| 摘要 |
<p>Apparatus for cleaning pipelines of finite length has a four way flow reversing valve whose body admits a liquid cleaning agent from an inlet into one port and thence into a pipeline whence the cleaning agent flows back into the body by way of a second port and is discharged by way of an outlet. The valving element is a piston which is reciprocable between two end positions in one of which the flow of cleaning agent takes place as outlined above and in the other of which the cleaning agent flows first into the other port and returns into the body of the valve by way of the one port to be discharged by way of the outlet. The body of the valve is separably connected with the larger-diameter end portions of two cylindrical housings whose smaller-diameter end portions are separably connectable with the respective ends of the pipeline. A supply of cleaning elements, such as balls of sponge rubber, is used in the apparatus to automatically change the position of the piston as soon as they impinge upon the one or the other end of the piston. The larger-diameter end portions of the housings are separably connected to the body of the valve by quick-release couplings which are actuated by hand, and one of the housings can be equipped with a shutoff valve so that it can confine therein a supply of cleaning elements as well as a body of sterilizing liquid medium wherein the cleaning elements are immersed when the apparatus is not in use.</p> |
