WO2003004785A1

WO2003004785A1 - Vacuum sewer system

Info

Publication number: WO2003004785A1
Application number: PCT/FI2002/000571
Authority: WO
Inventors: Detlev Both
Original assignee: Evac International Oy
Current assignee: Evac Oy
Priority date: 2001-07-02
Filing date: 2002-06-27
Publication date: 2003-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 2004-01-02
Also published as: TW585956B; FI110538B; FI20011431A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum sewer system, comprising a source of sewage, a sewer pipe, a first discharge valve disposed between the source of sewage and the sewer pipe, means (20) for providing rinse fluid to the source of sewage, a sewage receptacle and vacuum generation means for generating vacuum in the sewer pipe. In order to achieve a compact and self-controlling rinse fluid means, the system comprises a rinse fluid container (20) with a rinse fluid inlet port (21), a valve means (27,28) arranged at the rinse fluid inlet port (21), a float means (29) within the rinse fluid container (20) operably connected to said valve means (27,28) in response to a rinse fluid fill level in the rinse fluid container (20), and a rinse fluid outlet port (23).

Description

VACUUM SEWER SYSTEM

The invention relates to a vacuum sewer system according to the preamble of claim 1 .

Vacuum sewer systems of this kind are previously known. Vacuum sewer systems, particularly vacuum toilet systems, require a number of components for their function. In addition to the vacuum toilet unit, including e.g. a toilet bowl, the system includes e.g. a sewer valve, a sewer pipe, vacuum generation means, control means, rinse water means, etc.. The space requirement of all the components is rather large, which may cause installation problems. Furthermore, the different control means, including valves, piping, cabling, etc., also, in addition to increased space requirement, raise costs. The objective of the present invention is to achieve a vacuum sewer system, by which the above mentioned disadvantages are avoided and which provides a system with a reliable function by simple means. This is attained by a vacuum sewer system, the substantial features of which are given in claim 1 . The basic idea of the invention is to provide a simple and compact arrangement for the rinse fluid supply, the function of which is dependent on a reduced number of external components. This is arranged by providing a rinse fluid container, which has a self-regulating rinse fluid supply function provided by an internal float means operably connected to a valve means. The advantage of this arrangement is that the container volume can be kept small and that the need for internal and external control means, e.g. rinse fluid level sensors and fluid solenoid valves with respective controls, are eliminated.

The rinse fluid container advantageously has a substantially cylindrical and elongate configuration, whereby it is provided with an insertable support means, comprising the rinse fluid inlet port, a lever means for acting on the valve means, and a central guide bar for receiving the float means. This facilitates assembly and disassembly of the rinse fluid container. Employing the lever means advantageously provides for providing sufficient force to close the valve means even when using a smaller float means.

The float means advantageously has a substantially hollow cylindrical configuration, which is open in a direction opposite to the valve means. This makes the float means resistant to high pressures even with a limited or thin wall thickness.

By giving the central guide bar a length longer than the height of the float means, the float means can controllably be displaced between an upper first position, in which it acts on the lever means in order to close the valve means, and a lower second position, in which it releases the lever means.

In order to facilitate the retaining and releasing of the float means with respect to the guide bar, the lower end of the guide bar is advantageously provided with projections and a slot respectively. The valve means advantageously comprise a valve seat and a valve body, whereby the valve seat is arranged at the inlet port for rinse fluid and the valve body comprises a valve plate of flexible material.

In order to enhance the sealing effect the valve seat is advantageously provided with a ring-formed sealing surface with a relatively small width in order to increase the unit surface pressure.

The valve plate is advantageously provided with a central support plate of rigid material, whereby the closing effect by the lever means is enhanced as well as the pressure resistance of the valve plate.

The rinse fluid container is provided with an inlet port for pressurised air for emptying the same.

In the following the invention shall be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a general diagram of a vacuum sewer system; Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the rinse fluid container; and Figs. 3 and 4 show enlarged sectional views of the rinse fluid container.

Fig.1 shows a general flow diagram of a vacuum sewer system according to the invention. The vacuum sewer system comprises a source of sewage, i.e. a toilet unit 1 , comprising a toilet bowl 10. The toilet bowl 1 0 is connected through a first discharge valve 3 to a first sewer pipe 2, which leads to a sewage receptacle, in this case an intermediate sewage container 4. From the intermediate sewage container 4 a second sewer pipe 6 leads to a sewage tank 7 through a second sewer valve 5. Vacuum is provided to the intermediate sewage container 4 by a vacuum generation means 9, e.g. a vacuum pump or an ejector device. The sewage tank 7 is provided with a ventilation means 8 in order to provide atmospheric pressure in the sewage tank 7. The system is further provided with rinse fluid means for providing rinse fluid to the toilet bowl 1 0 in connection with drainage or flushing of the toilet unit 1 . The rinse fluid means comprise a rinse fluid tank 1 1 in fluid communication with a rinse fluid container 20 through a rinse fluid pipe 1 2. Rinse fluid is supplied to the toilet bowl 1 0 from the rinse fluid container 20 through a rinse fluid conduit 1 3 and rinse fluid nozzles 1 4 arranged in the toilet bowl 1 0.

