NL9301273A - Drum particularly suitable for shipping chemicals or waste. - Google Patents

Description

Title: Drum particularly suitable for shipping chemicals or waste.

The invention relates to containers for the storage and transport of liquids, more particularly to a drum which comprises a container and a pallet, which allows the movement thereof by a forklift truck and which has facilities which enable a or several drums are stacked on top of each other to prevent them from tipping over.

In recent years, the need to transport and store hazardous materials has become increasingly apparent. For example, an unwanted by-product of an environmentally hazardous type may be produced during a manufacturing process where it is desired to remove such a hazardous product from the production plant and transport that product to a facility where it may be safely stored. The removal and transportation of such a hazardous product is normally accomplished by the use of a suitable container and the handling of such a container should not involve any risk, nor should anyone be exposed to a hazard when the hazardous product is moved or stored .

The discharge and transport are usually performed with a combination of large tanks and medium-sized containers. The transportation of waste and chemicals is usually accomplished by tankers or large tanks, which are made of steel, stainless steel or plastic, which have a capacity ranging between 900-2250 liters. The medium shipping container, with respect to the present invention, can have a capacity of 270, 450 or 900 liters and is used during intermediate phases of the entire transport. While medium-sized containers are desired that can be easily moved or replaced by an employee during use, it is more important that medium-sized containers can be moved and lifted by mechanical devices, such as forklift trucks. In addition, in order to facilitate the efficient use of available storage space, it is desirable that these containers offer the possibility of being stacked one on top of the other and that such stacking is realized in such a way that no relative movement between the stacked containers is possible. loosening or maybe even tipping the stacked container.

In addition, these medium-sized containers can be used as temporary storage devices to collect liquid waste from producers of a small amount of hazardous products and the retrieval can continue until the large container is filled. Suitable access means to the inner part of the container are desired for collection, in order to facilitate filling of the container with the small amount of waste. Furthermore, means for venting the container are desirable for further use of the container, so that any pressure within the container can be relieved before dangerous new material is introduced. Furthermore, it may be desirable to maintain a vacuum in the container, moreover, it is possible to release the vacuum to introduce additional hazardous material. After the container has been filled, it is in any case desirable that discharge devices are equipped in such a way that the hazardous material can be discharged from the container for good further processing. Such a discharge must provide an even outflow, avoiding any unwanted splashing around.

In addition, these medium-sized containers can be stored in one place, such as a storage room, for a long time. During such storage, the quality of various parts of the containers, such as the steel casing, the wooden pallets or even the stainless uprights thereof, may deteriorate because they are affected in such a way by the enclosed waste or the environment that the container goes rust or rot. It is desirable that medium-sized containers are not susceptible to rusting or rotting, so that the substances stored therein can remain in one place for a relatively long period of time.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a container or drum, which includes means for enabling lifting by a forklift.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container comprising coupling means to ensure that any stacked container arrangement remains in a stationary position, even when subjected to any undesired interference.

Another object of the present invention is to provide gripping means so that the containers can be easily moved during their relatively full condition or even be lifted during their relatively empty condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container which allows the uniform flow of its contents.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a container which has means for releasing any vacuum or pressure that may be present in the container for replenishing liquids therein.

And a further object of the present invention is to provide a container comprising various parts that are not susceptible to rusting or rotting, so that the contents of the container can be held in place for a relatively long period of time.

The present invention relates to a drum or vessel used for processing waste or hazardous liquids, or used as a container for shipping chemical products.

