JP6774194B2 - Powdered urea storage container - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a powdered urea storage container.

The SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system is known as one of the measures against the regulation (NOx tertiary regulation) aimed at reducing the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from ships. In the SCR system, urea water is generally used as the reducing agent. In the SCR system on a ship, a method of storing urea in the state of powdered urea on the ship and producing urea water from the powdered urea at the time of use is being studied. Since powdered urea is known to solidify by absorbing moisture, various methods for storing powdered urea while avoiding absorbing moisture on ships have been studied (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-71148

However, ships are generally highly humid and it is difficult to completely prevent the absorption of powdered urea. When the powdered urea is solidified in the storage container, it is necessary to crush the solidified powdered urea in order to put the powdered urea into the urea water production apparatus or the like, which increases the amount of work related to the production of urea water. Can be considered. As described above, there is room for improvement in the handleability of powdered urea stored on a ship when producing urea water.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a powdered urea storage container having improved handleability of powdered urea when producing urea water.

In order to achieve the above object, the powdered urea storage container according to the present invention is a powdered urea storage container used in a ship equipped with a urea water production apparatus, and is a closed type container for storing powdered urea inside. Therefore, it is characterized by having a charging means for charging the powdered urea inside to the urea water production apparatus.

According to the above-mentioned powdered urea storage container, when powdered urea is stored, since it is a closed type, it is possible to prevent solidification of powdered urea due to moisture absorption, so that deterioration of handleability can be prevented. Further, when the powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus, the powdered urea is easily charged by the charging means. Therefore, the handleability of the powdered urea when producing urea water is improved.

Here, the charging means may be a watering means for spraying water inside the container.

As described above, by providing the watering means, when the powdered urea is solidified inside the container, the water is sprayed to promote the dissolution of the powdered urea, and it is easy to input the powdered urea into the urea water production apparatus. Can be.

The watering means may be in a mode of spraying water on the inner surface of the container at positions separated by a predetermined distance.

As described above, by spraying water on the inner surface of the container at positions separated by a predetermined distance, the powdered urea solidified near the inner surface of the container is dissolved while being divided into block units of a desired size. Therefore, the workability related to the injection of powdered urea into the urea water production apparatus can be further improved.

The charging means may include a means for opening and closing the container below the container.

As described above, by providing a means for opening and closing the container below the container, the powdered urea inside can be directly dropped into the urea water production apparatus from below the container, so that the powder for producing urea water can be produced. The handleability of urea is improved.

According to the present invention, there is provided a powdered urea storage container having improved handleability of powdered urea when producing urea water.

It is a figure explaining the use environment of the powdered urea storage container which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the powdered urea storage container which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure explaining the procedure at the time of putting powdered urea into a urea water production apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the powder urea storage container which concerns on 1st modification. It is a schematic block diagram of the powder urea storage container which concerns on the 2nd modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage environment of the powdered urea storage container 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Further, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a powdered urea storage container. As shown in FIG. 1, the powdered urea storage container 2 according to the present embodiment is a container mounted on a ship 1 and used. Vessel 1 is equipped with a urea water production device 3. The powdered urea storage container 2 is a container for storing powdered urea used for producing urea water in the urea water producing apparatus 3. Urea water is used in the SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system.

The powdered urea is charged into the powdered urea storage container 2 inside or outside the ship 1. In the ship 1, the powdered urea is stored in a state of being charged into the powdered urea storage container 2, and the powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus 3 from the powdered urea storage container 2 to produce urea water.

As shown in FIG. 2, the powder urea storage container 2 has a tubular main body portion 21, an upper lid portion 22 attached above the main body portion 21, and a lower lid portion 23 attached below the main body portion 21. Have. The powdered urea storage container 2 is a closed type container in which powdered urea is charged and stored inside.

