AT519211A2 - dedusting - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for binding dust, comprising a binder reservoir, which provides pressurized liquid binder, a binder line, which is connected to the binder reservoir, wherein the binder line at least one atomizing nozzle is connected, which in the vicinity can be arranged to a dust source. The device is in particular designed such that large areas, which can extend over lengths of a few 100 m, are supplied with binder and, even with these dimensions, they are delivered in pulse form at short intervals (1 second to a few minutes) can.

Description

Summary

The invention relates to a device for binding dust, comprising a binder reservoir which provides pressurized liquid binder, a binder line which is connected to the binder reservoir, at least one atomizing nozzle being connected to the binder line and being close to one Dust source can be arranged. The device is in particular designed in such a way that large areas, which can extend over lengths of a few 100 m, are supplied with binder and this can also be carried out in pulsed fashion at these intervals in short intervals (1 s to a few minutes).

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05/10/2017

Patent application in Austria

Widhalm, Stefan

WIH1001PAT-I

Device and method for binding dust

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for binding dust. DE 297 18 708 U1 and EP 0 908 215 A2 disclose a device for binding or depositing dust. This device is similar to a snow cannon with an air nozzle, in which air is accelerated by means of a propeller or a rotor blade. In an air jet thus formed, liquid is sprayed through one or more nozzles. The liquid is thus transported in finely divided form by the air steel. With this device, large amounts of water can be distributed over a large area.

DE 1 658 345 U describes a nozzle for atomizing water or a water-air mixture for depositing dust in underground mining. The nozzle is designed to be self-cleaning, in that a part which determines the outlet cross section of the nozzle is acted upon by a spring force. If the nozzle is contaminated, an excess pressure is created which overcomes the spring force. As a result, the nozzle opening is enlarged and the nozzle is self-cleaning.

German utility model DE 1 668 644 U discloses a device for depositing dust from gases, in which steam from fine particles is used to envelop the dust particles.

WO 2014/019311 A1 discloses a further nozzle for spraying water in order to remove dust from mining machines and to cool them. The water is distributed as finely as possible using an air flow.

DE 915 203 B describes a further method and a further device for depositing dust. Nozzles are provided on the pipe system, at / 86

WIH1001PAT-I, each of which a partial flow of a mixture of air and liquid is branched off. With each branch, the mixing ratio between air and liquid is changed. This is used specifically to vary the mixture ratio of mist in drizzle along the pipe system.

EP 0 950 796 A1 describes a spray mist system for depositing dust, in which an air jet is mixed with water at one or more mixing nozzles. The mixing nozzles are arranged as close as possible to the dust formation points.

DE 23 35 861 A1 describes a device for introducing easily dusting bulk material into a round silo. The bulk material is wetted by a dust-binding agent when it is fed into the silo by spraying it with the dust-binding agent. The dust binding agent is water with the addition of a substance that relaxes water surfaces.

DE 6 812 095 U shows a further device for depositing dust, in which the dusting material is sprayed directly with water.

DE 1 815 543 relates to a device for depositing dust during cutting and peeling coal extraction. The immediate location of dust formation and its immediate surroundings should always be covered with a water curtain. A extraction machine is always in the area of a nozzle group, from which it is covered with a water curtain.

DE 41 31 75 A1 shows a planing alley spraying system in which a planing alley can be sprayed with several nozzles. This spraying system is characterized in that the nozzles assigned to an expansion frame can be fed in via a separate switching valve and several spray zones of variable size can be formed. This is intended to achieve an optimal adaptation of the spray zone to the respective conditions with a reduction in water consumption, since only as many nozzles are switched on or fed in as is necessary for the greatest possible dust binding.

DE 1 795 744 U discloses a device for precipitating the airborne dust, which has a washer with which the air containing the dust is sucked in and sprayed with water within the washer so that the dust is bound.

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WIH1001PAT-I

AT 512 490 A1 describes a high-pressure fog system that can be used, among other things, to bind dust. This high-pressure mist system is designed to generate suspended water mist. Water, in particular drinking water, is supplied at a pressure of approximately 70-100 bar through which the water is sprayed. Switchable valves can be used to provide several zones, which are acted upon independently by fog.

DE 34 41 386 A1 discloses a method for depositing dust, in which a foam gun is used, with which foam is provided for binding the dust.

WO 2008/082316 A2 and WO 2008/020773 A1 each show spray nozzles with which water is atomized. These spray nozzles are primarily intended for different mining purposes. Among other things, dust conditions should be checked.

WO 2011/095463 A2 discloses a spray nozzle unit, in particular for spraying explosive areas in underground mining and for use in ultra-high-speed fire suppression systems with response times of less than 50 ms. This spray nozzle unit comprises a nozzle body which has a nozzle opening for spraying spray liquid.

A device for binding dust emerges from US 2007/0125558 A1. This device comprises a storage container for binding agents, pumps are controlled by means of an optical sensor in order to convey binding agents from the binding agent storage container and to dispense them accordingly. In this case, provision is made in particular to pump out binder from the storage container by means of the pump or pumps and to dispense it via the corresponding nozzles.

WO 2014/161023 A1 discloses a dust-binding device for containers. According to this device, it is provided to convey binder from an external storage container and to discharge it via a corresponding line system by means of pumps into a container above a dusting medium in order to bind the dust in this way.

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DE 20 2015 104 984 U1 discloses a device for removing particulate matter, in particular fine dust, from the ambient air of a traffic infrastructure. This device comprises e.g. B. a spray device with a pressure generating device for providing a pressure difference. The spray device presses or sucks liquid solvent from an intermediate container, which is fed via a supply line, not shown. It is provided by means of the spray devices that the liquid solvent from the floor, at the level of which a respective intermediate container is arranged, into an elongated spray line. Nozzles are arranged along the length of the spray line. The liquid solvent is sprayed into the ambient air in droplet form from these nozzles.

DE 75 35 462 U discloses a control unit for the switching actuation of spray nozzles for depositing dust in mining operations. Spray nozzles are provided which, for. B. can be switched on and off individually or in groups by means of corresponding switching valves by means of a lever. A control unit can be used to remotely control the switching valves by means of appropriate switching elements. The spray nozzles are to be controlled in such a way that the dust is independent of the respective driving speed of a mining machine directly at the point of origin, i. H. in the working area of the extraction machine, is effectively suppressed.

DE 18 15 543 A discloses a device for depositing dust. It is provided to combine a plurality of nozzles in groups which can be actuated in such a way that the respective group areas overlap in order to operate the respective nozzle group within which the extraction device is located in order to deposit the dust generated by the extraction device.

A spraying device emerges from US Pat. No. 2,722,456 A. This spray device comprises a storage container. A pump is connected to the storage container via a line in order to convey a spray medium from the storage container. The pump can be designed as a gear pump. Furthermore, a line is connected to the pump, on which several nozzles for dispensing the spray medium are arranged. A valve is also provided to control the dispensing of the spray medium. The volume flow of the spray medium conveyed from the storage container can be adjusted by means of a further valve. It is also described in the application that the spray medium 14 is conveyed to the nozzles by means of a pressure generated by the pump. The pump is designed as a gear pump. Another line branches from the line to / 86

WIH1001PAT-I

Storage container from which the appropriate nozzles are connected to agitate, mix and stir the spray medium.

EP 1 084 607 A1 discloses a movable storage device. This storage device comprises a pressure vessel which has means for exerting pressure forces on water held in the pressure vessel. The means for exerting pressure forces can be embodied in the pressure vessel itself or on the pressure vessel, for example by means of a pressure compensation vessel. According to one exemplary embodiment, the pressure vessel has a deformable membrane which divides the pressure vessel into a lower chamber and an upper chamber. The lower chamber can be filled with water via a line and then reduces the size of the upper chamber, in which a coil spring is arranged for pressurizing the membrane. Instead of the coil spring, an inert gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide can be kept in the chamber as a compressible pressure medium. There, a dispensing valve is directed at the area to be watered and opened. A spray nozzle with an upstream actuating valve 32 is preferably provided for dispensing.

DE 000P0047416MAZ discloses an irrigation system with an automatically acting shut-off device. This irrigation system is such. B. trained to sprinkle three different irrigation fields I, II and III.

DE 75 35 462 U discloses a control device for the switching actuation of spray nozzles for depositing the dust in mining operations in order to spray a field of extraction.

DD 2 58 837 A1 discloses a method and an arrangement for producing large-area dust barriers.

A spray device is disclosed in US 479 979 A.

DE 18 33 442 U discloses an “outpatient” arrangement for sprinkling agricultural land.

From DE 380 896 A an irrigation system with branch lines emanating from a field line emerges.

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WIH1001PAT-I

DE 19 28 789 C discloses a system for blowing up water or fertilizers in greenhouses.

US 2014/0239080 A1 discloses a sprinkler system installed in a fixed position.

From technical fluid dynamics, Leopold Böswirth, textbook and exercise book, 8th edition, Vieweg + Teubner, chapter 12.3, it is known that with long, liquid-flowed pipelines, the pressure on a slide valve that is opened or closed suddenly increases or increases sharply can fall off. Vapor formation can even occur on the outflow side. Pressure surges are reflected in the pipe system and lead to pressure vibrations. Such pressure surges can significantly affect the service life of devices with liquid-carrying lines.

In summary it can be said that for binding dust

1. an air / water mixture is often used to atomize and distribute the water over a large area,

2. A mist or spray rule is provided as directly as possible to bind the dust, and

3. Various dust binders such as drizzle, fog, foam with and without chemical additives are used.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for binding dust with which dust can be bound very efficiently.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for binding dust, with which dust can be bound reliably with as little dust binding agent as possible.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device and a method for binding dust, the device or the device used in this method being subject to little wear.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for binding dust with which along or within a large distance or large area, such as a road section / 86

WIH1001PAT-I tes or a gravel pit, the escape of dust can be reliably prevented or significantly reduced.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for binding dust which can be applied to machines and vehicles of all kinds, e.g. Stone crushers, track construction machines, asphalt milling machines, cleaning vehicles, etc. can be attached or integrated, which also enables mobile operation.

One or more of the present objects are achieved by the subject matter specified in the independent claims. Advantageous refinements are specified in the respective subclaims.

Dust can generally be bound by an artificial mist or a drizzle. In the case of an artificial mist, a mist slowly settles to the ground, whereby the dust is washed out of the air by the mist droplets. With the drizzle, the floor is wetted with binding agents so that the formation of dust is prevented. The mist formation and the drizzle differ essentially by the droplet size, whereby the transition is fluid. The generation of a mist also leads to wetting of the soil and the generation of a spray of rain also leads to the washing out of dust from air. However, in the case of an artificial mist, the focus of the effect is on washing dust out of air and on a drizzle in wetting the floor. Artificial mist comprises droplets with a size smaller than 200 μm, in particular smaller than 150 μm or smaller than 100 μm. Drizzle comprises droplets with a size of at least 100 μm, in particular at least 150 μm and preferably at least 200 μm.

In devices in which the floor is wetted with drizzle, preferably no more than 6 l / m ² / h and preferably no more than 4 l / m ² / h and in particular no more than 3 l / m2 / h of binder are discharged. This ensures that there are no puddles. If the floor is sealed, the amount to be discharged should be set less than if the floor is not sealed. The amount of binder to be discharged should be at least 0.75 l / m2 / h and preferably at least 1l / m2 / h or in particular at least 1.2 l / m2 / h in order to ensure adequate wetting of the floor. These values for the discharge of the binder apply to continuous operation. During interval operation, the quantities discharged are reduced accordingly due to the break times.

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WIH1001PAT-I

The devices for guiding and guiding binder streams explained below can be used both for generating mist and for drizzle, unless expressly stated otherwise.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a device for binding dust is provided, comprising a binder reservoir which provides pressurized liquid binder, a binder line which is connected to the binder reservoir, at least one atomizing nozzle being connected to the binder line, which can be arranged in the vicinity of a dust source.

The atomizing nozzle is arranged in the vicinity of the dust source, and is preferably designed and arranged such that it is not the dust source that is sprayed with the binder, but rather a binder mist is formed at a predetermined distance from the dust source. This arrangement is based on the knowledge that dust is whirled up at a dust source, with which a dust source is usually connected to a turbulent air flow. If you were to bind dust in such a turbulent air flow using a binder, then the binder requirement is considerable. If, on the other hand, you bind the dust to places away from the dust source where the air flow has calmed down, the dust stays in the air longer, which means that the dust can be reliably bound with far fewer droplets of fog than at the location of the dust source itself. Even if If you surround a local dust source at a distance with an artificial wall of mist, the amount of binder required is considerably lower than if you spray the dust source directly with the binder, although the area in which the mist is generated is generally much larger than the dust source because it encloses the dust source at a predetermined distance.

The distance should be selected so that the air flow containing the dust has calmed down so far in the area of the mist that the mist can gradually sink to the ground and is not moved away in an uncontrolled manner. A distance of a few 10 cm, preferably at least 50 cm or at least 1 m or at least 2 m, is usually to be maintained. When choosing the appropriate distance, external air flows must also be taken into account, which can be generated by the movement of goods, vehicles, wind or thermals. Thermics often occur, especially in halls. It may also be useful to have one or more baffles / 86

WIH1001PAT-I, with which an air flow contaminated with dust is directed in such a way that it calms down and an artificial mist can efficiently remove the dust.

The distance from the dust source should preferably be chosen so that the mist is primarily in an area in which the air flow is not greater than 1 m / s, in particular not greater than 0.8 m / s or not greater than 0.7 m / s and preferably not greater than 0.5 m / s. It has been shown that with an air flow of more than 1 m / s, the dust cannot be bound efficiently with a mist or that the amounts of water required for efficient dust binding increase exponentially. Air currents can vary in location and time. When unloading large stones, for example, a very strong air flow can occur briefly, the air flow being significantly weaker in the pauses between the individual unloading operations. Short-term violations of the limit values for the maximum air flow have only an insignificant effect on the dust binding efficiency. Baffles can be provided to keep foreign air flows out of the fog area so as to be able to comply with the limit values of the air flow in the area of the fog explained above.

The binder is a liquid binder, preferably water. An air / water mixture is often used in the prior art. Such an air / water mixture is disadvantageous, however, because it creates a high inherent air flow due to the air portion, which is not suitable for generating a floating mist. An air / water mixture can be used to produce a drizzle, but water which is driven through an atomizing nozzle without air is preferred.

The binder is made available in the binder reservoir at a pressure of preferably at most 10 bar, in particular preferably at most 7 bar and in particular not more than 5 bar. The lower the pressure, the easier it is to design a device with a long binder line, which allows the large area to be covered with spray mist. At higher pressures, there is a risk that individual components will not withstand the load over the long term, and the entire regulation and control of the pressure in the binder line becomes much more complex and complicated.

