WO2009148380A1

WO2009148380A1 - Shaft for a collection plant and coherent unit for the shaft with a removably mounted unit comprising, inter alia, a valve means

Info

Publication number: WO2009148380A1
Application number: PCT/SE2009/050209
Authority: WO
Inventors: Erik Lif
Original assignee: Logiwaste Ab
Priority date: 2008-06-04
Filing date: 2009-02-26
Publication date: 2009-12-10
Also published as: SE532516C2; SE0801317L; EP2293995A1; CN102056821A

Abstract

The invention relates to a shaft (1) for a collection plant (26), comprising a shaft pipe (2), which has an end surface (4), a valve means (12), which, in a closed position, is adapted to lie against the end surface (4), an actuator (6), which, via a linkage (8), is adapted to control the valve means (12) to a closed position and an open position, and a housing (14) is arranged to house the actuator (6). The valve means (12), the actuator (6) and the linkage (8) constitute a coherent unit (16), which is removably mounted into the housing (14). The invention also relates to a coherent unit (16) for such a shaft (1).

Description

Shaft for a collection plant and coherent unit for the shaft with a removably mounted unit comprising, inter alia, a valve means

The invention relates to a shaft for a collection plant, comprising a shaft pipe having an end surface, a valve means, which in a closed position is adapted to lie against the end surface, an actuator, which, via a linkage, is adapted to control the valve means to a closed and an open position, and a housing adapted to house the actuator. The invention also relates to a coherent unit for such a shaft.

Shafts are used in collection plants for products, such as refuse, articles for recycling, dirty laundry etc. The shaft is connected to a conveyor conduit, which is preferably buried and runs underground. The conveyor conduit transports, by means of air flow, the products inserted through the shaft to a collection station, which is a part of the collection plant.

It is previously known to connect shafts to conveyor conduits in collection plants working under negative pressure. The shaft is provided with a valve, which is opened by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder when a product has been placed in the shaft. The product then passes through the valve and reaches the conveyor conduit which sucks the product by means of underpressure to one or more containers in the collection station. If the product or products are refuse, the container is emptied or collected for further transport of the refuse by means of vehicles to a recycling plant or trash dump.

Due to wear, however, the valve and the cylinder require service and must be repaired periodically. Since the shaft is connected to the conveyor conduit, which is buried under ground, the shaft will also be completely or partially under ground. This will make it difficult to perform service and repair of the valve and the cylinder.

RECORD COPY-TRANSLATION (Rule 12.4) The purpose of the present invention is to simplify service of the valve and actuator in a shaft for a collection plant.

An additional purpose of the present invention is to simplify service of a linkage between the valve and the actuator in a shaft or a collection plant.

An additional purpose of the invention is to achieve a separate housing for an actuator in a shaft for a collection plant.

An additional purpose of the invention is to achieve a simple installation of a shaft in a collection plant without the need for a surrounding space, such as a bunker.

This is achieved with the shaft according to claim 1.

By making the valve means, the actuator and the linkage as a coherent unit, which can be replaceably mounted in the housing, the unit can be simply lifted out of the shaft housing for service or repair. The unit can be simply replaced with a new unit to thereby reduce the downtime for the plant and the shaft. As a result, the degree of use of the shaft can be increased.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the housing is provided with two first intermediate wall portions projecting in the housing , which are adapted to cooperate with two second intermediate wall portions extending from the casing to form an intermediate wall, which protects the cylinder against substances in the shaft and the conveyor conduit which could damage the cylinder.

Further advantages and characteristics of the invention are described in the following detailed description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which: Figs. 1-4 show a cross-sectional view from the side of a shaft according to the present invention,

Fig. 5 shows a shaft according to the present invention in a perspective view, and Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the line 1-1 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view from the side of a shaft 1 according to the present invention. The shaft 1 has an essentially vertical shaft pipe 2 with an end surface 4, which according to one embodiment is annular. Other shapes are, however, possible for the shaft pipe 2 and the end surface 4, for example a square shape. An actuator 6 in the form of a pneumatic cylinder 6 is arranged via a linkage 8 to control a gate 10 of a valve means 12 between a closed and an open position and positions therebetween. The actuator 6 can also be a hydraulic cylinder or an electric motor. The gate 10 is adapted to lie, in a closed position, sealingly against the end surface, which will be described in more detail below. In Fig. 1 , the gate 10 is shown in a position between the closed position and the entirely open position. A housing is arranged to hold the actuator 6. The valve means 12, the actuator 6 and the linkage 8 constitute a coherent unit 16, which is removably mounted in the housing 14. The coherent unit 16 will thus be constructed as a replaceable, modular valve. In Fig. 1 , the shaft pipe 2 is essentially vertical, but it is also possible to make the shaft pipe at an angle relative to the conveyor conduit 22.

