Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03D—WATER-CLOSETS OR URINALS WITH FLUSHING DEVICES; FLUSHING VALVES THEREFOR
  • E03D5/00—Special constructions of flushing devices, e.g. closed flushing system
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03F—SEWERS; CESSPOOLS
  • E03F3/00—Sewer pipe-line systems
  • E03F3/02—Arrangement of sewer pipe-lines or pipe-line systems

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a sewage system of the type stated in the preamble to appended claim 1. Moreover, the invention relates to a method of handling waste water according to the preamble to appended claim 9.
• waste water and storm water are separated in current sewage systems, where waste water and industrial process water are conducted in a special waste water conduit and the less polluted storm water and drainage water are conducted in a storm water conduit.
• the waste water is conducted to a sewage treatment plant, where it is treated before being recirculated to a natural watercourse.
• US-A-3, 843, 976 discloses a system of this type.
• a toilet is placed at a first, upper level.
• faeces are embedded in foam and conducted to a trap which is arranged below a second, lower level.
• a storage tank is arranged inside a widened portion of the network of waste pipes. The storage tank is constructed so that it tilts and empties itself when it has been filled to a certain liquid level. When the storage tank empties it- self, the water is conducted to the pipe bend where any faeces from the toilet are located.
• An object of the present invention is to provide water-saving improvements for the handling of waste water.
• a special object of the invention is to enable saving of water in existing buildings without necessitating extensive reconstructions.
• a first source of waste water which can be a toilet or the like
• a second source of waste water which can be a shower, a wash-basin of the like
• heavily polluted water means particularly that the water comprises sludge- and sediment-forming substances
• less polluted water means that the water comprises relatively smaller amounts of sludge- and sediment-forming substances.
• the water from the two sources of waste water is collected in a separate tank each, a buffer tank for heavily polluted water and a storage tank for less polluted water.
• This saving of water gives several advantages since the amount of water that is used and polluted can be reduced. Also the flow of water through a building decreases, which, especially in cold countries, results in saving of energy since it will be a smaller amount of water that takes up and gives off heat when passing through the building.
• a special advantage is that hot waste water from, for instance, a shower can remain for a while in the storage tank and there emit a large amount of its heat content to the building.
• the storage tank and the buffer tank are integrated with the sources of waste water (toilet, wash-basin, shower etc.).
• waste water toilet, wash-basin, shower etc.
• the sources of waste water toilet, wash-basin, shower etc.
• the water can be conducted to the storage tank in the sanitary unit.
• a special embodiment such as a kit- chen unit, can be composed of a first source of waste water, which discharges heavily polluted water, in the form of a waste disposer or like equipment for food waste, and a second source of waste water such as a sink.
• a waste disposer or like equipment for food waste in the form of a waste disposer or like equipment for food waste
• a second source of waste water such as a sink
• a simple control signal which in many cases is convenient, is that the buffer tank is flushed when the storage tank has been filled to a certain predetermined level.
• a valve is advantageously arranged to prevent flushing of the buffer tank.
• the valve which controls the flushing of the buffer tanks can alternatively also be centrally controlled, which makes it possible to control what kind of waste water is discharged at different points of time. At certain points of time, it is, for instance, possible to empty the buffer tanks and during the rest of the time, it is possible to let excess water from wash-basins and the like flow out into the network of waste pipes.
• a toilet having a foldable bowl is integrated with a wash-basin.
• the less polluted water from the wash-basin is collected in a storage tank and the more heavily pol- luted water from the toilet is collected in a buffer tank.
• the water in the storage tank is used to flush the buffer tank down into the network of waste pipes.
• the toilet is flushed before and after use. The tiltability and the flushing of the bowl make it easier to empty and clean the toilet, thus making it possible to use a smaller amount of water than in an ordinary toilet.
• a separating unit such as a gully, which by settling of sludge from the heavily polluted water takes care of organic waste from toilets and other sources for essentially organic waste, such as a waste disposer. Since the buffer tanks are emptied only at predetermined points of time, the water in the separating gully is stagnant for a considerable time, which means that sludge and water will have time to form layers before the next amount of water is flushed to the buffer tank. The amount of less polluted water that is not required for flushing the buffer tanks can in the meantime be conducted past the separating gully so as not to interfere with the layering process therein.
• the sludge collected in the separating gully can then be used as fertiliser since it comprises practically nothing else than pure organic waste which has not been mixed with chemicals and heavy metals from industrial waste water.
• the controlling of the flushing can also be adapted in such manner that the public network of waste pipes is utilised correctly. In such controlling, the dimensions of the network can be made smaller since it is no longer necessary to dimension it to manage a "worst-case scenario”. Moreover, the controlling renders it possible to adjust the emptying of the buffer tanks with regard to what occurs in the sewage treatment plant. With knowledge about what type of waste water is discharged at certain points of time, the sewage treatment plants can better adjust their purifying processes according to the type of impurities that may be expected to be entrained by the water. For example, separating basins work more satisfactorily if they are allowed to stand for a considerable time. By having a smaller total flow through the sewage treatment plant, it will be easier to give the water in the basins a chance to be stagnant and form layers.
• the drawings illustrate a sewage system and the units that are suitably used in such a sewage system.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic view of how the sewage system can be adjusted to be accommodated in a building.
• Fig. 2 is a schematic view of how the sewage system in the building is connected to the surrounding network of waste pipes.
• Fig. 3 shows a sanitary unit in which a toilet and a wash-basin have been joined.
• Fig. 4 illustrates a sink with an integrated waste disposing unit.
