3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION

COMPLETE

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed. 4. DESCRIPTION

Technical Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of mechanical equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-station apparatus for cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of cylinder halves.

Background of the Invention The present invention relates to the degreasing, washing/cleaning and residue removal from the cylinder halves formed during its machining in various steps. The cylinder halves contain more amount of unwanted residue and foreign matter once it is manufactured which makes it difficult to finish the cylinder manufacturing. Taking this into consideration, the cylinder halves must be washed/cleaned before carrying out its further machining.

Many systems and apparatus are available for cleaning the inner surfaces of the cylinder halves, but they often found disadvantage by forming sludge inside the sump tank while the process of cleaning which results in damaging the pumping systems and increased maintenance costs, etc.,

Thus there is a need to develop a machine/system that uses special arrangement such as a tubular conveyor chain that runs through the machine's tank bottom side, wherein all the sludge formed under the sump tanks (cylinder halves) is removed/conveyed to a sludge removal unit, making the system sludge free and provides the better washing standards to the products.

Brief Summarv of the Invention The present invention recognizes the limitations of the prior art and the need for systems and methods that able to aid users in a manner that overcomes these limitations.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a multi-station apparatus for degreasing, washing/cleaning pigmented drawing compounds and un-pigmented oil and grease, chips and cutting fluids Polishing and buffing compounds, rust, scale cleaning of the inner surfaces of cylinder halves is disclosed.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the multi-station apparatus comprises a stainless steel (SS) conveyor chain, hot detergent washing chamber, hot water final chamber, water dripping area, dosing pump unit and air knife chamber. The conveyor chain is driven by the sprockets present in that the edges of the machine.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the grease and residues left in the inner surface of the cylinder halves is washed away in the hot detergent washing chamber comprising a 5 HP blower to supply the heat to the detergent, oil skimmer to remove the floating oil from the sump tanks about 10 - 30 liters per hour from the water, sump tank for storing and supplying of the water and gas heating device/burner units for heating the water and detergent mixture in the sump tank.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, hot water final chamber is identical to the hot water detergent chamber except that there is a gas heating device through fire in tube system for heating and hot water at the temperatures around 60-75°C is sprayed through the nozzles for the washing of further residue/sludge remain after the detergent rinse.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the water heating is done through a gas heating device through fire in tube system and the hot water is supplied to the required washing chambers through pumps.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the unit has a combustion chamber where the exhaust gases from this chamber are allowed to pass through the pipes provided in the machine's main tank. The pipes are designed such a way that they are in in-direct contact with water when the exhaust gases pass through these pipes water gets heated and provides hot water for the washing.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, wherein both the washing chambers are provided with a two stage filter sections for the purpose of avoiding the choking of nozzles while spraying and to remove the filtered residues from the filter without disturbing the unit. The inner section of the filter has the metal brush with handle so as to clean the inside filter's screen upon rotating the handle and the cleaned residues will drain out through the provided valve.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the manholes of both the detergent and hot water chambers is equipped with a continuous tubular chain conveyor which runs through the machine's tank bottom side to remove the contaminants that get settled down on the surface of sump tanks and the carbon sludge is taken out through tabular chain conveyor to the sludge removal unit to facilitate the longer intervals of water changing.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, wherein the sludge removal unit comprises rotary scrubbing brushes to clean out the sludge collected from the sump tanks and to clean the chain during the conveying process.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, wherein the dosing pump unit will continuously monitor the pH value of the detergent solution in detergent washing zone and if the pH value changes, the dosing pump will dose the detergent liquid to the solution to maintain the constant concentration of the detergent solution

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, wherein the sump tanks are of tapered design for easy conveyance of the tubular chains and collects the carbon sludge which is settled at the bottom of the tank. In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, wherein the water dripping area allows the cylinder halves to drain the water and any moisture left on the surface.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the air knife chamber has two 5 HP blowers with the 2 air knifes and a gas burner unit/gas heating device.

The air knife blows off the liquid or debris from the surfaces of the cylinder halves as they travel on conveyors. The hot air is passed through the blowers and the halves are dried completely leaving no sign of residues or moisture from the cylinder halves. The finally washed/cleaned halves are collected at the end of the process for further machining.

In accordance with the aspect of the present invention, the multi-station apparatus is designed for cleaning more about 400-2000-cylinder halves/hour. The carbon layer from mild steel is washed up by alkaline cleaning method.

In accordance with the another aspect of the present invention, the multi-station apparatus is equipped with the phosphate solution washing chamber, wherein the phosphorus chemical is mixed with water in the ratio of 1 :3 and the mixture is allowed to spray on to the cylinder halves such that a thin layer of chemical is formed on the surface and this layer protects the cylinder halves surface from the rust formations

In accordance with the another aspect of the present invention, the air drying zone of the apparatus is integrated with a dehumidifier unit for the effective removal of the moisture if produced in the said zone (108).