The shaft 1 has an outer lateral surface 18 with connection openings 20 for connecting to a conveyor conduit 22, which is preferably buried and runs under ground. The conveyor conduit 22 transports, by means of an air flow, the products 28 which are brought down through the shaft 1 to a collection station 24, which is included in a collection plant 26. The collection station 24 is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The products 28 to be handled by the collection plant 26 can be refuse, recyclable articles, dirty laundry etc. In Fig. 1 , the shaft pipe 22 is essentially vertical, but it is also possible to orient the shaft pipe 2 at an angle relative to the conveyor conduit 22.

The opposite end 30 to the end surface 4 of the shaft pipe 2 is provided with a mounting flange 32 for removable mounting of a throw-in shaft 34.

Preferably, the area for the mounting flange 32 is at ground level, so that the throw-in shaft 34 substantially protrudes above ground level. The throw-in shaft 34 can be provided with an opening with a lid (not shown) for receiving the products 28 which are to be handled by the collection plant 26. It is also possible to connect the throw-in shaft 34 to the shaft pipe 2 in another manner, for example by a sealed weld joint.

The gate 10 is made substantially flat and is provided with a sealing material 36 for contact with the end surface 4 of the shaft pipe 2. Other shapes of the gate 10 are also possible. Preferably the end area at the end surface 4 is conically bevelled in the direction towards the end surface 4, so that the entire circumference of the end surface 4 will lie sealingly against the gate 10 when the gate 10 is closed.

The linkage 8 which connects the gate 10 to the cylinder 6 comprises a number of linkage arms 38, which, in a open position of the gate 10, assume a compact configuration. The linkage arms 38 are pivotally mounted in the gate 10 in a piston rod 40 to the cylinder 6 and in a casing 42, which at least partially surrounds the cylinder 6.

The housing 14 is joined to the lateral surface 18 of the shaft 1 and has an end flange 44 essentially in the same plane as the mounting flange 32 of the shaft pipe 2. It is however possible to make the end flange 44 of the housing 14 and the mounting flange 32 of the shaft pipe 2 in different planes. For example, the end flange 44 of the housing 14 can extend beyond the mounting flange 32 of the shaft pipe 2, so that an opening 31 in the housing 14, surrounded by the end flange 44 will be at a level above the mounting flange 32 of the shaft pipe 2 when the shaft 1 is mounted on a conveyor conduit 22 and the shaft 1 is thereby arranged at least partially under ground. As a result, the end flange 44 of the housing 14 and thus the opening of the housing 14 will be above ground level, which provides access to the opening of the housing 14 and thus access to the coherent unit 16 which is comprised of the gate 10, the linkage 8 and the cylinder, for service and replacement. In order to protect the unit 16 arranged in the housing 14, the housing 14 is provided with a cover 46 which is removably joined to the end flange 44 of the housing 14 by means of screws.

The housing 14 is, at its end 48 facing away from the end flange 44, provided with two first intermediate wall portions 50 which extend into the housing 14, and which are adapted to cooperate with two second intermediate wall portions 52 extending on the casing 42, to form an intermediate wall 54, which protects the cylinder 6 from substances in the shaft 1 and the conveyor conduit, which can damage the cylinder 6. A piston rod 40 of the cylinder 6 extends through an opening in the intermediate wall 44. In order to protect the piston rod 40, the piston rod 40 is provided with a seal in the form of a bellows 56, which protects the piston rod 40 from substances occurring in the shaft 1 and the conveyor conduit, which can damage the piston rod 40. Instead of a bellows 56, a sock of flexible material can be used for example. Thus the cylinder 6 and the piston rod 40, which constitute the actuator 6, are shielded from the environment in the shaft 1 and the conveyor conduit 22.

Fig. 2 shows the valve means 12 in a closed position. The actuator 6 has, in this closed position, moved the gate 10 to contact against the end surface 4 of the shaft pipe 2. When the valve means 12 is closed, products 28 which are to be processed by the collection plant 26 are dropped down through the shaft pipe 2 and fall down unto the closed gate 10, the substantially flat surface of which is provided with sealing material 36, has assumed an essentially horizontal position. After a predetermined period of time, or when a predetermined amount of products 28 is present on the gate 10, the gate 10 opens with the aid of the actuator 6. In Fig. 3, the valve means 12 is shown in the completely opened position. In this opened position, the flat surface of the gate 10 has assumed a substantially horizontal position, which means that the products 28 can fall down from the gate 10 and into the conveyor conduit 22 where the products 28 are conveyed on by an air flow in the conveyor conduit 22. The gate 10 thus has the function of lying substantially sealingly against the end surface 4 of the shaft pipe 2 and of temporarily storing the products the products 28 before they are to be moved on through the conveyor conduit 22 to the collection station 24.

According to one embodiment, the valve means 12 in the closed position can lie against the end surface 4 of the shaft pipe 2 in a manner so that air passage is permitted between the space above and below the valve means 12. This can for example be achieved by making the valve means perforated. A shut-off mechanism (not shown) in the conveyor conduit 22 can then regulate the air flow in the conveyor conduit 22 and control when products 28 are to be conveyed onto the collection station 24. The gate 10 thus has the function of only temporarily storing the products 28 before they are moved on through the conveyor conduit 2 to the collection station 24.

It can be seen in Fig. 4 how the unit 16, which comprises the gate 10, the linkage 8 and the cylinder 6, has been lifted out of the housing 14. In order for the unit 16 to be able to be lifted out of the housing 14, the gate 10 must be moved to the entirely opened position. In this opened position, the linkage arms 38 in the linkage 8 have assumed a very compact position, which makes it possible to lift out the unit 16 from the housing 14 through the opening 31.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of how the unit 16 has been lifted out through the opening in the housing 14. As mentioned above, the cylinder 6 is at least partially surrounded by a casing 42. The casing 42 has a pair of brackets 58 which are adapted to be moveably fixed to a pair of corresponding brackets 60 in the housing 14. When the unit 16 is to be lifted out of the housing 14, the cover 46 is first removed and then the brackets 58 are released from the brackets 60. In order to make possible the passage of the second intermediate wall portions 52 extending on a casing 42 past the brackets 60, the second intermediate wall portions 52 are made with cut-outs 62, which are covered by the first protruding intermediate portions 50 in the housing 14 when the unit 16 is mounted in the housing 14, which provides a dividing intermediate wall 54.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view along the line 1-1 in Fig. 1. It can be seen in Fig. 6 how the first and second intermediate wall portions 50, 52 cooperate to form an intermediate wall 54. For the purpose of illustration, the gate 10 and portions of the linkage 8 have been removed. However, it is evident how the shafts 64 constituting the bearing surfaces for the link arms 38 of the linkage 8 are arranged in the casing 42.

Claims

1. Shaft for a collection plane (26), comprising a shaft pipe (2), which has an end surface (4), a valve means (12), which in a closed position is adapted to lie against the end surface (4), an actuator (6), which is arranged, via a linkage (8), to control the valve means (12) to a closed and an open position, and a housing (14) arranged to house the actuator (6), characterized in that the valve means (12), the actuator (6) and the linkage (8) constitute a coherent unit (16), which is removably mounted in the housing (14).

2. Shaft according to claim 1 , characterized in that the unit (16) also comprises a casing (42), which at least partially encloses the actuator (6).

3. Shaft according to claim 2, characterized in that the housing (14) is provided with two first intermediate wall portions (50) projecting in the housing (14), which are adapted to cooperate with two second intermediate wall portions (52) projecting on the casing (42), to form an intermediate wall (54).

4. Shaft according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the casing (42) has bearing surfaces for the linkage (8).

5. Shaft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuator (6) comprises a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder (6) or an electric motor.

6. Shaft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing (14) comprises an end flange (44), which surrounds an opening in the housing (14).

7. Shaft according to claim 6, characterized in that a cover (46) is removably joined to the end of the flange (44) of the housing (14).

8. Shaft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an end (30) opposite to the end surface (4) of the shaft pipe (2) is provided with a mounting flange (32).

9. Shaft according to claim 8, characterized in that a throw-in shaft (34) is removably joined to the mounting flange (32) of the shaft pipe (2).

10. Shaft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve means (12) is a gate (10).

11. Shaft according to claim 10, characterized in that the gate (10) is adapted to, in a closed position, lie sealingly against the end surface (4).

12. Shaft according to claim 11 , characterized in that the gate (10) is provided with a sealing material (36).

13. Coherent unit for a shaft (1 ) with a housing (14) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the unit (16) comprises a valve means (12), an actuator (6) and a linkage (8), and that the unit (16) is removably mounted into the housing (14).