Automatic vacuum recyclable system for chemical-thermo cleaning of ship tanks and bilges

Claim 1

A recyclable system for chemical cleaning and preparing enclosed surfaces of large tanks, comprising: a. a supply storage means for preparing, holding and recirculating chemical cleaning solutions; b. nozzle means strategically arranged within a tank being cleaned for spraying liquid chemical cleaning solutions onto all surfaces to be cleaned; c. supply pump means for selectively delivering chemical cleaning solutions from said supply storage means at both high pressure--low volume and high volume--low pressure to said nozzle means for stripping and cleaning the surfaces to be cleaned; d. a high-volume high-velocity vacuum means operable to air lift up to 75 gpm through a vertical lift of up to 100 feet communicating with the interior of the tank being cleaned for withdrawing a mixture of the sprayed liquid chemical cleaning solutions, air and vapor mists, along with sludge and solid wastes removed from the tank interior surfaces; said high-volume high-velocity vacuum means for air lifting liquid chemical cleaning solutions, vapor mists, sludge and solid wastes including a larger diameter air vacuum hose together with a smaller diameter air driven eductor hose section attached at the entrance of said larger diameter hose; said air driven eductor hose operating to withdraw liquid, sludge and solid wastes from the bottom of the tank being cleaned, to where it is mixed with air and vapor mists withdrawn through said larger diameter hose; said high-volume high-velocity vacuum means also operating to control vapor mists and provide ventilation in the area being cleaned; e. said high-volume high-velocity vacuum means including separation means for separating the chemical cleaning solutions, vapor mist, sludge and solid wastes withdrawn from the tank being cleaned and delivered to said separation means, and exhausting the air from said mixture; said separation means including a cyclonic separation tank having a surge tank capacity for partial heavy solid settling prior to transfer of the returned mixture to said filtration means; said separation tank being provided with means for directly removing partially settled solids and sludge therefrom; said high-volume high-velocity vacuum means also including an air exhauster system operable to move air at a rate up to 3000 cfm through said larger diameter air vacuum hose and which air drives said eductor hose and operates to air lift the mixture of chemical solutions, sludge and solids withdrawn from the tank being cleaned to said separation means where the air is exhausted and the remaining mixture following partial heavy solid settling and removal is transferred to a filtration means; f. said filtration means being connected to said ation means and being operable to separate remaining solids and sludge from the returning chemical solutions in the fluid mixture withdrawn from the tank being cleaned; said filtration means including hydro-sieve means operable to remove large solids from the returning fluid mixture, and a fine filter means to remove additional fine solids and sludge; g. said vacuum means also including a separate and independent pump means operable to provide additional and alternate transfer of liquid suspension mixtures from said tank being cleaned directly to said filtration means; h. means for delivering cleaned chemical cleaning solutions from said filtration means to said supply storage means for refreshing and recirculation of the solutions through the system for further cleaning use.