Although the volume of the powdered urea storage container 2 can be appropriately set, it is preferable that the urea water production apparatus 3 can accommodate the powdered urea required for producing urea water at one time. In this case, by storing the entire amount of powdered urea used in the one-time production of urea water in the powdered urea storage container 2, the total amount of powdered urea in the container is stored in the urea water production apparatus during the production of urea water. It becomes possible to input to 3. Therefore, it is possible to omit the measurement of powdered urea at the time of charging, and the workability at the time of producing urea water is improved.

The main body portion 21 has an inner hollow tubular shape, and by being integrated with the lower lid portion 23 attached to the lower side, powdered urea can be stored inside. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which the main body portion 21 has a cylindrical shape, the main body portion 21 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and may have a tubular shape having a cross section different from a circular shape such as a quadrangle. The tubular main body 21 is provided with a pipe 25 continuous from the connector 24. A water supply pipe or the like is connected to the connector 24, and this point will be described later.

A plurality of spouts 26 connected from the pipe 25 are provided on the inner surface side of the main body 21. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the pipe 25 and the plurality of spouts 26 are provided on the inner surface of the main body 21. The spout 26 may be formed by providing a through hole on the side surface of the pipe 25, or may be formed by attaching a branch pipe or the like to the pipe 25 continuous from the connector 24. The plurality of spouts 26 are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other along the inner surface of the main body 21 with a predetermined interval. As shown in FIG. 2, it is preferable that the distance between adjacent spouts 26 is uniform to some extent, but the distance between the spouts 26 is not limited. In the powder urea storage container 2 of FIG. 2, among a plurality of outlets 26 in the main body 21, the outlets 26 having the same distance from the end on the lower lid 23 side are connected by a pipe 25. However, the arrangement and shape of the pipe 25 connecting the plurality of spouts 26 and the spouts 26 and the connector 24 are not particularly limited.

The pipe 25 may be provided along the outer surface of the tubular main body portion 21, or may be provided between the inner surface and the outer surface of the main body portion 21. For example, the main body 21 may have a double structure consisting of an outer wall and an inner wall, and a pipe 25 may be provided in a hollow space between the outer wall and the inner wall. In this case, the connector 24 may be provided on the outer wall, and the branch pipe branching from the pipe 25 may penetrate the inner wall to form the spout 26. In this way, the mounting positions of the pipe 25 and the spout 26 can be changed as appropriate. Further, instead of providing the pipe 25, the hollow space itself can be used as a pipe for supplying hot water. That is, hot water may be supplied to the hollow space via the connector 24, and a spout 26 communicating with the hollow space may be provided.

Since the ejection port 26 is open on the inner surface side of the main body portion 21, it is conceivable that the powdered urea contained in the main body portion 21 may reversely infiltrate into the pipe 25 from the ejection port 26. Therefore, the configuration may include a mechanism for supplying compressed air for discharging the back-infiltrated powdered urea to the pipe 25.

The upper lid portion 22 functions as a lid that covers the upper end portion of the main body portion 21. The upper lid portion 22 is preferably equipped so that the upper end portion of the main body portion 21 can be sealed. The upper lid portion 22 may be attached to the main body portion 21 via a hinge or the like, or may be completely separated from the main body portion 21. The configuration and shape of the upper lid portion 22 can be changed as appropriate. The upper lid portion 22 is used when charging powdered urea into the powdered urea storage container 2.

The lower lid portion 23 functions as a lid that covers the lower end portion of the main body portion 21. When the lower lid portion 23 is attached to the main body portion 21, it is preferable to seal the lower end portion of the main body portion 21. The lower lid portion 23 may be attached to the main body portion 21 via a hinge or the like, or may be completely separated from the main body portion 21. In the case of the powdered urea storage container 2 according to the present embodiment, the lower lid portion 23 includes a frame body portion 231 fixed to the main body portion 21 and a plate lid portion 232 that opens and closes. , The configuration and shape of the lower lid portion 23 can be changed as appropriate. The lower lid portion 23 is used when charging powdered urea into the urea water production apparatus 3 as a means for opening and closing the container below the main body portion 21.

