FI92085C - Improved vacuum drainage device - Google Patents

Description

92085

IMPROVED VACUUM VACUUM SYSTEM - FORBATTRAD VAKUUM-AVLOPPSANORDNING

The invention relates to a vacuum drainage system according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for controlling a vacuum drainage system according to the preamble of claim 10.

5 Another significant problem with vacuum drainage systems is the high noise they cause. Noise is generated when the drain valve opens and closes and when air and sewer mass are absorbed into the drain. Vacuum drainage technology requires that a fairly large volume of air enter the sewer pipe behind the substance to be transported in the drain and that the drain valve opens and closes quickly. NAma functions produce significant pressure fluctuations that generate noise.

It is known from Finnish patent No. 77082 to fast air to a vacuum drain through an air fast duct at a fixed point in the drain valve 15. Thanks to this technology, the sewer valve can be closed silently after the transported sewer mass has been transferred to the vacuum sewer, because the air required for transport is obtained from the air duct. TailOin drained point of the drain flow into the air flow rates are low and 20 Furthermore, the sewer valve is closed in a situation where the air channel of the drain fast flowing air, thanks to sewer inlet and outlet vaiinen the pressure difference is small. All this tends to reduce the noise level considerably.

25 Two factors determine how long a drain valve must be kept open. First, the sewer valve must be open for so long that the sewage mass to be transported has, with reasonable certainty, been completely transferred to the sewer pipe. Although normally the sewer mass enters the sewer when the 30 sewer valves are opened, it is advisable to allow the sewer mass 2 92085 about two seconds to leave the device to be drained. Secondly, from the point of view of the operation of the vacuum drainage system, it is important that the sewer mass is not merged with the sewer before or in the sewer. Therefore, the 5 sewer mass traps have to travel a relatively long distance in the sewer pipe, for example at least 10 m, before it stops. In commonly used vacuum sewer systems, the maximum velocity of the sewer mass in the sewer is about 5-10 m / s. The drain valve is normally kept open for about 4 s during each of the 10 drain operations.

The object of the invention is to provide a relatively quiet vacuum drainage system which works better and more reliably than the device disclosed in Finnish patent 77082. The features of the invention appear from claim 1. By controlling the operation of the air relief valve so that it is directly dependent on the pressure fluctuations caused by the sewer operation itself in the sewer, the risk of malfunction is minimized.

Connect the countries to the air duct Duct to the sewer pipe as many as possible close to the drain valve in the flow direction at its jagged point for the best reliability.

The fasting valve can be quite simple in construction. Preferably, it encloses an annular seat 25 and a closure portion surrounding the opening in the open connection to the air duct, which in its closed position separates the opening from the surrounding air space. The closure member is movable from the position in which it is attached to the seat to the position in which it is detached from the seat. This is preferably done in such a way that the closing part is limited to a guide chamber, which preferably has a flexible wall 30. By controlling the pressure in the control chamber, the desired operation of the shut-off part of the shut-off valve is achieved. Since the vacuum drainage system includes a control device which controls e.g. the operation of the drain valve, this: the control device can advantageously silence the vacuum not only on the actuator of the drain valve 35, but also on the air control valve of the air valve in order to effect the opening movement of the air drain valve.

The noise level of the vacuum toilet according to the invention can be further reduced by providing the toilet bowl 5 in a manner known per se with a tight and preferably quite thick lid with an insulating lid. When the tight lid is closed, the air volume inside the bowl may be too small, so that additional air can be led to the toilet bowl via a separate line. This line may be connected to the air duct of the vacuum drain 10, as disclosed in Finnish patent 77082, or it may be a completely separate line. The lowest noise level is reached if the the origin of the cable is outside the toilet room and if the cable is additionally suitably soundproofed. Equipping the line with a non-return valve prevents 15 diffusers from spreading through the line from the toilet bowl to the environment.

Thanks to the invention, even more reliable operation is achieved, which makes it possible to limit the opening time of the drain valve even more. The transported sewer masses-20 si usually pass past the air duct connection point in less than a second after opening the drain valve. Normally the aim is for this to take place about 0.5 s after the drain valve has reached its fully open position. The fasting valve in turn can open for less than 2.5 25 s, preferably 1 ... 2 s after the drain valve has opened.

