning the basin beneath the access port; providing a curtain, the curtain having a height to extend from tops of the doors to the basin, and the curtain having a width to surround the basin; releasably attaching top edges of the curtain to the tops of the doors; releasably attaching bottom edges of the curtain to top edges of the sidewalls of the basin, thereby forming a substantially enclosed cleaning station at the access port; cleaning at least a portion of the APU with a fluid cleaner; and collecting, in the basin, runoff from the cleaned portion of the APU. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- opening the pair of doors to reveal an access port into the compartment, the access port having a base and width;
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17. A method of cleaning an aircraft auxiliary power unit contained within a compartment in a fuselage, said compartment being accessible through a pair of doors, the method comprising:
- opening the pair of doors to reveal an access port into the compartment, the access port having a base and width;
providing a basin, the basin having a bottom and sidewalls defining an open top container, the basin having a base and width that are at least as large as the base and width of the access port, the basin being comprised of flexible sheet material impervious to water; positioning the basin beneath the access port by placing the basin on an elevated platform and positioning the elevated platform beneath the access port, the elevated platform being operably coupled to a vehicle; providing a curtain, the curtain having a height to extend from tops of the doors to the basin, and the curtain having a width to surround the basin, the curtain being comprised of flexible sheet material impervious to water; releasably attaching top edges of the curtain to the tops of the doors; releasably attaching bottom edges of the curtain to top edges of the sidewalls of the basin, thereby forming a substantially enclosed cleaning station at the access port; cleaning at least a portion of the APU with a fluid cleaner by spraying the portion of the APU with a stream of pressurized fluid cleaner, the pressurized fluid cleaner including at least one of steam and water; and collecting, in the basin, runoff from the cleaned portion of the APU. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
- opening the pair of doors to reveal an access port into the compartment, the access port having a base and width;
Specification