HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANING DEVICE, CLEANING DISPERSION AND ARRANGEMENT OF HIGH-PRESSURE CLEANING DEVICE IN RELATION TO A SURFACE

Abstract

A high-pressure cleaning device, a cleaning dispersion, and a combination of a high-pressure cleaning device with a surface to be cleaned. The cleaning device cleans surfaces soiled by fine particles, particularly motor vehicle surfaces, and includes a high-pressure pump for delivering a cleaning product to a high-pressure jet nozzle. The cleaning product emerges in a high-pressure jet. The cleaning product includes a cleaning dispersion with a carrier fluid and solid cleaning particles having a density of between 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 and 3.5 g/cm.sup.3. Cleaning particles emerge from the high-pressure jet nozzle having a minimum kinetic energy of 1.Math.10.sup.−10 J and a maximum kinetic energy of 2.Math.10.sup.−4 J.

Claims

1. A high-pressure cleaning device for material-friendly cleaning of surfaces contaminated with fine particles, in particular motor-vehicle surfaces, comprising a high-pressure pump for conveying a cleaning product to a high-pressure jet nozzle at which the cleaning product exits in a high-pressure jet, wherein the cleaning product comprises a cleaning dispersion with a carrier fluid and with solid cleaning particles with a density of between 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 and 3.5 g/cm.sup.3, preferably between 0.9 g/cm.sup.3 and 2.2 g/cm.sup.3, and the high-pressure cleaning device is configured in such a way that a cleaning particle, upon exiting the high-pressure jet nozzle, has a kinetic energy of a minimum of 1.Math.10.sup.−10 J and a maximum of 2.Math.10.sup.−4 J.

2. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning particles have an average longitudinal extension of a minimum of 20 μm and/or a maximum of 315 μm.

3. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the speed of the high-pressure jet when it exits the high-pressure jet nozzle is a minimum of 20 m/s and/or a maximum of 80 m/s.

4. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure cleaning device has a storage container for storing the cleaning dispersion, the storage container comprising a circulating device for circulating the cleaning dispersion in order to keep the distribution of the cleaning particles homogeneous.

5. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein upstream of the high-pressure pump, the high-pressure cleaning device has a supply line which supplies the cleaning dispersion upstream of the high-pressure area.

6. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein upstream of the high-pressure pump, the high-pressure cleaning device has two feed lines, in which a first feed line supplies an cleaning agent concentrate with the cleaning particles, and in which a second feed line supplies a further fluid which together as a mixture form the cleaning dispersion, so that the cleaning agent concentrate and the further fluid are mixed before the high-pressure area.

7. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 6, wherein the high-pressure cleaning device comprises a concentrate container for storing the cleaning agent concentrate and the cleaning agent concentrate is supplied via the first feed line via a dosing device.

8. The high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the high-pressure cleaning device comprises at least one high-pressure injector before the high-pressure jet nozzle and downstream of the high-pressure pump for injecting an cleaning agent concentrate with the cleaning particles into the high-pressure area.

9. A cleaning dispersion for a high-pressure cleaning device according to claim 1, the cleaning dispersion comprising a carrier fluid and with and solid cleaning particles dispersed in the carrier fluid, wherein the cleaning particles have a density between 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 and 3.5 g/cm.sup.3.

10. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles contain an inorganic filler as a core, which is enclosed or encapsulated by a polymer.

11. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles have a grain structure and are preferably microporous and/or preferably have a star-shaped form.

12. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles of the cleaning dispersion have a mass percentage between 0.1% and 5% of the cleaning dispersion.

13. A high-pressure cleaning device in combination with a surface to be cleaned, the high-pressure cleaning device configured for material-friendly cleaning with a high-pressure pump for conveying a cleaning product to a high-pressure jet nozzle, at which the cleaning product exits in a high-pressure jet, wherein the cleaning product comprises a cleaning dispersion with a carrier fluid and with solid cleaning particles with a density between 0.8 g/cm.sup.3 and 3.5 g/cm.sup.3, and the high-pressure cleaning device is configured in such a way that a cleaning particle, when hitting the surface, has a kinetic energy of a minimum of 1.Math.10.sup.−10 J and a maximum of 2.Math.10.sup.−4 J.