These time selections must be selected in relation to the quiet distance between the drain valve and the air duct connection and the assumed speed of movement of the drain mass at the beginning of the transport operation. It is absolutely essential that the 3Γ0 air-free valve does not open until the transported sewer mass has completely moved past the air-duct connection. The air-fastening valve can advantageously be open for about 5 s. In this case, more air enters the drain than in the conventional vacuum drain system, which tends to prolong the transport distance of the sewer mass in the drain.

4,92085

The invention also relates to a method for controlling a vacuum drainage system according to the invention. The method is known from the following combination of measures:

Sufficient vacuum is developed in the sewer pipe to transport the sewer mass 5 in the sewer pipe, a sewer valve is opened, whereupon the sewer mass in the sewer through, the sewer valve is closed and the fasting of air to the sewer pipe is stopped after the sewer plug has passed the entire distance of the sewer pipe or is at least 10 m away from the sewer valve. In this way, the advantage is obtained that the separate sewer masses in the sewer pipe do not escape into association, which relatively often causes malfunctions in vacuum sewer devices which do not apply the method according to the invention.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 schematically shows, on a partially enlarged scale, an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 schematically shows a system according to the invention with several toilets.

25 In the drawing, 1 is a toilet bowl and 2 vacuum sewer pipes connected to it. The stern of the toilet and the drain has a drain valve 3, the operation of which is controlled by taking advantage of the vacuum prevailing in the drain pipe 2. Various valves of this type are disclosed in Finnish Patents 49204 and 54173, German Pat. No. 2,652,878 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,731. As suitable valves are known, the structure of the valve is not described here.

• 5,92085

The air outlet pipe 4 connected to the drain pipe 2 and connected to the drain valve 3 is in communication with the atmosphere. An external pipe 5 20 containing air-insulating material surrounds the air-relieving pipe and the air-relieving valve 6 therein, forming an inlet channel leading to the air-releasing valve 6. Air flows into this inlet duct as indicated by the downpressure arrows 15.

the system has a control device 7 to which the operating impulse 8 10 initiated by the user of the toilet, e.g. The operating impulse 8 may depend, for example, on the closing of the lid 17 of the toilet bowl or on the mulch factors which it is desired to take into account in controlling the rinsing of the toilet. Since the things of ndmaki are known per se, the generation of the control pulse and the operation of the control device 7 are not described here either.

The general principle in a vacuum drain device is that the drain valve only operates when there is sufficient vacuum in the drain pipe. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the vacuum required for the operation of the drain valve 3 is obtained from 20 drains 2 via a branch pipe 9. This branch pipe is connected via a non-return valve 10 to a control device 7, which, tuned by the operating pulse 8, silences the vacuum from the sewer pipe 2 via the pipe 13 to the actuator of the sewer valve 3. TailOin the drain valve 3 opens and at the same time 25 the control device 7 silences the vacuum through the pipe 34 to the air-free valve 6, into which the tailOin is ready to open.

The deaeration valve has a shut-off body, e.g. a thick rubber plate 30, which is normally attached to the deaeration tube 4 but which can be raised to the position shown by the dotted lines, allowing air to flow freely into the deaeration tube 4. This hike is provided by a control chamber 32 through a narrow tube 34 to a tube 13. The guide chamber 32 communicates in part 35 with a rubber plate 30 and in part with a rigid wall 38 to which the resilient wall 42 of the guide chamber 42 is connected via a flange 44. The resilient rubber wall 42 lightly presses the rubber sheet 30 against the yiapa of the air end tube 4.

Normally, the bellows in the pipe 13 is the same pressure in the toilet bowl of the heel 5 (e.g. normal atmospheric pressure or in the airplane in its cabin), while the air pipe 4 has a much lower pressure because it is in direct contact with the drain pipe 2, which is under vacuum. As a result, the rubber plate 30 remains in firm contact with the airway tube 4. After receiving the operating impulse 8, the control device 7 silences the vacuum from the sewer pipe 2 to the pipe 13. The TMma opens the sewer valve 3 and the sewer mass in the toilet bowl 1 presses quickly into the sewer pipe 2 under the effect of atmospheric pressure.

