CA1124526A - Multi-liquid flow proportioning device - Google Patents

Multi-liquid flow proportioning device

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Publication number
CA1124526A
CA1124526A CA363,984A CA363984A CA1124526A CA 1124526 A CA1124526 A CA 1124526A CA 363984 A CA363984 A CA 363984A CA 1124526 A CA1124526 A CA 1124526A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
liquid
container
vessel
valve
liquid flow
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA363,984A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Henry T. Fenwick
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA363,984A priority Critical patent/CA1124526A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1124526A publication Critical patent/CA1124526A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

ABSTRACT

This invention concerns a multi-liquid flow proportioning device comprising a vessel adapted to contain a first liquid, a container within said vessel adapted to hold a second liquid separate from said first liquid, separate inlet and outlet means respectively for the portion of said vessel adapted to contain said first liquid and for said container, said container including a wall portion adapted to move in use in response to changes in pressure of its liquid contents, and means operable by the movement of said wall portion to control the liquid flow into the inlet of said container whereby tending to maintain the volumetric contents thereof generally constant. The invention has particular application to combining water and fire retardant.

Description

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FIELD OF T~ INVENTION
This inven-tion relates to a com~osite vessel designed to ae~lieve a continuous discharge from two or more oompar-tments of the vessel in a predeter~ined volumetrie ratio irrespective of the volume in any one of the separate compart~ents.
DESCRIPTION OF THF PRIOR ART
It has been known to construct liquid proportioners co~prising a separate container for each liquid, each container having its own metering device interlocked with one another either mechanieally or electrieally in order to produce a combined flow in a constant ratio. Such metering devices include coupled pumps, pressure compensated valves, orifices, flow meters and similar liquid measuring equip~ent, all of ~hich are costly and subject to wear and malfunction, and constantly reg~lire substantial maint:enance:
additionally, there is a problem with continuity of supply where electrical components are involved.
SUMM~RY OF I~E INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a liquid flow pro~ortioning device eomprising a vessel for containing a first lig~lid, a container within the vessel for holding a second liquid separate from the ~irst liquid, separate inlet and outlet means respectively for the portion of the vessel for containing the first liquid and for the container, the container including a flexible wall portion which moves in use in response to ehanges in pressure of its liquid eontents and changes in level of the first liquid~ the flexible wall portion being sealingly attached to side wall portions of the vessel, whereby the container is defined by portions of the vessel's side walls, the base surface thereof, and the flexible wall portion, and means operable by the movement of the flexible wall portion to control the liquid flow into the inlet of the eontainer whereby tending to maintain the volumetrie cont~nts thereof generally eonstant.
The container may eemprise flexible diaphragm means ~A~

sealingly at.tached to side wall portions o~ said vessel, wher~by said container is defined ~y portions of said vessel's side walls, the base surface thereof, an~ ~aid flexible diaphragm means which con~titute the moveable wall port.ion of said container. Alternatively, the container(s) may be of separate construction to the vessel and may be in the Lorm of a bladder or a thin walled flexible tube or a plurality thereof on the floor o~ the~vessel, of any shaps or size. An important object is t~ have all outlets at the 10 same level to ensure all outle~ pressures are equal to the outlet pxessure from the portion o.~ the vessel holding the first liquid.
The holding portion of the composite vessel (herein- ;
: after oalled the "holding vessel") may be open at the top 15 either completely or through atmospheric vents or alter-natively, closed and subject to superimposed pressure. The inlet may be located at any convenient point on the vessel.
The outlet will be located at or near the bottom, preerably fitted with a valve or other closure means.
The flexible containers (which may be in the form of bladders) may be of sheet pIastic, rubber, coated fabric, metal foil, or a combination of such materials. Being subj~ct to neither external or internal pressure, their const.ruction may be light weight but they must be 25 suffi.ciently impermeable as to maintain their contents sepaYate from that in the holding ~ressel. Each container : will have an inlet, preferably.pasfiing through a sealed openi.ng in the side of the holding vessel, with each inlet fitt~d with a flow control valve or similar device.
The sizing of the holding vessel and container will be influenced by the volumes and flow rates of the liquids being handled.
When liquids of differing specific gravities are involved, the working level of respective containers will 35 preferably be kept to a minimum relative to the working head ln the holding vessel in order to minimise head difference due to specific gravity variation.

