GB2463891A

GB2463891A - Liquid separation

Info

Publication number: GB2463891A
Application number: GB0817684A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Phillips
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-09-26
Filing date: 2008-09-26
Publication date: 2010-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 2028-09-26
Also published as: GB0817684D0; GB2463891B

Abstract

A tray/tank to collect and separate fluids such as oil and water, comprises a grating 3, a fluid holding tray/tank 1, and an outlet pipe 2, originating from, in use, an upper portion of an outer side of the fluid-holding tray/tank being angled from the outer side of the fluid-holding tray/tank towards a base of the fluid-holding tray/tank, terminating a substantially short distance from the base. The outlet pipe characterised in that a discharge end is substantially higher than an inlet to said pipe whilst still maintaining a distance from, in use, an upper edge of the fluid-holding tray/tank. Preferably the tray/tank may taper to allow for stacking and may include a sloping plate under the grating. Advantageously the tray/tank separates one liquid from another provided they have differing specific gravities, and may be used to reduce the risk of an oil spill reaching a water course from a defective item of plant placed upon the tray/tank.

Description

Liquid Separation Tray

Prior art.

There has been a tightening of environmental regulations in the recent years, one of the more tightly controlled is the prevention of contamination of waterways etc by waste oil or fuel, To combat this various methods have been employed in the past ranging from bunded enclosures to simple means such as sand to absorb the spill.

This sand then needs to be collected and dealt with according to local regulations.

Various containment systems exist which present a barrier to the spillage reaching a water course etc. The one major drawback to these technologies is that they all either require a contaminated absorbent material to be disposed of or they simply contain all the liquids that are spilt into them with no separation means. Once rainfall is taken into account it can be seen that it poses quite a problem.

Also with present technologies there is no means to safely stack the trays when in storage which can lead to litigation concerns the present invention mitigates this risk in a simple fashion.

The present invention proposes through a simple method to ensure that an item of machinery which is placed upon it cannot leak contaminants in a dangerous fashion regardless of rainfall provided that levels are monitored on a regular basis.

The present invention relies on the fact that oil is lighter than water and thus will float on top of water. The invention comprises of a tank and an outlet means. Said outlet will discharge only water, provided that regular level checks are completed, if the level is found to be approaching the maximum mark then the tray needs to be emptied according to local regulations. The existing technology has two major problems, the first being that there is a large chamber at the end which significantly reduces the amount of liquid storable by the tray for a given footprint. Secondly as said chamber has no access apart from a small hole at the bottom there is no easy way to clean the tray, this is a major shortfall for something that is used in arduous conditions, A number of embodiments have been envisioned and the following is meant to outline the spirit of the invention and is illustrative but not restrictive. The invention strives to overcome the aforementioned deficits of the existing technology. Please refer to the attached drawings.

The proposed invention consists of a large tray (1) with at least one outlet pipe (2).

Said pipe is angled from the end of the tray towards the base of the tray. This pipe is straight and therefore easily cleared with a proprietary drainage rod if it becomes blocked due to debris. There will be a grating (3) fitted to the top of the tray upon which items, such as plant, can be placed. This grating is constructed to support the weight of the plant yet allow easy drainage of liquids into the tray (1). There is no chamber constructed in the tray and so the amount of fluid storable by the tray is significantly greater than the aforementioned existing technology.

A further incarnation is substantially similar in construction yet it utilises a plurality of outlet pipes (4), these are again angled towards the base of the tray and are of straight construction to allow the easy use of drainage rods to dislodge a blockage.

A further embodiment would be to have a baffle plate (6) that slopes downwards towards the end opposing the outlet. This baffle has a drainage means towards the lower end of the baffle. This will slow the fluid down on entry to the tray thus reducing turbulence and because it is the furthest away from the outlet possible within the confines of the tray it will increase the time taken to reach the outlet. This baffle will be removable to facilitate cleaning of the tray.

Any of the previous methods can be fitted with a means to lockable locate an item upon the grating. This is best personified by a security cage (5) that is placed over an item of plant in its entirety and then locked to the tray (1). This would significantly hinder theft due to the sheer weight of the assembly. Furthermore a method of winching a static item onto the grating would be preferred.

Furthermore the tray will be tapered from top to bottom to facilitate safe stacking and increase the number of trays that can be stored in a certain area.

Claims

Claims 1. A tray to collect and separate fluids, including but not restricted to, oil and water, comprising a grating, a fluid-holding tray and an outlet pipe, said outlet pipe originating from the upper portion of an outer side, being angled from the aforementioned side of the tray towards the base of the tray, terminating a short distance from the base of the tray, said outlet pipe charactensed in that the discharge is substantially higher than the inlet to said pipe whilst still maintaining a distance from the upper edge of said tray.
2. A tray according to claim 1 characterised in that the outlet pipe is straight to enable easy dislodging of debris, said pipe finishing at the outside elevation of the tray.
3. A tray according to previous claims characterised in that there are a plurality of outlet pipes.
4. A tray according to any previous claim in which a sloping plate is fitted under the grating, said tray sloping downwards towards the end opposed to the outlet.
5. A tray according to claims I to 4 which is characterised by a means of lockably locating an item on the top surface of the grating, said means including but not limited to a security cage.
6. A tray according to any previous claim characterised in that a winch is fitted to facilitate loading of said tray.
7. A tray according to any previous claim charactensed in that the outlet pipe is flexible to allow decanting of the collected contaminants.
8. A tray according to any previous claim characterised in that the tray tapers from top to bottom to allow easy and safe stacking.Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows: Claims 1. A tray to collect and separate fluids, including but not restricted to, oil and water, comprising a grating, a fluid-holding tray and an outlet pipe, said outlet pipe originating from in use, an upper portion of an outer side of the fluid holding tray, and being angled from the aforementioned outer side of the fluid holding tray towards the base of the fluid holding tray, terminating a substantially short distance from the base, said outlet pipe charactensed in that a discharge end is substantially higher than an inlet to said pipe whilst still maintaining a distance from, in use, an upper edge of said fluid holding tray.2. A tray according to claim 1 characterised in that the outlet pipe is substantially straight to enable easy dislodging of debris, said pipe finishing at the outside elevation of the tray.3. A tray according to previous claims characterised in that there are a plurality of outlet pipes.4. A tray according to any previous claim in which a sloping plate is fitted under : the grating, said plate sloping downwards towards the end opposed to the * * * outlet.5. A tray according to any previous claim characterised in that the outlet pipe is flexible to allow decanting of the collected contaminants.6. A tray according to any previous claim charactensed in that the tray tapers :. from top to bottom to allow easy and safe stacking. ** * * 14 * **