FI105223B - Vacuum drainage system drain device - Google Patents

Description

105223

VACUUM CLEANER UNDERWATER TÖMNINGSANORDNING FÖR VAKUUMAVLOPPSSYSTEM

The invention relates to a vacuum sewer system according to the preamble of claim 1.

One essential problem with vacuum sewer systems is the transfer of material transported in the sewer from a vacuum environment to a pressurized atmosphere 10. This problem has been solved in many different ways, some of which allow the continuous displacement of the material in the vacuum sewer out of the vacuum, while others allow only periodic displacement. Fl 70960 discloses a solution that permits continuous transfer. It is based on maintaining a vertical 15 columns of liquid at the end of the vacuum sewer, the height of which corresponds to the vacuum prevailing in the vacuum sewer. Waste water can continuously flow through this fluid pillar from a vacuum sewer to an atmosphere under atmospheric pressure. However, a disadvantage is that the vacuum is approximately equal to half the atmospheric requires about five meters, the height of the liquid column tube, which is difficult to find suitable space.

20

It is an object of the present invention to generally improve the technique of emptying a vacuum sewer device, and in particular a technique based on emptying a vacuum sewer via a flow-through fluid column. According to the invention, the entire drainage device, including the fluid column tube, must be accommodated in a relatively small space. The object of the invention is achieved by the system according to claim 1.

The invention is based on the fact that the mass force balancing the negative pressure of the liquid column is achieved by centrifugal force rather than gravity as in the known device. This is achieved by rotating sufficiently rapidly the outflow channel which is connected to the end of the vacuum drainage system, which is shaped so that its inlet end is on the axis of rotation and its outflow end is at a radial distance from the axis of rotation. The outflow end of the duct is provided with a valve device which opens when the mass force of the fluid in the duct is higher than the counter force caused by the negative pressure acting on the duct due to the rotational movement. In this case, evacuation of the vacuum sewer can be carried out in any way that does not in any way interfere with the operation of the vacuum sewer in the vacuum sewer system.

The drain channel of the device according to the invention is preferably dimensioned with respect to the rotational speed it is provided by its driving mechanism 10 so that the mass force causing the channel rotation at the outlet end of the channel is about 20 ...

100 times the mass force caused by local gravity.

This provides a device with high reliability.

The outlet end of the drainage channel is preferably 15 ... 55 cm, preferably 20 ...

40 cm from the axis of rotation of the channel. Such dimensioning allows the construction of a system of sufficiently small size, yet with a reasonable channel rotation speed of the order of 500 rpm.

Advantageously, the drainage drive actuator may be powered by an electric motor of the order of 1 kW and a nominal rotational speed of 1500 or 3000 rpm when connected to a 50 Hz mains. With such a simple motor transmission, e.g. by V-belt transmission, a suitable rotation speed for the drain channel is obtained.

25 The system vacuum pump can be powered by the same motor as the <drain channel. The system can be implemented in such a way that both the vacuum pump and the drain channel are always operated simultaneously. However, if it is desired to avoid that the drain channel sometimes rotates unnecessarily, a disconnect switch may be installed in the operating system of the drain channel 30. This avoids rotating the drain channel in a situation where the channel does not need to be drained.

3, 105223

The drain channel operation can also be controlled, e.g., by a sensor that prevents the channel from rotating and / or causes the channel valve device to close when the amount of fluid contained in the channel is below a certain threshold. Namely, it is important that even during the emptying of the duct, there is always so much liquid there that air cannot penetrate the duct through its outflow end. Essentially the same object is achieved if the drain channel valve device is a non-return valve and has a spring load acting on the valve closing direction, or alternatively if the drain channel valve device is a shut-off valve and has means for controlling its opening and closing movement

It is recommended that at least the end of the duct is tubular and corresponds to the dimension of a vacuum duct, i.e., having an inner diameter of about 45 to about 15 mm, preferably about 50 to about 55 mm. In this case, a sufficiently large volume of liquid required to ensure operation will easily accumulate in the duct.

To minimize the vibration caused by the eccentric rotating mass, the discharge channel may be balanced by a counterweight, or the channel may be bifurcated or multi-branched so that the center of its rotating mass is on the axis of rotation or in its immediate vicinity.

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The emptying device according to the invention operates very quickly. Therefore, it is advantageous to limit the rotation of the drain channel to short periods, preferably up to a few seconds, which is generally sufficient to achieve the desired drain operation. The function of the limiter may be based on the measurement of time or distance. In certain applications, it is conceivable that the rotational motion does not include even a complete rotation, whereby the rotational motion may also be a rapid reciprocating motion.

φ 30 4 105223

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawing, the sole figure of which illustrates the system of the invention as applied to toilets.