• a sewage system in a building comprises, with reference to Fig. 1, a first source of waste water 10, in the form a toilet, which discharges heavily polluted water, a second source of waste water 20, in the form of a wash-basin, which discharges less polluted water.
• the system further comprises a buffer tank 30 for collecting the waste water from the first source of waste water 10, and a storage tank 40 for collecting the waste water from the second source of waste water 20.
• the water collected in the storage tank 40 is used for intermittent flushing of the water in the buffer tank 30.
• Fig. 2 shows a building with sources of waste water and a network of waste pipes 1, which conducts waste water from the building to a sewage treatment plant 3, via a separating gully 2.
• the waste water is conducted in the network of waste pipes 1, to the separating gully 2, in which the water is stagnant so that the water and the sludge therein can form layers so as to allow the waste to be removed.
• the remaining waste water is then con- ducted in the public network of waste pipes 1 to finally reach a sewage treatment plant 3.
• the system according to this embodiment makes it possible to separate sludge from waste water in the vicinity of the source without necessitating complete chemical and bio- logical purification at this intermediate step.
• a sanitary unit 100 which is shown in Fig. 3, is a suitable embodiment of part of the sewage system according to the invention and comprises the main components: a wash-basin 120, a storage tank 140, a toilet 110 and a buffer tank 130.
• the outlet pipe 121 of the wash-basin is connected to the storage tank 140, in which the slightly polluted water is stored.
• the toilet 110 which is fold- able, is raised after use and emptied via a discharge duct 111 into the buffer tank 130.
• the buffer tank 130 is in turn connected to the waste pipe 1 of the house.
• a valve (not shown) opens and the water in the storage tank 140 is conducted via a pipe 141 down to the buffer tank 140 which is flushed, and out through the waste pipe 1 of the house.
• the foldability of the toilet means, among other things, that it takes up a smaller space when not being used.
• the toilet 110 is raised and lowered by means of a pressure cylinder (not shown) , which is double-acting, uses the pressure exerted by the inlet water and is operated by means of a control valve (not shown) .
• the water on the idle side of the cylinder which is pressed out of the cylinder when operated, is used for preflushing and reflushing of the toilet.
• the toilet 110 is to be used, it is lowered by moving an operating lever (not shown) which operates the control valve, which opens for inlet water conducted to the pressure cylinder.
• the pressure cylinder lowers the toilet 110 to its position of use while at the same time the water from the idle side of the pressure cylinder is passed into the toilet 110 for wetting the same.
• the water is conducted to the sides of the toilet 110 where it is ejected through flushing nozzles 114.
• the flushing nozzles 114 cause the water to be flushed down in the toilet 110 at high speed, thereby cleaning the same.
• the water is flushed as a mist into the discharge duct 111, which prevents odour from being emitted from the buffer tank 130.
• a pneumatically operated spring (not shown) is arranged to press the toilet 110 and hold it in place until the toilet is to be used the next time.
• the wash-basin 120 As the wash-basin 120 is used, water flows down through its outlet pipe 121 to the storage tank 140. When the water in the storage tank 140 reaches a certain level, a discharge valve opens and water flows down through a discharge pipe 141 into the buffer tank 130. The jet of water hits the contents of the buffer tank 130 and pushes them to the waste pipe connection 131 and out through the waste pipe 1. Owing to the fact that the less polluted water pushes the more polluted water, an effective flushing of the network of waste pipes is obtained. To prevent the buffer tank 130 from being flushed at inconvenient points of time, the sanitary unit 100 is pro- vided with a flush-blocking means which controls the point of time when flushing is feasible.
• flush-blocking means When the flush-blocking means is in the blocking position, flushing does not take place even if the water in the storage tank 140 has reached the level of emptying. Excess water is instead conducted out of the storage tank 140 through an overflow pipe 143 down to the waste pipe connection 131.
• a kitchen unit 200 which is shown in Fig. 4, is made up of the main components: a storage tank 240, a buffer tank 230, a sink 220 and a waste disposer 210.
• the sink 220 is of a common type with a single sink or two or more sinks.
• the waste disposer 210 can be an ordinary waster disposer, but in a preferred embodiment, use is made of a water-actuated pressure cylinder 212 which presses the waste through an apertured plate.
• a water-actuated pressure cylinder 212 which presses the waste through an apertured plate.
• water from the sink or sinks
• the food waste is collected in a buffer tank 230.
• the buffer tank 230 is flushed intermittently by means of the water in the storage tank 240.
• the flushing can be controlled, for example, by filling the storage tank 240 or by centrally controlling a flush- blocking valve.
• the kitchen unit 200 essentially corresponds to the sanitary unit 100 and its function can be controlled and adjusted in the same manner as for the sanitary unit 100.
• the kitchen unit 200 or a variant thereof is above all suitable for use in large-scale kitchens, slaughter hoses, gardeners, or other installations where large amounts of organic waste arise.
• the sink 220 and the waste disposer 210 or the waste cylinder 212 need not necessarily be interconnected.
• the sewage system, the sanitary unit 100 and the kitchen unit 200 are examples of convenient constructional solutions which utilise the basic concept of col- lecting heavily polluted waste water in a buffer tank 30, collecting less polluted water in a storage tank 40, and using the water in the storage tank 40 for intermittently flushing the waste water out of the buffer tank 30.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Sanitary Device For Flush Toilet (AREA)
• Domestic Plumbing Installations (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20412683

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 1998
  • 1998-09-23 SE SE9803219A patent/SE513004C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1999
  • 1999-09-23 WO PCT/SE1999/001665 patent/WO2000020697A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1999-09-23 AU AU64917/99A patent/AU6491799A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-09-23 EP EP99952856A patent/EP1115952A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events