Further, the powdered urea storage container 2 is preferably self-supporting in the ship 1, and more preferably movable in the ship 1. A plurality of tires 27 may be provided on the lower lid portion 23 of the powdered urea storage container 2 so that the powdered urea storage container 2 can be moved. In addition, the powdered urea storage container 2 can be transported by some kind of transport equipment or the like. In that case, for example, a hanging portion 28 is provided for the upper lid portion 22, and the upper lid portion 22 is attached to the main body portion 21, and the powdered urea is stored by using the hanging portion 28 by a transport device. The container 2 may be suspended and transported. When the powdered urea storage container 2 includes the hanging portion 28, the upper lid portion 22 and the main body portion 21 of the powdered urea storage container 2 are prevented from being separated even when the powder urea storage container 2 is suspended by the hanging portion 28 (durability). It is desirable to have sex). The hanging portion 28 may be provided on the main body portion 21 instead of the upper lid portion 22. Further, even when the hanging portion 28 is provided, the powder urea storage container 2 may be configured to be self-supporting, for example, the lower lid portion 23 may be provided with a leg portion or the like. The configuration for making the powdered urea storage container 2 movable is not limited to the above, and a known mechanism or the like can be used in combination.

Since the material of the main body 21, the upper lid 22 and the lower lid 23 has a long contact time with the powdered urea, it is preferable to use a stainless steel material that does not deteriorate due to the contact with the powdered urea. However, the region in contact with the powdered urea may be treated (for example, painted) to prevent deterioration, and the materials of the main body portion 21, the upper lid portion 22 and the lower lid portion 23 are not particularly limited.

Next, a method of handling powdered urea using the above-mentioned powdered urea storage container 2 will be described.

When the powdered urea to be stored in the powdered urea storage container 2 is put into the container, the upper lid portion 22 is opened with the lower lid portion 23 attached to the main body portion 21, and the powdered urea is powdered from the upper lid portion 22 side. Is thrown in. At this time, the input amount is preferably an amount corresponding to the powdered urea used for producing urea water at one time in the urea water production apparatus 3. By providing the upper lid portion 22 with an air suction device for charging powdered urea, the mechanism may be such that it is not necessary to open the entire upper lid portion 22 at the time of charging.

When the powdered urea is stored in the powdered urea storage container 2, the inside is sealed by the main body portion 21, the upper lid portion 22, and the lower lid portion 23. A known technique can be used for sealing, and examples thereof include a method using packing. When the packing is used, for example, it is preferable to use a packing made of a material having resistance to urea water such as Teflon (registered trademark), but the packing is not particularly limited. By sealing the inside of the powdered urea storage container 2, it is possible to prevent the absorption of urea inside as much as possible. Further, during the period in which the powdered urea is stored, it is preferable that the powdered urea storage container 2 is placed in an environment with as low humidity as possible. A tire 27 or a hanging portion 28 is used to move the powdered urea storage container 2.

When the powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus 3, the powdered urea in the powdered urea storage container 2 is directly charged into the inlet of the powdered urea in the urea water producing apparatus 3. At this time, by opening the plate lid portion 232 of the lower lid portion 23, the powdered urea in the powdered urea storage container 2 can be dropped from below and discharged. In addition, a part of the powdered urea in the powdered urea storage container 2 may be solidified, and the powdered urea may not be easily dropped and discharged from the main body 21. In such a case, the powdered urea can be dissolved and dropped by spraying hot water inside the main body 21 using the pipe 25. It should be noted that the configuration may be such that cold water is supplied instead of hot water. However, the dissolution efficiency of powdered urea is higher in warm water.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, after moving the powdered urea storage container 2 onto the inlet of the powdered urea in the urea water production apparatus 3, the hot water supply pipe provided in the ship 1 is provided with respect to the connector 24. 40 are connected. The hot water supply pipe 40 is provided with a valve 41 for controlling the supply of hot water, and the supply and stop of hot water can be controlled by opening and closing the valve 41. In such a configuration, when the valve 41 is opened, hot water is supplied from the hot water supply pipe 40, and hot water flows into the pipe 25 via the connector 24. A control unit for monitoring the supply amount of hot water may be provided, and the valve 41 may be automatically opened / closed and controlled based on the supply amount of hot water. The hot water in the pipe 25 is supplied to the inside of the main body 21 from the plurality of spouts 26. The warm water dissolves the powdered urea solidified inside the main body 21 and makes it easier to drop.

