Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Processes – Hollow work – internal surface treatment
Patent
1993-01-14
1994-11-29
Dean, Richard O.
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Processes
Hollow work, internal surface treatment
134 2211, 134 2215, 134169R, 134166R, 1341041, B08B 302, B08B 900, B08B 9093
Patent
active
053686519
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of steam-treating sanitary systems and/or for disinfecting the pipelines of sanitary systems, particularly the pipelines in whirlpool systems.
The disinfection of the pipelines of whirlpool tubs has in the past been effected, depending on the structural type, either during filling of the tub, in which case, during the filling process, part of the fresh water was reversed to flow out of the tub through the pipe system directly into the drain pipe. By placing shut-off valves at the whirlpool nozzles, it additionally became possible to rinse the pipeline system for a short time under pressure with the aid of the circulating pump, with the water then not being discharged from the pressure side into the tub but into the drain pipe (DE-OS [German Unexamined Published Patent Application] 3,420,714).
In other methods, fresh water mixed with a disinfectant is conducted through the pipe system practically without pressure at the end of the bath immediately after the bath water has been emptied. In this case, however, there exists the drawback, on the one hand, that relatively large quantities of fresh water are required and, on the other hand, the water mixed with the disinfectant also enters the interior of the tub. In this method, a second step is required in which the entire pipe system including the interior of the tub must be carefully rinsed with pure fresh water in order to avoid skin irritation during the next bath (DE-OS 3,722,281).
Finally, it has been attempted to design tightly closable nozzles with which the flow direction can be reversed to flush the pipe system with the aid of the circulating pump under the full pumping pressure so that the mechanical effect of the flowing water is utilized here to prevent the formation of deposits in the pipe system. The problem in this connection is, in particular, that it is not possible for the flowing water to have an influence in the region of the closing mechanisms for the nozzles (German Patent 3,902,117).
It is known from FR 2,603,976.A1 to generate hot steam for household use in a pressure container and to blow the steam out at its intended location. By spraying in a liquid, the temperature is then reduced and the quantity of hot steam to be generated is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is now the object of the invention to create a method for disinfecting pipe systems, particularly the pipes of whirlpool systems, with which the above-described drawbacks are avoided.
This is accomplished according to the invention in that a heated, mist-like fluid medium is produced and introduced into the chamber to be steam-treated or is conducted through the pipe system.
The term "mist-like medium" in the sense of the present invention includes a vapor generated with the aid of a liquid under the influence of temperature, particularly a wet steam or a saturated steam, also a wet steam or saturated steam that is introduced into a carrier stream as well as a fog or an aerosol, that is, a liquid in ultra-fine dispersion that is introduced into a heated carrier gas. Surprisingly it was found that, for example, a pipeline contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was free of bacteria after being charged with steam as the mist-like medium at a temperature between 70.degree. and 90.degree. C. for a period of only a few minutes.
The particular advantage of this method is that, instead of large quantities of flushing water and the use of chemicals, only a small quantity of liquid and small amounts of energy are required to produce the mist-like medium. In a simple manner, the mist-like medium may here be conducted through the entire pipe system and thus flow freely through the swirl nozzles into the interior of the tub as well as through the pressure conduit, the circulating pump and the suction opening into the interior of the tub. Thus all regions of a whirlpool tub critical for contamination are subjected to the influence of the heated mist-like medium.
As one feature of the method according to the invention,
REFERENCES:
patent: 3297481 (1967-01-01), Newman
patent: 4922937 (1990-05-01), Bloch
patent: 4944919 (1990-07-01), Powell
patent: 4954179 (1990-09-01), Franninge
"Production Method of Steam or Hot Water for Cleaner Using Electric Heating Element to Boil Water and Injects Liquid Into Steam to be Heated and Carried by Steam", Derwent Abstract N88-092336.
Dean Richard O.
El-Arini Zeinab
Hoesch Metall+Kunststoffwerke GmbH & Co.
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