The binder reservoir should provide the binder with a pressure of at least 2 bar, preferably at least 3 bar and particularly preferably at least 4 bar. The higher the pressure at the binder reservoir, the greater can / 86

WIH1001PAT-I nen be the pressure losses in the binder line, and nevertheless sufficient pressure is provided on the atomizing nozzle (s) for atomization. This also means that the greater the pressure at the binder reservoir, the longer the binder line can be without the need for an additional pressure stage in the form of a pump. The binder reservoir can be a well, a tank with and without a feed pump or a connection to a water pipe which provides the binder with water at a predetermined pressure.

The pressure at which the binder reservoir or a binder source is made available is preferably set using a pump. The pressure can also e.g. by an existing water supply or an elevated tank, which provides a sufficient pressure due to a suitable geodetic height difference, so that no extra pump is required to remove the binder from the binder reservoir.

Limiting the pressure to a maximum value in the range from 5 to 10 bar also has the advantage that the binder line can be formed from an elastic tube, such as a plastic tube, in particular PE tube. Such elastic tubes have considerable advantages because they can buffer pressure on the one hand, connection points for atomizing nozzles can be punched at any point and can also be laid very quickly and easily.

Another advantage of limiting the pressure is that no high-pressure pumps are required, which are susceptible to dirty air. High-pressure pumps are pumps that generate a permanent operating pressure of 20 bar or more.

The atomizing nozzle or the atomizing nozzles are designed in such a way that the binder is atomized with a droplet size of 30 to 120 μm and preferably with 50 to 150 μm and in particular with a droplet size of 60 to 90 μm. Such a droplet size forms a floating mist in calm air, which reliably binds the dust and gradually sinks.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the binder line can extend over a distance of at least 100 m or in particular of at least 300 m, wherein several atomizing nozzles are connected to the binder line along this route, and the device is designed in this way / 86

WIH1001PAT-I is that no more than 6 l / m ² h binders are discharged on the floor during a spraying process.

The amount of binder sprayed out is preferably adjusted so that there is a slight excess of moisture, i.e. that not all of the atomized binder can be absorbed by the air, but rather liquid fog particles are present in the air. Such fog particles sink and bind the dust contained in the air and transport it to the ground. The amount of water dispensed is preferably so large that a sufficiently strong downward movement takes place in order to quickly transport the dust downwards. A certain excess of binder reduces the control effort. Nevertheless, with such a droplet size, it is possible to adjust the amount of binder sprayed out so that on the one hand a stable floating mist is provided that reliably binds the dust, and on the other hand the amount of binder is so small that there are no puddles on the floor. The devices for generating an artificial mist are preferably designed such that approximately 5 to 30 liters of binder are dispensed per hour per nozzle, the binder being distributed over a range of 0.8 m to 1.5 m around the nozzle. The at least one atomizing nozzle is preferably a pressure nozzle which is designed with an automatically blocking or opening pressure control valve and therefore automatically opens from a certain opening pressure of the supplied binder and the device has a pressure control with which the pressure in the binder line can be controlled. This makes it possible to use the pressure control to control whether the one or more atomizing nozzles release binders or not.

In particular, according to the first aspect, it is provided that the binder line can have one or more pressure control valves which open as pressure switching valves from a predetermined switching pressure and thus release a binder supply to the atomizing nozzle (s) or open as pressure control valves also from a predetermined switching pressure and at the same time a pressure regulate to a predetermined pressure range on the downstream side of the pressure control valve. The advantages of corresponding pressure nozzles or corresponding pressure control valves which open as pressure switching valves from a predetermined switching pressure and thus release a binder supply to the atomizing nozzle (s) or open as pressure control valves also from a predetermined switching pressure and at the same time regulate a pressure on the outflow side of the pressure control valve to a predetermined pressure range are shown below and are also explained in detail using a corresponding exemplary embodiment.

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The pressure nozzles or the pressure control valves can, for example, be designed with an opening pressure of 2 bar, 3 bar or 4 bar. The closing pressure is preferably somewhat lower than the opening pressure. With an opening pressure of 2 bar, the closing pressure is, for example, 0.9 bar, with an opening pressure of 3 bar, for example, 1.5 bar, and with an opening pressure of 4 bar, for example, 1.8 bar. This ensures that the pressure drop generated after the opening of the respective nozzle does not immediately close the pressure nozzle, but rather keeps it open at a low pressure.

Such pressure nozzles or the pressure control valves allow simple central control via the binder pressure, because the pressure control valves open and close completely if the pressure in the binder line is controlled accordingly. In addition, such self-firing pressure nozzles prevent the binder line from being emptied, since they close automatically when the pressure drops below the switching pressure. As a result, the pressure in the binder line does not drop, or possibly only very slowly, so that no or only a very low pressure has to be built up in the binder line during intermittent pulsing. These pressure nozzles therefore also act as an outlet stop. This has the following advantages:

- The binder line does not have to be filled before water is again dispensed through the atomizing nozzles. At most, a small amount of binder must be added between the individual pulses, whereby this binder is suddenly available due to the pressurized binder reservoir and is already under pressure. This enables rapid pulsing with the least amount of discharge.

- Pressurized water is therefore always directly on the atomizing nozzles or the pressure nozzles adjacent to it or the pressure control valves.

- Refilling the binder line is subject to the risk of pressure surges and cavitation in the lines and nozzles and other components such as pumps, valves, etc. In addition, there is a risk of sucking in unclean ambient air or dirty drainage water or other dirt. This danger is avoided or at least reduced.

The pressure nozzles can be integrally formed with a pressure valve which has a predetermined opening and a predetermined closing pressure. However, the pressure nozzles can also be formed from a nozzle and a separate, upstream pressure valve.

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WIH1001PAT-I

The pressure nozzles preferably have a membrane which is acted upon by a piston pretensioned by a spring, so that a passage of the pressure nozzle is only opened from the predetermined opening pressure and closed again when the shooting pressure is reached. The pressure nozzles are preferably set such that they provide a pressure at the respective atomizing nozzles in the entire dust-binding device or in certain sections in which essentially the same atomizing nozzles are specified, which pressure differs by a maximum of 20% and in particular a maximum of 10%. Such a uniform pressurization results in a uniform dispensing of binder, with the uniformity relating here both to the geometry of the respective spray cone of the individual atomizing nozzles and to the amount of binder released. It is particularly expedient to provide approximately the same pressure at sections of the dust-binding device on which the same nozzles are arranged. Of course, differently designed sections, such as sections in which standing nozzles are provided for wetting a floor, can be subjected to a different pressure than, for example, sections in which hanging nozzles are provided for generating a mist, and accordingly with differently set or differently trained pressure nozzles or other trained pressure control valves.

A differently intensive discharge of binder is preferably set by the spacing between successive atomizing nozzles and not by different pressures. The atomizing nozzles are preferably designed such that they emit the binder with a circular or semicircular throwing cone. The distance between two successive nozzles is preferably the diameter D of the circle of the corresponding throwing cone minus at least 20% (corresponds to 0.8D) and in particular at least 34% (corresponds to 0.66D) of this diameter. As a result, an approximately strip-shaped area is evenly supplied with binder, the overlapping sections of adjacent throwing cones being limited. The distance between adjacent nozzles is preferably in the range of the diameter of the throwing cone minus at least 45% and preferably at least 50% of the diameter. In the case of semicircular throwing cones, the smaller distances between the nozzles with at least 45% deduction from the diameter are preferred. Mist-producing dust-binding devices generally have a nozzle arrangement with maximum distances of 0.55D or 0.5D.

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WIH1001PAT-I

The pressure control preferably has a control valve which is arranged in the binder line in the region between the binder reservoir and the at least one pressure nozzle, the control valve being controllable by a control device. As a result, the at least one atomizing nozzle can be specifically supplied with binding agent at a predetermined pressure. A plurality of control valves can also be provided, each of which is followed by one or more atomizing nozzles, which are then acted upon with a predetermined pressure by binder with the respective control valve. The control valves can be controlled hydraulically, pneumatically or electrically or mechanically by the control device.

The at least one atomizing nozzle can also be provided with a valve which can be controlled directly by a control device. The device can also comprise atomizing nozzles designed as pressure nozzles as well as atomizing nozzles provided with a directly controllable valve. Such directly controllable valves can be opened and closed remotely by the control device.

The binder reservoir or a pressure reservoir can comprise a pressure vessel with a gas cushion. Such a pressure vessel with a gas cushion can be designed as a membrane vessel which has a membrane which divides the membrane vessel into a gas pressure space and into a binder space. The pressure vessel can also be an air vessel in which a gas bubble is arranged which is in direct contact with the binder. Since gas is compressible, binder can be accommodated in the pressure vessel with a gas cushion, the gas being compressed in the gas pressure chamber, as a result of which the binder is stored in the pressure vessel with gas cushion as the pressure increases. Dynamic pressure changes can be reduced with one or more such pressure vessels with a gas cushion. Such dynamic pressure changes arise when the flow velocity changes due to the inertia of the liquid. Such changes are unavoidable as a result of start-up and shutdown or shutdown processes. In particular, the rapid change in the flow and thus the speed in a pressure line, for example, due to the rapid closing or opening of shut-off devices or due to sudden pump shutdown, creates pressure surges in the lines. The pressure then swings up and down around the outlet pressure. At the end of the line, the pressure wave is reflected, comes back to the starting point as a negative wave and gradually swings out in multiple return runs. This can even result in the water column tearing off due to negative pressure. The one to follow / 86

WIH1001PAT-I en The collision of the two and independently oscillating flows leads to particularly dangerous pressure surges. Basically, opening and closing times of shut-off devices can be extended so that the speed change runs in a harmless manner. However, operating cases such as sudden pump shutdown due to a power failure or an emergency stop are unavoidable. With the pressure vessel with gas cushion, such pressure surges can be reduced, since, for example, if a shut-off element suddenly closes, the pressure vessel with gas cushion continues to absorb binder, provided that it is arranged in the flow direction in front of the shut-off element and there is a gradual increase in pressure in the binder line. In the event of a sudden failure of a pump, the pressure vessel with gas cushion continues to deliver binding agent so that the liquid column formed by the binding agent is not stopped abruptly. If a pressure vessel with a gas cushion is also installed in front of the pump or at the pump inlet, this boiler can serve as additional protection for the pump or the upstream hydraulic elements, since it can compensate for fluctuations in supply and dampen pressure surges. The binding agent supply to this pump must be under a certain pressure, otherwise the pressure vessel would empty.

The device can also comprise several pressure vessels with a gas cushion. The pressure vessel with gas cushion can also be arranged distributed along the binder line. The volume of the pressure vessel with gas cushion or the pressure vessel with gas cushion can be at least 300 l, preferably at least 1,000 l, in particular at least 5,000 l and preferably at least 10,000 l or several 10,000 l. The volume of the pressure vessel with gas cushion includes both the volume of the gas pressure space and the volume of the binder space. The binder space is usually about 20% to 50% of the total volume of the pressure vessel. In the normal state of the device, the pressure in the gas pressure chamber should be approximately 0.5 to 0.9 times the operating pressure or a switch-on pressure of a feed pump.

One or more pressure vessels with gas cushion (s) are particularly preferably used in a dust-binding device which runs empty during downtimes or breaks. These are, in particular, dust-binding devices which have no or only a few self-locking pressure control valves which act as spill stops. During a standstill or during a break, the lines of this dust-binding device are partially or completely emptied. When operations are resumed, the lines are first filled with binding agents. Here is the Eigen / 86

WIH1001PAT-I the pressure vessel with gas cushion is advantageous because it first conveys binders with high pressure quickly into the line, whereby the pressure in the pressure vessel decreases due to the expansion of the gas cushion, which also causes the discharge pressure to decrease accordingly. When the lines are almost completely filled, there is then a reduced pressure, which reduces the problem of the pressure shock.

Different sections can be formed in a dust-binding device, which empties at different speeds during a standstill. The individual sections can each be provided with a separate pressure vessel, if this is expedient. Especially the sections that empty quickly are preferably provided with a pressure vessel so that they can be refilled quickly.

The pressure vessel with gas cushion preferably has a supply line for filling the pressure vessel with gas cushion and a discharge line for emptying the pressure vessel with gas cushion, the supply line having a cross-sectional constriction with respect to the discharge line, so that the filling of the pressure vessel with gas cushion at a slower speed than the emptying of the pressure vessel with gas cushion. As a result, pressure peaks that arise in the pipeline during rapid braking of the binder can be gradually absorbed over a relatively long period of time. The slow filling of the pressure vessel with a gas cushion leads to a gradual braking of the moving binder liquid column. Such a design of the pressure vessel with a gas cushion is also suitable for reliably intercepting downward flows. On the other hand, a large binder flow can be made available very quickly in the event of a pump failure, so that a corresponding pressure surge is avoided. In addition, various mechanisms and / or depending on the prevailing operating pressures can influence both the time period for filling the pressure vessel (s) with gas cushion and the time period for emptying.

Instead of or in combination with the narrowing of the cross section, another flow resistance can also be provided in the feed line. The flow resistance can be designed, for example, as a pressure reducer, baffle plate or as a height difference. If the pressure vessel with gas cushion is located a bit above the binder line, preferably a few meters above the binder line, then the binder must be conveyed upwards against the gravitational force to fill the pressure vessel with gas cushion and can be emptied when / 86

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Pressure vessels with a gas cushion can be quickly transported into the binder line due to the gravitational force. If the deceleration during filling and the acceleration during emptying are effected solely on the basis of such a height difference, then the feed line and the discharge line can be designed as a common line string. When using such a height difference, it is expedient that the cross section of the feed line and the discharge line is large, so that the liquid wave leading from the binder line to the pressure vessel with gas cushion has a high weight.

As has already been explained above, self-closing pressure nozzles which act as an outlet stop permit intermittent operation, since pressurized water is always in direct contact with the atomizing nozzles or the pressure nozzles arranged adjacent thereto. Furthermore, the provision of one or more pressure vessels is advantageous for intermittent operation, since emptying can often not be completely prevented even with self-closing pressure nozzles. The self-closing pressure nozzles often lead to very slow emptying, so that refilling at the start of a spray interval can be done very quickly using a pressure vessel with a gas cushion.

This use of self-closing pressure nozzles or the use of self-closing control valves in connection with one or more pressure vessels result in very short reaction times for spraying out binders after a break in spraying. After a pause of at least 5 min. measured from the start of a pump or the opening of a valve so that a line in which the atomizing nozzles are located is acted upon by binder which is pressurized until the point at which all the nozzles which are activated by the pump or opening the valve with binder, deliver binder. With prototypes, response times of a few seconds were achieved, even if the strand was longer than 100 m. Dust-binding devices for generating mist are preferably designed such that their reaction time is not longer than 10 s and in particular not longer than 5 s, and dust-binding devices for wetting a floor are preferably designed such that their reaction time is not longer than 2 min. and in particular not more than 1 min. and is preferably not more than 30 s. Such short reaction times can be achieved even with large dust-binding devices which have strands with a length of more than 100 m and in particular more than 300 m.

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Elastic lines that can also store binders under pressure are also conducive to interval operation.

The device preferably has a pump which pumps the binder. A pressure switch can be coupled to the binder line, which switches the pump on when the pressure falls below a predetermined switch-on time. This automatically maintains a predetermined minimum pressure in the binder line.

It is also possible to use a plurality of pressure switches which are assigned different functions or which have different switch-on pressures. These functions are, for example:

Pressure switch 1: switch the pump on / off

Pressure switch 2: monitor overpressure

Pressure switch 3: monitor negative pressure (as it can be e.g. with dry running) Pressure switch 4: line end pressure monitoring: if there is no or too little pressure at the end of the line, this indicates a line break or a blockage; or also check whether a desired pipe network pressure reduction (e.g. before the pump stops) has already reached the end.

Pressure switch 5: Monitor the suction line for the correct negative pressure value. This is an indicator that the pump is priming and also an indicator whether the suction power of the pump is in the correct range (avoidance of cavitation) or an indicator whether there is a blockage in a suction line or a suction line pre-filter.

Pressure switch 6: gas pressure monitoring of the pressure vessel with gas cushion

Pressure switch 7: filling status of the pressure vessel. A full pressure vessel can only be assumed if the pressure in the pressure vessel or in the related supply line or main line is approximately constant during operation. Can e.g. to make a decision whether a pump may already be switched off or should continue to run in order to buffer into the pressure vessel.

Pressure switches 8 and 9: differential pressure evaluation pre / post filter pressure. To monitor the filter status, whether it is e.g. excessive pressure loss must be produced and cleaned due to accumulation of dirt. An automated filter cleaning process can be started or just a message can appear that the pressure difference is too large or should be cleaned.

These pressure switches do not all have to be constantly active; they can also be “conditioned”. For example, the vacuum switch is only used to monitor a possible vacuum during ongoing pump operation.

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The pressure switches can also be equipped with two switching points (lower and upper) to create certain hysteresis, which make the system run more stable and quiet, since not every small change in state leads to a switching process, but a certain threshold value must first be exceeded. As a result, the system runs more stable and does not start to clock / oscillate. In addition, the pressure switches can be coupled to timers (e.g. time relays), so that when the switching point is reached, only the timing element is activated and the switching process becomes effective only after the stored time has elapsed.

The pressure switches can either trigger processes directly or can only act as alarms. To check the correct function, visual pressure displays, e.g. Pressure gauges or remote pressure transmitters can be attached or temporarily coupled.

The pressure switch can also be designed such that when a predetermined switch-off pressure is exceeded, the switch-off time, the pump switches off and / or an emergency drain valve opens. A flow measuring device can also be coupled to the binder line in such a way that the pump is switched off and / or an emergency drain valve is opened if the flow falls below a predetermined minimum. This automatically ensures that the pressure in the binder line does not increase too much.

An excessively large flow (= abnormal operating status, e.g. line break) can also be determined with a pressure switch or another pressure measuring device. This flow measurement is expediently time-coupled, i.e. The measured value of the flow sensor only applies after a certain stabilization phase after the system has started up (during the start-up phase, for example, there are brief abnormal conditions). This can also be linked to the condition that, for example, the excess flow is maintained for a certain minimum time.

A switch-off delay device can be provided which allows the pump to be switched off only after a predetermined delay time interval has elapsed, the delay time interval beginning with the switch-on time or the switch-off time or a time between the switch-on time and the switch-off time. Such a switch-off delay device ver / 86

WIH1001PAT-I prevents short-term pressure or volume flow fluctuations from switching off the pump, which would cause further pressure changes. The change of state, i.e. the pressure drop or the reduction in the flow rate must therefore be present for a certain period of time before the pump is switched on. The delay time interval is preferably at least 5 seconds, preferably at least 15 seconds and in particular at least 30 seconds.

An overpressure pressure switch can be coupled to the binder line, which switches off the pump and / or opens an emergency release valve when a predetermined overpressure which is greater than the shutdown pressure is detected. The switching based on the detection of an overpressure by means of the overpressure pressure switch preferably overrides all further control processes, such as, for example, not switching off due to a persistent delay time interval. In addition, a signaling / alarm message / alarm case initiation, such as additional separation of the binder supply take place.

The device is preferably designed such that the flow rate of the binder in the lines is not greater than 5 m / s and preferably not greater than 3 m / s. The greater the flow rate, the greater the pressure losses. The pressure losses are proportional to the square of the flow rate. In practice, these upper limits have proven to be very advantageous, since with these flow speeds it is possible to reliably supply several atomizing nozzles over a long distance (e.g. 1 to 5 km) with sensible line cross-sections. At higher flow speeds, pressure surge problems can occur.

The binder line can have a main line and a secondary line with a smaller cross-section running parallel to the main line, the ends of the secondary line opening into the main line and a volume flow meter being arranged in the secondary line. The flow rate measured in the secondary line is proportional to the flow in the main line or main flow and thus indicates the total volume flow through the main line and the secondary line. The measurement of the lower volume flow in the secondary line is much easier than the measurement of the much larger volume flow in the main line.

The volume flow measuring device can be designed such that it indirectly detects the flow based on the temperature of the binder in the pump or in flow / 86

WIH1001PAT-I direction shortly after the pump and / or based on the current consumption of the pump and / or based on the pressure difference before / after the pump and / or based on the pressure before the pump and / or based on the pressure after the pump and / or based on the Acoustics of the pump and or based on the current energy consumption of the pump shaft. Since the pump generates heat and the binder is often provided by a cool reservoir, such as a well, the temperature of the binder in the pump or in the flow direction shortly after the pump can be used to determine the volume flow of the binder in the binder line or in the pump.

A venting device can be arranged in the binder line, which releases air bubbles from the binder line to the outside. Such air bubbles can result from the degassing of the binder due to pressure changes. The venting device can be a passive venting valve which is permeable to gas and impermeable to liquids. The venting device can also be a switchable valve which is arranged in the binder line. If a gas bubble is present, the switchable valve is opened by means of a control device. The presence of a gas bubble can be detected on the basis of certain operating states by the control device and / or by means of a sensor. The predetermined operating states detectable by the control device are, for example, a standstill of the delivery, a low pump load when starting. Gas bubbles can be determined by means of temperature sensors or pressure sensors, or ultrasound sensors, or a magnetic inductive sensor or an X-ray device or a microphone. In particular when monitoring the pressure development when starting the pump, a slow rise in pressure can be assessed as a binder containing gas bubbles in the binder line.

The ventilation device is preferably arranged at local high points and locations with changes in volume flow, such as sharp-edged openings, pressure reducers, cross-sectional constrictions, at which air bubbles can collect. A venting device with a switchable valve is preferably combined with a venting device with a passive venting valve, wherein when the device is started up, larger amounts of air are first vented by means of the switchable valve and during normal operation the venting takes place exclusively or almost predominantly with the passive venting valve.

The binder line can have one or more pressure control valves which open as pressure switching valves from a predetermined switching pressure and thus a / 86

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Enable the supply of binder to the atomizing nozzle (s) or open it as a pressure control valve from a predetermined switching pressure and at the same time regulate a pressure on the downstream side of the pressure control valve to a predetermined pressure range. Such pressure control valves then have the additional function of a pressure reducer. With one or more such pressure control valves, the binder line can be divided into different pressure zones. These pressure control valves preferably have different switching pressures. In particular, the pressure control valves are arranged in the binder line in such a way that pressure zones are formed with the pressure falling to the distance from the binder reservoir.

The plurality of pressure control valves can be arranged in a main line of the binder line, so that the main line is also divided into several pressure zones.

One or more pressure control valves can be arranged in a branch line of the binder line branching off from a main line, so that the respective branch line is closed when the switching pressure falls below. This prevents the main line from running dry and the respective pressure control valve is assigned to one or more atomizing nozzles arranged in the branch line.

By providing one or more pressure control valves, pressure differences in the binder line can be specifically controlled and monitored. Such pressure differences can be caused by switching processes due to height differences along the binder line, long line lengths and a pressure drop that occurs as a result, temperature changes in the binder line, pressure fluctuations. The pressure control valves can be used to prevent the binder line, in particular the main line of the binder line, from running dry, which means that it is possible to start up again quickly after an operational stop, since at least the main line of the binder line is already filled with binder. This also prevents or reduces pressure surges. The pressure control valves can also be integrated in atomizing nozzles or arranged in combination with them. Atomizing nozzles of this type close automatically below a predetermined closing pressure, thereby avoiding emptying of the binder line in the region of the atomizing nozzles. The atomizing nozzles are often arranged in branches. The pressure control valves preferably close automatically when the pressure falls below a predetermined closing pressure, so that they independently / 86

Shut off WIH1001PAT-I. Such pressure control valves act as spill stops to prevent the binder line from draining.

To create zones with different pressure, pressure reducers can also be used instead of pressure control valves which are arranged in the corresponding lines.

Such pressure reducers can also be assigned to individual atomizing nozzles or integrated into them. Such a pressure reducer reduces the pressure to a predetermined reduced pressure. This ensures that the binding agent with the constant, reduced pressure is present at the atomizing nozzle, provided that the binding agent is present in the area in front of the pressure reducer with an arbitrary but higher pressure. The pressure in the line can therefore fluctuate and nevertheless the binder is present at the respective atomizing nozzle with a predetermined pressure and a predetermined amount of binder and a predetermined spray profile are output from the nozzle.

Such a pressure reducer can be assigned to a single atomizing nozzle or a group of several atomizing nozzles.

The binder line is preferably designed with an elasticity for the elastic buffering of binder with an elastic volume of 1 per mille and preferably at least 1% of the total volume of the binder line due to a tube wall elasticity and / or at least one gas pocket and / or a pressure vessel with a gas cushion. This volume of elasticity is preferably at least 2% or at least 5% of the total volume of the binder line. Due to this elasticity, pressure fluctuations in the binder line can be compensated for without generating pressure surges or the effects of pressure surges are reduced. In order to provide pipe wall elasticity, plastic pipes, in particular PE pipes, which are formed in particular from soft polyethylene, are preferably used as the binder line. The inside diameter of the tubes is preferably at least 16 mm. The binder line preferably has a length of at least 100 m. It can be several kilometers long. The binder line is preferably subdivided into zones or sections with a length of 100 to 600 m, preferably 250 to 500 m, using the pressure control valves explained above. Such zones of elastic tubes offer sufficient elasticity to dampen pressure peaks when closing shut-off valves, which include valves and nozzles, in such a way that they do not cause any damage

WIH1001PAT-I serve. The PE pipes can also be made of hard polyethylene. Holes can easily be punched in pipes made of soft polyethylene to place nozzles or branch lines.

The maximum elasticity of the binder line is preferably 10% and in particular a maximum of 5% of the total volume of the binder line. Excessive elasticity causes sluggishness in response and can lead to the fact that it is not possible to release the binder in short pulses.

The binder line can have a main line in which a pressure reducer is arranged, and a secondary line is arranged parallel to the main line, in which there is a check valve which opens against the direction of flow of the pressure reducer. Depending on the design principle, a pressure reducer also acts as a check valve, so that a pressure peak that occurs on the pressure-reduced side of the pressure reducer cannot escape from the pressure-reduced zone through the pressure reducer. By providing the secondary line with the check valve, which opens against the direction of flow of the pressure reducer, such a pressure spike can escape through the secondary line from the pressure-reduced zone, so that the pressure reduced by the pressure reducer can be set here again. The secondary strand preferably has a smaller diameter than the main strand.

The binder line preferably has elastic branch lines which are connected to a common line section or line section, wherein an atomizing nozzle is arranged in each case at the end of the branch lines remote from the line section or line section. Due to the weight of the atomizing nozzle or an additional weight provided on it, the respective branch line is automatically aligned vertically. This positions and adjusts the flexible branch line even if the entire dust-binding device is moved due to external circumstances, such as wind. Such a dust-binding device can be designed both to generate an artificial fog and to wet the floor.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the binder line can be suspended from a support cable and the binder line can be made elastic, the binder line being arranged approximately parallel to the support cable and being fastened to it at several points.

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The binder line with or without elastic branch lines can be attached to a rope with appropriate pipe hooks. Such an arrangement can be assembled very easily and quickly over long distances. All that is required is a thin suspension cable, in particular a steel cable, which is tensioned over a certain distance, from which the binder line is suspended by means of the pipe hooks. The binder line is preferably formed from a plastic material, into which holes for connecting the branch lines can be pierced. This puncturing of the holes is also possible after the binder line has been suspended from the suspension cable.

The atomizing nozzles can be arranged along the binder line at a distance of not more than 10 m, preferably not more than 8 m and in particular not more than 7 m.

The atomizing nozzles for spraying off the binder can be designed with a circular or circular segment-shaped spray cone, the maximum distance between two adjacent atomizing nozzles being no greater than 80% of the diameter of this circle.

The binder line can be provided with at least one fill rate control valve which, based on a detected volume flow of the binder medium, opens a passage for the binder approximately inversely proportional to the volume flow, which means that the lower the volume flow, the more open the fill rate control valve. With a low volume flow, the passage is opened completely. In the case of a high volume flow, it can be closed completely or closed to such an extent that a predetermined volume flow is not exceeded. This ensures that a pump is not operated outside its QH characteristic (= volume flow / height characteristic). In addition, this can ensure that when a binder line is refilled, the volume flow is initially limited, so that when the air present in the binder line is expelled, no excessive impulse builds up, which would cause a correspondingly large pressure shock at the end of the refilling process; slow filling is therefore an additional function of this valve.

The volume flow can be determined on the basis of the pressure difference in the flow direction upstream and downstream of the filling rate control valve and / or the filling rate control valve / 86

WIH1001PAT-I can also be controlled by a control device, whereby the desired volume flow can be set.

The binder line can be provided with at least one filling control valve, which opens a passage approximately proportional to the fill state on the basis of a detected fill state of the binder line. This filling control valve acts similarly to the filling rate control valve explained above and prevents a too high volume flow during refilling, which would cause a high pressure shock at the end of the refilling process.

The filling control valve can be designed with two opening stages, the passage being opened only slightly when the filling condition is low and the passage being fully opened when the condition is high. The filling control valve can also be opened or closed continuously.

