Gas-liquid supersonic cleaning and cleaning verification spray system
First Claim
1. A cleaning spray system comprising:
- a) gas supply means for supplying gas at a high pressure;
b) liquid supply means for supplying cleaning liquid at a low flow rate;
c) means to mix gas supplied from said gas supply means and liquid supplied from said liquid supply means to form a gas-liquid mixture; and
d) at least one converging-diverging spray nozzle for accelerating said gas-liquid mixture to a supersonic velocity and directing said mixture toward at least one article to be cleaned, said at least one converging-diverging spray nozzle having an inlet end, an outlet end and a nozzle passage connecting said inlet and outlet ends, said nozzle passage having a cross sectional profile which gradually reduces in diameter from said inlet end to a point between said inlet end and said outlet end, and then gradually expands back to a larger diameter at said outlet end.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gas-liquid cleaning spray system employs one or more converging-diverging nozzles to accelerate a gas-liquid mixture to a supersonic velocity for cleaning various types of articles, such as mechanical, electrical and fluid components. The gas, such as air or nitrogen, is supplied at high pressure to a nozzle body where it is mixed with cleaning liquid, such as water or liquid detergent, which is supplied to the nozzle body at a relatively low flow rate. Acceleration of the gas-liquid mixture to a supersonic velocity eliminates the need for a high pressure, high flow rate and high volume liquid supply. After the components are contacted with the gas-liquid mixture, the cleaning liquid can be recaptured and analyzed for cleanliness verification of the components.
77 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A cleaning spray system comprising:
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a) gas supply means for supplying gas at a high pressure; b) liquid supply means for supplying cleaning liquid at a low flow rate; c) means to mix gas supplied from said gas supply means and liquid supplied from said liquid supply means to form a gas-liquid mixture; and d) at least one converging-diverging spray nozzle for accelerating said gas-liquid mixture to a supersonic velocity and directing said mixture toward at least one article to be cleaned, said at least one converging-diverging spray nozzle having an inlet end, an outlet end and a nozzle passage connecting said inlet and outlet ends, said nozzle passage having a cross sectional profile which gradually reduces in diameter from said inlet end to a point between said inlet end and said outlet end, and then gradually expands back to a larger diameter at said outlet end. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A process for cleaning articles, including electrical, mechanical and fluid components, comprising the steps of:
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a) mixing a high pressure gas with a low flow rate cleaning liquid to form a gas-liquid mixture; b) accelerating said gas-liquid mixture to a supersonic velocity by directing said gas-liquid mixture through at least one converging-diverging spray nozzle, said spray nozzle including an inlet end, an outlet end and a nozzle passage connecting said inlet and outlet ends, said nozzle passage having a cross sectional profile which gradually reduces in diameter from said inlet end to a point between said inlet end and said outlet end, and then gradually expands back to a larger diameter at said outlet end; and c) impinging the accelerated gas-liquid mixture onto at least one article to be cleaned. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification