After boot camp, the Navy sent me to Machinist’s Mate A-School to learn about shipboard steam propulsion plants. The first week was a course called Propulsion Engineering Basics. Since we were learning about how to use steam to move something (turbine blades), the class started off with a lesson on Hero’s Engine:
1,500 years before Isaac Newton put his Third Law of Motion in writing, Hero (or Heron) of Alexandria described this device that would demonstrate that, for every action (in this case, steam discharging from the tubes’ nozzles) there is an equal and opposite reaction (rotary motion of the apparatus), just like Newton said. Some say Hero made one and displayed it for public amusement, but evidence of that is sketchy. In any case, it DOES work.
Another demonstration of Newton’s Third Law is familiar to golfers & lawn care enthusiasts: the rotating sprinkler:
Another practical application of Newton’s Third Law is an industrial one: tank cleaning. Some tanks have access ports or utility holes, so personnel can physically enter, or at least stick a sprayer inside to clean the walls. Oftentimes, though, they might contain materials that are toxic, harmful, or just plain messy, and any penetrations in the tank that need to be covered or sealed off are potential leak points. So, instead of manually sticking a spraying device inside & moving it around, you need something that’ll fit through a small opening and sprays in every direction.
BETE Spray Performance Engineering (a division of EXAIR) offers a number of solutions for tank cleaning/washing, in both stationary (sprays in all directions all the time) and rotating (kind of like the rotating sprinkler in the video above). If you want to know more about the stationary ones, my buddy Jordan Shouse wrote a detailed blog about The Power of the BETE HydroClaw recently.
If you want to know about the rotating types, you’re in luck because I’m going to get to those RIGHT NOW. The BETE HydroWhirl® series come in a variety of configurations and materials of construction. We’re going to look at four of them specifically:
HydroWhirl Stinger — these compact, rotating tank cleaning nozzles are made of 316L Stainless Steel with a 32 Ra surface finish, so they’re FDA compliant. They’ve got Zirconia ceramic bearings, so they’re made for long service life and extreme chemical corrosion resistance.
HydroWhirl Mini — like the Stingers, they’re FDA compliant, with 316L Stainless Steel construction with a 32 Ra finish. They have PEEK slide bearings for longevity and minimal maintenance. They’re suitable for small tanks (up to 6.5 feet in diameter.)
HydroWhirl Poseidon — these are made of FDA compliant, corrosion resistant PTFE, these are ideal for CIP (Clean-In-Place) applications commonly encountered in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical facilities. The slower spinning design makes for longer dwell times for the spray, for greater cleaning impact.
HydroWhirl Disc — this one’s made of 316L Stainless Steel with a PTFE slide bearing. It’s fully submersible, self-flushing, and suitable for small-to-medium size tanks. The rotating, high impact spray produces a pattern with consistent repetition for highly efficient & effective tank cleaning.
Lastly, since we’ve been watching videos, here’s one that shows a HydroWhirl Stinger in action:
If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer
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