The binder line can have a pressure-maintaining valve, which opens approximately proportionally to the pressure based on a pressure detected in the binder line in the flow direction upstream of the pressure-maintaining valve. As a result, the pressure in the flow direction upstream of the pressure holding valve is kept approximately constant, since when the detected pressure is reduced, the pressure holding valve closes somewhat, as a result of which the backflow increases the pressure upstream of the pressure holding valve. The pressure holding valve is preferably arranged in a main line of the binder line.

The binder line has a main line and a branch line branching off from the main line. A control valve is provided in the branch line.

The control valve can be designed as a pressure relief valve that opens approximately proportional to the pressure in the main line. If the pressure in the main line rises above a predetermined pressure, this leads to binder being discharged via the branch line. The binder can be dispensed via atomizing nozzles or via an empty line. This ensures that there is no undesirably high pressure in the main line. The pressure relief valve can only open from a predetermined minimum pressure in the main line.

The control valve in the branch line can also be designed as a quick release valve, which opens completely completely from a predetermined minimum pressure in the main line, so that a rapid rise in pressure in the main line counteracts / 86

WIH1001PAT-I can be knitted. After the pressure in the main line has dropped, the quick release valve can close more slowly than it opens, which means that a slow build-up of pressure in the main line is possible again.

The binder line can be connected to a well line, which leads downward from the binder line into the underground well, a pump being arranged in the well line, and the control valve in the branch line being controlled in such a way that when the pump is switched on, the control valve over a predetermined time interval is gradually closed and / or is opened gradually when the pump is switched off over a further predetermined time interval. In well pipelines of this type, binder or water is pumped in large amounts. The pump is usually located deep below, which creates a high water column. The risk of pressure surges is great. The gradual closing of the control valve when the pump is switched on gradually reduces the discharge of the binder via the branch line, as a result of which the pressure in the binder line is gradually increased. When the pump is switched off, the control valve is gradually opened, which gradually reduces the pressure in the binder line and counteracts a pressure surge. The control valve is preferably opened shortly before the pump is switched off, so that when the pump is switched off there is already a reduced pressure in the binder line.

The binder line can have a control valve which is controlled by a control device in such a way that it opens slowly when a pump is switched on over a predetermined time interval and / or is closed when the pump is switched off. This control valve reduces pressure surges when the pump is switched on and off. The control valve can be designed as a check valve that prevents backflow into or through the pump.

The control device of the control valve can also be designed to control the pump, so that the pump is switched on and off synchronously with the switching of the valve.

A control device is preferably provided which controls the supply of binder from the pressure vessel with gas cushion into the binder line depending on a fill level of the binder line, the fill level of the pressure vessel with gas cushion and / or the volume flow in the binder line. This control device is preferably designed such that when the fill level is low, bin / 86

WIH1001PAT-I Binder line with a high volume flow is withdrawn from the pressure vessel with a gas cushion in order to fill the binder line quickly, whereby the flow of the binder is reduced or prevented when a higher fill level is reached in order to avoid a pressure shock. First of all, together with the pressure vessel with gas cushion and the pump, binder can be fed to the binder line, the supply from the pressure vessel with gas cushion being reduced or completely set as the fill level increases, and the delivery rate of the pump being adjusted accordingly and preferably reduced.

The level of the pressure vessel with gas cushion can be determined using the gas pressure, the binder pressure, an ultrasonic sensor or a volume flow measurement. The volume flow measurement can be carried out with a volume flow meter described above. There may also be several pressure vessels with a gas cushion.

One or more cyclone filters can be arranged in the binder line, which have a rinsing supply line and a rinsing outlet line with a rinsing outlet valve, so that when a binder flow through the cyclone filter is stopped, the cyclone filter can be rinsed without the other sections of the binder line having to be emptied. A pressure vessel with a gas cushion and / or an external water pressure connection can be connected to the flushing supply line. The cyclone filter can then also be installed in a suction line and flushed while the pump is operating. The suction line is a line section which is arranged upstream of a pump. Placing a filter in the suction line ensures that the binder is filtered before it reaches the pump. This can extend the operating time of the pump. To rinse the cyclone filter, either the pump is stopped and rinsing medium is supplied via the rinsing supply line from the pressure vessel or from the external water pressure connection, or if the cyclone filter is installed on the suction side for rinsing, the binder flow through the cyclone filter is stopped and the cyclone filter is backwashed.

In conventional devices for avoiding dust, large amounts of water are discharged locally in order to then be distributed over a large area by vehicles. In known systems, such a distribution is often essential for the success of dust avoidance. With the invention, however, binders can be automatically distributed evenly over large areas. by vehicles is not necessary here, since the invention works self-distributing or has a self-distribution.

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The dust-binding devices explained above can be used to bind dust, and the individual aspects can be used separately or in combination.

Such a dust-binding device can be used to generate an artificial mist, in which case the dust is bound in the air.

A dust-binding device can also be used to wet a floor, in which case the dust is bound to the floor and can no longer be whirled up into the air.

In such a method for binding dust, the binders are preferably discharged at intervals with spray phases and pause phases.

To wet a floor, the spray phases and the pause phases are at least 2 minutes, and 5 minutes preferably at least 10 minutes. The spray phases preferably last no longer than one hour and in particular no longer than 30 minutes. The pause phases can be about the same length as the spray phases. The pause phases can, however, also be longer and in particular a multiple of the spray phases.

When generating an artificial fog, the duration of the spray phases and the pause phases is preferably not more than 120 seconds and in particular not more than 30 seconds. The duration of the spray phases and the pause phases can last a few seconds. When creating an artificial fog, the spray phases are preferably longer than the pause phases. The pause phase is chosen so short that there is no or only a very small gap between successive clouds of fog. The slower the air flow in which the artificial fog or cloud is located, the longer the pause phase can be. The larger the mist droplets are, the faster they sink and the shorter the corresponding pause phases have to be set. With a droplet size of approximately 100 μm to 200 μm, the pause phase is preferably no longer than 5 seconds. In the case of a fog in which the droplets predominantly have a droplet size of less than 100 μm, the pause phase can also be set longer. Is it desirable to use as little binder as possible, e.g. In order to avoid soil wetting, it is also possible to use the / 86

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Keep spray phases as short as possible and extend the pause periods. This has to be determined empirically.

With the dust-binding devices explained above, it is even possible to set and operate very short pause phases of 1 to 3 seconds. The measures explained above, such as elastic storage capacity in a pressure vessel or in elastic lines and / or the provision of pressure control valves in or near the atomizing nozzles, are advantageous for such a fast-switching interval operation, since this means that even with a strand with a length of at least Such an interval operation is possible 50 meters and in particular at least 200 meters.

When generating an artificial fog, the spray phase is preferably longer than the pause phase. The spray phase can in particular be twice as long as the pause phase or a multiple thereof.

To prevent puddling, the dust binding apparatus is operated so that the binder at a rate of not will not operated more than 6 l / m ² h, and preferably not more than 4 l / m ² h, preferably more than 3 l / m ² h. If the floor is sealed, these spray rates are even lower and are preferably not more than 1.2 l / m ² h or not more than 1 l / m ² h and preferably not more than 0.8 l / m ² h ,

The dust-binding device for generating an artificial mist is preferably operated such that the binder is sprayed into an area which is so far away from the dust source that the air flow in this area is not greater than 1 m / s, in particular not greater than 0, 8 m / s and preferably not greater than 0.7 m / s. It is particularly advantageous if the air flow is not greater than 0.5 m / s.

The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show schematically in:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a mining site with a device for binding dust,

Figure 2 is a circuit diagram of the device for binding dust from Figure 1, / 86th

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Figure 3 a standing arrangement of atomizing nozzles in a side view, Figure 4 a spray area of the nozzles from Figure 3, Figure 5 Atomizing nozzles on a hanging pipe schematically simplified in a perspective view, Figure 6 a schematic view of a spray area of the nozzles from Figure 5, Figure 7 a device for generating a smoke screen schematically in a side view, Figure 8 a cable arrangement for mounting a hanging pipeline system, Figure 9 another cable arrangement for assembling a hanging pipeline system, Figure 10 Wiring diagram of another device for binding dust, Figure 11 a volume flow measurement in the secondary line, Figure 12 a secondary line with check valve to relax pressure zones, and Figure 13 a section of a device for binding dust with a well line.

The device according to the invention serves to bind dusts of various origins, in particular mineral dusts, plastic dusts, wood dusts, and air pollution by means of precisely applied binders. “Dust” in the sense of the present invention are all solid and liquid particles in an atmosphere which can be removed from the atmosphere with a binder or which can be bound to the bottom with a binder so that they do not get into the atmosphere. In addition to solid particles, dust can also include aerosols or vapors.

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The binder is preferably water. The water is usually used without additional additives, especially without wetting agents. Only in winter can it be useful to add an anti-freeze. The water can be obtained from different sources, for example wells, drinking water pipes, cisterns or the like. If the water contains impurities, it is advisable to provide a filter. The pore size of the filter should not be larger than 200 μm, preferably not larger than 150 μm. It can also be useful to use filters with a pore size of 130 μm.

A first exemplary embodiment of a dust-binding device 1 for a mining site is shown in FIG. 1. The quarrying site can be a gravel plant for quarrying gravel or a quarry for quarrying stones. In the present embodiment, the mining site is a gravel plant. The gravel works has an unpaved track 2, which leads via a ramp 3 into a gravel pit 4.

This gravel pit 4 has a screening device 5 and a conveyor belt section 6. The conveyor belt section 6 extends from a feed hopper 7, which is located in the gravel pit 4, to a processing building 8, which is located outside the gravel pit 4. The conveyor section 6 is formed from a plurality of conveyor belts, two adjacent conveyor belts each forming a transition point 9, at which the gravel to be transported falls from one conveyor belt to another conveyor belt.

The screening device 5, the feed hopper 7 and the transition point 9 of the conveyor belt section 6 form strong sources of dust. In gravel pits and quarries, all places where gravel or stones are moved and poured are potentially intense sources of dust. Other sources of dust include stone crushers, silos and gravel or stone piles heaped up with conveyor belts, as well as manipulation areas.

Furthermore, dust is whirled up by vehicles traveling along the ramp 3 and the travel path 2.

Whether a certain area is to be assessed as a dust source, to which the dust must be bound, also depends on the requirements for dust cleanliness in the neighboring area. In the gravel plant shown in FIG. 1, agricultural areas, such as meadows or fields, are adjacent to the lower edge and right edge of the / 86 in FIG. 1

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Gravel pit. Such agricultural areas place high demands on dust cleanliness, because grass contaminated with dust or crops contaminated with dust are impaired in their quality and considerably reduce the benefits. In the gravel plant shown in Figure 1 are adjacent to the upper and left edge industrial areas, which are only slightly sensitive to dust.

In order to meet these different requirements for dust formation and dust sensitivity, the dust-binding device 1 comprises a wetting device 10 for wetting the travel path 2 and the ramp 3 with binder, several local fog shielding units 11 and two smoke walls 12.

The fog shielding units 11 are provided for shielding the local dust sources in the gravel pit 4. The smoke walls 12 are located in FIG. 1 at the lower and right edge of the gravel pit 4 in order to prevent the transfer of dust from the gravel pit 4 to the neighboring agricultural areas.

In addition to the travel path 2, the wetting device 10 has pipe sections 13/1 and 13/2 running on both sides. These pipe sections 13/1 and 13/2 are rigid pipes 13 laid on the floor (FIG. 3), on which a standpipe 14 running vertically upwards branches at regular intervals (for example every 5 to 10 m, preferably every 6 to 8 m) , The standpipes 14 each have a length of 0.5 to 2 m. At its upper, free end there is an atomizing nozzle 15 on each standpipe 14. A manually actuated shut-off valve, in particular a ball valve, is arranged on the standpipe 14 adjacent to the atomizing nozzle 15, with which the water supply to each individual atomizing nozzle 15 can be switched on or off separately.

The atomizing nozzles 15 are preferably designed as pressure nozzles which only open automatically from a predetermined opening pressure and close automatically below a predetermined closing pressure. This ensures, on the one hand, that binder only emerges when it is applied to the atomizing nozzle 15 with a pressure sufficient for atomization. Furthermore, the automatic closing of the atomizing nozzles 15 ensures that the standpipe 14 and the tube section 13 do not empty when the wetting device 10 is not in operation. As a result, refilling of the pipe sections 13 and the standpipes 14 is avoided, whereby on the one hand the risk of pressure surges can be considerably reduced and on the other hand the operation can be permitted without any significant time delay. It also makes an uneven / 86

WIH1001PAT-I liquidity of the binder application, as can be caused by a partial or complete drainage of the line, is prevented. The atomizing nozzles 15 are designed such that the binder is atomized with a droplet size that corresponds to a fine drizzle. The droplet size is subject to a specific distribution, the majority of the droplets having a droplet size of at least 100 μm, preferably at least 150 μm or at least 200 μm. They produce a fine drizzle that is uniformly semicircular or circular or over a predetermined range (FIG. 1) can be distributed like a segment of a circle (e.g. a segment of a circle with 90 ° or 125 ° or) or angular.

The proportion of binder evaporating when sprayed is low. The droplets can be sprayed from the atomizing nozzle 15 up to a distance of about 5 to 12 m. The atomizing nozzles 15 are designed with a semicircular spray pattern and are arranged such that they cover the adjacent travel path 2 with this spray pattern (FIG. 4). To wet a strip about 5 m wide over a length of 100 m, about 2 to 4 m ^{3 of} binder are discharged per hour. The operating pressure at the nozzle is approximately 2.5 to 4.5 bar in order to ensure reliable spreading of the spray. In practice, it has been shown that interval operation with a spraying time of about 5 to 15 minutes and a pause of about 5 to 30 minutes, the pause being at least as long as the spraying time, leads to efficient wetting. The break times are preferably automatically adjusted to the weather conditions. The hotter and drier the ambient air, or the more wind there is, the shorter the breaks should be.

The spraying time for wetting a floor can also be controlled depending on the substrate. A sealed floor, such as an asphalt floor cannot absorb a significant amount of binder. For the sealed floor, interval operation with a spraying time of about 5 to 15 minutes and a break of about 5 to 30 minutes without intensive pre-wetting is therefore preferred.

If, on the other hand, the floor is not sealed, it usually has a porosity which can store binders and release the stored amount of binders. The floor then forms a binder reservoir similar to a sponge. For the unsealed floor, an intensive pre-wetting is preferably carried out first, which lasts at least 30 minutes, preferably at least 45 minutes and in particular at least 1 hour, binder being released at a rate of 1 to 3 l / m ² . Thereafter, interval operation with / 86

WIH1001PAT-I short spray times of about 2.5 to 10 minutes at a rate of 1 to 3 l / m ² and pauses of about 5 to 30 minutes to replace binder released from the ground.

