EP0002810B1 - Apparatus for removing liquids or solids containing harmful matter - Google Patents

Description

Devices for the elimination of waste materials or pollutants suddenly occurring in production processes or suddenly due to unforeseen events are required to an ever increasing extent. In the event of industrial or traffic accidents, acids, alkalis, oil or other harmful liquids as well as solid substances in various grits often have to be removed. The devices used in practice for this work with an air suction, with which they draw pollutants into a transport container. The vacuum is generated either by means of an electric drive or by compressed air. Those devices in which the negative pressure is generated with an electric drive require a power connection, so that it is not possible to work apart from connection options. However, accidents also occur in rough areas. The introduction of electricity generators to accident sites is often slow and time-consuming in order to be able to remove the pollutants quickly enough without contamination.

On the other hand, such devices are not suitable for the removal of substances with a risk of explosion because there is a risk of sparking in the electric drive or in the supply lines.

Those devices which are to be operated with compressed air have the disadvantage that the presence of a compressed air connection is required for the start-up, and the use outside of industrial areas which are specifically provided with compressed air systems is therefore not possible.

For the above reasons, the invention relates to a device for removing solid and / or liquid media containing pollutants. According to the invention, the device is intended for a fire engine and uses the fire extinguisher pump present on the vehicle, which is followed by a water jet pump, through which the water taken from a water reservoir can be fed again, the media being able to be sucked in via a suction line through the vacuum on the other side of the water jet pump. Such a device is known from French Patent No. 392808 and is suitable in principle for being usable everywhere and also for generating the necessary negative pressure. However, the vehicle known from French Patent No. 392808 is completely and exclusively equipped with the units for generating the negative pressure and with the water supply. Therefore, the pollutants can get into the water cycle. It is therefore the task of developing the above device for the purposes mentioned at the outset in such a way that a universally usable small and easy-to-use device becomes available which is nevertheless able to absorb the pollutants effectively and separately from other media up to the capacity limit. The solution according to the invention is that the water jet pump and a receptacle with a cyclone lid that can be connected to keep the media away from the water supply in the suction line are provided as an additional device, in which receptacle a connection to the ambient air can be established automatically before the media the outlet opening for the conveying air to reach.

Such a device for removing pollutants is mobile and can easily be carried as an additional device on a fire engine. The rest of the equipment for a fire engine is retained and can be used as usual. The removal of pollutants is carried out in a simple manner without the need for complex or additional drive units. The removal of media containing pollutants is reliably possible. Not only can liquids be lifted from a depth of almost 10 meters, but also, for example, the water that arises during extinguishing work can be completely sucked off again, so that large-scale water damage can be avoided. With the aid of the invention, “dry suction” is possible. It is also ensured that the water for generating the suction air does not come into contact with the pollutants, so that extinguishing water that is carried along or even drinking water can be used in the generation circuit for the negative pressure. It is therefore not necessary to change the drive water after use. In order to have sufficient water available for the circuit, the tank having at least one ventilation opening can be used by the fire-fighting vehicle. The circuit is therefore composed of the tank as a container for the water reservoir and a connection between the water supply opening and the water outlet opening of the tank, the centrifugal pump and the water jet pump being arranged as an additional unit in the connecting line. With simple additional devices, a fire engine of the fire service can be used for the purpose according to the invention. Since the known fire pumps have operating pressures of 8 bar or even 12 bar, suction heights of up to almost 10 m are possible. This means that, for example, a fire engine can stand on a slope to remove pollutants from its base. This can be particularly important if, for example, a The oil tank of a railway wagon that is running out cannot drive a fire truck directly to the scene of the accident, but rather, for example, the cleaning work can only be carried out from a transfer that is further away. With the aid of the device according to the invention, in which devices from fire engines are used, the removal of media provided with pollutants does not pose any difficulties even with very high level differences.

If fire trucks are used that do not have their own tank, a known standard barrel can serve as a container for the water reservoir. In any case, the fire pump of the vehicle is used as the drive means for conveying the water in the circuit.

