Patent Publication Number: US-2021180892-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for flushing contaminants from a container of fluids

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing dates of two provisional applications: provisional application having Ser. No. 62/947,897 entitled “AVIATION HOT FLUSH,” filed by Dennis B. Hansen on Dec. 13, 2019, and provisional application having Ser. No. 63/014,972 with the same title, filed by Dennis B. Hansen on Apr. 24, 2020, which are both incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to fluid filtering, and more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for removing contaminants from a container having petroleum-based fluids therein, through a process of circulating, heating and filtering such fluids outside of the container. 
     In the past, automotive engineers and technicians have been among the many people to recognize the need for an ability to flush contaminants from fluid-containing enclosures or systems. One example of such a fluid-containing system is a transmission/transmission cooler system in which transmission fluid therein is normally cooled during operation of a vehicle by passing the transmission fluid through the transmission cooler. Such systems frequently contain tiny metal shavings resulting from wear of internal parts. It is desirable to provide an effective way to remove such metal shavings and other contaminants from the system without the need for completely dismantling the transmission and cooling system. 
     Systems for extracting transmission fluid from the system, then heating it and circulating this fluid through an external filter to thereby flush out contaminants from the transmission and cooling system, have enjoyed considerable success in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,662 issued to Dennis Hansen, provides much information regarding these systems. These systems have been commercially available to be purchased from Hot Flush Inc. of New Hampton, Iowa which can be found at www.hotflusher.com. Hot Flush Inc. has sold two oil cooler flushers having Model numbers HF345S4 and HF345S9. These cooler flushers are well known in the art. These systems include therein a reverser valve for quickly reversing and then re-reversing, the flow through the cooler while it is being flushed. Normally, there are two hoses from the flusher to the cooler to be flushed, one which is the return from the cooler to the flusher and the other is the hose which normally provides heated oil into the cooler to be flushed. 
     These cooler flushers, in the early years, were used largely for the automotive industry. More recently, their use has expanded to include many different industries including, aviation, military, construction equipment, agriculture, etc. The temperature of the cleaning fluid, its pressure and its flow rate depend upon the industry being serviced. For example, in the aviation industry, the cost of the equipment being serviced can often be tens of millions of dollars. With higher pressures, higher temperatures, and higher flow rates, around high cost equipment being serviced it is increasingly important to limit the impact of potential mishaps occurring with respect to the hot flusher machines. 
     Consequently, there exists a need for improved methods and apparatuses for flushing contaminants from a fluid container. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide an enhanced ability to reduce the adverse effects of a mishap involving a hot flusher machine. 
     It is a feature of the present invention to rapidly reduce a rate of leakage, or unwanted discharge, of cleaning fluid. 
     It is an advantage of the present invention to reduce the risk of injury to personnel and equipment that might be impacted by a sudden release of fluid from the hot flusher machine. 
     The present invention is an improved method and apparatus for removing contaminants from a container having fluids and contaminants therein, designed to satisfy the aforementioned needs, provide the previously stated objects, include the above-listed features, and achieve the already articulated advantages. The present invention is carried out in an “excessive rapid leakage-less” system in the sense that a substantial reduction in time required to stop a sudden unintended discharge of cleaning fluid is achieved. The present invention is further carried out in a “wasted automatic transmission fluid (ATF)-less” manner in the sense that a substantial reduction in ATF lost during a sudden leakage event is achieved with the present invention. 
     Accordingly, the present invention is a method and apparatus for detecting a sudden excessive leakage event and rapidly limiting effects of the event. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention may be more fully understood by reading the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a simplified diagram showing contaminant-flushing machine of the present invention. The arrows show direction of flow of cleaning fluid through the hoses  301  and  302 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Now referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a simplified diagram of an improved contaminant-flushing machine, of the present invention, generally designated  100 , which is coupled to an automobile transmission cooler  200  by connecting hoses  301  and  302 . In normal operation, the flushing machine  100  back flushes the oil cooler in the sense that heated cleaning fluid is provided on hose  301  from the flusher machine  100  to the oil cooler connection which would normally return the oil to the transmission etc. from the cooler after it has been cooled in normal operation of the vehicle. This is labeled in  FIG. 1  as RETURN in the oil cooler  200 . I.e. the flusher machine is pumping heated fluid backward through the oil cooler  200  from the RETURN connection through the cooler and out the INPUT connection, where it flows back to the flusher machine  100  where hose  302  couples to connector  102 . In some embodiments of the present invention, the connection between hose  302  and the flusher machine  100  could be identical to prior art flusher machines made for years by HotFlush Inc. However, in  FIG. 1 , connector  102  is shown as a special connector which has built therein a pressure sensor or pressure switch which detects the level of pressure in hose  302  and emits a signal on line  112  to programmable logic controller (PLC)  110 . Also shown is multi-sensor and communication module  140  which is coupled to PLC via communication path  142 . Module  140  can include fire and smoke detector and accelerometers for detecting motion. Module  140  may also include wireless communication equipment for WIFI or mobile phone connections for reporting events and conditions of the flushing machine  100  to remote locations. While connector  102  is shown as being a pressure sensor coupled to PLC  110 , it should be understood that the pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the line  302  could be located anywhere between the oil cooler  200  and the reverser, which is a standard portion of prior at Hot Flush Inc. flushing machines. In one embodiment, the pressure sensor of connector  102  could be moved to an inline connector just before connection to the reverser. Module  140  could also be configured to emit an audible alarm when commanded. 
     The general concept of the present invention is that once the flusher machine  100  is started and running, and between normal short duration reversal cycles, and if the PLC  110  would detect a drop in pressure from sensor  102 , or a substitute sensor located elsewhere along line  302 , PLC could command the heater and pump of the flusher machine  100  to stop. This could be accomplished by shutting down electric power at a circuit breaker on the flusher machine  100 . In one embodiment, there could be delays created in commanding a low pressure shutdown when the flushing machine is first started, for example, for 3-10 seconds, and during the very short duration flow reversals which are part of the normal operation of the flusher machine  100 . The PLC could be programmed to ignore drops in pressure which occur during the times that a reversal is commanded or if they are shorter than a predetermined time period, which is longer than the normal time for reversal of the flow during reversal cycles. Alternatively, the sensor  102  or its substitute could be programmed to not provide a signal during times when a reversal is commanded or unless the duration of the low pressure situation is longer than the predetermined duration of the normal reversal cycles. 
     Throughout this disclosure and description, the Applicant refers to a transmission cooler, oil coolers, transmission fluid, oil and other examples. These references are merely exemplary of the many different types of fluid containers and fluid types which could be utilized in conjunction with the present invention. For example, the present invention is intended to include and address systems for cleaning engine oil from an internal combustion engine, hydraulic oil from a hydraulic system, as well as fluid used in air-conditioning equipment. Various other systems, fluids and containers are contemplated and could be readily substituted, still within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The present invention can be used for oil cooler and oil lines in aircraft, jet engines, bulldozers, windmill electric generators and numerous other systems and fluid containers. 
     It is thought that the method and apparatus of the present invention will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, steps and arrangement of the parts and steps thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of the material advantages, the form herein described being merely a preferred or exemplary embodiment thereof.