JP2002104577A - Apparatus for use in transportation - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for use in transportation suitable for a flexible and non-rigid container, which can improve stability of a cargo during the transportation, and to provide a method of transportation. SOLUTION: The apparatus comprises a flexible container 1 for transporting a liquid, a gel and a thixotropic fluid. The container 1 has an orifice for loading and unloading the liquid, the gel and the thixotropic fluid and one or more heating elements for heating the liquid, the gel and the thixotropic fluid in the container to facilitate their discharge from the container. The liquid loaded in the flexible container can be cooled and increased in viscosity thereby improving stability during transportation. The cooled liquid can be heated by the heating elements to have the viscosity lowered, whereby it can be simply removed from an outlet orifice.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an automobile container,
The present invention relates to a device that is mounted inside a transportation device such as a tanker, a trailer, or a rigid van body and is used for transporting a liquid, a gel, a thixotropic fluid, and the like. The device of the invention comprises a liquid,
It can also be used as a self-contained container used for transporting gels, thixotropic fluids, and the like. In particular, but not exclusively, the devices of the present invention are used to transport liquids, gels, thixotropic fluids, etc. in ISO containers.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to transport liquids by tanker. It is often required that the cargo be transported in only one direction. Subsequent land transport of another liquid may also be necessary. As a result, tankers are either unavailable for use or need to be cleaned after each shipment to prevent contamination of the cargo.
In this way, the effectiveness of using a tanker is diminished.

[0003] When the volume of the liquid increases, the problem arises that if the volume moves greatly in the container during transportation, the liquid becomes unstable. Although buffers have been provided to prevent such movement within rigid containers, they are not suitable for use with flexible non-rigid containers.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus comprising a flexible container for transporting liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids. The flexible container has "at least one orifice" for taking liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids in and out, and "1 for heating liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids in the container to facilitate discharge from the container. Or two or more heating elements ".

[0005] The present invention also provides a transport method for transporting liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids.
The method includes the steps of "putting a liquid, gel, or thixotropic fluid into the flexible container through at least one inlet orifice provided in the flexible container" and "liquid,
A step of cooling the gel or thixotropic fluid until it is cooled or frozen, a step of transporting the flexible container, and a step of transferring the chilled liquid, gel, or thixotropic fluid to one or more placed in the flexible container. And a step of discharging a liquid, a gel, and a thixotropic fluid through an outlet orifice ”.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is applicable to transporting liquids, gels, thixotropy fluids, and the like, and the case of transporting liquids will be described below.

The apparatus of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a flexible container 1 of the type described in the applicant's currently pending British patent application GB9923171. The container 1 has an inner liner 10 that wraps a liquid to be transported, and an outer liner 30.

Although the inner liner may have any shape, FIGS. 1 to 3 exemplarily show a tubular form as a whole. The inner liner 10 includes an upper panel 19, a lower panel 20, and an end wall 18. Inner liner 10
Has a polyhedral shape, and the end wall 18 has a lateral road surface shape. The outer ends of the upper panel 19, the lower panel 20, and the end wall 18 are sewn together to form a sealed container space inside the inner liner 10.

The seam 11 runs over the entire outer periphery of the inner liner 10. Along the two longitudinal seams between the upper and lower panels 19, 20 and furthermore, the end wall 18 and the two panels 1
Along the circumferential seam between 9 and 20, seam 11 runs. When constructing the inner liner 10, the two longitudinal seams connecting the panels 19, 20 are two
Preferably, they are located at two opposing positions.

The inner liner 10 is made from polyethylene or a similar material. These materials are flexible and impervious to liquids and powders being transported. The inner liner 10 may have a single-layer structure or a laminated structure. The inner liner 10 shown in FIG. 3 has a four-layer structure. Optionally, one layer in the layer structure of the inner liner 10 may be configured with a barrier 15 against oxygen and moisture.

The maximum volume of the inner liner 10 varies according to the maximum volume of the liquid to be transported. Typically, the inner liner
The maximum volume of 10 is 200-35000 liters. Inner liner
The 10 is provided with an inlet / outlet valve 12 for filling and discharging the liner 10 with liquid. The inlet / outlet valve 12 may be located at any position on the inner liner 10, but in the example shown in FIG. 2, it is located on the upper surface as an example.

The inner liner 10 is provided with a pressure release valve 13. This valve 13 is connected by a cup to a manual drain tap. Pressure relief valve 1
3 prevents dangerous high pressure in the inner liner 10 due to the nature of the liquid to be transported. Pressure relief valve 13
In this case, the valve may be arranged at any position on the inner liner 10, but in the example shown in FIG. 2, it is arranged on the end wall 18 as an example. The outer liner 30 has a shape that substantially conforms to the shape of the inner liner 10 and at least partially covers the inner liner 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer liner 30
Preferably, substantially the entire inner liner 10 is covered. An opening is formed in the outer liner 30 and the entrance /
The outlet valve 12 and the pressure release valve 13 project.

The outer liner 30 is preferably made of a material such as polypropylene and braided to increase tensile and tear strength.

The outer liner 30 is attached to the inner liner 10 along at least a portion of the peripheral seam 11 of the inner liner 10. The outer liner 30 is preferably attached to the inner liner 10 along substantially the entire perimeter seam 11 of the inner liner 10.

