GB2247050A - Liquid, powder, or heavier gas dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser needs no moving parts to reliably provide pre-determined doses of dispensate (11) to a receiving substance (12). The incentive for injecting the dose may be a simple fall in the level of the receiving substance, or a forced pressure difference. Vents may be provided to improve operational efficiency, or safety. The shapes and sizes of passages and chambers may be altered from dispenser to dispenser to permit changes in dosing quantity and rate. Difficult dispensates may require heaters, coolers, stirrers, fans or recirculating pumps to be included within the dispenser. Some dispensates will require vapour valves or traps, and pneumatic/hydraulic tuning cavities/stubs. The component parts of the dispenser may be physically separated or re-arranged, and connected together by ducts or pipes to suit each application. The dispensate (11) storage tank may be open-topped and vent freely, or be vented through additional pipes. <IMAGE>

Description

1 LIQUID, POWDER OR HEAVIER GAS DISPENSER.

This invention relates to a liquid, powder or heavier gas dispenser.

The disadvantages of most dispensers using automatic valves or stop valves are mainly the increasing unreliability of the valve operation or valve seal with age. This usually results in, respectively, reduced doses and continuous leaking of the dispensate. The reliability of such valves in economically priced dispensers is correspondingly less, and therefore far from adequate.

This dispenser requires no moving parts, except the dispensate itself. and, as a result, it offers great reliability of operation.

The basic dispenser consists of an open tank of dispensate (11) connected by bleed to the vent maze. The vent maze empties into an inverted funnel, which is normally fully immersed in the receiving substance (12).

Both the dispensate (11) and the receiving substance (12) have derived pressure feeds into the same inverted U-bend (15) within the vent maze. When the.pressure differential is sufficient, some of the dispensate flows past the U-bend into the receiving substance (12). By use of one or more vent tubes (14) and anti-siphon tubes (14 & 16), the quantity of dispensate dispensed for each injection is pre-determined.

The input-siphon killer is formed by a tube or cavity, which basically extends from a small bleed arrangement (13) near the base of the dispensate reservoir to a large vent clear of the surface of the dispensate. The bleed arrangement will not support a siphon, which collapses as the vent tube is emptied. The output-siphon killer (16) bleeds trapped gas to the top of the inverted U-bend (15) and prevents mixtures of dispensate and gas (bubbles) from obstructing the downpipe. Any dispensate reaching the U-bend will be dispensed.

Some dispensates will require control or one-way valves, gas valves, additional safety vents, extra pipes or chambers, heaters, coolers, stirrers, fans or re-circulating pumps to be incorporated, in various combinations, within the base dispenser design.

An example of a practical arrangement for dispensing into a falling level of receiving substance is shown at Fig 1.

Fig 1 includes an input-siphon killer (14), and an output-siphon killer (16) to prevent uncontrolled doses occurring. The arrangement shown administers a dose proportional to the dispensate reservoir (11) level.

Fig 2 shows a less reliable version without the output-siphon killer.

Fig 3 shows the version without the input-siphon killer, which empties the dispensate storage tank (11) at the first operation- Fig 4 shows a version, which attempts to maintain the dose level independent of the dispensate tank level (11).

Fig 5 is a diagrammatic example of a direct pressure operated version.

Fig 6 is a diagrammatic representation of a vacuum operated version.

Fig 7 shows additional vapour valves, filler valves and by-passes, float valves, heaters, coolers, stirrers, fans, and pumps. The re-circulating pump ensures a consistent dosage of dispensate (11).

Fig 8 shows additional chambers and vents and intermediate chambers and pipes, used variously as condensing reservoirs, seperating tanks, remixing pipes, boiling tanks and hydraulic/pneumatic matching stubs.

1 i i 1 i i i I 1 7rT F-> od% -T- F N -r (: L_ d4S. 1 M!E>' 1 lq liquid, powder or heavy gas dispenser operated by a fall in the level of the receiving substance (12), or by a pressure difference, requiring no moving parts, except the substance dispensed (11).

2 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, with vent tubes (14) and/or vent chambers.

3 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, with antisyphon vents (16).

4 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, with controi and/or one-way valves.

A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, with additional or intermediate tubes, partitions or chambers.

6 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, with fans, stirrers, pumps, heaters or coolers in any parts in any combination- 7 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1 and any of these claims, giving predictable or repeatable doses until the tank is emptied.

8 A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, where diagrammi examples are shown in Figs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Published 1992 at The Patent Office- Concept House. Cardiff Road. Newport. Gwent NP9 3 RH Further copies ma%. be obtained froill Sales Branch. Unit 6. Nine Mile Point. Cwinfelinfach. Cross Keys. Newport- NPI 7HZ. Printed by Multiplex techniques lid. St Man Crin - Kent