14. The high-pressure cleaning device in combination with the surface to be cleaned according to claim 13, wherein a distance between the high-pressure cleaning device and the surface to be cleaned is less than 1 meter.

15. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles are made of a polymer.

16. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles have stable properties.

17. The cleaning dispersion according to claim 9, wherein the cleaning particles are microporous or have a star-shaped form.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0030] The present invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures, of which:

[0031] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a surface according to the prior art, where fine particles remain despite an applied high-pressure jet,

[0032] FIG. 2 shows a schematic concept of a high-pressure cleaning device according to the invention of a first, preferred embodiment,

[0033] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the conceptually represented high-pressure device from FIG. 2 in a embodiment as a carwash aggregate,

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a schematic concept of a high-pressure cleaning device according to the invention of a second, preferred embodiment with two feed lines before the high-pressure pump,

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a cleaning particle of a cleaning dispersion according to the invention of a preferred embodiment, and

[0036] FIG. 6 shows a microscopic section of a cleaning dispersion according to the invention of a further, preferred embodiment.

[0037] The Figures are schematic in nature and serve only for understanding the invention. Identical elements are marked with the same reference signs. The features of the different embodiments are interchangeable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] As an explanation, FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a surface on which fine particles still remain despite cleaning with a high-pressure water jet. The high-pressure water jet hitting the surface perpendicularly is deflected to the sides parallel to the surface. According to the invention, a high-pressure cleaning device as well as a cleaning dispersion for a high-pressure cleaning device is created, with which the fine particles can be removed mechanically without damaging the surface to be cleaned itself.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows in a schematic concept representation in a side view, a high-pressure cleaning device 1 according to the invention according to a first, preferred embodiment for the material-friendly cleaning of motor-vehicle surfaces 2 as well as an arrangement according to the invention of a high-pressure cleaning device 1 and the motor-vehicle surface 2. The high-pressure cleaning device 1 has a high-pressure pump 4 in the form of a centrifugal pump, which conveys a cleaning product in the form of a cleaning dispersion 6 to a high-pressure jet nozzle in the form of a flat fan nozzle 8, for brushless cleaning by means of a jetting process. From this flat fan nozzle 8, the cleaning dispersion 6 exits at high pressure as a high-pressure jet 10 and finally hits the vehicle surface 2 to be cleaned. This embodiment shows as an example three flat fan nozzles 8, which are connected via a common dispersion line 9.

[0040] Compared to the previous prior art, the high-pressure cleaning device 1 has as cleaning product a cleaning dispersion 6 with water as carrier fluid 14 and with solid cleaning particles 12 contained therein, wherein the cleaning particles 12 in this embodiment are present as ground polyurethane with a density between 1 g/cm.sup.3 and 1.25 g/cm.sup.3 and exit from the flat fan nozzle 8 with a kinetic energy between at least 4.Math.10.sup.−7 J and at most 9.Math.10.sup.−6 J. By combining the parameters ‘density’ and ‘kinetic energy’ of the cleaning particles in this way, material-friendly cleaning and removal of gray haze can be achieved with the applied high-pressure jet 10 of the high-pressure cleaning device 1. In concrete terms, the cleaning particles 12 contained in the high-pressure jet 10 hit the fine particles 18 adhering to the vehicle surface 2. The averagely longest dimension of the microporous and star-shaped cleaning particle 12 of the cleaning dispersion 6 having a grain structure is between 30 μm and 200 μm. Due to the short distance between the flat fan nozzle 8 and the motor vehicle surface 2 and the high proportion of water as the carrier fluid of the ready-to-use cleaning dispersion 6, the kinetic energy of the cleaning particles 12 when they hit the vehicle surface 2 is approximately equal to the kinetic energy of the cleaning particles 6 when they exit the flat fan nozzle 8.