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In the event of the specific gravity difference being of such magnitude as to prevent ~he maintenance ~f flow ratios within working limits, correction may be made to any container so affected, Eor example by adding or subtract~ng lift to or from the upper wall of the container, as foll~ws, for example. In the event of the contents of a container having a higher specific gravity than the contents of th~
holdlng vessel, then the container rnay have affixed to its upper surface, a floatation layer, preferably of rigid material such as polystyrene, urea formaldehyde, poly-urethane or similar foamed plastic suitably sheathed or treated to prevent absorbtion of liquid.
In the event of the li~uid in a container having a lower specific gravity than that of the liquid of the hold-ing vessel, the uppar surface of such container may have af f ixed thereto a layer of heavier material such as metal.
The containers will each have their own source of uid supply through a simple valve, the opening and clcsing of which will bs effected by mechanical or electrical relays governed by the movement of the upper wall thereof. In the simplest form this may be arranged by connecting a flexible rope or cable to the upper surface of the containers and ~; passing it over a series of pulleys fixed above the holding vessel. The rope or cable then passes down to a dead weight or spring controlled lever valve on the inlet to the contain-er so that as the container fills, its upper wall rises a~d the level lowers to close off the valve. As li~uid leave~
the container, its upper wall falls, thus pulling the rop~
or cable to lift the lever and hence open the valve. Suc~
regulation will result in the contents of all cont.ainers beina maintained at, or about the desired working level.
Because the outlets of holding vessel and containers are all at the same invert level, it follows that the up-stream pressure on each outlet will be equal twithin deterrninable ]imits). By adjusting the orlfice at each outlet, it will be possible ~o produce a flow from each in any desired ratio to the others. As the upstream head over _ 4 _ .

~L~.2~ 6 all outlets is directly related tc the liquid level in the holding vessel, it follows that the flow frorn each outlet will remain in the set ratio for all levels in the holding vessel. Pressure or flow sensiti~e valves may be fitted on some or all outlets to prevent ba~kflow and mixing of li~uids under no-flow conditions. Such valves may also be used to select which liquids or ccmbination thereof will contri~ute to the required flow.

BRIEF DE5CRIPTION OF THE SEVER~L VIEW5 OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the invention will be gained by consideration of the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure l illustrates a general view of the device of the invention;
Figure 2 is a similar view to that of Figure 1 but rotated, and including ancilliary equipment;
Figures 3A and3B show details of alternative arrange-ments o~ securing the upper wall of a container within the holding tank;
Figures 4A, 4B, 4C show details of a feed back system between the upper wall o~ a container and the inlet thereto;
Figure 5 shows the outlet val~e arrangement from the device of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRE:D EMBODIMENTS

A composite vessel 1l in accordance with the invention comprises a holding portion tholding vessel as stated herein-before) and a flexible container 2. Note that it is not necessary for all the walls of the container to be flexible in order that the container itself be categorized as flexible.
In the illus-trations (Figllres 1 and 2), the upper wall thereof 2a is khe only flexible section.
The inlet to container 2 is shown at 3, and the outlet 4 is visible in the rotated position of the composite vessel ' ; :

2~

shown in Figure 2. Valve 5 controls flow to inl~t 3 and valve 6 controls ~he flow from outlet 4. The flow from the holdin~ vessel is via outlet 7 controlled by valve 8.
Level 9 is the liquid level maintained in the holding vessel. Th~s level is controlled by float 10 (Figure 2) operating valve 11 which controls flow into inlet 12. A
reinforcing portion 13 on flexible wall 2a is attached to a cable, chain or the like 14, and passes over pulleys 15 to lever 16 (dead weight or spring operatect) which controls valve 5, and hence the inlet flow to the container. ThiS is shown generally in Figure 2 and in more detail in Figures 4a, 4b, 4c. However, before passing to Figures 4, it should be noted that t:he flexible wall of the container ma~ be affixed directly to the walls of the composite vessel as shown by way of example in Figures 3a and 3b. Wall 2a can be fixed directly to the wall by means o~ nut and bolt 17, or the like; alternatively it could be attached to flange 17a extending about the walls cjf the vessel. Item 18 is a protective reinforcement for the ~lexible wall to extend over the inlet and/or outlet. Item 18 can be in the form of a perforated plate (over the inlet/outlet) or in the form of an extended reinforcement of the diaphragm itself. The purpose of the container being expandable is to ensure that the pressure within it is aIways the same as the contents of the holding vessel outside the container (i.e. of said first liqu~,d~ - the pressure being measured at the outlets~ The contlol of volume in the container is to ensure that it can meet the maximum draw-off requirements and at the same time not overfill so as to damage the flexible moveable walls /,~f the container.
Turning now to Figures 4, pulley 19 shafted to rotatç
with pulley 15 carries cable or the like 20 which'in turn carries water gauge 24, and pointer 24a, indicating again~t the liquid container gauge 24b. ~ second pulley c~rrangement 22 supports in balance pointer 23 (which indicate~j against gauge 24) and float 21, whereby when the liquid supporting the float rises, pointer 23 falls.