From a reading of the description above of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, modifications and variations thereto may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the claims of this invention. Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention is illustrated by accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a two-dimensional front view depicting the plurality of chambers associated in the multi-station apparatus for cleaning inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a two-dimensional top view depicting the machine’s tank bottom components involved in the multi-station apparatus for washing the inner and outer surfaces of cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 illustrates the side view depicting the multi-station apparatus for washing the inner and outer surfaces of cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates the top view of cylinder halve washing apparatus with the tubular conveyor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates the front view of the cylinder halve washer apparatus with the phosphate solution wash as another embodiment of invention.

Figure 6 illustrates the top view of the cylinder halve washer apparatus with the phosphate solution wash as another embodiment of invention.

Detailed Description of the Drawings

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, applications or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

Figure 1 illustrates a two-dimensional front view depicting the plurality of chambers associated in the multi-station apparatus (100) for cleaning inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention. The multi-station apparatus (100) for cleaning cylinder halves comprises of a stainless steel (SS) conveyor chain (123) to transport the cylinder halves (103) throughout the apparatus (100), hot detergent washing chamber (104) for clearing the residue from the can surface with nozzle sprayed steam and hot detergent simultaneously, hot water final chamber (106), gas heating device/burner (110) for supplying the heat to the heating chambers through the tubes (222) placed above the sump tank, a couple of electric heaters (116) of 10KW for optional heating and as backup heaters, a tubular chain conveyor setup (425) in each heating chamber to carryout/remove the sludge accumulated in the sump tank (112) during the cleaning process.

The water dripping area (107) for draining the water eliminating any traces from the surface after the heating process followed by the continued heating in the next chamber, dosing pump unit to maintain the ph value of the detergent/heating water solution in limits of 12.5 to 13.5, air knife chamber (108) for the purpose of drying the drums after the prior heating processes, the conveyor chain (123) is driven by the sprockets (124) present in that the edges of the machine (100) and a manholes (114) arranged at each individual washing chambers for the maintenance purposes.

The cylinder halves are washed under the pre wash zone (102) with pressurized makeup water to get rid of any dirt on both surfaces (inner and outer) and later, the grease and residues left in the inner surface of the cylinder halves is washed away in the hot detergent washing chamber (104). An oil skimmer is equipped in the chamber to remove the floating oil from the sump tanks (112) about 10 - 30 liters per hour from the water. The sump tank (112) stores and supplies water to the gas heating device/burner (110) unit for heating the water and also the detergent mixture gets mixed in the sump tank (112). The hot water with the detergent mixture gets heated by the gas heating device like a burner (110) through the tubes (222) with fire in tube system for heating. Then the hot water detergent mixture is nozzle sprayed onto the cylinder halves (303) with the pump of 7.5 HP connected to the hot water detergent chamber (104). A dosing pump unit is equipped in the chamber which will continuously monitor the pH value of the detergent solution in detergent washing zone (104) and if the pH value changes, the dosing pump will dose the detergent liquid to the solution to maintain the constant concentration of the detergent solution. The apparatus is provided with electrical heaters (116) of 10 kW capacity which can be used as backup heating source or when the gas burner (110) is under maintenance.

After the detergent wash (104), the next washing zone is the hot water final chamber (106) which is identical to the hot water detergent chamber (104) except that the heating is done with the hot water at the temperatures around 60-75°C sprayed through the nozzles for the washing of further residue/sludge remain after the detergent rinse. The water heating is done through a gas heating device through fire in tube system and the hot water is supplied to the required washing chambers through pumps. The unit has a combustion chamber where exhaust gases from this chamber are allowed to pass through the pipes provided in the machine's main tank. The pipes are designed such a way that they are in in-direct contact with water when the exhaust gases pass through these pipes water gets heated and provides hot water for the washing.

Both the washing chambers hot water detergent (104) and final hot water chambers (106) are provided with a two stage filter sections for the purpose of avoiding the choking of nozzles while spraying. The said filters are made up of SS 304 and will allow us to remove the filtered residues from the filter without disturbing the unit. The inner section of the filter has a metal brush with handle, so that the metal brush will clean the inside filter's screen upon rotating the handle. The residues that are cleaned are drained out from the chamber through the provided valve. According to the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the manholes (114) of both the detergent (104) and hot water chambers (106) are equipped with a continuous tubular chain conveyor (425) which runs through the machine's tank bottom side to remove the contaminants that get settled down on the surface of sump tanks (112) and the carbon sludge is taken out through tubular chain conveyor (425) to the sludge removal unit to facilitate the longer intervals of water changing.