The drainage or flushing cycle of the system generally follows the following phases.

At an initial phase the toilet bowl 1 0 contains an initial supply of rinse fluid, whereby the rinse fluid container 20 is also filled. The first discharge valve 3 and the second discharge valve 5 are closed and vacuum is provided in the intermediate container 4 by the vacuum generation means 9.

The discharge function is activated by a control center 1 5, whereby the first discharge valve 3 is opened and pressurised air is supplied to the rinse fluid container 20 from a pressurised air conduit 1 6. This results in that the sewage present in the toilet bowl 10 is drawn into the intermediate container 4 through the first sewer pipe 2 (due to the pressure difference between the substantially normal atmospheric pressure in the toilet bowl 1 0 and the vacuum in the intermediate sewage container 4) at the same time as the pressurised air forces rinse fluid from the rinse fluid container 20 through the rinse fluid pipe 1 3 and the rinse fluid nozzles 1 4 into the toilet bowl 1 0. Subsequently, the first discharge valve 3 is closed, whereby the supply of rinse fluid to the toilet bowl 1 0 is continued for a while, before the supply of pressurised air to the rinse fluid container 20 is stopped, in order to provide the toilet bowl 1 0 with an initial supply of rinse fluid (cf. above) for a following drainage or flushing function. The sewage is transported from the intermediate sewage container 4 to the sewage tank 7 by directing pressurised air to the intermediate sewage container 4 and then opening the second discharge valve 5, which initially by a pressure pulse forces the sewage to empty from the intermediate sewage container 4 into the sewage tank 7 through the second sewer pipe 6. When the pressurised air supply to the rinse fluid container 20 is stopped, rinse fluid from the rinse fluid tank 1 1 is allowed to flow into the rinse fluid container 20 to refill said container for the following drainage or flushing function.

Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of the rinse water container 20 employed in the present invention. The rinse water container has a substantially cylindrical and elongate configuration and is provided with an inlet port 21 for rinse fluid, an inlet port 22 for pressurised air and an outlet port 23 for rinse fluid. The inlet port 21 for rinse fluid is in fluid communication with the rinse water tank 1 1 through the rinse fluid pipe 1 2 as described above. The rinse fluid container 20 is provided with a support means 24 arranged at the upper end of the rinse fluid container. The support means has an upper flange portion 25, which forms the rinse fluid inlet port 21 and a lower portion, which forms a guide bar 26 extending into the rinse fluid container 20. The upper flange portion 25 and the lower portion are connected by a threaded connection. A valve means, comprising a valve seat 27 and a valve plate 28 of a flexible material, is arranged in the rinse fluid inlet port 21 . The guide bar 26 is arranged to slidingly receive a float means 29. The float means 29 has a substantially hollow cylindrical configuration, which is open in a direction opposite to the valve means. By giving the float means 29 a hollow, downwards turned cup-formed configuration, the float means 29 can stand high pressures (discussed below) even with a limited or thin wall thickness. The length L of the guide bar 26 is longer than the height H of the float means 29, so that the float means 29 can be displaced between an upper first position (Fig. 4) and a lower second position (Fig. 3). The float means 29 is retained on the guide bar 26 by projections 30 (Fig. 3) at the lower end of the guide bar 26. The guide bar 26 is further provided with a central slot 31 or incision at the lower end, so that the projections 30 can be pushed together in order to remove the float means 29 from the guide bar 26. The flange portion 25 of the support means 24 is fastened by a threaded connection to the rinse fluid container 20 body, so that the support means 24 and the thereto attached components can be removed from the container as the float means is removed from the guide bar.

Further, the support means 24 is provided with a lever means 32 arranged at an upper end of the guide bar 26. The float means 29, in its upper first position (Fig. 4), is arranged to act on the lever means 32 in order to close the valve means. The rinse water container 20 is advantageously made of a plastics material, whereby a typical size would be about 0.7 litre.

In the following the operation of the rinse water container will shortly be described.