[0041] Before or upstream of the high-pressure pump 4, there is a supply line 20, which feeds the ready-to-use cleaning dispersion 6 to the high-pressure pump 4 via a booster pump 22. As an alternative to this embodiment with the booster pump 22, the high-pressure cleaning device 1 can also be configured without the booster pump 22, so that the high-pressure pump 4 itself sucks in the cleaning dispersion 6 via a vacuum. The cleaning dispersion 6 is stored in a receiver tank 24 of the high-pressure cleaning device 1 and is fed to the high-pressure pump 4 via the supply line 20.

[0042] In order to keep the cleaning particles 12 homogeneously distributed in the cleaning dispersion 6, the high-pressure cleaning device 1 has a circulation device in the form of a stirring device 26 for the receiver tank 24, which prevents the cleaning particles 12 from being deposited in concentrated form in areas such as the bottom of the receiver tank 24. Alternatively or in addition to the stirring device 26, a circulation pump can of course also be used. As drive, the stirring device has a controllable electric motor with an stirrer attached to its output shaft, which stirs the cleaning dispersion 6. Near the bottom of the receiver tank 24, an intake socket 28 is provided at the end of the supply line, which allows for good flow suction. In addition, the intake socket 28 can be equipped with an upstream filter to keep larger or clumped cleaning particles 12 or unwanted foreign particles from entering the high-pressure pump 4.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the concept of the high-pressure cleaning device 1 shown in FIG. 2 in a embodiment as a carwash aggregate. In contrast to the prior art, the high-pressure cleaning device 1 does not need any brushes or washing brushes like a side brush. A cleaning frame 32 is provided on a cuboid frame structure 30 statically fixed to the floor of the carwash, which is translatorily or linearly movable in a direction of travel A of a vehicle F to be cleaned and can move along with the vehicle F. The cleaning frame 32, which can be moved translatorily in the direction of travel A, has a nozzle bar 36, which can be moved vertically and is provided between two vertical arms 34, with several, e.g. seven, flat fan nozzles 8 arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction. These flat fan nozzles 8 move with the cleaning frame 32 in the horizontal direction and via the nozzle bar 36 in the vertical direction in relation to the frame structure 30. Thus, linearly co-moving and vertically movable flat fan nozzles 8 are realized, which can clean in particular the hood, roof and trunk area of the vehicle F in a material friendly way. In order to be able to clean the front area of the vehicle F, the flat fan nozzles 8 on the nozzle bar 36 can also be rotated in a plane in the vertical direction and in the direction of travel A.

[0044] The nozzle bar 36 is to be seen as a section of the distribution line 9. The cleaning frame 32 of the high-pressure cleaning device 1 is fluidically connected to the remaining section of the dispersion line 9 via a line running along the arm 34 and via a flexible hose 38 and allows translational movement of the cleaning frame 32.

[0045] In addition to the nozzle bar 36, the high-pressure cleaning device 1 is equipped on the frame structure 30 with two vertical struts at the rear in the direction of travel A, with flat fan nozzles 8 pointing inwards towards the passing vehicle F for cleaning the side surfaces of the vehicle F. These flat fan nozzles can also be controlled (open/close) in a further embodiment not shown here, so that only the flat fan nozzles 8 required for the vehicle F are activated according to the height of the vehicle.

[0046] The receiver tank 24 with the cleaning dispersion 6 is only shown schematically in FIG. 3, which is why reference is made to the above description in FIG. 2. An optimum distance between the flat fan nozzles 8 and the vehicle surface 2 of vehicle F can be considered to be a distance between 0.1 and 1 meter. The high-pressure cleaning device 1 is optimally adapted for cleaning smooth surfaces 2 such as paint and glass of the vehicle F.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows in a schematic concept representation in a side view, a high-pressure cleaning device 101 according to the invention of a further, second, preferred embodiment. In contrast to the first, preferred embodiment in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the high-pressure cleaning device 101 has two feed lines, where a first feed line is again a supply line 120 which feeds an undiluted cleaning agent 106 with the contained cleaning particles 12 and a small amount of water and a washing fluid as carrier fluid 114 to the high-pressure pump 4 by means of a finely adjustable dosing pump 122 and where a second feed line 123 feeds water to form the ready-to-use cleaning dispersion 6. The undiluted cleaning agent is stored in a concentrate container 124 (as a kind of receiver tank), stirred and kept homogeneous by a stirring device 126.