The sump tanks (112) of the machine are of tapered design to collect the residue along with the carbon sludge that gets settled at the bottom of the tank and for easy and effective conveyance of the same out from the tank. In addition to the tubular chain conveyance (425), the sludge removal unit comprises rotary scrubbing brushes to clean out the sludge collected from the sump tanks (112) and cleans the chain during the conveying process completing the cycle and the process continues.

Once the washing is completed under the hot water final chamber (106), the cylinder halves (303) then enters the water dripping area where the cylinder halves are allowed to drain the water and any moisture left on the surface. The water dripping area (107) is covered with a stainless-steel enclosure to prevent the exposure of the cylinder halves from the atmosphere hence keeping them dust and contaminant free.

After completion of water dripping process the cylinder halves (303) then enter the air knife chamber/zone (108) where the final air wash is done with the aid of two 5 HP blowers equipped with 2 air knives and a gas burner unit/air duct electrical heaters. The air knife blows off the liquid or debris from the surfaces of the cylinder halves as they travel on conveyors. The hot air is circulated inside the air knife chamber/zone (108) in such a way that the temperature of the zone is rapidly increased within a short time through the blowers and the halves (303) are dried completely leaving no sign of residues or moisture from the cylinder halves. The finally washed/cleaned halves (303) are collected at the end of the process for further machining. In another embodiment of the invention, the air drying zone (108) is integrated with a dehumidifier unit for the effective removal of the moisture if produced in the said zone (108).

Figure 2 illustrates a two-dimensional top view (200) depicting the machine’s tank bottom components involved in the multi-station apparatus for washing the inner and outer surfaces of cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention. The centrifugal pumps and motors that are responsible for the flow control of cleaning agents such as hot water and detergent can be seen in the top view. The pumps (218) of the two washing chambers (204 & 206) are of 7.5 HP capacities which regulate the flow of water (both hot water- detergent and makeup water). The valve arrangement of the pumps (218) and the burner (110) can be seen in the figure for the required supply of the cleaning agents and the gas heating device/burner (210) is connected with the tubes (222) that cover every washing chamber to generate heating water-detergent with the fire-in-tube heat exchange process. The air knife zone (208) comprises of a blower (220) of 5 HP capacity which helps in supply of the air to dry out the inner and outer surfaces of the cylinder halves through their exit from the machine (100).

Figure 3 illustrates the side view (300) depicting the multi-station apparatus for washing the inner and outer surfaces of cylinder halves according to the embodiment of the present invention. The cylinder halves (303) are conveyed on the SS 304G link chain into all the washing chambers. The washing chambers are equipped with nozzles for spraying the hot water and detergent in their respective washing chambers. The sump tanks (112) are located under each of the washing chambers to store and supply the washing water and detergent with the aforementioned tubular chain conveyor setup (425) for carrying out the carbon sludge from the tanks.

Figure 4 illustrates the top view of cylinder halve washing apparatus with the tubular conveyor unit (425) according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the multi-station apparatus is designed for cleaning more about 400-2000-cylinder halves/hour. The carbon layer from mild steel is washed up by alkaline cleaning method. Figure 5 illustrates the front view of the cylinder halve washer apparatus with the phosphate solution wash as another embodiment of invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the cylinder halves (303) are passed into the washing chambers of the machine (500) and the washing sequence starts with pre-wash (502) with water and then the washing is done with hot detergent solution. The hot water with the detergent mixture gets heated by the burner through the tubes with fire in tube system for heating. Then the hot water detergent mixture is nozzle sprayed onto the cylinder halves (503) with the pump of 5 HP connected to the hot water detergent chamber (504). The next washing is done with the hot water in the hot water final chamber (506) wherein the traces left out on the cylinder halve surface are removed in this chamber (506) and later the washing is done in the phosphate solution washing chamber (505) wherein the phosphorus chemical is mixed with water in the ratio of 1:3 and the mixture is allowed to spray on to the cylinder halves such that a thin layer of chemical is formed on the surface and this layer protects the cylinder halves surface from the rust formation. After the phosphate wash (505), the water dripping (507) is done and finally the fully cleaned cylinder halves are passed into the air knife chamber and the fresh air is drawn into the chamber and blown on the cylinder halves (303) through the air knives and then the cylinder halves are conveyed outside the machine.

Figure 6 illustrates the top view of the cylinder halve washer apparatus with the phosphate solution wash as another embodiment of invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the pumps with the valve arrangements to supply the washings agents to the respective washing chambers are shown. The washing process is as described in the figure 5.

From a reading of the description above of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, modifications and variations thereto may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the claims of this invention.