AU600265B2 - Gas injection means - Google Patents

Description

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i 600265 I COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952-62 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Application Number: Lodged: Class Int. Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: LODGED AT SUB-OFFICE 2 7 APR 1987 Adelaide Relate; Art: 9

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This document contains the amnrdments made under SSc tlion 49 and is correct for printing.

Name of Applicant: Addr;gs of Applicant: 0 Aptg al Inventor: -Address for Service: a 0 OB O0 o0 0 0 00 Specification Complete Specification TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT S. SMITH SON PTY. LTD.

Eden Valley Road, Angaston, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia DARRYL ROSS WHITFORD Care of R. K. MADDERN ASSOCIATES, 345 King William Street, Adelaide, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia for the invention entitled: "GAS INJECTION MEANS" The following statement is a full desr'iption of this invention, including the best method of performing it known torme. us

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ABSTRACT

Injection means for injecting a liquified gas (for example sulphurdioxide) into a container such as a wine storage tank and avoiding "icing up" the valve mechanism, wherein a three limbed piece of conduit receives the liquified gas, each having a 0 o L separately controlled valve B, one of the limbs being connected to a source of gas which is not liquified, such as nitrogen, the nitrogen blowing the liquified :I sulphurdioxide gas out of the three limbed piece when two of the valves C) are opened. The volume of T the "T"piece accurately determines the dosage of sulphurdioxide.

6 0 This invention relates to injection means for the injecting of a liquified gas in small quantities into a container.

In various industries it is desirable that gas should be injected into a container, and for example in the wine industry it is desirable that very small quantities of sulphurdioxide should be carefully metered into a wine crusher or a tank. The requirements of certain health authorities limit the quantity of sulphurdioxide which can be used, but sulphurdioxide is very valuable as a preservative and it is therefore desirable that the quantity should be most accurately metered.

A number of attempts have been made in the past to provide a satisfactory metering means for metering

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small quantities of sulphurdioxide into a wine tank.

However most of the attempts which have been made have not been satisfactory and the main object of this invention is to provide an improvement whereby small f s quantities can be metered, and wherein the gas, when expanding, does not "ice up" a valve mechanism.

*o e D 00° In an embodiment of this invention, use is made o 00 of a three limbed "T-piece" of conduit han tarce limbe power operated valve in each\said limb, logic control means connected to the valves for the control of a sequence of operation thereof, -2a first said valve being connecced by conduit means to a source of liquified gas which is to be injected into said container, a second said valve being connected by further conduit means to a source of other gas at the same pressure as said liquified gas, and the third valve being connected by further conduit means to the container, said sequence of operation being: opening of the first valve, with the second and third valves closed, to allow flow of said liquified gas into said conduit piece, and closing of the first valve and opening of the second 0oao 0o and third valves to blow said liquified gas from the piece 0 o into the container.

An embodiment is described hereunder with reference to and 0 t< 0o is illustrated in the accompanying sketches in which: FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the T-piece and valve assembly, «t FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the pipe arrangement, and FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the control logic.

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-3- L 111 I .I 111 11111111 in this embodiment, the control logic of FIG. 3 is arranged to oscillate the valves designated A,B and C in the sequence which is shown in FIG. 1.

The first stage of oscillation is to shut all valves, and this is the normal situation.

In the second stage however valve A is opened so that liquid sulphurdioxide can flow under pressure into the limb of a T-piece 10 between the valves of A and C. The amount which flows into the T-piece 10 is accurately determined by the volume of the T-piece conduit and is repeatable within close limits. The liquid sulphurdioxide is held in its liquid state by the application of 0 0°t pressure, and this also assists gravity because at the O" stage when valve A is open (provided valve B is functioning correctly) there will be a slightly lower pressure in the T-piece 10 than in the liquid sulphurdioxide line 11.

Valve B connects to a source of nitrogen gas 12 which is held by non-return valve 13 and pressure reducing valve 14 at about the same pressure as the liquid °o sulphurdioxide in the line 11, but ensures the N 2 oo0" o pressure is not less than the SO 2 pressure.

The next stage is to shut valve A, and open valves B and C. Since the delivery line 16 to the tank or crusher 18 is at much lower pressure than at 600 kPa, the nitrogen pressure quickly moves along the delivery line carrying with it sulphurdioxide, and as the sulphurdioxide vaporizes it does so in the delivery line over a wide area, and this avoids "icing up" of the valves.

The final stage four is for the valves A and B to be shut, and the valve C to be open so that once again 0 low pressure is established in the T-piece o f o FIG. 2 illustrates the piping network used in this o embodiment. Operation of each valve will be clear by glancing at the diagram. The lines 11 and 16 are preferably (but not always neccesarily) covered with insulation 21 to reduce danger of icing owing to evaporation of SO 2 liquid. Valves 22 and 23 enable l s exhaustion of nitrogen to be effected and valve 24 enables a manual operation to take place.

00 00 a a 0 1 120 Line 26 is a vent line which terminates in a NaOH absorption both 27, and relief valves 28 and 29 relieve overpressure of SO 2 while pressure switch 30 disables the entire network when the N 2 bottle is empty by closing valves 23 and 25 and opening valve 22.

;i ~iii-- C Valve 31 directs the S0 2

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2 mix either to tank 17 or crusher 18.

Other valves are ,,erely venting and pumping valves.

The drawing of figure 3 illustrates diagrammatically the control valves 18 and 19 which control operation of the valves A, B, and C and also shows the air control logic for the circuit. Although air logic is preferred clearly an electrical equivalent using salenoid valves may be used. The intervals between operation of the valves determine the rate at which SO 2 enters the tank or crusher.

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The principle of an enclosed piece can also be used for metering, normal liquid such as water) by the same process the liquid replacing the sulphur dioxide liquid gas.

The cost of installation will be seen to be very small indeed, but the installation results in a very effective and accurate method of metering sulphurdioxide in a wine tank.

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Claims (6)

1. Gas injection means for injecting small quantities of gas into a large container, comprising: a conduit piece having three limbs, a power operated valve in each respective said limb, logic control means connected to the valves for the control of a sequence of operation thereof, a first said valve being connected by conduit means to a 0o"O source of liquified gas which is to be injected into said ooooo container, ooepolQ a second said valve being connected by further conduit 0 0 oo o means to a source of other gas at the same pressure as said liquified gas, and the third valve being connected by further conduit means to the container, said sequence of operation being: opening of the first valve, with the second and third 0V C valves closed,, to allow flow of said liquified gas into said conduit piece, and closing of the first valve, and opening of the second and third valves to blow said liquified gas from the piece 2 into the container. 20

2. Gas injection means according to claim 1 wherein C s* said liquified gas is SO 2 and said other gas is N 2

3. Gas injection means according to claim 2 comprising a fourth conduct between said source of liquified gas and said source of other gas and a non-return valve in said fourth conduit which ensures that the S0 2 pressure does not exceed the N 2 pressure. -7- -I I I-i I A

4. Gas injection means according to any preceding claim wherein said T-piece valves function in a four stage sequence, and at intervals which determine the rate at which the SO 2 is injected into the large container.

Gas injection means according to Claim 2 or Claim 3 comprising a pneumatic logic control coupled to said T-piece valves to operate these said valves in their sequence, there being intervals between operation of said T-piece valves which determine the rate at which SO 2 is injected into the large container.

6. Gas injection means substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. o 0000 o C g o) t 00 o I< Dated this 28th day of May, 1990 0 0 V, a 0 00( 0 00 S SMITH SON PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys R K MADDERN ASSOCIATES "t~b -8-