In Fig. 3 the rinse water container 20 is shown with the valve means in an open position, in which rinse fluid from the rinse fluid tank 1 1 may flow into the rinse fluid container 20 through the rinse fluid inlet port 21 . In this phase the float means 29 is in its lower second position, whereby the lever means 32 is accordingly released. The valve plate 28, which is of a flexible material, e.g. rubber, is arranged between an abutment of the support means 24 flange portion 25 and the valve seat 27, and due to the flow pressure of the in-flowing rinse fluid, the valve plate 28 is released (Fig. 3) allowing the rinse fluid to flow (shown by arrows) through the valve means into the rinse water container 20. The inner diameter of the valve seat 27 can be varied with respect to the pressure of the in-flow of the rinse water fluid. As the rinse fluid level rises to a given fill level in the rinse fluid container

20, defined by the height of the float means 29, the float means 29 rises to its upper first position (Fig. 4) and acts on the lever means 32, which in turn acts on the valve plate 28 so that the valve means is closed. The lever means 32 is pivotably connected to the support means 24 at a point 33 laterally displaced from the valve means. The valve plate 28 is provided with a central support plate 34 of rigid material, which the lever means 32 acts upon and thus secures the closing of the valve means and which also provides for better resistance of the valve plate to higher pressures (discussed below). The sealing surface of the valve plate 28 against the valve means 27 is advantageously ring-formed and of a relatively small width in order to attain a higher unit surface pressure to secure sealing. When the valve means is closed the supply of rinse fluid is stopped automatically.

When the discharge or flushing function is activated by the control center 1 5, pressurised air, usually at a pressure of about 6 to 8 bar, is supplied through the pressurised air inlet port 22. This results in that the rinse fluid is discharged through the rinse fluid outlet port 23 via the rinse fluid pipe 1 3 and the rinse fluid nozzles 14 into the toilet bowl 1 0. As the rinse fluid level in the rinse fluid container 20 is lowered the float means 29 slides down to its lower second position (Fig. 3) and rests on the projections 30. The valve means, however, still remains closed due to the high pressure in the rinse fluid container 20. When the drainage or flushing phase is over, the pressurised air connection is closed and ventilated, whereby the in-flow of rinse fluid into the rinse fluid container may begin as the valve means opens due to the rinse fluid pressure (as described above), and the rinse fluid container is again filled in a self-regulating manner to the given fill level. The drawings and the thereto related description are only intended for clarifying the idea of the present invention. The present invention may vary in detail within the scope of the ensuing claims.

Claims

1 . Vacuum sewer system, comprising a source of sewage ( 1 , 1 0), a sewer pipe (2), a first discharge valve (3) disposed between the source of sewage and the sewer pipe, means (20) for providing rinse fluid to the source of sewage, a sewage receptacle (4) and vacuum generation means (9) for generating vacuum in the sewer pipe, characterised in that the means for providing rinse fluid comprise a rinse fluid container (20) with a rinse fluid inlet port (21 ), a valve means (27,28) arranged at the rinse fluid inlet port (21 ), a float means (29) within the rinse fluid container (20) operably connected to said valve means (27,28) in response to a rinse fluid fill level in the rinse fluid container (20), and a rinse fluid outlet port (23).

2. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rinse fluid container (20) has a substantially cylindrical and elongate configuration, that the rinse fluid container (20) is provided with a support means (24), comprising the rinse fluid inlet port (21 ), a lever means (32) for acting on the valve means (27,28), and a central guide bar (26) for receiving the float means (29).

3. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 2, characterised in that the float means (29) has a substantially hollow cylindrical configuration, which is open in a direction opposite to the valve means (27,28).

4. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 3, characterised in that the length (L) of the central guide bar (26) is longer than the height (H) of the float means (29) so that the float means can be displaced between an upper first position, in which it acts on the lever means (32) in order to close the valve means (27,28), and a lower second position, in which it releases the lever means (32).

5. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 4, characterised in that the guide bar (29) at an end opposite the valve means is provided with retaining means (30) for the float means (29) and a releasing means (31 ) for the float means (29).

6. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 5, characterised in that the retaining means comprise projections (30) on the guide bar (26) and the releasing means comprise a central slot (31 ) in the guide bar (26).

7. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 2, characterised in that the valve means comprises a valve seat (27) and a valve body (28), that the valve seat (27) is arranged in the rinse fluid inlet port (21 ) and in that the valve body (28) comprises a valve plate of flexible material.

8. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 7, characterised in that the valve seat (27) is provided with a ring-formed sealing surface having a relatively small width.

9. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the valve plate (28) is provided with a central support plate (34) of rigid material and in that the lever means is arranged to act on the central support plate (34).

1 0. Vacuum sewer system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the rinse fluid container (20) is further provided with a pressurised air inlet port (22).