Definitions

• the present invention relates to a UV-germicidal device for fluid media, preferably with low transmission and high required UV intensity, in particular for ballast water in shipping, with the features of the preamble to Claim 1.
• Ballast water is taken on by ships in order to attain a more stable position in the water with a small cargo.
• ballast tanks are provided, into which, at the departure port before a journey with small cargo, seawater is pumped directly from the harbour.
• organisms are also taken on, which are conveyed on the voyage in the ballast tank.
• the water taken on undergoes only coarse filtering.
• ballast water In the destination port the ballast water is then discharged in order to re-establish the full loading capacity of the vessel once more.
• the ballast water is then pumped out of the tanks into the surrounding water when outside or in the destination port. Because the departure port and the destination port form different ecosystems, especially with overseas voyages, the risk should be avoided of the organisms taken up with the ballast water being discharged into the foreign ecosystem. To achieve this, the ballast water is disinfected when taken on and/or when being discharged.
• the disinfection device is incorporated in the pump line, specifically with disinfection by UV radiation sources in the form of radiation units aligned transversely to the direction of flow.
• the radiation units are in this situation either arranged one behind another in one plane in the direction of flow, or in two planes, likewise one behind another in the direction of flow but arranged offset against the mid- axis of the pipe at a distance from one another.
• a further variant is known in which numerous UV radiators are arranged in two planes parallel to the mid-axis of the pipe, but are aligned at an angle to the direction of flow. In this way a greater radiation length can be used with a given diameter of the pipe.
• the radiator arrangements mentioned have the fact in common that, next to the planes in which the radiator groups are arranged, flow paths form with a low intensity of UV radiation.
• these flow paths which in the variant first referred to are located above and below the radiator plane and in the second and third known variant are also located between the radiator planes, the probability of survival of the organisms contained in the water is too great. This applies in particular if the transmission of the ballast water for UV radiation is restricted.
• the object of the present invention is therefore to provide a UV disinfection device for ballast water which, when arranged in a pump line, produces a substantially better disinfection performance with a comparable number of radiators and a similar energy consumption.
• UV radiators arranged behind one another in the flow direction are offset against one another at an angle in relation to the radial direction, the probability is reduced of the micro-organisms or other substances contained in the medium to be disinfected passing through the device on a flow path which does not have an adequate UV intensity.
• angle ⁇ amounts to 15° to 45° and preferably 30°.
• the angle ⁇ can, for example, be selected as dependent on the pipe diameter.
• Radiators with greater discharge lengths can be used if the sheath pipe is inclined against the radial direction of the pump line by an angle ⁇ of 30° to 70°.
• a broad irradiation of all possible flow paths is achieved if at least two groups of sheath pipes are provided, of which one sheath pipe in each case is arranged in relation to the mid-axis of the pump line next to a sheath pipe of the other group and wherein the groups in each case form a separate screw-shaped row.
• three or more radiators can be arranged next to one another in a radial plane. In this situation the areas of the pump line close to the wall are also reached if the sheath pipes are arranged at a distance from the mid-axis .
• the groups have different distance intervals from the mid-axis, namely a first group has a large distance interval and a second group a small distance interval.
• the first group can be aligned at a large angle ⁇ of 50° to 70° and the second group at a smaller angle ⁇ of 30° to 49° to the radial direction, such that both groups can be equipped with the same radiators.
• the larger distance interval can amount to more than 60% of the radius of the pump line and the smaller distance interval less than 40% of the radius of the pump line.
• the one distance interval can be 75% of the radius of the pump line and the second distance interval 20% of the radius of the pump line.
• Figure 1 A disinfection device according to the prior art, with a single-row radiator arrangement, which has radiators aligned at an angle of 90° to the direction of flow;
• Figure 2 A disinfection device with two rows of radiators arranged in the radial direction at a distance from the axis, which likewise have an angle of 90° to the direction of flow;
• Figure 3 A disinfection system with two rows of radiators at a radial distance interval from one another, wherein the radiators have an angle of about 50° to the direction of flow of the medium;
• FIG. 4 A disinfection device according to the invention with a single row of radiators arranged in screw- shaped;
• Figure 5 A disinfection device similar to Figure 4 with two rows located radially at a distance from one another, which are in each case arranged in screw-shaped; and Figure 6: The arrangement according to Fig. 5 in a diagrammatic perspective arrangement.
• UV disinfection systems for the disinfection of ballast water should first be described. Disinfection in this situation means a reduction in the live microorganisms contained in it .
• the ballast water is taken up through a pump line and stored in tanks. At the destination, the ballast water is again discharged through the pump line.
