Cleaning appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025041914-A1
Application number	US-202418918999-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 17, 2024
Priority date	Apr 20, 2022
Publication date	Feb 6, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A cleaning appliance for blasting surfaces to be treated with a mixed stream of a pressurized gas and CO 2 pellets is disclosed and includes an apparatus for producing CO 2 pellets from liquid or gaseous CO 2 , wherein the apparatus includes a compressing device for compressing CO 2 snow to form the CO 2 pellets, wherein the compressing device includes an expansion device for creating CO 2 snow by expanding liquid or pressurized CO 2 , wherein the expansion device includes an expansion chamber with an expansion chamber inlet, wherein the cleaning appliance includes a CO 2 connection line that is fluidically connected to the expansion chamber inlet for supplying the liquid or gaseous CO 2 to the expansion device, and wherein the cleaning appliance includes a cooling device for cooling the CO 2 connection line.

First claim

1 . A cleaning appliance for blasting surfaces to be treated with a mixed stream of a pressurized gas and CO 2 pellets, comprising an apparatus for producing CO 2 pellets from liquid or gaseous CO 2 , wherein the apparatus comprises a compressing device for compressing CO 2 snow to form the CO 2 pellets, wherein the compressing device comprises an expansion device for creating CO 2 snow by expanding liquid or pressurized CO 2 , wherein the expansion device comprises an expansion chamber with an expansion chamber inlet, and wherein the cleaning appliance comprises a CO 2 connection line that is fluidically connected to the expansion chamber inlet for supplying the liquid or gaseous CO 2 to the expansion device, wherein the cleaning appliance comprises a cooling device for cooling the CO 2 connection line.

2 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cooling device is configured in the form of a passive cooling device, in particular in the form of a counterflow cooling device.

3 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cooling device comprises a heat exchanger and wherein the CO 2 connection line extends through the heat exchanger.

4 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a cooling channel with a cooling channel inlet and a cooling channel outlet and wherein the CO 2 connection line, in particular a connection line portion thereof, extends through the cooling channel.

5 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the heat exchanger has an inlet side and an outlet side and wherein the cooling channel inlet is arranged or formed on the inlet side and wherein the cooling channel outlet is arranged or formed on the outlet side.

6 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the connection line portion extends from the outlet side through the cooling channel to the inlet side or vice versa.

7 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the connection line portion has a connection line portion length, wherein the cooling device has a cooling device length, which corresponds to a distance between the inlet side and the outlet side, and wherein a ratio between the connection line portion length and the cooling device length is in a range of about 5:1 to about 25:1.

8 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein at least one of the following applies:
a) the cooling channel inlet and/or the cooling channel outlet comprise a hose connection piece for connecting to a hose in a fluid-tight manner; b) the compressing device comprises a CO 2 exhaust gas outlet and the CO 2 exhaust gas outlet is fluidically connected to the cooling channel inlet; c) the cleaning appliance comprises a CO 2 cleaning appliance exhaust gas outlet and the cooling channel outlet is fluidically connected to the CO 2 cleaning appliance exhaust gas outlet.

9 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the cooling device comprises at least one heat conducting element, which is in thermal connection with the connection line portion.

10 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the at least one heat conducting element is configured in the form of a heat conducting rib projecting from the connecting line portion and/or in the form of a woven fabric body, knitted fabric body, or wool body.

11 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the at least one heat conducting element at least one of
a) is made of a heat conducting body material, which has a thermal conductivity of at least about 30 W/(m K), in particular at least about 100 W/(m K) and b) is made of a metallic material.

12 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 4 , wherein the connection line portion at least one of
a) is of helical configuration, in particular in the form of a helical coil, and b) is made of a metallic material.

13 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises a heat exchanger housing and wherein the heat exchanger housing defines the cooling channel.

14 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the heat exchanger housing defines a heat exchanger housing longitudinal axis and is of cylindrical or substantially cylindrical or cuboidal or substantially cuboidal configuration.

15 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the cooling channel inlet and/or the cooling channel outlet is/are arranged or formed excentrically on the heat exchanger housing relative to the heat exchanger housing longitudinal axis.

16 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the cooling channel inlet defines a cooling channel inlet longitudinal axis, wherein the cooling channel outlet defines a cooling channel outlet longitudinal axis, and wherein the cooling channel inlet longitudinal axis and/or the cooling channel outlet longitudinal axis extend in parallel to the heat exchanger housing longitudinal axis.

17 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the cooling channel inlet longitudinal axis defines the cooling channel outlet longitudinal axis.

18 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the heat exchanger housing at least one of
a) defines a heat exchanger housing length and a heat exchanger housing diameter and wherein a ratio between the heat exchanger housing length and the heat exchanger housing diameter is in a range of about 5:4 to about 5:1, in particular in a range of about 3:2 to about 3:1, and b) has a heat exchanger housing wall delimiting the cooling channel and wherein the heat exchanger housing wall is thermally insulated, and c) has a heat exchanger housing wall delimiting the cooling channel and wherein the heat exchanger housing wall is thermally insulated, wherein the heat exchanger housing wall is made of a heat exchanger housing wall material, which has a thermal conductivity of at most about 1 W/(m K), in particular at most about 0.1 W/(m K).

19 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the cleaning appliance comprises a CO 2 connection, which is connected or connectable to a CO 2 source, and wherein the CO 2 connection is fluidically connected to the CO 2 connection line.

20 . The cleaning appliance in accordance with claim 19 , wherein the expansion device comprises a switching device for opening and closing a fluidic connection between the CO 2 connection and the expansion chamber inlet and wherein the switching device is arranged or formed between the cooling device and the expansion chamber inlet.

Assignees

• Kaercher Alfred Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Petzold Rick
• Krauter Andreas

Classifications

• F28D7/024

  the conduits of only one medium being helically coiled tubes, the coils having a cylindrical configuration · CPC title

• B24C1/003 Primary

  using material which dissolves or changes phase after the treatment, e.g. ice, CO2 · CPC title

• B08B5/02

  Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities {(airguns or nozzles per se B05B1/005)} · CPC title

• C01B32/55

  Solidifying · CPC title

• F25D3/125

  Movable containers · CPC title