In the powder urea storage container 2, the spouts 26 are arranged in a state of being separated from each other with a predetermined distance, and water is sprinkled at a position separated with a predetermined distance on the inner surface of the main body 21. When the powdered urea dissolves, it gradually dissolves from the portion in contact with water (warm water). It is considered that the solidified powdered urea can be dissolved while being divided into block units of a desired size. Therefore, it is possible to drop the solidified powdered urea before dissolving all the solidified powdered urea in the vicinity of the inner surface.

Further, instead of arranging the plurality of spouts 26 at the intersections in a grid pattern as shown in FIG. 2 or 3, the spouts 26 themselves form a grid pattern over the entire inside of the powder urea storage container 2. You may arrange it more finely as you do. In that case, it is possible to more finely control the split size of the powdered urea by supplying hot water. When the split size of the powdered urea by the supply of hot water is set to, for example, a size corresponding to the inlet of the powdered urea in the urea water production apparatus 3 or an arbitrary size suitable for the production capacity of the urea water, the urea water production apparatus 3 It is considered that the charging efficiency of powdered urea is improved and the working time can be shortened.

The amount of hot water supplied to the inside of the main body 21 via the pipe 25 and the spout 26 is changed according to the amount of powdered urea inside and the degree of moisture absorption (the amount of powdered urea solidified inside the main body 21). It is preferable that it is possible. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the hot water supply amount can be changed by controlling the opening and closing of the valve 41, but a similar mechanism is provided on the powder urea storage container 2 side to control the hot water supply amount and the supply port. May be. Further, by providing a configuration in which a part of the hot water supplied to the pipe 25 of the main body 21 is discharged to a drain pipe (not shown) different from the spout 26, the amount of drainage from the drain pipe is controlled. It is also possible to control the amount of hot water supplied from the spout 26 to the inside of the main body 21. In this way, the configuration related to the supply of hot water can be changed in various ways.

Further, the powdered urea storage container 2 may be provided with a structure capable of heating the water supplied to the powdered urea storage container 2. In this case, a pipe for supplying cold water may be connected instead of the hot water supply pipe 40 to supply the cold water from the connector 24, and the heated hot water may be supplied from the ejection port 26 to the inside of the main body 21.

As described above, according to the powdered urea storage container 2 according to the present embodiment, the urea water production apparatus 3 in the ship 1 is provided with the charging means used for charging the powdered urea.

With the introduction of the SCR system on ships in recent years, the number of cases where powdered urea is handled in ship 1 has increased. Since it has been conventionally known that powdered urea has problems of solidification due to moisture absorption and adhesion to a storage container, various methods for preventing solidification during storage on a ship 1 have been studied. However, in the ship 1 which tends to be in a hot and humid environment, the power cost and the equipment cost may increase in order to completely prevent the solidification.

On the other hand, the powdered urea storage container 2 according to the present embodiment prevents the powdered urea from solidifying as much as possible, and improves the handleability of the solidified powdered urea during the production of urea water. Therefore, the handleability of the powdered urea at the time of producing urea water is improved even in a situation where it is difficult to completely prevent the solidification of the powdered urea, especially in a ship 1. Further, by using a container specialized for the purpose of storing the powdered urea charged into the urea water production apparatus 3, for example, the size and shape of the powdered urea storage container 2 can be set as a storage place in the ship 1. Since it can be changed according to the amount of powdered urea to be stored in the container or the container, the handleability of the powdered urea in the ship 1 is improved from the viewpoint that the design can be changed flexibly.