In order to prevent the sucked-in media and thus the pollutants from entering the water circuit, the media are preferably introduced into the collecting container with a lid in such a way that the media moves tangentially to the wall. The conveying air coming to the intake of the water jet pump is in turn discharged through an opening in the cover of the collecting container, which valve has, and the valve can be actuated by a float in the collecting container in such a way that the valve establishes a connection to the ambient air before the sucked-in media open the outlet for reach the conveying air. The connection to the ambient air prevents the solid and / or liquid media containing the pollutants from being sucked in and the water jet pump only draws in ambient air. The container lid of the collecting container is thus designed as a cyclone attachment.

So that the device according to the invention can actually be used to draw in liquids from a depth of more than 9 meters, the water jet pump is designed such that a negative pressure of preferably at least 0.1 bar is generated, provided that the centrifugal pump arranged in the water circuit has an operating pressure of preferably 8 bar to has approximately preferably 12 bar.

If the device is used with a fire truck or with a vehicle of the technical support service that does not have its own tank or that is not ready for use, a standard capacity of 200 liters with a domed lid is preferably used for the water reservoir through which the connecting piece for the water supply to the water supply or water return from the water jet pump are guided. At the same time, the lid surface has openings for the escape of air. In order to prevent the water coming from the water jet pump from splashing out through the ventilation openings in the lid of the barrel, the pressure water coming from the water jet pump in the lid area is introduced approximately horizontally outside the openings into a water box which is provided on the bottom with openings through which the Pressurized water and the conveying air get into the lower area of the tank.

In order to achieve a high suction power of the water jet pump, only a little air may be added. Therefore, the connecting piece for the water supply has a suction pipe that extends into the floor area. In this area, the returned water has calmed down and shows only a small amount of air.

In order to ensure that no pollutants are actually supplied to the closed circuit via the suction line, the valve in the lid opening of the collecting container has an upper housing part arranged on the suction side of the water jet pump and an opening lower housing part in which a hollow body movable by the float is slidably arranged. As soon as the collection container is sufficiently filled, the float is lifted and the hollow body is moved. By lifting the hollow body within the lower housing part, a connection is made between the suction side of the water jet pump and the openings in the lower housing part. This prevents further suction of the liquid and / or solid media containing the pollutants. In order to ensure that the hollow body is not moved within the valve body during the suction process, the hollow body is cylindrical in shape and has outwardly projecting collars at its ends, the lower collar being able to be subjected to the external pressure via the openings in the lower housing part and having a larger area has as the upper collar acted on by the negative pressure.

In order to enable media to be sucked in, for example, from contaminated water surfaces, liquid media can be sucked in via a skimmer with a rectangular outline, from which two opposite sides are formed as buoyancy bodies, which in turn are connected to one another in such a way that the media get into the space and one Flood holes in the first plate between the floats of the skimmer. In order to enable simple and flawless removal of the pollutants, the suction pipe, which is preferably arranged to be adjustable, is connected to the skimmer in such a way that the pollutants can be sucked in from the liquid surface through the holes in the first plate, by a second one parallel to the first plate closed plate is arranged as the bottom of the skimmer.

Further details, advantages and features of the invention result from the following description of the drawing.

• Fig. 1 eine Vorrichtung zum Entfernen von Schadstoffe enthalten den Medien, bei der ein Feucherlöschfahrzeug mit eigenem Tank verwendet wird,
• Fig. 2 eine Vorrichtung zum Entfernen von Schadstoffe enthaltenden Medien, bei der ein Feurlöschfahrzeug ohne eigenen Tank benutzt wird,
• Fig. 3 einen Sammelbehälter zur Aufnahme der die Schadstoffe enthaltenden Medien,
• Fig. 4 ein Belüftungsventil für den Sammelbehälter nach Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 eine Schnittdarstellung des Deckelbereichs eines Fasses, der als Wasservorlage für Vorrichtungen benutzt wird, bei denen das verwendete Löschfahrzeug keinen eigenen Tank hat,
• Fig. 6 eine Draufsicht des Fasses nach Fig. 5 mit herausgebrochenem Teil und
• Fig. 7 einen Skimmer zum Entfernen von Schadstoffen auf Flüssigkeitsoberflächen.

