Abstract: A system and method for propelling a hose, including: a system housing and a tractor element disposed in the housing. The tractor element includes: a tractor housing with a through-bore; and a protrusion extending into the through-bore. The system includes: a hose assembly including a substantially helical coil disposed about a hose; and an actuator for rotating the tractor housing with respect to the system housing. The tractor element is fixed in the system housing with respect to axial movement; and the hose assembly can be disposed in the through-bore so that the protrusion contacts a portion of the coil. As the tractor housing is rotated in a rotational direction: the protrusion exerts a displacement force on the coil; and the hose assembly reacts to the displacement force by displacing in an axial direction.

Abstract: A high pressure rotary nozzle having a rotating shaft operating within a fixed housing wherein the of axial force which acts upon the shaft due to the liquid pressure at the shaft inlet is balanced by allowing passage of a small amount of the pressurized liquid to be bled to an area or chamber between the outside of the opposite end of the shaft and the inside of the housing where the liquid pressure can act axially in an opposing direction upon the shaft to balance the axial inlet force. The balance of axial forces is self-regulating by controlling escape of the liquid through a tapered or frusto-conical region between the shaft and housing. This further provides a liquid bearing between the two surfaces and allows use of interchangeable rotating jet heads having jet orifices which can be oriented in virtually any desirable configuration including axially forward of the nozzle.

Abstract: A fluid bearing nozzle assembly is disclosed that has a hollow cylindrical body, an inlet nut fastened to the cylindrical body, and a hollow tubular shaft member coaxially carried within the housing body and captured between the inlet nut and the body. The inlet nut has a stem portion extending into a central bore through the shaft member forming an inlet bearing area rotatably carrying the shaft member thereon. The shaft member has a spray head fastened thereto for rotation of the head with the shaft member. An inner wall of the housing body and an outer portion of the shaft have complementary shapes forming a regulating passage therebetween. The shaft has helical grooves that spiral around the shaft to one or both ends to impart rotation to the shaft and spray head.

Abstract: A high pressure rotary nozzle having a rotating shaft operating within a fixed housing wherein the of axial force which acts upon the shaft due to the liquid pressure at the shaft inlet is balanced by allowing passage of a small amount of the pressurized liquid to be bled to an area or chamber between the outside of the opposite end of the shaft and the inside of the housing where the liquid pressure can act axially in an opposing direction upon the shaft to balance the axial inlet force. The balance of axial forces is self-regulating by controlling escape of the liquid through a tapered or frusto-conical region between the shaft and housing. This further provides a liquid bearing between the two surfaces and allows use of interchangeable rotating jet heads having jet orifices which can be oriented in virtually any desirable configuration including axially forward of the nozzle.

Abstract: A high pressure rotary nozzle having a rotating shaft operating within a fixed housing wherein the of axial force which acts upon the shaft due to the fluid pressure at the shaft inlet is balanced by allowing passage of a small amount of the pressurized fluid to be bled to an area or chamber between the outside of the opposite end of the shaft and the inside of the housing where the fluid pressure can act axially in an opposing direction upon the shaft to balance the axial inlet force. The balance of axial forces is self-regulating by controlling escape of the fluid through a tapered or frusto-conical region between the shaft and housing. This further provides a fluid bearing between the two surfaces and allows use of interchangeable rotating jet heads having jet orifices which can be oriented in virtually any desirable configuration including axially forward of the nozzle.

Abstract: A high pressure rotary nozzle having a rotating shaft operating within a fixed housing wherein the of axial force which acts upon the shaft due to the liquid pressure at the shaft inlet is balanced by allowing passage of a small amount of the pressurized liquid to be bled to an area or chamber between the outside of the opposite end of the shaft and the inside of the housing where the liquid pressure can act axially in an opposing direction upon the shaft to balance the axial inlet force. The balance of axial forces is self-regulating by controlling escape of the liquid through a tapered or frusto-conical region between the shaft and housing. This further provides a liquid bearing between the two surfaces and allows use of interchangeable rotating jet heads having jet orifices which can be oriented in virtually any desirable configuration including axially forward of the nozzle.