The control of the spraying times is preferably carried out automatically by means of a central control device. The central control device can automatically set the spraying times as a function of predetermined weather parameters (amount of precipitation, temperature, wind speed, air humidity, intensity of solar radiation). The weather parameters can be supplied by means of suitable weather sensors (thermometer, wind measuring device, precipitation measuring device) or weather data available on the Internet.

In addition to the above-mentioned weather parameters, the soil moisture can also be measured and taken into account when controlling the spraying time. The consideration of soil moisture is particularly useful for dust-binding devices that wet the soil with binders to avoid dust. These dust-binding devices are used primarily in porous floors on which dust can be whirled up. Depending on the porosity, these soils have a different absorption capacity for absorbing water. Accordingly, the threshold values for soil moisture must be determined and set empirically. The measurement of soil moisture can also be expedient in the case of dust-binding devices which produce fog. Here, above all, a measurement of the soil moisture is used to determine whether too much moisture is falling on the soil and whether there is a risk of puddles.

The weather parameters and / or the soil moisture given above are preferably combined in such a way that they are a measure of the evaporation. The greater the evaporation, the longer the spraying times are automatically regulated or the more often the spraying takes place. The evaporation rate can be represented, for example, by the combination of air humidity, wind speed, temperature and intensity of the solar radiation. The spray times are preferably regulated in such a way that the evaporated moisture is tracked as precisely as possible.

Such a control device serves to ensure adequate dust binding and, on the other hand, to keep the need for binders, in particular the need for water, as low as possible. This control device is shown here for an exemplary embodiment for wetting the soil with binder. Such a / 86

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Control device can equally be used for binding the dust by means of artificial fog.

The maximum length of such a wetting device is approximately 500 m. If longer distances are to be wetted, then several such wetting devices can be provided in succession.

A hanging wetting device 10/2 is provided along the ramp 3. The hanging wetting device 10/2 comprises a thin supporting cable 16, which is a steel cable, a pipeline 17, piping hooks 18 with which the piping 17 is suspended on the supporting cable 16, flexible branch lines 19 and atomizing nozzles

20. The atomizing nozzles 20 are designed similarly to the atomizing nozzles 15. However, they have a fully circular spray pattern, so that the wetting device 10/2 can be positioned centrally above the ramp 3 and completely or at least almost completely covers the ramp with the spray pattern. A flexible branch line 19 with an atomizing nozzle 20 is arranged on the pipeline 17 approximately every 5 to 7 m. Adjacent to the atomizing nozzle 20 is a stabilizer 52 on the flexible branch line 19, which encloses the branch line 19 and, due to its weight, ensures that the flexible branch line 19 hangs down and is at least vertically aligned with its lower section. As a result, the flexible branch line 19 positions and adjusts itself automatically, even if the entire wetting device 10/2 is moved due to external circumstances, such as wind. The atomizing nozzles 20 are preferably designed again as pressure nozzles which open from a predetermined opening pressure and automatically close from a predetermined closing pressure. The opening pressure is in the range of 1.5 to 4 bar. The closing pressure is slightly lower in each case. The maximum length of the wetting device 10/2 is approximately 500 m. The wetting device 10/2 is preferably operated at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes with pause times of 10 to 30 minutes. The wetting device 10/2 is preferably arranged at a height of at least 5 to 6 m above the floor. The pipeline 17 is preferably formed from a plastic pipe, in particular a polyethylene pipe. It has an inner tube diameter of, for example, 16 to 40 mm.

The mist shielding units 11 are basically designed in exactly the same way as the hanging wetting device 10/2 with a supporting cable 16, a pipe 17, pipe hook 18, flexible branch pipes 19 and atomizing nozzles 21 (FIG. 5). The atomizing nozzles 21 of the mist shielding units 11 differ from the atomizing nozzles 20 of the wetting device 10 in that they / 86

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Spray the binder much finer, i.e. with a droplet size of 30 to 120 μm. The droplet size is preferably 50 to 100 μm, in particular 60 to 90 μm. Such fine droplets form a mist that gradually settles on the ground. Such fine droplets cannot be sprayed as far as the larger droplets of the wetting device 10 explained above. The maximum range here is approximately 1.5 m. It is usually between 0.8 and 1.3 m. The atomizing nozzles 21 with their flexible branch lines 19 are arranged on the pipe 17 at a distance of 0.7 to 1.5 m, in particular a distance of 0.9 to 1.2 m. To provide a particularly dense fog, it can also be expedient to arrange two mist shielding units 11 in parallel next to one another, the pipelines 17 being arranged at a distance of 1 to 2 m from one another. The nozzles of the two mist shielding units 11 are then preferably offset from one another in the longitudinal direction.

The pipe 17 is preferably made of a flexible plastic, such as e.g. Soft polyethylene, formed. Holes can be pierced in such a pipeline 17 in order to connect the branch lines 19. This can also be done after the entire installation of the system, which makes it possible to provide several atomizing nozzles 20 locally on one line if required. If a particularly dense fog is required locally, the distance between the atomizing nozzles can be reduced to 0.5 m or 0.25 m or even 0.1 m. Likewise, it is possible to subsequently remove atomizing nozzles 21 or a branch line 19 together with the corresponding atomizing nozzle 21 and to close the corresponding opening with a stopper. This allows changes to be made to the system at a later date. This is particularly advantageous if there is a different need for fog due to changed circumstances. Such changes are always possible if the pipeline is made of a plastic into which corresponding holes can be punched or punched. This applies equally to a hanging as well as to a floor-based system, in which the corresponding pipeline is laid on the floor.

The use of elastic plastic pipes as the pipe 17 has the following further advantages:

- Due to the elasticity of the plastic pipes, linear expansion can easily be absorbed. Therefore, these devices can be easily installed and operated over long distances from 500 m to 5 km. With steel pipes there is a risk that due to temperature fluctuations / 86

WIH1001PAT-I long expansions occur, which lead to leaks at the joints.

- The plastic pipes are insensitive to weather. In the event of a storm, they give way elastically and return to their starting position after the storm.

- In the case of a hanging system, assembly on the steel support cable 16 is very simple by fixing the pipeline 17 by means of the pipeline hook

18. A steel cable with a diameter of 5 to 8 mm is sufficient to permanently hold the pipeline 17. Supports for tensioning the steel cable can be provided at a distance of 50 to 150 m, so that large areas can be spanned and the supports do not interfere with operation below.

- The device can be variably supplemented by further nozzles or nozzles can be removed afterwards.

The operating pressure is about 3 to 6 bar. The higher the operating pressure, the finer the droplets and the better the mist will float in air, but this is also associated with a greater susceptibility to wind. It is also possible here to use the above-mentioned pressure nozzles with predetermined opening and closing pressures.

Such a fog shield unit 11 can be operated in continuous operation. However, it can also be expedient to operate such a fog shielding unit with very short pulses from 1 second to 120 seconds and correspondingly short pauses from 1 second to 120 seconds, since the levitation of the fog provides a permanent fog wall even with such pulsed operation can. With such a pulsed operation, the consumption of binder can be considerably reduced without impairing the ability to bind dust. Such a pulsed operation is particularly advantageous in places where there are no or very little air currents.

The smoke walls 12 are designed in exactly the same way as the fog shielding units 11, but they comprise one or more parallel pipelines which extend over a longer distance and are continuously provided with atomizing nozzles 21 at regular intervals. The pipes 17 can also be arranged vertically one above the other (FIG. 7), so that a smoke screen with a height of a few meters is formed. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 7, there are seven pipelines 17 each at a distance of / 86

WIH1001PAT-I m arranged one above the other so that a smoke screen with a height of seven meters is formed.

Both the mist shielding unit 11 and the mist wall 12 are arranged with respect to a dust source in such a way that the mist is not generated at the dust source, but rather a distance away from the dust source. There is usually a strong air flow at the point of origin of the dust, which whirls up the dust. Applying mist to such a dust generation point would only result in the mist being moved away again by the air flow and a large proportion of the binder remaining ineffective. Therefore, the mist is placed adjacent to the dust generation place in a place where the air is calm. Here the dust can be bound much more efficiently. The air flow is preferably limited to a maximum of 1 m / s, in particular 0.8 m / s or 0.7 m / s and preferably to a maximum of 0.5 m / s. The distance of the area in which the artificial fog is located from the place where the dust is created is therefore selected so that this limit value is maintained.

The fog shielding units 11 are preferably designed such that they enclose the dust source as completely as possible. If the dust source is already shielded by a mechanical wall, then it can also be useful to design the fog shield so that it ends flush with this wall and thus encloses the dust source together with the wall, and in particular, pulling the dust along the wall and moreover prevented. The fog shield unit thus forms a wall termination.

The fog wall 12 preferably has a channel 22 for collecting the fog droplets. The water collected in this process is passed to a tank 23, from which it is pumped back into the pipe 17 of the smoke screen by means of a pump 24. The binder is thus transported in a cycle. At one point in this circuit, a filter 25 is provided with which the dust particles are removed from the water. Alternatively, the water once used can of course also be discarded, in which case no filter is to be provided.

The dust-binding device 1 has a central binder source 26, which can be a well, for example (FIG. 2). The binder is preferably pure water. The water is drawn off from the binder source 26 by means of a pump 27. In a line section 28, which extends from the binder source 26 to the pump 27, there is a manual shut-off valve 29 and a return / 86

WIH1001PAT-I impact valve 30, which prevents the water from flowing back into the binder source 26 in the event of a pump failure. On the outflow side of the pump 27, a main line 31 leads to the wetting device 10, to the mist shielding units 11/1 and 11/2 and to the mist walls 12/1 and 12/2. A main line branches off from the main line 31 to the wetting device 10, to the fog shielding units 11/1, 11/2 and to the fog walls 12/1 and 12/2. Switching valves 32/1 to 32/5 are arranged on the main lines and can be individually actuated by a central control device 38. With the switching valves 32/1 to 32/5, the water supply to the individual main lines can be switched on and off. By operating the switching valve 32/1, the interval operation with a spraying time of about 5 to 15 minutes and a pause of about 5 to 30 minutes on the wetting device 10 and by operating the switching valves 32/2 to 32/5 on the mist shielding units 11 / 1 and 11/2 or on the fog walls 12/1 and 12/2 the short pulses from 1 seconds to 120 seconds with correspondingly short pauses from 1 seconds to 120 seconds.

A wetting device 10 branches the main strand into two sub-strands for the horizontal wetting device 10/1 and the hanging wetting device 10/2. In the two branches, a pressure reducer 33/1, 33/2 is arranged at the beginning, which reduces the pressure provided by the pump 27 to the operating pressure of the respective wetting device 10/1 or 10/2. A pressure reducer 33 is also arranged in each of the main lines of the mist shielding units 11/1, 11/2 and the mist walls 12/1 and 12/2, in order to set the operating pressure suitable for the respective atomizing nozzles 21. Instead of the pressure reducer, further pumps can also be provided, which then generate a higher pressure especially for the mist shielding units 11/1, 11/2, so that the operating pressure of the main pump 27 can be reduced. This is a further, decentralized binder feed.

The wetting device 10 and the individual fog shielding units 11/1, 11/2 and the individual fog walls 12/1 and 12/2 can be operated independently of one another. A branch line 34 branches off from the main line of the mist shielding unit 11/1, with which the screen device 5 is enclosed. The atomizing nozzles 21 are arranged at a predetermined distance of 0.5 to 1.5 m from the screening device 5, which forms a strong source of dust, so that a wall of smoke forms around the source of dust at this distance. In a corresponding manner, further branch lines 35, 36, 37 are on the second fog shield / 86

WIH1001PAT-I unit 11/2 provided to enclose the feed hopper 7 and the transition points 9 with a suitable distance.

The line section 28 can also be designed as a well line (FIG. 13). The well line 28 extends through a vertical well bore 58 deep into the ground. A deep pump 59 is arranged in place of the pump 27 in the well bore 58 and coupled to the well line 28 in order to pump water from the well bore 58 into the dust-binding device 1. In the above-ground area of the line section, a branch line 60 is provided, which branches off from line section 28 and has an outlet opening 61. In the branch line 60 there is a control valve 62 which can be controlled by a central control device.

Instead of the vertical well bore 58, a shaft or a concrete deep store can also be provided.

When the pump 59 is switched on, the control valve 62 is gradually closed over a predetermined time interval. As a result, a pressure is not suddenly built up in the line section 28 by the pump 59, but gradually, since part of the water or the binder first emerges into the branch line 60 through the control valve 62 from the outlet opening 61.

When the pump is switched off, the control valve 62 is gradually opened, whereby the pressure in the line section 28 is gradually reduced and counteracts a pressure surge. A control valve is preferably opened shortly before the pump is switched off, so that when the pump is switched off there is already a reduced pressure in the line section 28, which reduces the risk of a pressure shock. The control valve 62 can also be designed as an automatically opening pressure control valve that opens from a predetermined opening pressure. This opening pressure is greater than the operating pressure. In the event of an abrupt failure of the pump 59, a pressure peak is generated in the line section 28, which is discharged via the automatically opening pressure control valve 62. Due to reflections, several successive pressure peaks can occur, which are successively derived via the branch line 60. It is also possible that this or another valve opens suddenly in the event of a pump failure, on the one hand to discharge immediately pressurized binder or to allow a discharge for the following pressure peak - it is already open before the pressure peak occurs - so there is no need to detect it Pressure peak through the valve. It is also possible / 86

WIH1001PAT-I lich that this valve or another valve allows air or other media to flow in, so as to counteract the development of a cavitation blow.

In principle, it is also possible to provide two separate branch lines, a control valve which can be controlled by the central control device being provided in one branch line and an automatically opening pressure control valve being provided in the other branch line. It is also possible to provide only a single branch line in which the automatically opening pressure control valve is arranged.

Figure 8 shows masts with tensioning cables 56 for fixing the support cables 16. The support cables can also be attached to any other elevation, e.g. a building 57 are immediately fixed (Fig. 9).

FIG. 10 shows the wiring diagram of a second exemplary embodiment of the dust-binding device 1. The same parts as in the first exemplary embodiment are designated with the same reference numerals and have the same design as in the first exemplary embodiment, for which reason a precise description of these parts can be omitted.

This dust-binding device 1 in turn comprises a binder source 26 or binder reservoir, a pump 27 which conveys binder, in particular water, from the binder source 26 via a line section 28. A manual shut-off valve 29 and a check valve 30 are located in line section 28. A filter 39 is also arranged in line section 28. The filter can be provided with a filter medium that has a pore size of 130 μm. However, a filter without a filter medium, such as a cyclone filter, can be provided.