The pressure in the pipe 13 is transferred through the pipe 34 to the control chamber 32 and the pressures on both sides of the rubber plate 30 approach the same value. However, the spring force of the resilient wall 42 and the area difference 20 of the surfaces of the tube 4 of the rubber plate 30 and the pressure chamber 32 act so that the rubber plate 30 does not move from the tube 4 and the air valve remains closed. As the drain mass flow from the toilet bowl 1 passes the pipe 4, the connection point 36 and is followed by the air from the toilet bowl 1, the pressure in the drain pipe 2 and pipe 4 rises, but the check valve 10 prevents a corresponding pressure rise in the pipe 34. the pipe 4 reverts to the sewer pipe 2. Approximately at the same time as the air relief valve 6 opens, the control device 7 begins to silence the atmospheric pressure in the pipe 13, whereby the sewer valve 30 closes. The same pressure is transferred to the control chamber 32, however, with a slight delay due to the length of the pipe 34, and thus causes the air relief valve 6 to close.

*,, The lid 17 of the toilet bowl seals the toilet bowl 1 in its closed position 35 and the operating impulse 8 is silenced only by the lid

Claims (10)

A vacuum sewer device comprising a sewer unit (1), a sewer pipe (2) and means for developing in the sewer pipe such a vacuum that it can provide efficient transport of sewerage mass in the sewer pipe (2), a normally closed sewer valve (3). , which connects the drain unit (1) to the drain pipe (2), a control means (7) for controlling the operation of the drain valve 20 so that the drain unit (1) can be emptied from the existing drainage mass, and an air inlet duct (4) for inlet in the drain pipe (2) separate from the drain unit, characterized therein, in order to control the air inlet through the air inlet duct (4) to the drain pipe (2), when this is required for transport of the waste mass required vacuum, an air filter (2) is provided in the device. 6), the function of our spring is controlled by pressure fluctuations in the sewer pipe (2), so that the air inlet valve (6) is opened only after the sewer has passed 30 air inlet duct one's connection point (36) to the outlet pipe (2). 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the air inlet duct (4) is connected to the drain pipe (2) close to the drain valve (3) and to a flow direction after the drain valve (3) at the outlet valve (3). 11 92085 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air inlet valve (6) comprises an annular suction which surrounds an opening, in contact with the air inlet duct (4), a closing part (30) which separates the aperture from the ambient air and which is displaceable from a door in which it abuts the seat to a door, in which it is free from the seat, and means for controlling the door of the closing part (30). 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the means for controlling the position of the closure part (30) comprises a control chamber (32) which is bounded by a preferably flexible wall (42), and means for controlling the ice chamber ( 32) prevailing pressure. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the control means (7) of the device comprise means (13) for transmitting vacuum both to the actuator of the drain valve (3) and to the control chamber (32) of the air inlet valve (6). 6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drain unit (1) is a toilet bowl 20 with a substantially airtight sound insulating lid (17). 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that a pipe (18) is connected to the toilet bowl (1) for entrapping air into the bowl when the lid (17) of the bowl is closed. 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the pipe (18) which enters air into the toilet bowl is provided with a check valve (19). 9. A vacuum drain device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of drain branches (48) which are openly connected to the drain pipe (2), a plurality of 3P normally closed drain valves (3), each of which connects a drain unit (1) to a poorly connected drain branch (48), control means (7) for controlling the operation of the drain valves (3), air inlet ducts (4) for the inlet of air to the drain branches (4) separately from it to the drain branch connected drain unit (1), which air inlet ducts (4) are each connected to a drain branch (48) near its drain valve (3), and air inlet valves (50), each connected to an air inlet duct (4) , so that air inlet through any of the air inlet ducts (4) of a drain branch (48) connected thereto can be controlled in connection with the function of the drain valve (3) connected to the drainage branch in question. A method for controlling such a vacuum drain device comprising a drain unit (1), a drain pipe (2), a normally closed drain valve (3) connecting a drain unit (1) to the drain pipe (2), and a air inlet duct (4) which enters air into the drain pipe (2) separately from the drain unit (1), wherein the air inlet duct (4) is connected to the drain pipe (2) close to the drain valve, characterized by the following drainage combination: 20. drain a sufficient mass vacuum is developed for the transport of waste mass in the sewer pipe (2), after which the sewer valve (3) is opened, whereby the waste mass present in the sewer unit (1) due to the pressure of the surrounding air is fitted into the sewer pipe (2). a rapidly moving plug immediately after the drain plug has passed the point (36) where the air inlet duct (4) is connected to the drain pipe (2), air is siphoned into the drain pipe (2) through the air inlet duct (4), rod s the drain valve and the air inlet opening to the drain pipe (2) is terminated through the .30 air inlet duct (4), when the drain pulp has passed the entire drain pipe (2) or at least a distance of 10 m from the drain valve (3). »· I