Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for treating fresh fruit to prevent and retard the growth of fungus. The techniques of the invention include simultaneously scrubbing the fresh fruit while drenching with a falling liquid containing a fungicide. Large volumes of liquid are used and the liquid can be recycled. The liquid also removes dirt and debris and, while containing a rather small amount of fungicide, such amount is present in a concentration sufficient to apply a coating to the fruit at the end of the scrubbing step given proper pH control. The pH of the solution is controlled. During the scrubbing step, the fruit is continuously rotated to provide even fungicidal deposit.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for washing or peeling tuberous products including providing a bed of rotatable driven brushes in a container, supplying liquid into the container such that the undersides of the brushes extend into the liquid, disposing the tuberous products onto the brushes at one end of the bed and rotating the brushes to transport the tuberous products to the other end of the bed while cleaning the tuberous products, the improvement comprising contacting the tuberous products above the bed and along the length of the bed to slow down the transport speed of the tuberous products without decreasing the rotational speed of the brushes. The step of contacting comprises providing a plurality of freely pivotable flaps, brushes, grinding rolls, a brush plate an endless belt with cleats or the like above the brushes, with the lower ends thereof spaced apart from the tops of the brushes.

Abstract: Apparatus for cleaning objects such as eggs and fruit. The apparatus comprises a housing, a roller conveyor having an upper run extending through the housing, one or more rotary brushes disposed over the upper run, one or more sprayers directed towards the conveyor, and a liquid rceptacle underneath the upper run. To prevent, or at least substantially mitigate the production of vapor in the place where the apparatus is disposed, means are provided for exhausting vapor at the positions where the conveyors enters and leaves the housing. Preferably the housing is double-walled at least where the conveyor enters and leaves the housing, and the cavities between the walls are kept continuously under a subatmospheric pressure.

Abstract: The invention relates to a seal for the shaft of a flue gas flap or the blast pipe of a soot blower for boilers or industrial furnaces subjected to excess pressure, having a shaft or pipe which is enclosed by at least two corotating coaxial sealing rings bounding between themselves an annular chamber for the supply of barrier air and each bearing on the inside metal bristles which bear against the shaft or blowing pipe and are arranged in at least two groups of brushes disposed in a circle one beside the other, an annular coaxial gap being left between the two annular groups of brushes of each sealing ring, such gap opening in the direction of the shaft or blowing pipe and being acted upon with barrier air.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interrupting the flow of carbon black particle-carrying transport as passing through recuperator tubes for a short period of time to cause the carbon black material accumulating and adhering to the inner walls of the tube to be removed therefrom and swept from the tube by the resumption of transporter gas flow.

Abstract: A long retracting sootblower for boiler cleaning of the type having a lance tube which is advanced into and out of a boiler and simultaneously rotated, and having one or more nozzles discharging a jet of blowing medium which trace helical paths. An indexing mechanism is provided to change the positioning of the helical paths traced by the nozzles between successive actuation cycles to minimize boiler erosion and mechanical stress caused by repeated blowing medium impact against surfaces within the boiler. the indexing mechanism includes relatively slidable longitudinal advancement rack sections which cause the engaging pinion gears to index by one or more teeth upon each actuation cycle. A movable rack portion is biased by a compliant element to remain in a normal position until initial advancement of the lance carriage which causes the movable portion to be indexed with respect to the fixed portion of the rack.

Abstract: An apparatus for cleaning eggs comprising a housing, a roller conveyor, at least the upper run of which extends through said housing, rotary brushes disposed above said upper run of the roller conveyor, at least one driving crank shaft for moving the brushes in an axial direction, and fluid supply means disposed above the brushes. The improvement is that the brushes are coupled two by two by means of a yoke having a bearing arranged to rotate about a journal which is fixedly secured to a frame. Each yoke is further provided with a pin which is connected to a driving rod, and one end of the driving rod is driven by a driving crank-shaft mechanism.

Abstract: A corn silking apparatus designed to remove the silk from ears of corn, which is characterized by a housing containing a drive gear and a driven, or idler gear. The drive gear is driven by an electric motor and carries a drive shaft and the idler gear carries an idler shaft, which drive shaft and idler shaft are spaced from each other in parallel relationship and each receive a pair of brushes that rotate in different directions. The silk is removed from individual ears of corn by placing the ears on top of and between the rotating brushes. In a first preferred embodiment, the drive shaft and idler shaft extend through the housing and are journalled for rotation in bushings located in a removable front plate and a rear end plate and the motor is located externally of the housing.

Abstract: A safety guard device for a power tool discharge chute which includes a shaft attached to the chute and extending across the opening of the chute. There are a plurality of elongate spaced-apart blade elements mounted to the shaft for pivoting within the chute and one or more springs or other resilient elements are provided for biasing the blade elements into a closed condition within the chute to prevent operator access through the opening of the chute and permitting the blades to pivot into an open condition so that bulky material may be discharged through the chute.

Abstract: An egg washing means including a plurality of cylindrical brushes being mounted with complete freedom of rotational movement and in being driven axially for lateral movement across a conveyor which carries eggs therebelow. The eggs are washed by cleaning fluid being sprayed upon the brushes which then contacts the egg surfaces for cleaning thereof. Spacing between the brushes is small enough that two adjacent brushes will contact the same egg at the same time causing a scrubbing-type action. Each cylindrical brush is mounted upon a rod which is driven for lateral movement across the path of egg movement by a cam attached with respect to the end of the rod. The end of the rod includes a cam follower having a generally U-shaped yoke member with a roller mounted therein. The roller contacts the cam face and follows the profile and lobe of the cam causing lateral movement of the cylindrical brushes.

