Wands for gas turbine engine cleaning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9821349-B2
Application number	US-201514749177-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 10, 2014
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

Wands are used as parts of cleaning systems to conduct cleaning agents into gas turbine engine cores. Wands according to the present disclosure include inlet assemblies adapted to connect to cleaning agents, dispensers adapted to discharge cleaners into gas turbine engines, and conduits that extend from the inlet assemblies to the dispensers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wand for providing foamed cleaner to a gas turbine engine core, the wand comprising
an inlet assembly including a first connector adapted to be coupled to a liquid water source and a second connector adapted to be coupled to a foaming cleaner source,
an aeration dispenser adapted to mix liquid water from the inlet assembly, foaming cleaner from the inlet assembly, and air from the atmosphere to produce foamed cleaner,
a conduit that extends from the inlet assembly to the aeration dispenser that is adapted to carry liquid water and foaming cleaner from the inlet assembly to the aeration dispenser when the inlet assembly is coupled to a liquid water source and a foaming cleaner source, and
wherein the aeration dispenser includes a coupling that forms a water passage in fluid communication with the conduit and a foaming cleaner passage in fluid communication with the conduit, a regulator mounted for movement relative to the coupling to selectively restrict the foaming cleaner passage, and an actuator coupled to the coupling and to the regulator.

2. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the conduit forms a J shape.

3. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the water passage is coaxial with the foaming cleaner passage.

4. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the coupling is formed to include an aeration passage that extends from the water passage to the foaming cleaner passage.

5. The wand of claim 4 , wherein the regulator includes an atmospheric passage adapted to move relative to the coupling to selectively couple the aeration passage with the atmosphere around the aeration dispenser.

6. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the inlet assembly includes a first valve coupled to the first connector and adapted to selectively block or allow fluid to move through the first connector and into the conduit.

7. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the inlet assembly includes a second valve coupled to the second connector and adapted to selectively block or allow foaming cleaner to move through the second connector and into the conduit.

8. The wand of claim 1 , wherein the conduit includes a first tube coupled to the first connector and a second tube coupled to the second connector and the first tube is coaxial with the second tube.

9. The wand of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet filler coupled to the conduit between the inlet assembly and the aeration dispenser, wherein the inlet filler is expandable from a stowed configuration in which the inlet filler is collapsed toward the conduit to a use configuration in which the inlet filler extends away from the conduit.

10. The wand of claim 9 , wherein the inlet filler includes at least one inflatable bladder that expands outwardly from the conduit when filled with a gas.

11. A wand for providing foamed cleaner to a gas turbine engine core, the wand comprising
an inlet assembly adapted to be coupled to a liquid source,
a dispenser spaced apart from the inlet and adapted discharge liquid received by the inlet assembly,
a conduit that extends from the inlet assembly to the dispenser, and
an inlet filler coupled to the conduit between the inlet assembly and the dispenser, wherein the inlet filler is expandable from a stowed configuration in which the inlet filler is collapsed toward the conduit to a use configuration in which the inlet filler extends away from the conduit, and
wherein the dispenser is an aeration dispenser including a coupling that forms a water passage in fluid communication with the conduit and a foaming cleaner passage in fluid communication with the conduit, a regulator mounted for movement relative to the coupling to selectively restrict the foaming cleaner passage, and an actuator coupled to the coupling and to the regulator.

12. The wand of claim 11 , wherein the inlet filler includes at least one inflatable bladder that expands outwardly from the conduit when filled with a gas.

13. The wand of claim 12 , wherein the inlet filler extends all the way around the conduit.

14. The wand of claim 12 , wherein the conduit includes a first tube and a second tube, the first tube is fluidly coupled to the inlet assembly and to the dispenser to conduct fluid from the inlet assembly to the dispenser, and the second tube is fluidly coupled to the at least one inflatable bladder to conduct gas to the at least one inflatable bladder.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Griffiths George F
• Heggere Prahlad R D
• Green Jeffrey A

Classifications

• B01F3/04446

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/0406

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B05B7/0425

  without any source of compressed gas, e.g. the air being sucked by the pressurised liquid · CPC title

• B01F5/0428

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B08B9/00 Primary

  Cleaning hollow articles by methods or apparatus specially adapted thereto · CPC title