The drum includes a pallet section and a container section. The container section includes a closed space with an inlet and an outlet. The container portion also has a reservoir portion extending therefrom; the outlet is placed in the reservoir section. The pallet section accommodates the container section and the reservoir section. The pallet portion has means for properly holding the container portion in the pallet portion and means for receiving a part of a lifting device therein to lift the drum. The pallet portion further includes means for accessing the outlet in the reservoir portion. The pallet section has a hollow space of predetermined dimensions since the container section has predetermined dimensions complementary to those of the hollow space so that the container can be placed in the pallet. After the container has been placed in the pallet, a molding operation is performed, which turns the two pieces (container and pallet) into a single, one-piece drum. The container section has a top edge section and the pallet section has notched sections and leg sections. When the drums are stacked together such that the pallet portion of one drum is placed on top of the container portion of another drum, the rim, the notched sections and the leg portions cooperate to form a mating action between the container portion and the pallet portion to provide. The container section has at least one grippable groove thereof on the outer side and a top side, which has provisions for receiving a closure cap, which includes a vent valve.

To illustrate the invention, a preferred embodiment is shown in the drawing. It will be understood that this invention is not limited to the arrangements and tools shown. In the drawing: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a drum according to the present invention with a separated container and pallet; FIG. 2 is a side view of the container portion of the drum of FIG. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the drum of Fig. 3, the container part being placed in the pallet part; Fig. 4 is a view along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 with further details of the drum of Fig. 1; fig. 5 shows a top view along the line 5-5 of fig. 4 with details of the pallet part of the drum according to fig. 1, fig. 6 shows a bottom view along the line 6-6 of fig. 4, with details of the pallet part of the drum of FIG. 1; Fig. 7 shows the legs of the pallet portion of one drum and the edge of the container portion of an underlying drum, all of which cooperate with each other to provide a coupling connection between the stacked drums of the present invention; and FIG. 8 is a stacked arrangement of drums according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, in which like reference numerals denote like elements and where accents (') denote equivalents of such like elements, Fig. 1 shows a drum 10 according to the present invention. The drum 10 preferably has a rectangular cross section and comprises a container section 12 and a pallet section 14. The container section 12 and the pallet section 14 are both preferably formed from a polyethylene or a reticulated polyethylene. The container 12 preferably has a capacity of about 270, 450 or 900 liters.

Generally, the drum or vessel 10 includes the container section 12, which defines a closed space with an inlet and an outlet. The container section 12 also has a reservoir section extending therefrom with the outlet of the container section 12 located in the reservoir section. The pallet portion 14 receives the container portion 12 and the reservoir portion. The pallet portion 14 has means for properly holding the container portion within the pallet portion. The pallet section 14 is further provided with means for receiving a part of a lifting device for lifting the vessel and means for accessing the outlet in the reservoir section through the pallet section. The container portion 12 is in the form of a hollow rectangular solid and the reservoir portion extends outwardly from a wall of the solid.

As shown in Fig. 1, the front of the pallet portion 14 has a leg 16, a stiffening member 18 which preferably has an access opening 20 and another leg 22. As will be described below with reference to Fig. 6, the back of the pallet also two legs and a support element. Referring again to Figure 1, the leg 16 is separated from the support member 18 to provide an opening 24 therebetween, and similarly the leg 22 is separated from the support member 18 to provide an opening 26 therebetween. The openings 24 and 26 are located in the lower portion of the pallet portion 14. The dimensions of the openings 24 and 26 and the spacing therebetween are selected to allow insertion of the teeth of a forklift or other equivalent object for mechanical movement of the drum 10. to make.

The leg 16 has a notched section 16A which merges into a downwardly extending leg portion 16B. The notched section 16A and the leg portion 16B are both located on the side of the pallet portion 14. Although not shown for the sake of clarity, all the legs of the pallet portion 14 additionally have a notched section and a leg portion equal to, respectively. 16A and 16B. A number of these legs are indicated in FIG. 1 on the side of the pallet portion 14 with reference numerals 28, 30 and 32. The legs 22 and 28 are spaced apart to provide an opening 34. Likewise, the legs 28 and 30 are spaced apart to provide an opening 36 and the legs 30 and 32 are spaced apart to provide an opening 38. The legs 28, 30, 32 and the openings 34, 36 and 38 between the legs make the pallet part lighter in weight and even better in durability, with the advantage that the cost of the pallet part 14 is reduced by saving material.

