Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto
  • B08B9/02—Cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes
  • B08B9/027—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B5/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use of air flow or gas flow
  • B08B5/04—Cleaning by suction, with or without auxiliary action
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B08—CLEANING
  • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
  • B08B9/00—Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto
  • B08B9/02—Cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes
  • B08B9/027—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages
  • B08B9/032—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages by the mechanical action of a moving fluid, e.g. by flushing
  • B08B9/0321—Cleaning the internal surfaces; Removal of blockages by the mechanical action of a moving fluid, e.g. by flushing using pressurised, pulsating or purging fluid
  • B08B9/0323—Arrangements specially designed for simultaneous and parallel cleaning of a plurality of conduits

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method of cleaning ducts or pipes and, more particularly, to a method of cleaning ducts or pipes used for the circulation of air, for example in offices, commercial buildings, apartment buildings, buildings or workshops for industrial use, hospitals or laboratories.
• Ducts or ducts can also be used only to provide ventilation, that is, to maintain the breathability of the air in a room where human or animal activities take place.
• the air in a room When the air in a room is confined, its breathability decreases over time, due to the weakening of its oxygen content or the increase in its content of various gases or vapors, aerosols, dust or impurities which may form there.
• the supply or withdrawal of air from a room is generally done through a network of ducts or conduits inside which circulates the air to be supplied or the air withdrawn from the room.
• a network of ducts or conduits inside which circulates the air to be supplied or the air withdrawn from the room.
• dust or impurities can serve as a substrate and / or food for mold, bacteria or pathogenic germs and on the other hand, because the heat and / or humidity which reigns inside the sheaths or conduits is favorable to the development of these molds, bacteria or pathogenic germs, which risk being entrained by the moving air and breathed by the occupants of the room.
• the Applicant has now developed a new method for cleaning an air circulation duct or pipe which does not have the drawbacks mentioned above.
• This method consists in causing a displacement of air with a high flow rate and under a low vacuum inside said sheath or pipe and the dust or impurities present on the walls of said sheath or pipe are mobilized, so that '' they are driven by the displaced air and collected at the outlet of said sheath or pipe, and is characterized in that one connects, to one end of said network or a portion of this network, a suction device having a filtration device comprising at least one prefilter and a very high efficiency filter, all the air vents in the network are blocked before the cleaning operation, except for the one located at the furthest point of the location of the suction device and then cleaning of said network.
• a displacement of air is produced permanently inside the sheath or duct during the cleaning operation.
• the dust or impurities are then transported by the moving air, from the place where they were raised to the filtration device where they are collected.
• Air displacement is obtained by installing and connecting to the air circulation network a suction device capable of creating air movements inside the ducts or ducts with high flow rates.
• the connection is made by means of a flexible tube tightly fixed by means of at least one joint.
• the connection is made at one end of the network of ducts or conduits or at one end of a portion of this network.
• the values of the air flow rate in said duct or pipe, during the implementation of the process, are between 2000 and 5000 m 3 / h, and preferably between 3500 and 4500 m 3 / h.
• the depressions inside the sheath or pipe must not rise above 1000 Pa. In general, they are between 500 and 1000 Pa and preferably between 700 and 900 Pa.
• a self-circulating ball probe is used connected to a compressor by a flexible pipe inside which circulates compressed air.
• Said self-circulating ball probe has a shape generally of the spherical, ovoid or ellipsoidal type. It comprises at least one orifice through which compressed air escapes in the form of a jet which strikes the dust or impurities so as to detach them if they adhere to the wall of the sheath or pipe, and to away from the walls of the pipe.
• the probe is provided with several orifices arranged so as to send jets of compressed air simultaneously in several directions.
• the probe is pressed, by the compressed air which escapes at high speed, against the walls to be cleaned and is generally driven in the angles of the sheath or pipe, that is to say at the place where, as a general rule, the maximum of dust or impurities is encountered.
• the compressed air jet (s) are preferably directed in the direction of movement of the air in the duct or duct or in the opposite direction.
• the compressor to which the probe is connected must be able to supply compressed air having a pressure between 8.10 5 Pa (Pascals) and 12. 10 5 Pa and preferably between 9.10 5 and 11.10 5 Pa, and a flow negligible compared to the flow rate of the suction device, generally between 25 and 35 m 3 / h and preferably between 30 and 35 m 3 / h.
• a piston compressor so as to create a phenomenon of variation in frequency of vibration, of the Dopler-Fizeau effect type: the pulsations of air thus generated then reinforce the effect of mobilization of dust or impurities.
• the cleaning operations are preferably carried out starting with the part furthest from the location of the suction device and progressively moving towards the latter.
• the cleaning operation is carried out by moving the probe along the internal walls of the pipe from the furthest point to the point closest to the suction device.
• the suction device is preferably installed on the lowest floor and performs cleaning from the highest floor to the lowest floor, or even until reaching the suction unit.
• the movement of the probe along the walls of the pipe detaches dust or impurities and moves them away from the walls of the pipe.
• the dust or impurities are then entrained by the air moving at high speed in the pipe and collected by the filtration device which is located at the connection of the suction device with the pipe and which comprises at least one prefilter. and a so-called very high efficiency filter.
• the values of the air flow rate, at the outlet of the suction device, when all the filters of the filtration device are in place are chosen greater than 4000 m 3 / h, generally between 5000 and 9000 m 3 / h and preferably between 6800 and 8500 m 3 / h.
• a filter drier was interposed, then a self-circulating ball probe was fitted with a self-closing quick connector comprising 8 orifices oriented so as to direct compressed air jets towards the front or rear of said probe.
• the self-circulating ball probe was introduced into each sheath of the network by an air vent, or by default, by a perforation made in the sheath. Said probe was sometimes attached to the end of a rod which made it possible to move it along the walls of the sheath to be cleaned.
• the air jets take off and lift the dust or impurities present on the walls of the sheath and which were then entrained in the filtration device of the suction device, which locates at the connection to the duct and through which all the air sucked into the duct passes.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Cleaning In General (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8221575

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (2)

Citations (6)

• 1995
  • 1995-07-21 EP EP95420206A patent/EP0754501A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (6)

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