Abstract: A valve-controlled pneumatic actuator is used to actuate a movable cleaning head to remove soot, ash or other sediment from tubes, headers and other internal parts of a heat exchanger of the type used in coal gasification plants. A rotary sootblower tube is coupled to a stationary inlet tube in a chamber of the heat exchanger vessel where a hot, highly pressurized and dirty gas circulates. Both the actuator and the stationary inlet tube are fixed to the vessel so that seals for moving parts are avoided. In one embodiment, the blowing tube extends in the inlet tube to a free end, and in another embodiment the opposite end is mounted to rotate around a stub tube. The blowing medium is provided in a jet or blast through nozzles in the blowing tube to loosen soot in the internal parts of the heat exchanger. The blowing medium is also used to power the actuator.

Abstract: A soot blaster has a lance tube which is retractable and linearly movable. At least one of these movements can be interrupted by a time-delay relay when the tube reaches its frontmost operating position.

Abstract: The disclosure is directed to a rotary wall deslagger for cleaning boilers. In accordance with the invention, an extensible rack element is selectively, mechanically coupled to a rotatable lance tube of the rotary wall deslagger to move the lance tube between a working and non-working position. When the selective mechanical coupling between the rack and the lance tube is released, the rack is extensible relative to the lance tube to activate a cleaning fluid discharge means and a driving means to impart a rotary motion to the lance tube. In accordance with another feature of the invention, the selectively-operable, mechanical coupling is released after the lance tube has been moved to its working position and the cleaning fluid discharge means and the rotary drive means are activated by the rack element substantially simultaneously with one another so that the cleaning fluid reaches the discharge nozzle of the lance tube at full pressure as rotation of the lance tube begins.

Abstract: A short-stroke steam lance is reciprocated through an opening in a furnace wall. A protuberance is mounted on a section of the lance to extend into spiral grooves of a structure mounted on the framework. The steam to the lance is supplied when its valve is actuated by the lance moved into its extreme forward position.

Abstract: A short-stroke steam lance is reciprocated through an opening in a furnace wall. A section of the lance has an extended spiral groove engaged by a protuberance from a supporting framework to force the lance to reciprocate when the lance is rotated by a motor. The steam to the lance is supplied when its valve is actuated by the lance moved into its extreme forward position.

Abstract: Apparatus for peeling steam-, lye- or otherwise pretreated tuberous fruits, provided with a plurality of slightly interspaced, parallel, rotation-drivable rollers which are circumferentially provided with peeling elements, such as brushes or embossments, and which are arranged transversely to the main transport direction of the tuberous fruits, said rollers together forming the lower wall of a transport channel disposed at an angle or horizontally.

Abstract: A soot blower is provided with a lance which is axially and rotatable displaceable by means of a motor. A driving wheel for effecting the axial displacement is connected with a driving shaft through two free-wheel devices having entrainment members which act in opposite directions and lost motion in the rotational direction of the driving shaft is provided for in one of the free-wheel devices.

Abstract: A reciprocable soot blower that is adapted to extend laterally through an outer wall to remove deposits of slag that collect on the walls of a pressurized furnace, gasifier or other reactor. The soot blower is telescopically mounted in a conduit attached to an outside wall of the furnace to permit its complete withdrawal from the furnace when not in use. A steam seal is adapted to be activated in the conduit when the soot blower is extended to increase pressure in the conduit to thus prevent entry of foreign material from said furnace into the space between the conduit and the soot blower.

Abstract: A meat cleaning machine having an improved meat driving cylinder which includes a series of concentrically arranged, axially spaced, meat driving rings having outwardly projecting teeth which define the outer surface of the cylinder, and a supporting framework which consists of a pair of ring-shaped end frames positioned axially outwardly of the meat driving rings and interconnected by a pair of cross members disposed outwardly of the periphery of the cylinder. Each end frame has a pair of spaced, outwardly opening slots and a single inwardly opening slot. The slots in each end frame are aligned and form seats to journal the ends of grooved rollers which receive the meat driving rings in their grooves to support them, space them axially of the cylinder and maintain them in concentric relationship to each other.

Abstract: Each of the meat gripping and moving cylinders in a meat scraping machine may be removed from the machine as a complete subassembly and disassembled quickly and easily for cleaning, without the need for tools. Each cylinder includes a carrier framework mounting removable ring supports which maintain a plurality of separate, toothed, blade-like meat gripping and driving rings in spaced, concentric position on the framework. During assembly, the rings are placed on the framework before the last support is inserted. The last support is then inserted and locked in position, which locks the rings into position on the framework.

Abstract: The pivoted mount connecting two opposing sections of a meat scraping machine suspends the movable section for swinging gravity-induced movement toward the stationary section. The stationary section is the sole support for the movable section and wholly encloses the power source for the machine. A drive connection passes into the movable section through the pivoted mount, so the drive system for the entire machine is wholly contained within the two opposing sections, entirely free from exposure to the outside environment. The result is a sanitary drive system for the machine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for deslagging high temperature water walls of boilers while steaming, utilizing a jet of water applied in such manner as to develop sufficient mechanical energy to dislodge the slag without chilling the wall to a harmful degree.