Apparatus for producing CO2 pellets from CO2 snow and cleaning device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9649745-B2
Application number	US-201615165971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2016
Priority date	Nov 29, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus for producing CO 2 pellets from CO 2 snow, in particular, for a cleaning device for spraying surfaces to be treated with a mixed stream of a pressurized gas and CO 2 pellets, includes a compressor device for compressing CO 2 snow to form CO 2 pellets. The compressor device includes a gear compressor. The gear compressor includes at least one compressor wheel which is mounted rotatable about a first rotation axis and has a plurality of compressing elements, and includes at least one intake wheel which has a plurality of snow intakes for accepting CO 2 snow. The snow intakes are configured corresponding to the compressing elements. The intake wheel is mounted rotatable about a second rotation axis and cooperates with the at least one compressor wheel. The intake wheel includes an intake wheel sleeve with an intake wheel sleeve wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing CO2 pellets from CO2 snow, in particular, for a cleaning device for spraying surfaces to be treated with a mixed stream of a pressurized gas and CO2 pellets, comprising a compressor device for compressing CO2 snow to form CO2 pellets, wherein the compressor device comprises a gear compressor, wherein the gear compressor comprises at least one compressor wheel which is mounted rotatable about a first rotation axis and has a plurality of compressing elements, and comprising at least one intake wheel which has a plurality of snow intakes for accepting CO2 snow, said snow intakes being configured corresponding to the compressing elements, said intake wheel being mounted rotatable about a second rotation axis and cooperating with the at least one compressor wheel, wherein the intake wheel comprises an intake wheel sleeve with an intake wheel sleeve wall, wherein the snow intakes are arranged or formed in the intake wheel sleeve wall, wherein the snow intakes are configured in the form of recesses which are open in the radial direction and wherein an interior space formed by the intake wheel sleeve is configured to receive the CO2 pellets.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the compressing elements are configured in the form of teeth projecting in the radial direction from the compressor wheel.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
two or more compressor wheels which are arranged offset in the circumferential direction, so that compressing element intermediate spaces are delimited both in the circumferential direction and also in the axial direction by compressing elements.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one compressor wheel and the at least one intake wheel are configured identically or substantially identically.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second rotation axes extend parallel or substantially parallel to one another.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of snow intakes are configured in the form of intermediate spaces arranged or formed between the plurality of compressing elements.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an extruding device for extruding CO2 pellets.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the extruding device comprises at least one extrusion die with a plurality of through openings.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of through openings defines a longitudinal axis which extends in the radial, or substantially the radial direction away from the first or second rotation axis.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein each snow intake is in fluidic communication with at least one through opening.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the compressor wheel comprises a compressor wheel sleeve with a compressor wheel sleeve wall and wherein the compressing elements are arranged or formed on an external side of the compressor wheel sleeve.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the compressor wheel sleeve comprises an interior space for receiving the CO2 pellets.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a drive device for driving at least one of the at least one compressor wheel and the at least one intake wheel.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a reservoir for receiving and storing CO2 snow.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the interior space of the intake wheel sleeve forms the reservoir.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a CO2 connection to connect to a CO2 store containing liquid CO2 or by a CO2 store containing liquid CO2.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising an expansion device in fluidic communication with the CO2 connection or the CO2 store to generate CO2 snow from liquid or gaseous CO2.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the expansion device comprises an expansion nozzle which is in fluidic communication with the CO2 connection or with the CO2 store.

19. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a scraping device for scraping the formed CO2 pellets off the gear compressor.

20. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the scraping device is configured for scraping the formed CO2 pellets off at least one of the at least one compressor wheel and off the at least one intake wheel.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the scraping device comprises at least one scraping element which is arranged or formed in a compressor wheel sleeve interior space defined by the compressor wheel sleeve or in an intake wheel sleeve interior space defined by the intake wheel sleeve or at least partly projects into said space.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the at least one scraping element comprises a scraping edge which touches or almost touches a compressor wheel sleeve inner surface of the compressor wheel sleeve delimiting the compressor wheel sleeve interior space or which touches or almost touches an intake wheel sleeve inner surface of the intake wheel sleeve delimiting the intake wheel sleeve interior space.

23. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the compressor device has a pellet outlet which, in particular, is oriented either parallel to the first or second rotation axis or transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the first or second rotation axis.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the pellet outlet is arranged or formed between the first and second rotation axis.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the pellet outlet is in direct or indirect fluidic communication with a CO2 pellet intermediate store for intermediate storage of the CO2 pellets generated or with a transfer device for transferring the CO2 pellets to a CO2 pellet accelerating device for accelerating the pellets.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23 , further comprising a pressure separation device for providing a pressure stage between the expansion device and the pellet outlet.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26 , wherein the pressure separation device comprises at least one gas-tight or substantially gas-tight sealing element and wherein the at least one sealing element is arranged between the expansion device and the pellet outlet.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the at least one sealing element is formed of CO2 snow, in particular compressed CO2 snow.

29. The apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein the at least one sealing element is arranged or formed between the at least one compressor wheel and the at least one intake wheel.

30. A cleaning device for spraying surfaces to be treated with a mixed stream of a pressurized gas and CO2 pellets, further comprising an apparatus for producing CO2 pellets from CO2 snow according to claim 1 .

31. The cleaning device according to claim 30 , further comprising a CO2 connection to connect to a CO2 store containing liquid CO2 or by a CO2 store containing liquid CO2.

32. The cleaning device according to claim 30 , further comprising a pressurized gas connection for connecting to a pressurized gas generating device, or by a pressurized gas generating device.

33.

Assignees

• Kaercher Gmbh & Co Kg Alfred

Inventors

• Demirtas Yunus
• Plachke Dieter
• Weller Markus
• Kruner Andreas
• Krauter Andreas
• Klink Rene

Classifications

• B30B11/201

  for extruding material · CPC title

• B24C1/003

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

• B24C11/00 Primary

  Selection of abrasive materials {or additives} for abrasive blasts (polishing compositions C09G) · CPC title

• B30B11/28

  using perforated rollers or discs · CPC title

• B30B11/24

  using screws or worms · CPC title