The top portion of the pallet portion 14 has a groove 40 and an edge 42, which in combination provide a gripping surface, which can be used for manual handling or manipulation of the pallet portion 14. The pallet portion 14 has a hollow space 44, which has a shaft 46 and a rib 48, each of which has predetermined dimensions. Shaft 46 receives a reservoir 50 and rib 48 fits into a groove located just above a bottom layer 52 of container 12 in a manner to be described below.

The container portion 12 further includes a top 54 for the inner portion of the container portion 12. The container portion 12 further includes an edge 56, which has a height 56A and which edge 56 covers at least a portion, but preferably the entire circumference of the top 54, except those portions of the top 54, which include cutouts 56B and 56C. The cutouts 56B and 56C provide means for inspecting the top 54 and associated elements when the drums are stacked together in a manner to be described. Furthermore, the cutouts 56B and 56C can serve as openings to receive a belt for securing the drum downwardly for shipping purposes. The rim 56, including its elevation 56A, defines an area 54A, which forms part of the top 54. The top 54 has features, such as a threaded neck 58, to adopt a closure cap 60, which provides a vacuum / air relief device 60A.

In addition to the bottom layer 52, the container section 12 further comprises resp. top and middle layers 62 and 64. The layers 62 and 64 are separated by a groove 66 while the layers 52 and 64 are separated by the grooves 68 and 70, which have a two-story arrangement. The arrangement of the grooves 66,68 and 70 resp. in combination with the layers 62, 64 and 52 provides gripping surfaces which can be used to manipulate or manipulate only the container portion 12 with physical force. The grooves 66,68 of the container section 12 and groove 40 of the pallet section 14 may also receive straps or belts to bind or hold groups of vessels 10 together, as may be required on a flat surface of a truck.

The container section, in particular the reservoir 50 thereof, the bottom layer 52 and the grooves 68 and 70 have predetermined dimensions, which are complementary to the corresponding dimensions of the hollow space 44 of the pallet section 14. The choice of these dimensions makes it possible possible to securely fix the container section 12 in the pallet section 14 in various ways, preferably by a molding process, which exothermically combines the container section with the pallet section.

The bottom layer 52 of container section 12 has a flange 72 of dimensions complementary to the reservoir section (not shown) of the hollow space 44 of the pallet section 14. The reservoir 50 of container 12 extends from the bottom of the container section 12 outwardly and serves as a drain or outlet for container 12. The reservoir 50 has a side wall 50A, which is generally vertical, a bottom 50B, which is generally horizontal, and a side wall 50C, which forms an angle with both faces 50A and 50B. The shape of the reservoir advantageously directs any liquid stored in the container 12 to a drain control device 74. The reservoir 50 provides for an even outflow from the drain control device 74 when open to avoid any splashing of the liquid when it is drained.

The transition from the container section 12 to the pallet section 14 is further described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows the container section 12, which is placed in the pallet section 14 such that the bottom layer 52 thereof lies within the boundaries of the hollow space 44 of the pallet section 14. Furthermore, both the groove 70 (coupled by the rib 48), as well as the major part of the groove 68 are located within the confines of the cavity 44. In addition, the reservoir 50 lies within the confines of the cavity, especially within the shaft 46 of the pallet portion 14. The details of the assembled container and pallet portions 12 and 14 are further described with reference to Fig. 4, which shows a view along line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 4 shows the depth at which the container portion 12 is placed in the pallet portion 14 in a manner as described with respect to FIG. 3. Fig. 4 further shows that the access 20 provides a suitable opening for accessing and manually handling the control valve 74 of the container section 12. FIG. 4 further shows a portion of the closure cap 60, which is further described with reference to FIG. 5, showing a view along line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Fig. 5 shows a cap 60 having a vacuum / air relief device 60A, both of which are centrally located on the top surface 54. Fig. 5 further shows the rim 56, which has a predetermined width 76, which rim runs along the circumference of the top surface 54 of the container portion 12. This rim 56, which has a predetermined width 76, interacts with the notched sections and leg portions of the pallet portion 14, such as 16A and 16B of Figures 1 and 3, and is described with reference to Figure 6, which is a view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Fig. 6 shows that the notched section 16A has a predetermined width corresponding substantially to the predetermined width 76 of the rim 56 of FIG.