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Figure 5 illustrates the outlet and mixing arrangement from the flexible container and the hold~ng vessel. Elec-tric motor ~ operates pumps 25 to mix liquids from outlets ~ 4 and 7 and discharge them through valve 29~ A second auto-: 5 matic~27 is in the con-tainer outlst line~ This is a dia-phragm type valve (i.e. it requir~s pressure to open it) and automatically closes when the pump stops or discharge valve 29 ls closed, to prevent any feed back of the main liquid into the container or vice versa. Note that pilot line 28 connects valve 27 ~o the discharge side of valve 29 whereby to provide sensing of the discharge flow or pressure, ~or operation of valve 27.
The device of the invention has a multitude of~uses e.g- :
(i) in water treatment plant, where additions of small quantities of liquid containing fluorine, and/or chlorine ions, and deodorizers are made :: to the bulk raw water supply;
(ii) in swirnming pools, where chlorine and various : 20 other bacteriocides are added to the supply;
~iii) in sewerage systems treatment works;
(iv) in general chemical angineering and process work;
(v) for the combining of fire retardant and water in a truck mounted tank for bush fire and fi~e control generally;
(vi) for the mixing in desired proportion.~ of foam agents and water to produce high and~Iow expan-sion foams for fire fighting.
: It is to be understood that the above descrt.bed devLce is exemplary only and that the various componentci thereof . can be substituted by equivalent components or dlfferent~y con~tructed in ways well known to those .skilled ~,n the art.
For example, and ir particular, the sensor 28 (Figure 5) and gauge a:rrangements (Figures 4a) can be substituted by the equivalent electrical devices, s.imilarly the cable/lever arrangement for ~perat:lng the inlet valve to the container COu Id a.Lso ~3e su~tituf-ed by the equivalent electrical means.

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It should be noted also that while only one cont~iner has been described within the vessel 1, there can be a plural-ity of such cont.ainers whereby the controlled mixed and flow of various li~uids can be arranged.
It is to be understood that the invention resides in the various apparatus described and claimed and their : mechanical equivalents and is not to be~restricted by reference to theory.
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Claims (9)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A liquid flow proportioning device comprising a vessel for containing a first liquid, a container within said vessel for holding a second liquid separate from said first liquid, separate inlet and outlet means respectively for the portion of said vessel for containing said first liquid and for said container, said container including a flexible wall portion which moves in use in response to changes in pressure of its liquid contents and changes in level of said first liquid, said flexible wall portion being sealingly attached to side wall portions of said vessel, whereby said container is defined by portions of said vessel's side walls, the base surface thereof, and said flexible wall portion, and means operable by the movement of said flexible wall portion to control the liquid flow into the inlet of said container whereby tending to maintain the volumetric contents thereof generally constant.
2. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 1, wherein said flexible wall portion is comprised of a diaphragm.
3. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 1, wherein the inlet to said first liquid portion of said vessel includes float controlled valve means, whereby in use, to define the level of said first liquid.
4. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 1, wherein said means operable by the movement of said flexible wall portion comprises signalling means attached to said wall portion and connected to valve operating means on a valve at the inlet to said container whereby to operate said valve.
5. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 4, wherein said signalling means comprises cable means extending around pulley means.
6. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 4, wherein said valve operating means is a dead weight connected to operate said valve.
7. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 4, wherein said valve operating means is a spring biased lever connected to operate said valve.
8. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 1, wherein the outlet from said first liquid portion of said vessel and the outlet from said container pass to a common line, and there is a valve in the container outlet line which prevents flow into said container of said first liquid.
9. A liquid flow proportioning device as defined in claim 8, wherein said common line passes to a motor driven pump, and thence through a valve to a discharge line.
CA363,984A 1980-11-05 1980-11-05 Multi-liquid flow proportioning device Expired CA1124526A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA363,984A CA1124526A (en) 1980-11-05 1980-11-05 Multi-liquid flow proportioning device

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA363,984A CA1124526A (en) 1980-11-05 1980-11-05 Multi-liquid flow proportioning device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1124526A true CA1124526A (en) 1982-06-01

Family

ID=4118340

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA363,984A Expired CA1124526A (en) 1980-11-05 1980-11-05 Multi-liquid flow proportioning device

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1124526A (en)

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