Abstract: A multiple nozzle swivel assembly for mounting on a cable support stretched across the interior of a chamber to be scrubbed with high velocity jet streams or stretched along an array of objects to be cleaned as the swivel assembly traverses the cable from one end to the other. The cable passes through a coaxial bore in an elongated shaft carrying both a relatively stationary an input member for supply of high pressure liquid to the assembly and a rotatable output nozzle-carrying spray head member. The shaft is monolithic with multiple angularly spaced bores around the central bore and parallel thereto and sealed from the central bore carry high pressure liquid from the input member to the output spray head member with very low drag bearings and liquid seals being provided between relatively rotating liquid carrying components. The assembly includes multi-directioned nozzle elements on a rotatable spray head. Positive drive to rotate the spray head is achieved with a rotational speed controlling motor.

Abstract: A high pressure liquid sealing connection between two relatively rotatable liquid passage members of a rotary nozzle or a swivel. The connection is formed by two abutting relatively rotatable annular coaxial sealing members forming a high pressure liquid passage between the relatively rotatable members. Both sealing members are carried and kept coaxial by a seal holder carried by one of the relatively rotatable passage members. Both sealing members are forced axially relative to the seal holder by high pressure liquid flow at the sealing connection to maintain a dynamic sealing relationship between the sealing members and to force one of the sealing members into sealing contact with and rotation with the other of the relatively rotatable passage members. As the other sealing member substantially wears away by relative rotation of the sealing members it is forced axially relative to the seal holder and toward the one sealing member to maintain the sealing integrity of the sealing connection.

Abstract: A small diameter high pressure liquid spray nozzle assembly has a small diameter elongated cylindrical body with a tubular nozzle shaft rotatably supported within the body. A stack of several identical radial ball bearings within a sealed bearing chamber in the body rotatably supports the shaft. The ball bearings are immersed in said chamber in a viscous liquid to provide viscous damping to retard speed of rotation of the nozzle shaft. A rotary high pressure liquid sealing assembly within the body between a high pressure liquid inlet to the body and an inlet to the shaft confine the flow of high pressure liquid to a flow passage within the body isolated from the interior of the bearing chamber. The viscous damping retardation is independent of the direction of the rotary nozzle shaft.

Abstract: A rotatable high pressure tool for cleaning hollow objects by forcing a high pressure fluid such as water from nozzles to create cleaning jet streams and use jet reaction at the tool to continually change the direction of the jet nozzles about a longitudinal axis of the tool while the jets are carried by a cross body rotating about an axis essentially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Each of the nozzles provides the same amount of reaction torque to rotate the cross body about its axis. This torque is selectively adjustable at the tool before use by similarly releasing, changing and reclamping the orientation of all nozzles relative to the cross body and by changing the discharge diameters of uniformly sized nozzle tips. The adjustable nozzles are interconnected by gearing so that the changes in orientation of all nozzles during adjustment will be the same.

Abstract: A high pressure liquid nozzle housing encloses a self-rotating speed-controlled nozzle. A cylindrical sleeve in the housing forms an inwardly facing friction surface engageable by a nozzle-driven friction generating speed control mechanism to provide increasing retarding force on the nozzle as nozzle speed increases for controlling maximum nozzle rotational speed. The speed control mechanism includes a radially expandable helical coil spring rotatable with the nozzle with its windings at low nozzle speeds slightly spaced from the sleeve. An input end of the coil spring is driven by the nozzle structure in a direction tending to unwind the spring and increase its outer diameter in response to rotation of the nozzle. An output end of the coil spring rotatably drives a cluster of centrifugal weights which are spring biased away from the sleeve and which at low nozzle rotation speeds also remain spaced from the sleeve.