The predetermined width 78 corresponds both to the width of the notched sections for legs 22, 28, 30 and 32, which have been mentioned with reference to Fig. 1, as well as to the width of the notched sections of the legs 80, 82 and 84, which are shown in Fig. 6. The legs 16 and 80 have an opening 86 therebetween, the legs 80 and 82 an opening 88 therebetween and the legs 82 and 84 an opening 90 therebetween. Fig. 6 further shows the rear of the pallet 14, which has a stiffening element 92 and openings 94 and 96, respectively. are similar to and provide the same advantages as the stiffening element 18 described above with respect to the openings 24 and 26 of FIG. 1. However, the stiffening element 92 has no opening like the opening 20 of the stiffening element 18. FIG. 6 further shows both a bottom view of the stiffening elements 18 and 92, as well as a bottom view of the shaft 46, showing the sides 50B and 50C of the reservoir. The resp. Corresponding dimensions 76 and 78 of the rim 56 and the legs 16, 22, 28, 30, 32, 80, 82 and 84 provide a coupling function between the stacked drums 10 which is further described with reference to Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 shows a portion of the pallet portion 14 above the top surface 54 of the container portion 12 just before the moment the pallet portion 14 is placed on the rim 56. As shown in Fig. 7, when the pallet 14 is guided downward, the notched sections, such as 16A, will land on the rim 56, while the elongated leg portions, such as 16B, will be received and placed in the area 54A. After the pallet portion 14 has been moved down and into the region 54A, all leg portions, such as 16B, will come into a contacting engagement with the rim 56. The contacting engagement of the leg portions and the dispersed arrangement of the notched sections of the pallet portion 14, all of which cooperate with the rim 56 of the container portion 12, provide a coupling function between drums 10 so that the drums 10 can be stacked on top of each other. The coupling arrangement is further described with reference to Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 shows one storage drum 10 'stacked on another storage drum 10. As can be seen in Figure 8, the pallet portion 14 'is positioned on the top layer 62 so that the notched section 16A' lands on the edge 56 (not shown) and the leg segment 16B ', indicated by a dotted line, within the boundaries of the top layer. 62 which contains the region 54A (not shown). The drums 10 of the present invention can be stacked according to any row and column arrangement suitable for long or short term storage.

Furthermore, Fig. 8 shows that the openings 24, 26 and 24 'and 26' are freely accessible and available for receiving the forks from the forklift, so that the drums 10 and 10 'can be appropriately moved to any desired location . The pallet sections 14 and 14 'serve as portable platforms, each of which allows the drums 10 and 10' to be moved alone or together.

In operation, and again referring to Fig. 1, the container section 12 is placed in the pallet section 14, the combination forming the drum 10, which has a portable platform 14, which allows the drum to be easily passed through devices such as a forklift to be moved. The container 12, due to its medium capacity of 270, 450 or 900 liters, can be used as a device, which can be taken to different production facilities, whereby any chemical, any waste or any hazardous liquid or product can be brought into the drum 10 and shipped to an appropriate storage or processing facility. The drum 10 can be placed in the storage facility, with one drum 10 stacked on top of another. Due to its structure, the drum 10 is relatively insensitive to any degradation by the hazardous material to allow a relatively long storage period. The drum 10, which is composed of a plastic material, should not suffer from the disadvantages of rusting or rotting, which have been discussed in the prior art of other containers. In addition, due to its robust structure and its portable platform 14, the drum 10 can be used as a suitable device for shipping many substances and the use is not limited to dangerous type products.