Show it:

• 1 shows a device for removing pollutants containing the media, in which a fire engine with its own tank is used,
• 2 shows a device for removing media containing pollutants, in which a fire-fighting vehicle without its own tank is used,
• 3 a collecting container for receiving the media containing the pollutants,
• 4 shows a ventilation valve for the collecting container according to FIG. 3,
• 5 shows a sectional illustration of the lid area of a barrel which is used as a water reservoir for devices in which the fire truck used does not have its own tank,
• Fig. 6 is a plan view of the barrel of FIG. 5 with part broken out and
• Fig. 7 shows a skimmer for removing pollutants on liquid surfaces.

1 and 2 each schematically show a device for removing solid and / or liquid media containing pollutants, in which a fire engine 10 or 12 is used. The fire truck 10 of FIG. 1 has its own water tank 14. To the tank filler neck 16 for the water supply is preferably connected via an unspecified intermediate piece of the outlet channel of a water jet pump 18. the motive water inlet of the water jet pump is connected via a pressure hose 20 to a fire pump 22 designed as a centrifugal pump, the inlet opening of which is connected to the water tank 14. If the fire pump 22 is now put into operation, water from the tank 14 is pressed by the pump 22, the pressure hose 20 by the water jet pump 18, in order to in turn get into the tank via the filler neck 16. At an operating pressure of the fire extinguishing pump 22 of preferably 8 bar to 12 bar, a negative pressure of approximately 0.1 bar is generated at the suction nozzle of the water jet pump 18. This negative pressure is used in order to be able to suck in the media to be removed via a nozzle 30 via a vacuum hose 26 or suction hose 28. To prevent the aspirated media mixed with pollutants get into the water circuit, which is formed by the tank 14, the fire pump 22, the pressure hose 20, the water jet pump 18 and the connection between the water jet pump 18 and the tank 14 via the tank filler neck 16 , a collecting container 32 is installed between the vacuum hose 26 and the suction hose 28. The collection container 32 is preferably in the form of a standard barrel which has a support ring 34 in order to prevent implosion of the collection container 32 when the media is sucked in. The support ring 34 preferably consists of a T-profile which is adapted to the barrel 32 and has a web lying outwards. The ring 34 is divided into two equal halves and is held together by a hinge and a latch. To prevent the barrel from slipping, a rubber strap is attached to the ring. The support ring 34 prevents the barrel 32 from being deformed.

The collecting container 32 is closed by a lid 36, which represents a cyclone lid. Furthermore, a ventilation valve 38 is located in the cover.

Both the cyclone cover 36 and the ventilation valve 38 will be described in connection with FIGS. 3 'and 4. In order to prevent the suction hose 28 from being electrostatically charged, it is at ground potential. This ensures that explosive pollutants or media can also be sucked in with the device according to the invention.

2 shows a device according to the invention, in which a tank 40 of the fire truck 12 does not serve for a water supply, but a barrel 40 arranged outside the fire truck 12 fulfills this task. Otherwise, the same elements as in Fig. 1 are used in the embodiment of FIG. 2, so that they are also provided with the same reference numerals. The closed circuit, in which the water jet pump 18 is arranged like the fire pump 22, consists of a pressure hose connection 42 between the centrifugal pump 22 and the motive water inlet of the water jet pump 18, the barrel 40 and a water return line 44 between the barrel 40 and the centrifugal pump 22. Also in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 2, the pollutants are kept away from the aforementioned closed water cycle by the collecting container 32 described in connection with FIG. 1. The detailed structure of the barrel 40 for the water supply of the closed water cycle is described in connection with FIGS. 5 and 6.

3, the collecting container 32 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown enlarged. This preferably consists of a standard barrel which is open on one side and which has the support ring 34 for reinforcement. The lid 36 of the collecting container 32 is designed as a cyclone lid. This means that the media containing the pollutants, which are sucked in via the suction line 28, are introduced tangentially into the cover area via an intake port 46. The conveyed air sucked in to the water jet pump 18 is removed from the collecting container 32 via a ventilation valve 38 arranged on the cover 36. The operation of the ventilation valve 38 is related with the Fig. 4 described in more detail. 3 shows a float 50 which actuates the ventilation valve 38. A wall 52 is located between the float 50 and the tangential introduction of the medium containing the pollutants, in order to avoid direct contact of liquids with the float. In order to achieve a sealing seal between the lid 36 and the lower part of the collecting container, sealing rings are provided in the edge region of the lid 36.

