US Patent 10920397 Nozzle and vacuum unit with air and water

Apparatuses that include a nozzle, vacuum units, and vacuum trucks for excavating material, for instance, around buried utility lines. Multiple embodiments include an (e.g., air and water) nozzle, for instance, that breaks up material (e.g., earth) that is picked up with vacuum. Various embodiments include vacuum, compressed air, and water systems. Various nozzles include two passageways or tubes (e.g., one inside the other), exit orifices (e.g., from each passageway), or a combination thereof. Tubes may be concentric or a passageway may be between inner and outer tubes. Nozzles may be configured to be hand guided by an operator while excavating the material. Embodiments may include air and water valves, controls, or both.