Patent ID: 8794251

Claim:
Apparatus for loosening and removing fouling material from a surface lying under water, comprising a frame construction with a number of washing apparatus and set up to be brought up to the surface, means for supply of a watery cleaning fluid to the washing apparatus for spraying out so that the washing apparatus are made to rotate and to loosen fouling material from the surface, and outlets to bring the mixture of fluid and fouling material to further treatment, characterised in that each washing apparatus is in the form of a cup having a dome shape with integrated channels for supply of fluid to integrated spraying nozzles arranged around a lower rim edge of the cup and set at an angle towards a center of said cup, said spraying nozzles being set at an angle seen from above towards the surface so that a jet of water from each respective Spraying nozzle forms a projected angle β of the order of 10-90° with the tangent to the cup circumference at the surface, and also that each respective jet forms an angle of the order of 10-80° with a line vertical to the peripheral plane of said rim edge, said cup having a central outlet at the top section of said cup for suction of fluid and fouling material, that said cup is set up to rotate as a consequence of the spraying out of fluid, that said rim edge of said cup is set up to be brought a given distance (A) from the surface so that said outlet is arranged at the top part of the central section of said cup and is connected to a body which can establish the suction of fluid out from the inside of said cup so that fluid can flow into said cup through the gap (A) between the surface and said rim edge and characterised in that said cup is adjusted to be set against the surface and a suction pump establishes a fluid dynamic underpressure in the inner, central outlet of said cup, and the ratio between the volume of cleaning fluid which is sprayed out through said nozzles and the volume of water which is sucked in from the surroundings of said cup is of the order of 1:10 to 5:10 and in that said cup is arranged to be brought with the edge of the rim at a constant distance (A) to a hull surface, said distance is controlled by adjustable length spacers fitted in the frame construction, the spacers comprising a fender or a wheel set up to lie against, and move along, the hull surface when the frame construction is moved.