A main line 31 leads from the pump 27 to a wetting device and / or to a mist shielding unit or a mist wall. These devices each have at least one line section with one or more atomizing nozzles. For this reason, these devices are generally referred to below as nozzle train 40. The second exemplary embodiment has two such nozzle strands 40, each of which begins with a switching valve 32. A pressure vessel with a gas cushion 41 is connected to the line 31 leading to the nozzle strands 40. A thin feed line 42 and a thick discharge line 43 lead from line 31 to the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41. A check valve 44 is located in the discharge line 43 and is arranged such that water from the / 86

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Pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 can only flow in the direction of line 31 through the discharge line 43.

If the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 is filled with water, then this water flows exclusively through the thin supply line 42. When the pressure vessel with gas cushion is emptied, the water can flow both through the discharge line 43 and through the supply line 42 into line 31 and from there to the Nozzle strands 40 flow. The discharge line 43 preferably has an at least twice and in particular four times the diameter of the feed line 42. However, it is also possible that the feed line 42 only acts as a feed line if it e.g. contains a throttle element that is only continuous in one direction.

The provision of the thin feed line 42 and the thick discharge line 43 enables the pressure vessel to be emptied with a gas cushion much faster than the filling thereof.

A switching valve 45 is located in line 31 and is controlled by central control device 38. The switching valve is arranged downstream of the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41. The switching valve 45 has several opening positions, so that a different opening cross section can be set by means of the switching valve 45. The opening cross section can be changed in several stages or also continuously.

In the area between the switching valve 45 and the nozzle branches 40, a volume flow measuring device 46 is arranged, which is connected to the central control device 38 and which transmits the respective current volume flow. Another volume flow meter 48 is arranged in at least one of the nozzle strands 40.

At the end of one of the nozzle lines 40, a switching valve 47, which can be controlled by the central control device 38, is provided for emptying the nozzle line 40.

Unless otherwise stated below, this dust-binding device 1 of the second exemplary embodiment functions in exactly the same way as that of the first exemplary embodiment, in that water is drawn in from the binder source 26 by the pump 27, is fed to the nozzle strands 40 and is controlled there by the switching valves 32 via atomizing nozzles (not shown in Figure 10) is output.

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The switching valve 47 at the end of one of the nozzle strands 40 has two functions. If this dust-binding device 1 is to be operated in winter, the nozzle line 40 can be emptied if the risk of frost occurs, by opening the switching valve 47 and conveying air into the switching line 40. The air can be provided by means of a compressed air source or a suitable pump. If the binder or the water contains impurities, these generally collect at the end region of the nozzle strands 40. These impurities can be flushed out by opening the switching valve 47 and flushing the nozzle strand 40 with water.

The central control device 38 controls both the emptying of the nozzle line 40 and the flushing of the nozzle line 40.

The pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 can be a membrane vessel which has a membrane which divides the membrane vessel into a gas pressure space and into a binder space. When the pressure vessel is filled with gas cushion 41, the gas in the gas pressure chamber is compressed, as a result of which the pressure in the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 increases. If one or more nozzle strands 40 have been emptied, then they must be completely filled again before operation can begin. With the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41, a large volume of binder can be made available quickly. Due to the large cross-section available when the binder is removed from the pressure vessel with gas cushion through the discharge line 43 and the feed line 42, the binder can be conveyed quickly, i.e. with a high volume flow, to the nozzle strands 40. Rapid delivery of binder or water into the incompletely filled nozzle strands carries the risk of a pressure shock which occurs when the respective nozzle strand is completely filled. In this regard, the use of the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 is advantageous since when the binder is removed from the pressure vessel with gas cushion, the gas pressure space expands, as a result of which the pressure in the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 decreases and decreases with increasing removal from the pressure vessel. This means that at the beginning the binder is conveyed out of the pressure vessel 41 at a high pressure in the direction of the nozzle strands 40, this pressure and thus the flow rate decreasing. This slightly reduces the risk of a pressure surge. At the same time, a large amount of binder is very quickly made available from the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 at the beginning of the conveyance, so that empty nozzle strands 40 can be refilled quickly.

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If the lines are elastic plastic lines, then these lines also form a binder buffer. At the start of operation, the “buffer” of the lines is then filled from the pressure vessel, which counteracts a pressure surge when the lines are filled quickly. The combination of a pressure vessel with a gas cushion and elastic plastic lines is therefore particularly advantageous.

Conditions occur very rarely in operation, in which the pressure vessel is completely filled with gas cushion or completely emptied. Rather, the pressure vessel is mostly partially filled and partially emptied with gas cushion so that it can quickly and reliably compensate for fluctuations in the binder requirement during operation without the risk of pressure surges.

With the volume measuring device 46, the volume flow supplied by the pump 27 and the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 through the line 31 is measured. The control device, which detects this volume flow, can set the pump output of the pump 27 and / or the opening cross section of the switching valve 45 on the basis of this volume flow. If a maximum permissible volume flow is exceeded, the pumping capacity of the pump 27 can be reduced and / or the opening cross section of the switching valve 45 can be reduced, as a result of which both the volume flow from the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 and the volume flow generated by the pump 27 can be controlled. Since the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 is connected to the line 31 in the area between the pump 27 and the switching valve 45, the pump capacity of the pump 27 and the open position of the switching valve 45 can control the pressure in this line section in such a way that water flows into the Pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 flows when the pressure in this line section is greater than in the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 and water is drawn off from the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 when the pressure in this line section is lower than in the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41. In normal operation, an equilibrium is established between these two pressures, so that the fill level of the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 remains constant. The fact that the feed line 42 has a small cross section means that the volume flow when filling the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 is correspondingly small, so that even with a pressure vessel 40 that is not filled to a large extent with gas cushion 41 and with nozzle strands 40 that have not yet been completely filled, it is possible for the main part of the with the pump 27 conveyed volume flow to the nozzle strands 40. However, if the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41 is filled with binder or water, then a large amount of water can quickly be supplied to the nozzle strands 40 by opening the switching valve 45.

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40 fill level sensors (not shown) are preferably arranged in the nozzle strands. The nozzle strands 40 can each have a fill level sensor at their end regions. They can be distributed over their length, but can also have several fill level sensors. The fill level sensors are connected to the central control device 38, so that the central control device 38 can detect the fill levels of the nozzle branches 40. The fill levels can be taken into account when controlling the opening position of the switching valve 45 and the pumping capacity of the pump 27, and the fuller the nozzle strands are filled with binder, the more the volume flow or the flow rate is reduced.

The volume flow measuring device 48 arranged in the nozzle line 40 serves to monitor the functionality of this nozzle line. If this nozzle train has a leak, for example, the volume flow in this nozzle train increases. It is detected by the volume flow meter 48. An error message can be output and, at the same time, this nozzle train can be switched off by means of the corresponding switching valve 32. If, on the other hand, one or more atomizing nozzles are blocked, the corresponding volume flow is reduced. This can also be determined by means of the volume flow measuring device 48 and a corresponding error message can be output. The volume flow measuring device 48 arranged in one of the nozzle strands 40 can also be used to detect volume flows which are too high and which can cause a risk of pressure shock. Then, based on this detected volume flow in one of the nozzle lines 40, the total volume flow, which is controlled by means of the switching valve 45 and the pumping capacity of the pump 27, can be reduced accordingly.

Such volume flow measuring devices 48 are preferably arranged in all nozzle lines 40, so that all nozzle lines 40 can be monitored individually.

Furthermore, the volume flow rates in the dust-binding device 1 can be recorded and recorded with the volume flow measuring devices 46, 48. As a result, it can later be ascertained whether the dust-binding device 1 was operating correctly at a specific point in time.

The level sensors explained above can also be designed as pressure switches which only output a signal from a predetermined pressure. This not only detects whether the nozzle strands 40 are filled with binder, but / 86

WIH1001PAT-I also that the filling at the location of the corresponding pressure switch has a certain pressure. The switching threshold of these pressure switches should be slightly lower than the operating pressure of the atomizing nozzles in the nozzle strands 40. Suitable threshold values for the pressure switches are preferably in the range from 1.5 bar to 3 bar.

In the case of long nozzle strands 40, it can also be expedient to provide atomizing nozzles with increasing operating pressure (opening pressure and closing pressure) with increasing distance from the binder source 26, since the pressure in the nozzle strand 40 can decrease with increasing distance. The individual atomizing nozzles thus have a low opening or closing pressure with increasing distance from the binder source 26. The pressure threshold of the pressure switches in the vicinity of the corresponding atomizing nozzles must be adapted accordingly to the opening or closing pressure of these atomizing nozzles.

By means of pressure reducers, narrowing of the cross-section due to a reduction in the line cross-section, or by the provision of corresponding narrow points, the nozzle strands 40 can also be set specifically in pressure zones. The pressure zones can be formed, for example, with reduced pressure with increasing distance from the binder source 26, so that different, but defined pressure conditions exist in the individual pressure zones. With such a pressure setting, a very high output uniformity can be achieved. The pressure applied to the respective nozzles can be kept at a defined value in the long run, regardless of whether it is the first, the last or any nozzle in between in a line. The nozzles are preferably designed as pressure nozzles with a predetermined opening and / or closing pressure, as explained above.

The central control device 38 can be designed such that it delays the switching on and off of the pump 27. This is particularly expedient if the pumping capacity of the pump 27 cannot be gradually adjusted. Switching the pump 27 on and off can cause cavitation problems in the pump or components to be associated with it and can in each case produce a pressure surge in the lines. If the switch-off is delayed by a predetermined period of time, the operating states may have changed again in the meantime, so that the pump 27 should no longer be switched off. Such situations occur especially when the controlled variables, such as volume flow, fill level and / or pressure in the line 31 or in the nozzle strands 40, are in each case / 86

WIH1001PAT-I are close to the corresponding threshold values and oscillate around them. The dust-binding device 1 is designed with a certain elasticity for the elastic buffering of binders, so that even when the threshold values are reached, it is still possible to continue operating the pump 27 and to further promote a certain volume or, due to the elasticity of the binders, without pumping power To provide pump 27 for the nozzle strands 40. This elasticity is provided, for example, by the pressure vessel with gas cushion 41. Furthermore, such elasticity can be provided for elastic buffering of binders through pipes made of an elastic plastic material, in particular of polyethylene, since this material can expand within certain capacities and absorb elastically yielding binders. Such a time delay when the pump 27 is switched on and off in connection with the elastic buffering of binding agent can considerably extend the service life of the pump 27. This is particularly advantageous if the fog shielding unit 11 described above or the fog wall 12 described above are operated with very short spray pulses. These pulses can be controlled solely by switching the switching valves 32, and the pump 27 can be operated continuously.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the time delay is implemented in the central control device 38. It is of course also possible to provide a separate time delay element, in particular a time delay relay, which delays the switching on and / or switching off of the pump 27 independently of the central control device 38.

Furthermore, one or more pressure sensors can be provided in the main line 31 and / or in the nozzle branches 40, which are connected to the central control device 38. The pressure values detected with the pressure sensors can be used in a manner similar to the volume flows described above for controlling the volume flow in the main line 31 by means of the switching valve 45 and the pump 27. In this case, the control valve 45 and the pump output of the pump 27 are switched or changed when the measured pressure values exceed and / or fall below predetermined threshold values. Furthermore, predetermined safety threshold values can be provided which are larger than the threshold values for controlling normal operation. If the pressure values measured with the pressure sensors reach the safety threshold values, then this is evaluated as a safety problem by the central control device 38 and the pump 27 is switched off completely and / or safety valves (not shown) in / 86

WIH1001PAT-I of the main line 31 and / or in the nozzle strands 40 to release binders to the outside, whereby the pressure in the dust-binding device 1 can be quickly reduced and / or warning messages are issued

In the exemplary embodiment explained above (FIG. 10), the pump 27 is arranged between the check valve 30 and the pressure vessel 41. In the context of the invention, the pump 27 can of course also be arranged under water in the binder source 26.

Volume flow meters for measuring high volume flows are complex and expensive. It is therefore expedient, particularly in the areas of high volume flows, to provide a secondary line 49 (FIG. 11) to a main line 50, the secondary line being a line with a smaller cross section than the line of the main line 50 and ending in the main line 50 with both ends. The volume flow measuring device 51 is arranged in the secondary line 49 and measures the volume flow through the secondary line 49. Since the volume flows through the main line 50 and the secondary line 49 in a certain ratio, which corresponds to the ratio of the cross section of the secondary line 49 to the cross section of the main line 50, the total volume flow through the secondary line and the main line can be determined from the volume flow measured in the secondary line 49 getting closed. Such an arrangement of the volume flow device is particularly advantageous in the main line 31, since there are high volume flows.

In order to ensure that there is actually a flow, an additional flow monitoring device can be provided in the main line 50, which merely indicates whether there is a flow or whether there is no flow. Such a flow monitoring device can e.g. with a baffle plate flow meter. It can be used to determine whether there is a flow in the main line, even if the secondary line is blocked.

It was explained above that the nozzle strands 40 can be divided into separate pressure zones by means of pressure reducers. Such pressure reducers 53 generally act like a check valve and only allow flow from the higher pressure side to the lower pressure side. However, if there are short-term pressure peaks, they can reach the area with lower pressure or, for example, they can occur directly in the low-pressure area and cannot escape from there, since water cannot flow back through the pressure reducer 53. It may therefore be that in pressure zones significantly higher / 86

WIH1001PAT-I re pressures are present than the normal operating pressure in the respective pressure zone. This can lead to damage.

If one looks at the line in which the pressure reducer 53 is located, a secondary line 49, in which a check valve 54 is arranged, which allows a flow from the pressure-reduced side of the pressure reducer 53 to the side with higher pressure, such pressure peaks can occur from the Pressure zones escape (Figure 12).

The central control device 38 can be connected to sensors or online weather services, which record the current weather (temperature, air humidity, amounts of precipitation (forecast and already fallen), wind speeds, wind direction, air humidity, evaporation) and accordingly control the discharge of binders. It can also be expedient for the control device 38 to receive digital weather information in order to control the application of the binder accordingly. It has been shown, for example, that in summer, at the end of a cool night or in the morning, it makes sense to wet the floor with a wetting device, since much less atomized water evaporates in cool air than later in the day when it is hotter. Such intensive wetting makes sense especially on unsealed floors. However, if the weather data indicate that rain can soon be expected after a dry night, intensive wetting shortly before the rain is superfluous. Such weather information is now available with high precision and can be taken into account when controlling the discharge of the binder. The system performance can also be adapted to the weather. For example, by changing the amount of precipitation by changing the wetting interval or also by switching on or off one or more nozzles or nozzle strands. The amount of binder applied (per unit of time; either the amount applied per wetting cycle or the cumulative output per day) can be changed and specifically adjusted.