In the case of the powdered urea storage container 2, as a structure for preventing the powdered urea from solidifying as much as possible, the powdered urea storage container 2 has a structure that can be sealed during storage of the powdered urea. Further, the powdered urea storage container 2 has a lower lid portion 23 as an opening / closing means under the main body portion 21 as one of the charging means for improving workability, and powdered urea is supplied to the urea water production apparatus 3. At the time of charging, the plate lid portion 232 of the lower lid portion 23 is opened, and the powdered urea can be dropped and charged from below the main body portion 21. With such a configuration, the handleability of powdered urea when producing urea water on the ship 1 is improved.

Further, in the powdered urea storage container 2, as one of the charging means for improving workability, a pipe 25 and a spout 26 as a watering means for spraying water inside the main body 21 are provided. In this way, by providing a watering means for spraying water inside, even when the powdered urea is solidified, by spraying water, the dissolution of the powdered urea and the removal from the main body 21 are promoted, and urea water is produced. Since powdered urea can be easily added to the device 3, handleability is improved.

In particular, when a plurality of spouts 26 are arranged at predetermined intervals, the powdered urea solidified inside the main body 21 is blocked by water sprayed from the spouts 26 to a desired size. Since it can be dissolved while being divided into units, workability related to dropping of powdered urea and charging of the urea water production apparatus 3 is improved.

(Modification example)
Next, a modified example of the powdered urea storage container according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, but the powdered urea storage container according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modified example. Absent.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a powdered urea storage container 5 according to the first modification. The powdered urea storage container 5 is different from the powdered urea storage container 2 shown in the above embodiment in the shape of the pipe for supplying hot water and the lower lid portion.

First, in the powdered urea storage container 5, the pipe 25 for supplying hot water to the inside of the main body 21 is provided not at a position along the main body 21 but at the center inside the main body 21. Then, a sprinkler pipe 29 is provided in the center of the main body 21 so as to be continuous with the pipe 25 and extend in the extending direction (vertical direction in FIG. 4) of the main body 21 and have an opening around it. In the powdered urea storage container 5, when powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus 3, hot water via the hot water supply pipe 40, the connector 24 and the pipe 25 is sent from the sprinkler pipe 29 to the inside of the main body 21. Is sprayed. As a result, the powdered urea solidified in the main body 21 can be added to the urea water production apparatus 3 while being dissolved.

By controlling the position of the opening provided in the sprinkler pipe 29, it is possible to dissolve the powdered urea solidified in the main body 21 while dividing it into block units of a desired size. Further, the sprinkler pipe 29 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, and various changes such as shape and number can be made. For example, the sprinkler pipe 29 may be provided so as to form a grid pattern over the entire inside of the container. In this case, the powdered urea inside the container can be evenly sprinkled with water from the sprinkler pipe 29, so that the dissolution of the powdered urea is further promoted.

Further, in the powdered urea storage container 5, the shape of the lower lid portion 23 has been changed. Specifically, the frame body portion 231 fixed to the main body portion 21 has a tapered shape toward the plate lid portion 232. The size of the opening provided by the plate lid portion 232 is smaller than the cross section of the main body portion 21. In the powdered urea storage container 5, the shape of the lower lid portion 23 is changed so as to correspond to the inlet of the powdered urea in the urea water production apparatus 3. As described above, in order to improve the workability of charging the powdered urea into the urea water production apparatus 3, the shape and configuration of each part of the powdered urea storage container can be appropriately changed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a powdered urea storage container 6 according to the second modification. The powdered urea storage container 6 is different from the powdered urea storage container 2 shown in the above embodiment in that it does not have the lower lid portion 23.