[0048] This configuration of the high-pressure cleaning device 101 with the two feed lines 120, 123 ensures good handling of the required cleaning dispersion 6, since the required cleaning dispersion 6 is divided into an undiluted cleaning agent 106 with a lower mass fraction and water with a higher mass fraction. The undiluted cleaning agent 106 is constituted in such a way that on the one hand sufficient water and washing fluid are added as carrier fluid, so that the undiluted cleaning agent 106 can be still conveyed in terms of fluid dynamics. On the other hand, the undiluted cleaning agent can be transported, stored and made available to the high-pressure cleaning device 101 for example in canisters in a space-saving manner. The undiluted cleaning agent 106 is added upstream or before the high-pressure pump 4 and forms the ready-to-use cleaning dispersion 6 before the high-pressure area. This configuration is very efficient, as significantly more water is required for a wash cycle of the vehicle F. The downstream part of the high-pressure cleaning device 101 is designed in the same way as in the first embodiment after the two feed lines 120 and 123 have merged.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a single cleaning particle 212 of a cleaning dispersion 206 according to the invention according to a further, preferred embodiment. This cleaning particle 212 has an inorganic filler 240 such as a mineral, for example spat or baryte, which, formed as two ‘cores’ of the cleaning particle 212, is enclosed or encapsulated by a polymer, in this embodiment polyurethane (PU). This symbiotic concept combines both the soft properties of the enveloping polyurethane for material-friendly cleaning and the high density of the inorganic filler 240 in order to achieve an optimum of the different material properties.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows a microscope image of a cleaning dispersion 206 with cleaning particles 212. The cleaning particles 212 with a grain structure, which are property-stable (water-insoluble) in the cleaning dispersion 206, have different average longest dimensions, which are shown in FIG. 6. The cleaning particles 212 have a mass percentage of 1% or a percentage of 1% by weight of the cleaning dispersion 206 as an optimal balance between handling and (in an application) effect per time.

[0051] There are of course further embodiments of the high-pressure cleaning device or of the cleaning dispersion conceivable. For example, the high-pressure cleaning device can also be designed as a brushless gantry car wash, in which high-pressure jet nozzles are positioned and driven/moved along the vehicle instead of the brushes. Here, as with the car wash, a driving speed can be set according to the degree of contamination of the vehicle to be cleaned. The more dirt has to be removed, the slower is the driving speed of the gantry washing system. After cleaning, rinsing and/or conventional drying or a drain dryer can be used as usual. This allows for easy discharge from existing aggregates and the new aggregates can be integrated into the existing platform. Alternatively, a high-pressure cleaning device according to the invention of an alternative embodiment can also be designed as a standing arch through which an object to be cleaned is moved or through which a vehicle passes. The space requirement is particularly small here.

[0052] In addition to the immobile embodiments described above, a high-pressure cleaning device can alternatively be designed in a embodiment as a portable, compact unit, similar to a portable high-pressure cleaner. With a high-pressure lance, a user can direct the high-pressure jet at the area to be cleaned and apply it there. Thus, the user is provided with a portable high-pressure cleaning device according to the invention, which he can also use at home, for example in the yard (with an appropriate collecting basin for the sprayed cleaning dispersion, if it is not biodegradable).

[0053] Of course, prior to cleaning with the high-pressure jet nozzle and the cleaning dispersion according to the invention, (conventional) pre-cleaning with a detergent or water can also be performed. In this way, the cleaning result can be further improved.