Tank cleaning device and method

Claim 1

A METHOD OF CLEANING THE WALLS OF A TANK COMPRISING PROJECTING A STREAM OF CLEANING LIQUID AGAINST SAID WALLS, ROTATING SAID STREAM ABOUT A FIRST AXIS, ROTATING SAID STREAM AT THE SAME TIME ABOUT A SECOND AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FIRST AXIS AND AT A CONSTANT RATE WITH RESPECT TO THE ROTATION OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE FIRST AXIS, GENERATING A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF SUCCESSIVE IMPINGEMENT STRIPE CONVOLUTIONS ON SAID WALLS FOR EACH TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS, AND CAUSING PHASIC OFFSETTING OF THE GENERATED STRIPE CONVOLUTIONS FOR A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS, WHEREBY A ROUGH CLEANING COVERAGE OF THE WALLS TOP TO BOTTOM IS ATTAINED FOR THE FIRST TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS AND WHEREBY THE STRIPE IMPINGEMENT CONVOLUTIONS GENERATED FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS CUT INBETWEEN THE STRIPE IMPINGEMENT CONVOLUTIONS GENERATED DURING PREVIOUS TURNS OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF CLEANING THE WALLS OF A TANK COMPRISING PROJECTING A STREAM OF CLEANING LIQUID AGAINST SAID WALLS, ROTATING SAID STREAM ABOUT A FIRST AXIS, ROTATING SAID STREAM AT THE SAME TIME ABOUT A SECOND AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE FIRST AXIS AND AT A CONSTANT RATE WITH RESPECT TO THE ROTATION OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE FIRST AXIS, GENERATING A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF SUCCESSIVE IMPINGEMENT STRIPE CONVOLUTIONS ON SAID WALLS FOR EACH TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS, AND CAUSING PHASIC OFFSETTING OF THE GENERATED STRIPE CONVOLUTIONS FOR A PLURALITY OF SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS, WHEREBY A ROUGH CLEANING COVERAGE OF THE WALLS TOP TO BOTTOM IS ATTAINED FOR THE FIRST TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS AND WHEREBY THE STRIPE IMPINGEMENT CONVOLUTIONS GENERATED FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT TURN OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS CUT INBETWEEN THE STRIPE IMPINGEMENT CONVOLUTIONS GENERATED DURING PREVIOUS TURNS OF THE STREAM ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS.

Claim 3

A DEVICE FOR CLEANING ALL SURFACES OF A TANK COMPRISING, A TURRET MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIRST AXIS AT A PREDETERMINED RATE, A NOZZLE SUPPORTED ON SAID TURRET FOR ROTATION THEREWITH ABOUT SAID AXIS AND FOR ROTATION AT A PREDETERMINED RATE ABOUT A SECOND AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRST AXIS, SAID NOZZLE BEING CONSTRUCTED TO DIRECT A STREAM OF CLEANING LIQUID AGAINST SAID TANK SURFACES, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID TURRET AND SAID NOZZLE SIMULTANEOUSLY ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE AXES AND AT A SPEED RATIO TO CAUSE SAID NOZZLE TO MAKE A FRACTIONAL NUMBER OF TURNS APPROXIMATELY ONE TURN ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS FOR A CONSIDERABLE WHOLE NUMBER OF REVOLUTIONS OF THE TURRET ABOUT THE FIRST AXIS, WHEREBY PHASIC OFFSETTING OF THE IMPINGEMENT STRIPES OF SAID CLEANING LIQUID PROJECTED UPON THE SURFACES BY SAID NOZZLE OF SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF SAID NOZZLE ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS IS EFFECTED.

Claim 4

A DEVICE FOR CLEANING ALL SURFACES OF A TANK COMPRISING, A TURRET MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIRST AXIS AT A PREDETERMINED RATE, A NOZZLE SUPPORTED ON SAID TURRET FOR ROTATION THEREWITH ABOUT SAID AXIS AND FOR ROTATION AT A PREDETERMINED RATE ABOUT A SECOND AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE FIRST AXIS, SAID NOZZLE BEING CONSTRUCTED TO DIRECT A STREAM OF CLEANING LIQUID AGAINST SAID TANK SURFACES, AND MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID TURRET AND SAID NOZZLE SIMULTANEOUSLY ABOUT THEIR RESPECTIVE AXES AND AT A SPEED RATIO TO CAUSE SAID NOZZLE TO MAKE A FRACTIONAL NUMBER OF TURNS APPROXIMATELY ONE TURN ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS FOR A CONSIDERABLE WHOLE NUMBER OF REVOLUTIONS OF THE TURRET ABOUT THE FIRST AXIS, WHEREBY PHASIC OFFSETTING OF THE IMPINGEMENT STRIPES OF SAID CLEANING LIQUID PROJECTED UPON THE SURFACES BY SAID NOZZLE OF SUCCESSIVE TURNS OF SAID NOZZLE ABOUT THE SECOND AXIS IS EFFECTED.