In the powdered urea storage container 6, the lower lid portion 23 is not provided, and the main body portion 21 has a bottom portion 211. FIG. 5 shows a configuration in which a plurality of tires 27 are provided on the bottom portion 211 and are movable. Further, the main body 21 is provided with the pipe 25 and the spout 26, which is the same as the powder urea storage container 2.

In the powdered urea storage container 6, when the powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus 3, the powdered urea in the powdered urea storage container 2 is directly charged into the charging port, but from the upper lid portion 22 side. It differs from the powdered urea storage container 2 in that it is charged. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the powdered urea storage container 2 is rotated, and the powdered urea is charged into the urea water production apparatus 3 from the open upper lid portion 22.

If a part of the powdered urea in the powdered urea storage container 6 is solidified and it is not easy to input the powdered urea from the main body 21, the pipe 25 is used as in the powdered urea storage container 2. By spraying warm water inside the main body 21, the powdered urea can be dissolved and dropped. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the hot water supply pipe 40 provided in the ship 1 is connected to the connector 24, and hot water is supplied from the hot water supply pipe 40 through the connector 24. Hot water flows in the pipe 25. The hot water in the pipe 25 is supplied to the inside of the main body 21 from the plurality of spouts 26. This warm water dissolves the powdered urea solidified on the inner surface of the main body 21, and easily falls from the main body 21.

In this way, even when the lower lid portion 23 is not provided, when the powdered urea is discharged from the upper lid portion 22 side, it is solidified by spraying hot water inside the main body portion 21 via the pipe 25 and the spout 26. Even the powdered urea can be easily added to the urea water production apparatus 3.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration assuming that the powdered urea storage container is handled alone has been described, but for example, when storing the powdered urea, a plurality of powdered urea storage containers may be combined and arranged in the ship 1. Good. In such a case, the shape may be such that a plurality of powdered urea storage containers can be combined.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the powdered urea storage container includes a watering means for spraying water on the inner surface of the container has been described, but the lower lid portion 23 as a means for opening and closing downward like the powdered urea storage container 2 is provided. If it is provided, even if it is not provided with a means for sprinkling water, it has an effect that it can be easily charged into the urea water production apparatus 3 as compared with a conventional storage container.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where one connector 24 is attached to the pipe 25 has been described. In this case, the amount of hot water supplied from the spout 26 is determined by the amount of hot water supplied to the pipe 25. On the other hand, the amount of hot water supplied from the spout 26 to the inside of the main body 21 may be controlled for each spout 26 or each of the plurality of spouts 26. As such a configuration, for example, a configuration in which a valve is provided for the pipe 25 between the spouts 26 and the amount of hot water supplied is controlled by opening and closing the valve. Further, a plurality of hot water supply systems may be provided by providing a plurality of combinations of the connector 24 and the pipes 25 continuous from the connector 24. Moreover, you may combine these configurations. As described above, the configuration of the watering means for spraying water inside the powdered urea storage container can also be appropriately changed.

1 ... Ship, 2, 5, 6 ... Powdered urea storage container, 3 ... Urea water production equipment, 21 ... Main body, 22 ... Upper lid, 23 ... Lower lid, 24 ... Connector, 25 ... Piping, 26 ... Spout , 27 ... tires, 28 ... hanging parts.

Claims (4)

A powdered urea storage container used in ships equipped with a urea water production device.
It is a closed type container for internally storing powdered urea before it is used for producing urea water in the urea water production apparatus, and is charged for charging the powdered urea inside into the urea water producing apparatus. have a means,
The charging means includes a watering means for spraying water inside the container.
A powdered urea storage container that dissolves solidified powdered urea when a part of the powdered urea stored inside the container is solidified by spraying water by the watering means . The powdered urea storage container according to claim 1, wherein the watering means is to spray water on the inner surface of the container at positions separated by a predetermined distance. The powdered urea storage container according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the charging means further includes means for opening and closing the container below the container. The powdered urea storage container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the amount of water supplied to the inside of the container by the watering means can be changed according to the degree of moisture absorption of the powdered urea.

Images