The device can also be provided with sensors which detect vehicles and / or people, so that areas of the device are switched on or off in accordance with the output signals of these sensors. If, for example, vehicles or people are briefly in an area to be sprayed or provided with fog, the binder supply can be temporarily switched off locally so that the vehicles or people are not sprayed. These sensors can be optical sensors, in particular cameras, or induction coils embedded in the floor for recognizing vehicles. That / 86

WIH1001PAT-I local switching on or off of areas can be carried out, for example, in a device in which the atomizing nozzles and / or certain pipe sections are provided with switchable valves or separate pumps.

However, sensors can also be provided with which the moisture of the soil, a fog and / or dust formation are detected. These sensors can be moisture sensors or optical sensors such as cameras. Corresponding camera images can be automatically analyzed with optical image processing to determine whether the floor is moist, there is a fog in the atmosphere and / or there is a cloud of dust. These optical sensors can be combined with special lighting devices that make the corresponding dust particles easily recognizable. The intensity of the dust binding can be controlled as a function of these sensor signals, and locally different intensities of the dust binding can also be set as a function of the sensor signals.

The operating states and / or the sensor signals are preferably logged and archived. In this way, on the one hand the operation of the device can be documented, and on the other hand the dust condition can be displayed if sensors are present which detect the dust condition.

Instead of automatic control, recommendation messages can also be output to an operator on a corresponding output device (screen, loudspeaker), so that the operator of the device can trigger a corresponding dust binding.

Precipitation rates are explained below using examples of dust-binding devices according to the invention:

A dust-binding device with a standing arrangement of a plurality of atomizing nozzles 15 according to FIG. 3 is designed to wet an approximately strip-shaped surface. The spray cones of these atomizing nozzles 15 are semicircular (FIG. 4). The radius of the spray cone is 6.4 m and the operating pressure

3.5 bar. A single atomizing nozzle 15 sprays an area of about 64 m ² and consumes about 190 liters of binder or water per hour of continuous operation. With continuous operation, the floor is wetted with about 3 liters per square meter per hour. In pulsed operation, the consumption of binder pro / 86

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Hour down to approx. 50-70 liters per hour and nozzle. The atomizing nozzles 15 are arranged approximately at a distance of 7 m from one another.

Another embodiment of the atomizing nozzle 15 has a throw of 9 m at an operating pressure of 3.5 bar. Otherwise this embodiment corresponds to the atomizing nozzle, the above-described arrangement of atomizing nozzles according to FIGS. 3 and 4 with semicircular spray cones. The wetted area per nozzle is approximately 130 m ² and the consumption of binder or water is approximately 470 liters per hour per nozzle. This results in a precipitation rate of about 3.6 liters per / m2 per hour in continuous operation.

The following are examples of runtime examples for a dust-binding device according to the two above-described embodiments of a standing arrangement of atomizing nozzles 15 (FIGS. 3 and 4):

On sealed floors, such as asphalt or concrete, the floor is moistened for 5 to 10 minutes in cool weather. Then there is a break of one to several hours. In warm weather, humidification takes place for a period of 5 to 20 minutes, in which case the pause time is half an hour to about 1 hour. In hot weather (air temperature> 20 ° C) the humidification time is 5 to 20 minutes and the pause time is reduced to 10 to 20 minutes.

The stronger the wind, the longer the humidification times and the shorter the break times.

Sealed floors can hardly store water. They therefore dry quickly and require regular moistening, as otherwise drainage water is created.

In contrast to sealed soils, open natural soils such as gravel, gravel, sand can store water.

In cool weather (temperature <13 ° C), humidification can be carried out for 0.5 to 1.5 hours in the morning, with no further humidification on the rest of the day. In warm weather (13 ° C <temperature <20 ° C), humidification takes place in the morning from 0.5 to 1.5 hours, whereby further humidifications can then be carried out for a period of about 10 to 20 minutes, which / 86

WIH1001PAT-I after breaks of 0.5 to 4 hours. The pause time mainly depends on the storage capacity of the respective floor.

In hot weather (temperature> 20 ° C), humidification takes place in the morning for 1 to 1.5 hours. Further moisturizations for a period of 20 to 45 minutes are carried out with breaks of 30 to 60 minutes in between. On very hot and especially windy days, continuous operation can also be useful.

The continuous moistening of the floor can lead to a noticeable lowering of the ambient temperature. This applies in particular to sun-drenched gravel pits, which are protected from the wind. Humidification keeps the floor cool, which significantly reduces the radiant heat radiated from the floor.

Examples are explained below with the aid of floor-wetting dust-binding devices with hanging atomizing nozzles 20, as are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

In a first embodiment, the throwing distance is 4 meters and the throwing cone forms a full circle. The operating pressure is in the range of 2 to 3 bar. The area wetted per atomizing nozzle 20 is approximately 50 m ² and the consumption of binder is approximately 70 liters per hour and per nozzle.

This results in a precipitation rate of around 1.4 liters / m2 in continuous operation.

In a second embodiment, the throwing distance is 4.8 m, the throwing cone again forming a full circle. The operating train is in the range of 1.5 to 4.5 bar. The wetted area is about 72 m2 and the consumption is about 70 liters of binder per hour per atomizing nozzle. This results in a precipitation rate of about 0.97 liters per m2 and h in continuous operation.

Typical runtime examples for a dust-binding device with such hanging nozzles are explained below, these runtime examples applying to both types of nozzles:

In the case of sealed floors, such as asphalt or concrete, the floor is initially moistened for 10 to 20 minutes in cool weather (temperature <13 ° C). After / 86

WIH1001PAT-I after a break of one to several hours, moistening is carried out again. In warm weather (13 ° C <temperature <20 ° C) humidification takes place for 10 to 30 minutes, with the pause between successive humidifications being about half an hour to an hour. The further moistenings are again carried out over a period of about 10 to 30 minutes.

In hot weather (temperature> 20 °), the floor is moistened for a period of 10 to 30 minutes. The break times are approximately 20 to 30 minutes. The stronger the wind, the longer the humidification times and the shorter the break times.

In the case of open natural soils such as gravel, gravel or sand, humidification takes place for 1 to 1.5 hours in the morning in cool weather (temperature <13 ° C). No further humidification is carried out for the rest of the day. In warm weather (13 ° C <temperature <20 ° C), humidification takes place in the morning for 1 to 1.5 hours. After pauses of 0.5 to 4 hours, further moisturizations are carried out for a period of 20 to 40 minutes. In hot weather (temperature> 20 ° C), humidification is carried out in the morning for 1 to 1.5 hours and then further humidification for 30 to 40 minutes. The pauses between the individual humidifications are 30 to 60 minutes.

The stronger the wind, the longer the humidification times are set and the shorter the breaks. In hot weather and wind it can also be expedient to operate the dust-binding device continuously.

Such a dust-binding device with hanging nozzles can be formed, for example, from a binder line 17 with an inner diameter of 28 mm, branch lines 19 with atomizing nozzles 20 being arranged at regular intervals (approx. 6 to 7 meters). With a section of the dust-binding device with a length of 350 m and 59 atomizing nozzles, the consumption being 70 liters of binder per hour per nozzle and the total consumption being approximately 4.13 m ³ / h. The pipe volume is 67 liters. This corresponds to 1.6% of the total consumption per hour. Such a small pipe volume can be filled up quickly after a break or downtime. The filling can be done with a conventional standard pump, without the need for a pressure vessel or pressure valve, which serves as a stop for the discharge.

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In the case of a dust-binding device with the atomizing nozzles arranged upright, for example, a tube section with an inner diameter of 61.2 mm can be provided over a length of 500 m. The pipe volume is then about 1470 liters. There are 72 atomizing nozzles every 7 m, each with a consumption of 190 liters of binder per hour and per nozzle. The total consumption is therefore about 13.7 m ³ / h. The pipe volume is thus about 10% of the total consumption per hour. This means that if the tube volume is completely emptied, it takes about 6 minutes for the tube volume to be filled with binder again if the binder is conveyed at a constant rate. The rapid filling of large volumes creates the risk of pressure surges, as already explained above. In such a dust-binding device, it is therefore expedient to provide a pressure vessel with a gas cushion, the usable volume of which approximately corresponds to the pipe volume. A pressure vessel with a usable volume of 1500 liters would be useful here. Alternatively or additionally, a special pump, in particular a speed-controlled pump or a pump with a particularly high output, can be provided in order to quickly replenish the binder. Alternatively or additionally, self-locking pressure control valves or pressure nozzles can also be provided, which prevent or delay leakage.

The longer the dust-binding devices are, the larger the inner diameter of the pipe section 13 is. With a line length of, for example

1.6 km, it makes sense to provide a pipe (hard PE) with an inner diameter of 130.8 mm. 189 atomizing nozzles (standing arrangement) are connected approximately every 8.5 m. They each have a consumption of 470 liters per hour and per nozzle. The total consumption is about 88.8 m3 / h. The pipe volume is approx. 21 m3. This corresponds to about 25% of the binder consumption per hour. If the delivery rate remains constant, it would take around 15 minutes to refill a completely empty pipe volume. Such a long delay is generally not acceptable. With such a large pipe volume, it is therefore recommended that the leakage or emptying is avoided or considerably delayed. This can be achieved by means of self-locking pressure control valves or pressure nozzles. With a standing nozzle arrangement, however, this is not necessary if the dust-binding device runs approximately horizontally. In dust-binding devices that extend over a height difference that is greater than the height of the standpipes 14, it is expedient to provide an automatically opening pressure control valve or a pressure nozzle on the lower-lying atomizing nozzles. However, partial emptying can hardly be completely avoided in the event of longer idle times. Therefore, it is useful in a dust pipe / 86

WIH1001PAT-I binding device to be provided with such a large tube volume, pressure vessel with gas cushion and / or flow restrictor valves, so that a predetermined maximum speed is not exceeded when refilling.

It can therefore be stated that if the pipe volume is small in relation to the regular consumption (pipe volume <3% of the binder consumption per hour), no special measures are necessary for refilling, but for larger pipe volumes suitable measures (e.g. pressure vessel; self-locking pressure control valves or pressure nozzle; special) Pumps) should be taken. In the case of large pipe volumes (greater than 15% of the regular binder consumption per hour or, in particular, greater than 20% of the regular binder consumption per hour), the leakage or emptying of the pipeline should be avoided or considerably delayed. Suitable measures for this are the provision of self-locking pressure control valves and pressure nozzles. In dust-binding devices with a standing arrangement, self-locking pressure control valves and pressure nozzles are not necessary if the dust-binding device is arranged exactly in a horizontal plane. However, this is only very rarely the case, since the dust-binding devices according to the invention generally extend over longer distances. However, the use of self-locking pressure control valves and pressure nozzles is also advantageous because the binder line is always pressurized and therefore quick start-up is possible after a break.

In the following, examples are explained with the aid of mist-generating dust-binding devices with hanging atomizing nozzles 21, as are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

There are single mist nozzles and single nozzles combined into a group of four.

The mist discharge distance is approximately 80 cm measured horizontally directly at the nozzle. By the time the fog reaches the ground, the fog has expanded to approximately 1.5 m.

The single nozzle consumes about 7.5 liters of binder per hour at an operating pressure of 4 bar, the 4-way model consumes about 30 liters per hour. In pulsed operation, this results in a consumption of approximately 0.002 liters per second or 0.008 liters per second.

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Such a dust-binding device can also be designed as a low-flow dust-binding device. Then the single nozzle consumes about 5.5 liters of binder per hour and the 4-way model consumes about 22 liters of binder per hour (0.0015 l / sec. Or 0.006 l / sec.).

The individual nozzles are usually installed in the pipeline at a distance of about 10 cm, the 4-way nozzles at a distance of about 0.5 to 2 meters.

Since part of the mist evaporates, it is difficult to determine a precipitation rate for a mist-producing dust-binding device, since this depends strongly on the current climate.

Examples of runtimes are explained below:

Case 1: Dust binding on a stone crusher machine

When the stone crusher machine is stopped, dust binding is inactive. Fog is generated continuously when the stone-breaking machine is in operation.

The stone crusher machine is provided on two sides with a fog line, each of which has a length of 3 meters, the fog line

1.7 meters from the stone crusher machine.

The nozzle spacing is 1 meter, which provides six atomizing nozzles. The operating pressure is 5 bar. The water consumption per hour (6 x 34 =) is 204 liters / h in continuous operation.

Case 2: indoor dust binding:

In a garbage sorting hall, several dust binding lines are attached to the ceiling of the hall at a distance of 2 meters, each of which has mist nozzles (4-way) installed. A total of 350 dust-binding nozzles are available, which at an operating pressure of 5 bar have a water consumption of 11,900 liters per hour in continuous operation.

A mist pulse lasting 2 seconds is generated every 28 seconds. The fog emerges from the hall ceiling and falls down.

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Each pulse consumes 6.6 liters of binder. This results in an effective binder consumption of around 800 liters per hour. That is only a fifteenth compared to continuous operation.

Case 3: construction vehicle

A dust-generating construction vehicle continuously produces dusty air that rises and rolls from the ground by whirling up ground dust.

On the side of the construction vehicle, there are spray nozzles on two sides at a distance of 1.5 meters above the ground. A total of ten mist nozzles with an hourly consumption of 300 liters are attached at an operating pressure of 4 bar.

To save water in mobile operation, the fog system is operated in pulsed mode. Fog is emitted for 1 second, then paused for 4 seconds.

Each fog pulse leads to a consumption of 0.08 liters of binder. In pulsed operation, the binder consumes 60 liters per hour. Compared to continuous fog operation, only around a fifth of the binder is used.

