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Tank car cleaning and rinsing apparatus and method

  • US 6,021,793 A
  • Filed: 02/23/1998
  • Issued: 02/08/2000
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. In a tank car having a plurality of interior surfaces including a floor, side walls, end walls and a ceiling having a manway for access of a worker thereinto, and having a reversing rotor motor disposed externally thereof, a rinsing apparatus comprising:

  • a lockdown assembly configured to be releasably and snugly secured to said manway;

    hollow support column means having a longitudinal axis and fixedly attached to said lockdown assembly at one end thereof, and enclosing a fluid conduit means for delivering high-pressure fluid from an external reservoir to a swivel assembly disposed axially of said hollow support columm means;

    said swivel assembly configured to be insertable through said manway and having a swivel body member disposed axially of said longitudinal axis and rotatably interconnected with said rotor motor at one end thereof and interconnected with a linkage assembly of said swivel assembly at its other opposite end;

    said swivel body member disposed annularly between said hollow support column means and said fluid conduit means;

    said linkage assembly having flexible hose means fixedly attached thereto, and having nozzle means fixedly attached to said flexible hose means at a remote end thereof for receiving said high-pressure fluid from said fluid conduit means and then forming a spray pattern of said high-pressure fluid upon said plurality of interior surfaces of said tank car; and

    actuation means rotatably attached to said swivel body member for controlling articulation and bending of said flexible hose means about an actuation axis disposed axially of said longitudinal axis.

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