Method for the hydrodynamic underwater cleaning of ship hulls and device for realising the same

摘要

The present invention pertains to the protection of the submerged surfaces of the hulls of ships which are afloat, and relates to the underwater hydrodynamic cleaning of these surfaces and of the hydraulic structures against biological fouling. The method involves generating cavitation conditions in the cleaning area by applying simultaneously a water jet and an acoustic radiation on the surface to be cleaned. The acoustic radiation is produced by an acoustic generator which is arranged inside a working organ and which operates on the energy produced by the dynamic head of the jet itself. The hydrodynamic water jet is applied on the surface to be cleaned at an angle not exceeding 45 DEG so that the extreme boundary of the cleaning area, relative to the axis of the working organ, lies within the surface to be cleaned. The device of the present invention is made in the form of an assembly that comprises a cylindrical resonance chamber. The chamber has a diameter which is larger than the diameter of the outlet opening of the convergent tube and which is also larger than the diameter of the inlet opening of the outlet portion, said portion being in the shape of horn. The chamber also includes end walls that, together with the outlet opening of the convergent tube and with the inlet opening of the horn, define respectively the inlet and outlet nozzles of the resonance chamber, wherein the resonance chamber together with the nozzles define the acoustic generator.