The attachment of the outer liner 30 to the inner liner 10 can be accomplished using sewing, heat fusing, or both. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the attachment is performed by the sewn portion 16 and the ultrasonic heating and fusion portion 17. However, these are merely examples. The attachment combining both the sewn portion 16 and the ultrasonically heated and fused portion 17 increases the strength and reliability of the connection. Preferably, the outer liner 30 is attached to the inner liner 10 by the same sewing process used to connect the panels 19, 20 and end wall 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, one or more heating probes 50 are provided in the flexible container 1. Each heating probe 50 (one of which is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5) includes a heating element 51 connected to a power source by a cable 52. A control circuit including a thermostat is housed in a housing 53 from which a heating element 51 extends. As shown in FIG.
An outer sheath 54 is connected to the housing 53, and the outer sheath 54 covers the heating element 51.

The heating probe 50 is inserted through an opening 55 provided in the flexible container 1 and penetrates both the outer liner 30 and the inner liner 10. The number of heating probes 50 provided depends on the volume of liquid to be heated.

The power source may be a dedicated power source such as a generator or a power source of a transportation device. Heating element 51
May be stainless steel or another equivalent material. The thermostat may be mechanical, electrical, or equivalent.

The thermostat controls the degree of heating distributed to the liquid. The thermostat is set remotely or locally using a control circuit in the housing 53. The outer sheath 54 is made of a metal or plastic material.

In use, the inner liner 10 of the flexible container 1 is filled with a liquid. As the volume of the contents within inner liner 10 increases, the pressure within inner liner 10 increases accordingly. The structure of the device of the present invention is advantageous in that the outer liner 30 made of polypropylene can withstand high levels of hoop stress and longitudinal stress. Each of these stresses occurs in the device due to liquids or particles in the inner liner 10. As a result, the reinforcing effect of the outer liner 30 can prevent the inner liner 10 made of a material having a relatively small tensile strength from being torn or punctured.

The device of the present invention can also be used as a free-standing container for transporting liquids. FIG.
As shown in the above, the device can be used in cooperation with the transportation device 40. The transportation device 40 may be any suitable container, such as a tanker, trailer, rigid van body, or ISO container. Although the device of the present invention is merely mounted inside such a transport device 40, it is preferably secured within the transport device 40 using a string, rope, elastic cord, or other means. The fixing means is preferably arranged between the end walls 18 of the device according to the invention and each end wall 41 of the transport device 40.

The flexible container 1 and its contents are frozen in a solid state or cooled in a sherbet state to increase the viscosity. This is advantageous because the stability of the cargo is increased. The cooling device is provided in the transport equipment, or a dedicated cooling means is provided in the flexible container 1.

When it becomes necessary to discharge the liquid from the flexible container 1, the heating probe 50 is turned on to heat the liquid. The temperature at which the liquid is heated is determined by control using a thermostat. Typically, the temperature depends on the type of liquid, but Celsius
3 to 110 degrees.

The viscosity of the liquid is reduced by heating,
Increased freedom of movement. As a result, discharge from the flexible container 1 becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which an apparatus of the present invention is placed in a transportation device.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a heating element included in the device shown in FIG. 1 with its outer sheath removed.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the heating element shown in FIG. 4 with its outer sheath attached.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Flexible container (flexible container) 10 Inner liner 11 Seam 12 Inlet / outlet valve 13 Pressure release valve 15 Barrier 16 Sewing part 17 Fused part 18 End wall 19 Upper panel 20 Lower panel 30 Outer liner 40 Transportation equipment 41 end wall 50 heating probe 51 heating element 52 cable 53 housing 54 outer sheath 55 opening

Claims (13)

[Claims] An apparatus comprising a flexible container for transporting liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids, the flexible container comprising at least one orifice for receiving and receiving liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids. One or two to heat liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids in the container to facilitate drainage from the container
An apparatus for transportation, comprising: the above heating element. 2. The flexible container comprises an outer liner and an inner liner, wherein the outer liner at least partially covers the inner liner and attaches to the inner liner along at least a portion of a periphery of the inner liner. The transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the transportation device is provided. 3. The transportation device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more heating elements include a control unit using a thermostat. 4. The inner liner includes water and / or
4. The transport device according to claim 2, wherein a barrier layer against oxygen is provided. 5. The transportation device according to claim 2, wherein the outer liner is formed by knitting polypropylene. 6. The method according to claim 2, wherein the inner liner is made of polyethylene.
4. The transport device according to any one of the preceding claims. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising cooling means for cooling or freezing the liquid, gel, and thixotropy fluid by cooling the container to increase the viscosity, thereby facilitating transportation. A transport device according to any one of the preceding claims. 8. A transportation device comprising the device according to claim 1 therein. 9. The transportation device according to claim 8, wherein an outer liner of the transportation device is attached to the transportation device. 10. A method for transporting liquids, gels, and thixotropic fluids, comprising the steps of placing a liquid, gel, or thixotropic fluid into a flexible container through at least one inlet orifice provided in the flexible container. Cooling the liquid, gel, or thixotropic fluid until it is cooled or frozen; transporting the flexible container; and placing the chilled liquid, gel, or thixotropic fluid in the flexible container. A transportation method, comprising: heating using two or more heating elements to reduce the viscosity to liquefy, and discharging a liquid, a gel, and a thixotropic fluid through an outlet orifice. 11. The flexible container according to claim 1, wherein the flexible container is mounted inside a car container, a tanker, a trailer, a rigid van body, an ISO container, or the like.
The transport method described in 10. 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the liquid, the gel, and the thixotropic fluid are heated to a temperature within a range of 3 to 110 degrees Celsius. 13. The transportation method according to claim 10, wherein the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice are shared by one orifice.