It will now be appreciated that the application of the present invention provides a reusable chemical and waste shipping drum, which drum is easily stackable and has means to secure its stacked arrangement.

The present invention may be practiced in other specific forms without omitting the spirit and essential features thereof, and so, more than the foregoing specification, reference is made to the appended claims, which define the scope of the invention.

Claims (15)

A vessel for liquids, comprising: a container section, which defines a closed space and has an inlet and an outlet, the container section having a periphery and a reservoir section extending from the container section, the outlet being located in the reservoir section; and a pallet part for receiving the container part and the reservoir part therein, the pallet part comprising means for holding the container part in the pallet part properly, the pallet part further comprising means for receiving a part of a lifting device for receiving the vessel lifting and means for accessing the outlet in the reservoir section through the pallet section. A vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that the container portion is in the form of a hollow rectangular solid body and the reservoir portion extends outwardly from a wall of the solid body. Barrel according to claim 1, characterized in that the container section is rectangular in cross section, with the exception of the reservoir. The vessel of claim 1 further comprising: (i) a rim that extends around at least a portion of the perimeter of the container portion; and (ii) a notched section that merges into a leg section, both of which are located on one side of the pallet section, the notched section and the leg section both being arranged to cooperate with the edge of the container section, such that in a releasable but coupling connection is provided when the pallet part is placed on the container part. Barrel according to claim 1, characterized in that the pallet part comprises a hollow space of predetermined dimensions and the container part has a lower part with dimensions complementary to that of the hollow space, all dimensions being determined such that the container part can be placed in the hollow space with a coupling between them being effected. 6. Drum according to claim 5, characterized in that the hollow space comprises a ridge and the lower region of the container has a groove, each of which has corresponding dimensions, so that the ridge fits precisely into the groove when the container part in the pallet part is placed. Barrel according to claim 5, characterized in that the pallet part is formed by a molding operation, wherein the lower area of the container is inserted into the hollow space of the pallet part while the pallet part is still in a hot state and the pallet is cooled. A drum for storing and shipping liquids, comprising: a pallet portion, which includes a hollow space of predetermined dimensions and openings located below the hollow space and separated by a predetermined distance; and a container portion, which has predetermined dimensions, which are complementary to those of the cavity, so that the container portion can be placed in the cavity, the container portion having a circumference and a recessed top portion, which means for receiving a closure cap with a vent valve, the container portion having a reservoir with two opposite side portions that form a slope relative to the other side portions of the reservoir. Drum for storing and shipping liquids according to claim 8, characterized in that the container part, with the exception of the reservoir, is rectangular in cross section. The drum for storing and transporting liquids according to claim 8, further comprising: (i) an access opening in the pallet; and (ii) a drain fitting located in the container of the container and centered with the opening of the pallet. The liquid storage and shipping drum of claim 8, further comprising: (i) an edge that extends around at least a portion of the perimeter of the container portion; and (ii) a notched section that merges into a leg section, said sections are both located on one side of the pallet section, the notched section and the leg section both being arranged to cooperate with the edge of the container section, such that a releasable but coupling connection is provided when the pallet part is placed on the container part. Drum for storing and shipping liquids according to claim 8, characterized in that the predetermined dimensions of the hollow space of the pallet and the complementary dimensions of the container are chosen such that the container part is placed in the hollow space and establishes a link between them. Drum for storing and shipping liquids according to claim 12, characterized in that the hollow space contains a ridge and the container at the lower part thereof has a groove, the groove and the ridge having complementary dimensions, so that the ledge fits snugly into the groove when the container section is placed in the pallet section. Drum for storing and shipping liquids according to claim 12, characterized in that the lower part of the container and the hollow space of the pallet are joined exothermically. Drum for storing and shipping liquids according to claim 8, characterized in that the openings of the pallet are separated by a predetermined distance, which is adapted to the distance between the teeth of a fork lift