Patent ID: 11945010
Assignee: LMC INDUSTRIAL CONTRACTORS, INC.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 18:
19. A system for cleaning an exterior surface of a pipe section, the exterior surface having a coating, the system comprising:
(a) an enclosure defining an interior, the interior sized to enclose at least a portion of the pipe section, the interior of the enclosure having a floor at an elevation lower than the enclosed portion of the pipe section, the enclosure including a sump at an elevation lower than the floor, the sump defining a debris retention surface at a lower elevation than the floor;
(b) a spray head having at least one nozzle, where the nozzle is configured to form a pressurized liquid stream to impact the exterior surface of the enclosed portion of the pipe section to remove at least a portion of the coating from the exterior surface and form a mixture of the liquid and entrained debris;
(c) a liquid filtration system fluidly connected to the sump, the liquid filtration system having a filter media configured to remove a portion of the entrained debris from the mixture to form a liquid stream;
(d) a conveyor located within the interior of the enclosure, the conveyor having a first portion and a spaced apart second portion, the first portion located along at least a portion of the debris retention surface of the sump, and the second portion extending external to the sump, wherein the conveyor transports debris out of the sump to an elevation above the floor;
(e) a transfer line fluidly connected to the sump; and
(f) a vacuum filter fluidly connected to the transfer line, the vacuum filter including a disposable filter media, wherein the vacuum filter is configured to generate a pressure differential across the disposable filter media.