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LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 Tack device 35 33 pressure reducer 2 roadway 34 branch stranded 5 3 ramp 35 branch stranded 4 gravel pit 36 branch stranded 5 screening 37 branch stranded 6 Conveyor track 40 38 central control device 7 hopper 39 filter 10 8th processing building 40 nozzle line 9 Checkpoint 41 Pressure vessel with gas cushion 10 Wetting device 42 feed 11 Nebelabschirmeinheit 45 43 discharge 12 smokescreen 44 check valve 15 13 pipe section 45 switching valve 14 standpipe 46 Flow Meter 15 atomizing nozzle 47 switching valve 16 supporting cable 50 48 Flow Meter 17 pipeline 49 secondary line 20 18 Pipe hook 50 main line 19 flexible branch line 51 Flow Meter 20 atomizing nozzle 52 stabilizer 21 atomizing nozzle 55 53 pressure reducer 22 gutter 54 check valve 25 23 tank 55 mast 24 pump 56 tether 25 filter 57 building 26 binder source 60 58 well drilling 27 pump 59 pumpjack 30 28 line section 60 branch stranded 29 shut-off valve 61 drain hole 30 check valve 62 control valve 31 management 65 32 switching valve

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Patent application in Austria

Widhalm, Stefan

WIH1001PAT-I

Claims (67)

claims 1. Apparatus for binding dust, comprising a binder reservoir which provides pressurized liquid binder, a binder line which is connected to the binder reservoir, the binder line (17) being suspended from a support cable (16) and the binder line ( 17) is designed to be elastic, the binder line (17) being arranged approximately parallel to the supporting cable and fastened to it at several points. 2. Device for binding dust, in particular according to claim 1, comprising a binder reservoir which provides pressurized liquid binder, a binder line (17) which is connected to the binder reservoir, at least one atomizing nozzle (17) being connected to the binder line (17). 20, 21) is connected, which can be arranged in the vicinity of a dust source. 3. A device for binding dust according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a floor is wetted with drizzle, wherein the binder line (17) extends over a distance of at least 100 m and along this distance several atomizing nozzles (20, 21) to the Binder line (17) are connected, and wherein the device is designed such that no more than 6 l / m ² h of binder are discharged onto the floor during a spraying process. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the device is designed such that no more than 3 l / m2h and preferably no more than 1.2 l / m2h of binder are discharged during a spraying process.) 61/86 WIH1001PAT-I 5. Device for binding dust according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the binder line (17) has one or more pressure control valves which open as pressure switching valves from a predetermined switching pressure and thus a binder supply to the atomizing nozzle (s) (20, 21) release or open as a pressure control valve from a predetermined switching pressure and at the same time regulate the pressure on the downstream side of the pressure control valve to a predetermined pressure range, and that the binder reservoir comprises at least one pressure vessel with a gas cushion (41) which is divided into a gas pressure chamber and a binder chamber. 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the binder line (17) comprises one or more flexible branch lines (19) which of a main strand (50) of the binder line (17), which is attached to the support cable (16) branch off, with at least one atomizing nozzle (20, 21) being arranged on each. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the binder line (17) (17) by means of pipe hooks (18) is attached to the supporting cable (16). 8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the binder line (17) extends over a distance of at least 100 m or at least 300 m and along this distance several atomizing nozzles (20, 21) to the binder line ( 17) are connected, the device preferably being designed such that no more than 6 l / m ² h of binder are discharged onto the floor during a spraying process. 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the binder line (17) has a distance of at least 100 m or at least 300 m, along which a plurality of atomizing nozzles (20, 21) are arranged. 62/86 WIH1001PAT-I 10. The device according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the atomizing nozzles (20, 21) along the binder line (17) at a distance of not more than 10 m, preferably not more than 8 m and in particular not more than 7 m are arranged. 11. The device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the atomizing nozzles (20, 21) for spraying the binder are formed with a circular or circular segment-shaped spray cone, the maximum distance between two adjacent atomizing nozzles (20, 21) not greater than 80% of the diameter of this circle. 12. Device according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the binder reservoir, the binder with a maximum pressure of 10 bar and preferably with a maximum pressure of 5 bar. 13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the binder reservoir provides the binder with a minimum pressure of 2 bar and preferably with a minimum pressure of 4 bar. 14. Device according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the atomizing nozzle (s) (20, 21) is arranged and aligned at a distance from the dust source such that the binder is not sprayed directly onto the dust source. 15. Device according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the atomizing nozzle (s) (20, 21) are designed such that the binder with a droplet size of 30 to 120 microns and preferably with 50 to 100 microns and in particular with 60 to 90 μm is atomized. 16. The device according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the at least one atomizing nozzle (20, 21) is a pressure nozzle, which 63/86 WIH1001PAT-I opens automatically from a certain opening pressure of the supplied binder, or is combined with an automatically opening pressure control valve, and the device has a pressure control with which the pressure in the binder line (17) can be controlled. 17. Device according to one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the pressure control has a control valve which is arranged in the binder line (17) in the region between the binder reservoir and the at least one pressure nozzle and can be controlled by a control device (38). 18. Device according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the at least one atomizing nozzle (20, 21) is provided with a valve which can be controlled directly by a control device (38). 19. Device according to one of claims 1 to 18, characterized in that the binder reservoir comprises at least one pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) which is divided into a gas pressure chamber and a binder chamber. 20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) has a feed line (42) for filling the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) and a discharge line (43) for emptying the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41), wherein the supply line (42) with respect to the discharge line (43) has a flow resistance, such as has a cross-sectional constriction, so that the filling of the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) takes place with a lower volume flow than the emptying of the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41). 21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the discharge line (43) has a check valve so that binder can only flow through the discharge line (43) for emptying the membrane container. 64/86 WIH1001PAT-I 22. Device according to one of claims 1 to 21, characterized in that the device has a pump (24, 27) which pumps the binding agent and that a pressure switch is coupled to the binding agent line (17) which, when falling below a predetermined switch-on pressure, the switch-on time, the pump (24, 27) switches on. 23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that the pressure switch is designed such that when a predetermined switch-off pressure, the switch-off time is exceeded, the pump (24, 27) switches off and / or an emergency release valve opens. 24. The device according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that a flow measuring device is coupled to the binder line (17) such that the pump (24, 27) is switched off and / or an emergency release valve is opened when the flow falls below a predetermined minimum rate, the switch-off time 25. The device according to claim 23 or 24, characterized in that at least one switch-off delay device is provided which allows the pump (24, 27) to be switched off only after a predetermined delay time interval has elapsed, the delay time interval having the switch-on time or the switch-off time or a time between the switch-on time and the switch-off time begin. 26. Device according to one of claims 23 to 25, characterized in that an overpressure pressure switch is coupled to the binder line (17), which switches off the pump (24, 27) upon detection of a predetermined overpressure which is greater than the switch-off pressure and / or an emergency drain valve opens. 27. The device according to one of claims 1 to 26, characterized in that a flow monitor is provided in the binder line (17) which the 65/86 WIH1001PAT-I Measures flow in the binder line (17) and the pump (24, 27) is switched off if, after a predetermined delay interval after the pump (24, 27) has been switched on, the flow is less than a predetermined flow value. 28. The apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that the binder line (17) has a main line (50) and a secondary line (49) running parallel to the main line (50) with a smaller cross-section, the flow monitor being arranged in the secondary line (49) , 29. The device according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that the flow monitor is designed such that it indirectly the flow based on the temperature of the binder in the pump (24, 27) or in the direction of flow shortly after the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the current consumption of the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the current consumption of the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the pressure difference before / after the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the pressure upstream of the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the pressure after the pump (24, 27) and / or based on the noise of the pump (24, 27) and or based on the current energy consumption of the pump shaft. 30. Device according to one of claims 1 to 29, characterized in that a venting device is arranged in the binder line (17). 31. The device according to claim 30, characterized in that the ventilation device is a passive ventilation valve which is permeable to gas and impermeable to liquids. 32. Apparatus according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that the venting device has a switchable valve which is arranged in the binder line (17), the presence of a gas bubble or after the expiration of predetermined time intervals or after driving through a certain 66/86 WIH1001PAT-I Number of predetermined operating states is opened by means of a control device (38). 33. Device according to claim 32, characterized in that the presence of a gas bubble is detected by the control device (38) on the basis of a predetermined operating state, and / or is detected by means of a sensor. 34. Device according to one of claims 1 to 33, characterized in that the binder line (17) have one or more pressure control valves which open as pressure switching valves from a predetermined switching pressure and thus release a binder supply to the atomizing nozzle (s) (20, 21) or open as a pressure control valve from a predetermined switching pressure and at the same time regulate the pressure on the outflow side of the pressure control valve to a predetermined pressure range. 35. Apparatus according to claim 34, characterized in that a plurality of pressure control valves are arranged in the binder line (17), which have a different switching pressure, so as to form sections in the binder line (17) with different pressure levels. 36. Apparatus according to claim 34 or 35, characterized in that one or more pressure control valves are arranged in a main line (50) of the binder line (17), so that the main line (50) is divided into sections with predetermined pressure levels. 37. Device according to one of claims 34 to 36, characterized in that one or more pressure control valves are arranged in a branch line of the binder line (17) branching off from a main line (50), so that the respective branch line is closed when the switching pressure falls below, whereby the pressure control valves are preferably each integrated in an atomizing nozzle. 67/86 WIH1001PAT-I 38. Device according to one of claims 1 to 37, characterized in that the binder line (17) have one or more pressure reducers, which regulate the pressure on the downstream side of the pressure reducer to a predetermined pressure range, the pressure reducer (s) preferably adjacent to an atomizing valve arranged or integrated in an atomizing valve. 39. Device according to one of claims 1 to 38, characterized in that the binder line (17) with an elasticity for elastic buffering of binder of at least 1% _o and preferably at least 0.5% of the total volume of the binder line (17) due to Pipe wall elasticity, at least one gas pocket and / or a membrane container is formed. 40. Device according to one of claims 1 to 39, characterized in that the binder line (17) with an elasticity for elastic buffering of binder of at most 100% and preferably at most 50% of the total volume of the binder line (17) due to a tube wall elasticity, at least a gas pocket and / or a pressure vessel with a gas cushion (41) is formed. 41. Device according to one of claims 1 to 40, characterized in that the binder line (17) has a main line (50), in which a pressure reducer is arranged, and a secondary line (49) is arranged parallel to the main line (50), in which is a check valve that opens against the flow direction of the pressure reducer. 42. Device according to one of claims 1 to 41, characterized in that the binder line (17) has at least one fill rate control valve which opens a passage for the binder approximately inversely proportional to the flow rate on the basis of the detected flow rate of the binder medium. 43. Device according to claim 42, characterized in 68/86 WIH1001PAT-I that the flow rate is determined on the basis of the pressure difference in the flow direction upstream and downstream of the filling rate control valve and / or that the filling rate control valve can also be controlled by a control device (38), the desired flow rate preferably being adjustable. 44. Device according to one of claims 1 to 43, characterized in that the binder line (17) has at least one filling control valve, which opens a passage approximately proportional to the fill state on the basis of a detected fill state of the binder line (17). 45. Apparatus according to claim 44, characterized in that the control valve is designed with at least two opening stages and / or so that it can be opened continuously. 46. Device according to one of claims 1 to 45, characterized in that the binder line (17) has at least one pressure holding valve which opens approximately proportional to the pressure based on the pressure detected in the binder line (17) in the flow direction upstream of the pressure holding valve. 47. Device according to one of claims 1 to 46, characterized in that the binder line (17) has a main line (50) and at least one branching branch from the main line (50), a control valve being provided in the branch line. 48. Device according to claim 47, characterized in that the control valve in the branch line is designed as a pressure relief valve which opens approximately in proportion to the pressure in the main line (50). 49. Device according to claim 48, characterized in that the pressure relief valve only opens from a predetermined minimum pressure in the main line (50). 69/86 WIH1001PAT-I 50. Device according to one of claims 47 to 49, characterized in that the control valve in the branch line is designed as a quick release valve, which opens completely completely from a predetermined minimum pressure in the main line (50). 51. Device according to claim 50, characterized in that the quick release valve closes more slowly than it opens after the pressure in the main line (50) has dropped below the minimum pressure. 52. Device according to one of claims 47 to 51, characterized in that the binder line (17) is connected to a well line, which leads downward from the binder line (17) into an underground well, a pump (24, 27) is arranged, and the control valve in the branch line is controlled such that when the pump (24, 27) is switched on, the control valve is gradually closed over a predetermined time interval and / or when the pump (24, 27) is switched off over a further predetermined time interval is gradually opened. 53. Device according to one of claims 47 to 52, characterized in that the binder line (17) is connected to a well line which leads downward from the binder line (17) into an underground well, a pump (24, 27) is arranged, and the control valve in the branch line is activated such that the control valve is opened when the pump (24, 27) suddenly stops. 54. Device according to one of claims 1 to 53, characterized in that the binder line (17) has a control valve which is controlled by a control device (38) such that it turns on when a pump (24, 27) is switched on predetermined time interval slowly opens and / or is closed when the pump (24, 27) is switched off. 55. Device according to claim 54, characterized in that 70/86 WIH1001PAT-I that the control valve is designed as a check valve that prevents backflow into the pump (24, 27). 56. Device according to claim 54 or 55, characterized in that the control device (38) is designed to control the pump (24, 27). 57. Device according to one of claims 1 to 56, characterized in that a control device (38) is provided, which is a function of a fill level of the binder line (17), the fill level of the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) and / or the flow rate in the binder line ( 17) controls the supply of binder from the pressure vessel with gas cushion (41) into the binder line (17). 58. Device according to one of claims 1 to 57, characterized in that a cyclone filter is arranged in the binder line (17), which has a rinsing supply line and a rinsing outlet line with a rinsing outlet valve, so that rinsing of the cyclone filter is possible without the cyclone filter that the remaining sections of the binder line (17) must be emptied. 59. Device according to claim 58, characterized in that a pressure vessel with a gas cushion (41) and / or an external water pressure connection is connected to the flushing supply line in order to provide flushing water. 60. Device according to one of claims 1 to 59, characterized in that the binder line (17) (17) is suspended on a supporting cable (16). 61. Apparatus according to claim 60, characterized in that the binder line (17) (17) is elastic, and / or the binder line (17) (17) is fastened to the supporting cable (16) by means of pipe hooks (18) 71/86 WIH1001PAT-I, and / or the binder line (17) comprises one or more flexible branch lines (19), on each of which at least one atomizing nozzle (20; 21) is arranged. 62. A method for binding dust with a binder, wherein in particular a device according to one of claims 1 to 61 is used, and the binder is discharged at intervals with spray phases and pause phases. 63. The method according to claim 62, characterized in that for wetting a floor, the spray phases and the pause phases at least 2 min. and preferably at least 5 min. and in particular at least 10 min. be. 64. The method according to claim 62, characterized in that the duration of the spray phases and the pause phases is in the range from 1 second to 120 seconds and preferably in the range from 1 second to 30 seconds to generate an artificial mist. 65. The method according to claim 64, characterized in that the spray phase lasts longer than the pause phase and in particular is at least twice as long as the pause phase. 66. A method for binding dust with a binder, in particular according to one of claims 62 to 65, wherein in particular an apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 61 is used, wherein during spraying of binder this at a rate of not more than 6 l / m ² h and preferably not more than 4 l / m2h and in particular not more than 1.5 l / m2h and in particular not more than 1.2 l / m2h. 67. A method for binding dust with a binder, in particular according to one of claims 62 to 66, wherein in particular an apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 61 is used, wherein binder is sprayed to produce an artificial mist, and the binder in an area sprayed 72/86 WIH1001PAT-I, which is so far away from a dust source that an air flow in this area is not greater than 1 m / s. 73/86 // IK 74/86 75/86 76/86 77/86 78/86 79/86 'φ *' 80/86 81/86 82/86 83/86 Ti 44 84/86 85/86 86/86