• a disinfection procedure in which the whole of the water must be subjected to a specific UV dosage can therefore only take place in the pump line itself, since not all areas of the tank can be irradiated. Disinfection in the tank during the voyage with UV radiation therefore cannot be carried out without additional installed elements. Chemical disinfection should not be carried out because of possible residues of the disinfection media in the ballast water.
• a high flow rate is to be expected in the pump line.
• a high UV intensity is therefore required at the site of the irradiation, i.e. in the pump line.
• This intensity is achieved by a number of high-performance UV radiators .
• the radiators themselves are arranged in sheath pipes . These sheath pipes are made of quartz and run through the pump line in such a way that they are inserted in a sealing manner into the wall. The radiators are then in turn inserted into the sheath pipes, such that they do not come in contact with the ballast water but can emit their radiation effect into the ballast water through the sheath pipe.
• Figure 1 shows a pump line 1 with an essentially circular cross-section.
• the direction of flow runs in the longitudinal direction of the pump line 1, which is indicated by the flow arrow 2.
• An axis of symmetry 3 symbolises the mid-axis of the pump line 1 and represents the rotational symmetry of the arrangement. It is possible to define two angles, namely one angle ⁇ , which is measured from a horizontally aligned radius in the circumferential direction and in the clockwise direction, and a second angle ⁇ , which is measured from a radius outwards in the direction of the axis of symmetry 3.
• UV radiators Located in the interior of the pump pipe 1 are a number of UV radiators which are aligned transverse to the direction of flow 2. In Figure 1 they are represented as horizontal, i.e. they lie in one plane in relation to the mid-axis 3.
• the radiators 4 are arranged in the area of the greatest diameter of the pump line 1. In the sense of the angle definition explained above, the angle ⁇ measures 0° and the angle ⁇ likewise 0°.
• the individual radiators 4 lie precisely transverse to the mid-axis 3 and are penetrated by it.
• FIG. 2 shows another prior art, in which radiators 5 are arranged in a plane above the axis of symmetry 3, while a second set of radiators 5' is arranged below the axis of symmetry 3.
• the two groups of radiators 5 and 5' have the same distance interval from the axis of symmetry 3.
• the radiators are arranged horizontally and parallel to a diameter of the pump line 1.
• the angles ⁇ and ⁇ are likewise equal to 0°.
• a distance interval d between the mid-axis 3 and the radiator units 5 and 5' amounts to some 50% of the radius of the pump line 1.
• FIG 3 shows a further prior art.
• UV radiators 6 and 6' are arranged, as in Figure 2, in two planes parallel to the mid-axis of the pump line 1.
• the individual radiators 6 and 6' as a departure from the embodiments in Figure 1 and Figure 2, are inclined against the radius of the pump line 1.
• the angle ⁇ amounts to about 40°.
• the distance interval d corresponds to that in Figure 2.
• the angle ⁇ is 0°.
• a radiator arrangement is selected which allows every possible flow path to impinge on a UV radiator at least once in the course of the pump line.
• FIG. 4 shows the pump line 1 with a number of radiators 7, which in each case are offset to one another by an angle ⁇ .
• the angle ⁇ in this case amounts to about 30°.
• the distance interval d for two radiators arranged next to one another is the same.
• Figure 5 shows another embodiment, this time in a front view in the direction of the mid-axis 3 of the pump line 1.
• the representation shows a plurality of sheath pipes, which are numbered sequentially from front to back. Lying in the first plane are two sheath pipes 10 and 10' .
• the second plane located behind this is comprised of two sheath pipes 11 and 11'; the third plane of the sheath pipes 12 and 12'; and so on.
• the term "plane" in this connection is not to be understood strictly as a radial plane, but rather as the area in which two radiators lie next to one another in relation to the direction of flow of the pumped medium.
• the sheath pipes 10, 11, 12, 13 ... have a distance interval rl from the mid-axis 3, which amounts to some 75% of the radius of the pump line 1.
• the distance interval of the sheath pipes 10' 11', 12', 13' ... from the mid-axis 3 of the pump line 1 amounts to about 18% of the radius of the pump line 1.
• the arrangement according to Fig. 5 shows a type of double helix or super helix.
• chord length available of the sheath pipes 10, 11, 12, 13 ... is shorter than that of the sheath pipes 10', 11', 12' 13' ... This is compensated for by different angles ⁇ to the longitudinal axis 3 of the pump pipe 1, as can be seen from Fig. 6.
• Figure 6 shows in a diagrammatic representation a perspective view of the pump line 1 with sheath pipes 11 to 15 and 11' to 15' respectively arranged in it in the configuration corresponding to Figure 5.
• the angle ⁇ of the sheath pipes 10, 11, 12, 13 ... amounts to 60° and that of the sheath pipes 10', 11', 12', 13' ... lying closer to the axis 3 amounts to 40°.
• the length of the sheath pipes available for the irradiation of the UV radiation into the medium is therefore about the same in each case.
• the pump line can also be wound, angled or provided with another cross-section.
• the arrangement of the radiators in the pump line is then to be adapted accordingly.
• the radiators can also be aligned differently; for example, a displacement of the pairs of radiators in relation to one another in the direction of flow is also possible.
• the pairs of radiators in one plane can have a non- parallel relationship and these same pairs of radiators can have different angles ⁇ .

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• Physical Water Treatments (AREA)
• Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)

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• 2008
  • 2008-03-06 EP EP08716309A patent/EP2160362A2/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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