5 In the drawing, 1 is a vacuum closet and 2 connected sewers, the end of which opens into a relatively small intermediate tank 3. The delivery of lavatory 1 is controlled for each toilet by a drain valve 4, which is normally kept closed but can be opened if sewer 2 strong vacuum. The vacuum is generated by a vacuum pump 5 driven by an electric motor 6.

At the bottom of the intermediate container 3 is a tubular drain channel 8 that is rotatable about an axis 7 and is powered by a pulley 9 from the motor 6. At the end of the tube 8 there is a valve device 10 which may be a rigid or spring-loaded check valve or remote shut-off valve. The tube 8 rotates in the tank 11, through which bottom waste 12 from the vacuum drainage system through the tube 8 can be led to a desired destination, e.g., a municipal sewer, a sewage treatment plant or a collection tank 13.

20

The illustrated device operates as follows: Vacuum pump 5 is maintained in the permitted between the upper and lower limit continuously for about half an atmospheric vacuum in the sewer pipe 2 and the intermediate tank 3. Toilette 1 is emptied by opening the sewer valve 4. In this case, atmospheric pressure will push in the toilet waste 25 into the sewer pipe 2 and through the intermediate tank 3, from where they flow into a drain tube 8 under the same vacuum, forming a fluid column therein. By rotating the tube 8 rapidly, a centrifugal force is exerted thereon, which delivers the waste in the tube to its outer end by a force that exceeds the counter-force exerted by the vacuum, whereby some of the waste is exited from the tube 8 via the valve device 30. Immediately thereafter, the rotation of the tube 8 may be stopped.

There must always be enough liquid in the tube 8 to close the connection

Claims (10)

A vacuum sewer system having one or more sanitary appliances (1), e.g. 25 toilets, which are connected via a normally closed sewer valve (4) to a collection chamber (3) which can be maintained under vacuum by means of a vacuum pump (5) or the like. characterized in that the collecting chamber (3) is provided with a drain device (8-10) connected thereto, comprising a rapidly rotatable drain channel (8) having an inlet end on the channel rotation axis (7) and an outflow end 30 extending radially from the channel rotation axis (7) and is provided with a valve device (10) which opens when the mass force of the fluid in the duct is higher in the rotating duct than the counter-force caused by the negative pressure in the collecting chamber (3) acting on the duct. 105223 System according to Claim 1, characterized in that the drainage channel (8) is dimensioned in relation to the rotational speed it is provided by its drive mechanism (6, 9), so that the mass force causing the tube rotation at the outlet end of the tube is 20-100 times greater than the local mass force caused by gravity. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outflow end of the drainage channel (8) is 15 to 55 cm, preferably 20 to 40 cm from the axis of rotation of the channel (7). System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive mechanism of the drain channel (8) comprises a motor (6), preferably an electric motor of the order of 1 kW and a rated rotation speed connected to a 50 Hz mains, preferably 1500 or 3000. r / min. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the vacuum pump (5) of the system is powered by the same motor (6) as the drain channel (8), preferably via a disconnecting switch (14). The drainage channel may also be e.g. a double branch pipe 8, 8a. Due to the second branch 8a shown by the dashed line, the center of gravity of the rotating mass is shifted as close as possible to the axis 7. The drain channel transmission may include a remote controlled disconnecting coupling device 14. The pump 5 can then be operated without the drain channel. The rotation of the drainage channel and / or the operation of the valve device 10 may also be automatically controlled, e.g. The device includes a control center 16 which, for example on the basis of the pulse or other control command given by the sensor 15, starts the pump 5 and / or switches the switch 14. A pressure gauge 17 is also connected to the control center 16 to monitor that the If the valve device 10 is a controlled shut-off valve, its control device is activated based on the impulse output from the control center. The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but many of its embodiments 20 are contemplated within the scope of the appended claims. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drain channel (8) or the collecting chamber (3) has a sensor (15) arranged to prevent the channel (8) from rotating and / or arranged to actuate the valve device (10). closure when the amount of liquid contained in the channel (8) is below a certain threshold. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, if the valve device (10) of the drainage channel (8) is a non-return valve, there is a spring load acting on the valve closing direction, or alternatively, the valve device (10) of the drainage channel (8). being a shut-off valve, there are means (15) for controlling its opening and closing movement according to the mass force of the fluid in the duct. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least the outer end of the drain channel (8) is substantially cylindrical and has a diameter of 45 to 60 mm, preferably 50 to 55 mm. A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drain channel is dual or multi-branched (8, 8a) such that its center of rotation mass is at or near the axis of rotation (7). A system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drain channel actuator (6, 14, 9) comprises means (14) for limiting the rotation of the channel 15 for short periods, preferably of only a few seconds.