CLEANING METHOD AND APPARATUS UTILIZING SODIUM BICARBONATE PARTICLES

摘要

A method and apparatus for effecting the continuous reliable supply of sodium bicarbonate particles to a blasting nozzle employing pressured air or water for conveying such particles into contact with a surface to be cleaned. A hopper having an inclined bottom surface terminating in a central aperture is provided for containing a mass of sodium bicarbonate particles. One of a plurality of different sized orifices are mounted in a central aperture in the bottom of the hopper and the discharge passage through such orifice is in transverse communication with a pair of pipes. One pipe is exposed to the atmosphere through an adjustable flow valve. The other pipe is connected by a hose to a venturi passage provided in the blast nozzle, thus creating a suction flow of air through the pipe to convey particles passing downwardly through the selected orifice to be injected into the pressured fluid passing through the applicating nozzle. The amount of air flow permitted through the pipe by the adjustable flow valve is coordinated with the aperture size of the particle feeding orifice, which in turn is a function of the size of the particles of sodium bicarbonate being utilized, to produce a volume flow of sodium bicarbonate particles which at no time occupies more than 25 percent of the cross-sectional area of the pipe and the hose connected to the applicating nozzle.