4, the ventilation valve for the collecting container 32 can be seen in an enlarged representation, through which the conveying air reaches the water jet pump 18 for sucking in the media. The ventilation valve 38 consists of a valve housing, which in turn is composed of a lower housing part 54 and an upper housing part 58. A hollow piston 60 serves as the valve body, which is lifted by the float 50 when the maximum fill level in the container 32 is reached, as a result of which openings 62 in the housing establish a connection between the outside air and the inside of the valve, so that the media to be removed from a surface are sucked in further the immediate equalization of pressure does not occur. This ensures that no pollutants can get into the closed circuit described above. If the lid 36 is placed on the container 32 at the beginning of a cleaning process, an immediate sealing takes place, provided the water jet pump 18 is in operation. The hollow piston 60 closes the opening 62. Staying in this position is ensured by the inventive design of the hollow piston 60. The hollow piston 60 namely has a cylindrical shape with the ends projecting outward at the ends. The free area of the lower collar is larger than the area of the upper collar. The lower collar surface is now acted upon by the atmospheric pressure passing through the opening 62, the upper collar, however, by the negative pressure prevailing in the device according to the invention. As a result, the external pressure on the lower collar causes a sealing seal between the hollow piston 62 and the seals 64 and 66 present in the collar areas. The suction process is only interrupted when the float 50 lifts the hollow piston 60 in such a way via a linkage (not shown). that there is a connection between the outside air through the opening 62 to the interior of the ventilation valve.

5 and 6 show sections of the container 40 in FIG. 2, which serves as a water reservoir for the closed water cycle. The container 40 is preferably also a standard barrel which is closed by a domed cover 68. Connection pieces 70 and 72 are guided through the cover 68, which on the one hand remove the propellant water and on the other hand take up the pressurized water flowing back from the water jet pump 18. The pressurized water is introduced almost horizontally in the lid area. The propellant water is removed from the container 40 via a nozzle 74 reaching into the bottom area. As can be seen from the top view of FIG. 6, holes 78 are provided in the lid area for ventilation of the container. The pressurized water connection itself opens into a water box 81, which is arranged below the cover 68 outside the openings 78 and is provided on the bottom with drift steps 76. Through this, the pressurized water mixed with the conveying air reaches the lower region of the container 40. In the lid region below the openings 78 outside the water box 81, a splash panel 79 is further provided to prevent water from escaping through the ventilation holes 78. To prevent water from escaping from the container, there are sealing rings between the edge of the container and the lid and one from the lid. collar 30 projecting into the interior is provided.

Finally, FIG. 7 shows a skimmer which, instead of the nozzle 30 in FIGS. 1 and 2, can preferably be used in liquids for sucking in the media containing the pollutants. The skimmer 82 has a preferably rectangular outline. Furthermore, two buoyancy bodies 84 and 86 are provided, which are arranged parallel to one another. The floating buoyancy bodies 84 and 86 are connected by webs 88 and 90 in such a way that liquid can get between the buoyancy bodies 84 and 86. Furthermore, in the lower edge region of the buoyancy bodies 84 and 86 there is a plate 94 provided with holes 92. The buoyancy of the skimmer 82 is selected such that the skimmer can be immersed in a liquid to be freed of pollutants, so that the plate 92 provided with holes 94 comes to lie somewhat below the surface of the liquid. This distance is designated by x in FIG. 7. Experiments have shown that this distance should be approximately 1 cm. The entire skimmer 82 is then preferably approximately y = 2 cm within the liquid and is closed off at the bottom with a closed plate 98. In order to free the surface of the pollutants, an intake pipe 96 is preferably connected centrally to the plate 94 in such a way that the pollutants coming through the holes 92 from the surface into the intake pipe 96 to be received in a collecting container 32 will. The plates 94 and 98 show a nozzle effect. The intake pipe 96 is preferably arranged to be adjustable to be able to clean almost all areas of an arbitrarily limited liquid surface. Different positions of the intake pipe 96 are shown in dashed lines.

With the help of the device according to the invention, it is possible for the first time to use simple means without additional energy sources - apart from the existing units of a fire-fighting vehicle - to remove pollutants present in the media, in particular to suck in liquids which have height differences from the suction unit in the form of a water jet pump have almost up to 10 m. The device according to the invention is quickly ready for use and can even be used in inaccessible places due to the easy overcoming of level differences insofar as there are access routes for fire trucks in the areas to be cleaned of the pollutants.

Without restricting the scope of the invention, there is of course also the possibility of using the device according to the invention in fire-fighting boats, for example, when a water surface on which oil is floating is to be cleaned. In such a case, the water reservoir would be a sea, a lake or a river with the fire boat on it.

Since only a small amount of water is required to operate the device according to the invention, there is also the possibility, for example, of equipping aircraft, such as helicopters, which are equipped as fire-fighting equipment, with the necessary facilities to provide pollutants in places which cannot be reached by land vehicles remove that are present in solid and / or liquid media.

Claims (10)

1. An apparatus for a fire engine (10) for removing solid and/or liquid matter containing harmful substances by using the fire extinguishing pump (22) mounted on the engine (10) after which fire extinguishing pump (22) a water jet injector pump (18) is arranged by means of which the water taken from a hydraulic seal (14) can be returned to said hydraulic seal, whereby the low pressure generated at the suction end of the water jet injector pump (18) the matter can be sucked up via a suction line (26, 28), wherein as auxiliary means there are provided the water jet injector pump (18) as well as a collecting tank (32) with a cyclone cap (36) to be connected to the suction line (26, 28) in order to keep away the matter from the hydraulic seal (14), in which collecting tank (32) communication with the atmosphere can be established automatically prior to the matter reaching the outlet opening for the pumping air.

2. An apparatus as defined in Claim 1 wherein the fire extinguishing pump (22) is a centrifugal pump operating at a working pressure of preferably more than 8 bars and preferably up to 12 bars in order to generate a pressure of approximately 0,1 bar at the suction end of the water jet pump (18).

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein a valve is provided that can be actuated by a float (50) in the collecting container (32) in order to automatically establish communication with the atmosphere and to take off the vacuum in the reservoir (14) when a predetermined filling level has been reached.

4. An apparatus as defined in claims 1 to 3 wherein the reservoir (14) for the water seal of the water circulation (14, 16, 18, 20, 22) is the conventional water reservoir for fire extinguishing (14) provided with ventilating openings of the fire engine (10).

5. An apparatus as defined in claims 1 to 3 wherein the reservoir is self-contained and independent of the fire engine and preferably is a standard barrel (40).

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein connecting sleeves (70, 72) for the driving water or, resp. compressed water of the water jet pump (18) and openings (78) for the escape of air are provided in the cap area of the reservoir (40) for containing the water seal.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein the pressurized water coming from the water jet pump, in the cap area, perhaps horizontally outside the openings (78), can be led into a water tank (81) being provided with openings (76) on its bottom surface through which openings the pressurized water and the pumping air are reaching the lower region of the reservoir (40).

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein the connecting sleeve (70) for the driving water of the water jet pump (18) is a suction pipe projecting into the bottom area of the barrel (40).

9. An apparatus as defined in claims 1 and 2 wherein the valve (38) is composed of a housing top (58) arranged toward the suction end of the water jet pump (18) and a housing bottom (54) provided with openings (62), in which a hollow body (60) that can be moved by the float (50) is movably arranged, whereby the lifting of the hollow body (60) a connection is made between the openings (62) and the suction end of the water jet pump (18).

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the hollow body (60) is of cylindric shape with outwardly extending collars at its ends, where the lower collar via the openings (62) in the housing bottom (60) can be supplied with the outside pressure and presents a larger surface than the upper collar to which low pressure can be admitted, and that when the valve (38) is closed to the atmosphere, the outer surface of the lower collar and the inner surface of the upper collar, or at least a portion thereof, are positioned on packing elements (64, 66).

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