WO1994020191A1 - System and method for dispensing a treating material - Google Patents

System and method for dispensing a treating material Download PDF

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Publication number
WO1994020191A1
WO1994020191A1 PCT/US1994/002052 US9402052W WO9420191A1 WO 1994020191 A1 WO1994020191 A1 WO 1994020191A1 US 9402052 W US9402052 W US 9402052W WO 9420191 A1 WO9420191 A1 WO 9420191A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
eductor
line
liquid
treated
pressure
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1994/002052
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO1994020191B1 (en
Inventor
James P. Brennan
Original Assignee
Olin Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Olin Corporation filed Critical Olin Corporation
Priority to AU63941/94A priority Critical patent/AU6394194A/en
Publication of WO1994020191A1 publication Critical patent/WO1994020191A1/en
Publication of WO1994020191B1 publication Critical patent/WO1994020191B1/en

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Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C02—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F—TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE
    • C02F1/00—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
    • C02F1/68—Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water
    • C02F1/685—Devices for dosing the additives
    • C02F1/686—Devices for dosing liquid additives
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F21/00—Dissolving
    • B01F21/20—Dissolving using flow mixing
    • B01F21/22—Dissolving using flow mixing using additional holders in conduits, containers or pools for keeping the solid material in place, e.g. supports or receptacles
    • B01F21/221—Dissolving using flow mixing using additional holders in conduits, containers or pools for keeping the solid material in place, e.g. supports or receptacles comprising constructions for blocking or redispersing undissolved solids
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
    • B01F—MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING
    • B01F25/00—Flow mixers; Mixers for falling materials, e.g. solid particles
    • B01F25/30—Injector mixers
    • B01F25/31—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows
    • B01F25/316—Injector mixers in conduits or tubes through which the main component flows with containers for additional components fixed to the conduit

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for dispensing a solid soluble treating material (e.g., calcium hypochlorite) into a system to be treated in the form of a solution.
  • a solid soluble treating material e.g., calcium hypochlorite
  • Chlorine is used in many industrial applications for treating purposes. It can be used for sanitizing, bleaching, oxidizing and preventing the buildup of unwanted vegetable an animal matter such as algae and marine life.
  • the chlorine is supplied as gaseous chlorine or liquid sodium hypochlorite
  • a dry, solid calcium source of chlorine such as calcium hypochlorite offers many advantages over gaseous chlorine or liquid sodium hypochlorite. It is stable, concentrated and relatively easily handled.
  • most industrial systems are water and, in the solid form, calcium hypochlorite tends to cake and become corrosive in the presence of water.
  • the solid chlorine-containing material may be metered directly into the system to be treated or dissolved and then metered into the system to be treated to provide the proper concentration of chlorine for the system to be treated.
  • Such delivery systems for solids of this type tend to be expensive and, due to the caking and corrosion, tend to be unreliable.
  • a feeder for dissolving and feeding a solid soluble sanitizing material such as calcium hypochlorite, into a body of water such as a swimming pool is shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4,867,196, issued September 19, 1989 to CN. Zetena et al, and U.S. Patent No. 5,133,381, issued July 28, 1992 to Wood et al.
  • the feeder includes three separate chambers: a discharge chamber, a dissolving chamber and a removable solid tablet container or hopper. While such feeders have been successful, their application has generally been limited to swimming pools utilizing forced circulation systems where the feeder is designed so that the dissolving chamber provides enough of the treated water into the discharge chamber, whereupon it is then discharged into a flow loop connected to the forced recirculation system associated with the swimming pool or other body of water.
  • the outlet from the feeder is directly connected to the forced circulation system including a circulating pump at a point on the low pressure side of the pump and the input to the feeder is connected to the forced circulation system at a point on the high pressure side of the pump.
  • the circulating pump and filter are located below the level of the pool water, it is customary to connect the outlet from the discharge of the feeder to the suction intake of a venturi.
  • the main inlet of the venturi is connected to the high pressure side of the circulating pump while the outlet from the venturi is connected to the low pressure side of the pump.
  • Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved system and method for dispensing a treating material in which a motive fluid provides means for feeding a liquid solution containing the treating material into the system requiring treatment and which has improved means for controlling the concentration of the treating material in the system to be treated.
  • Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated in which the motive fluid for drawing the material from a dispensing unit is provided from the system to be treated.
  • Yet still another object of the present invention is the provision of a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated in which the motive fluid for drawing the material from a dispensing unit is provided from the system to be treated and in which the effects of a pressure change in the system is minimized.
  • a further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and system for dispensing a treating material which utilizes a dispensing unit in which a solid soluble material is dissolved and dispensed into an open loop system.
  • a system for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated which may comprise a storage chamber for holding a quantity of treating material in solution form.
  • An ejector means is provided having its inlet and outlet connected to the system to be treated to provide a flow of motive fluid from the system to be treated through said ejector means.
  • the suction inlet of the ejector means is connected to the storage chamber for drawing the solution from the chamber into the motive fluid stream.
  • Means are provided for regulating the flow of motive fluid through the ejector to regulate the concentration of the treating material in the system to be treated.
  • a system for dispensing a solid soluble treating material may comprise a dispensing unit including a soluble material chamber for holding the treating material in solid form, a dissolving unit connected to a source of liquid for dissolving said treating material and a storage chamber.
  • the soluble material chamber extends down inside the dissolving chamber contactable with the liquid in the dissolving chamber to periodically immerse at least a portion of the soluble material in the liquid.
  • Control means may control the level of liquid that flows into the dissolving chamber and be connected in flow communication with the dissolving chamber and the storage chamber to periodically permit the flow of liquid from the dissolving chamber to the discharge chamber.
  • An ejector means may be provided having its inlet and outlet connected to the system to be treated for providing a flow of motive fluid from said system to be treated through said ejector means.
  • the suction inlet of said ejector means may be connected to said storage chamber for drawing the solution from said chamber into the motive fluid stream passing through said ejector means in response to the flow of motive fluid therethrough.
  • Means is also provided for regulating the flow of motive fluid through the ejector to regulate the concentration of the treating solution in the system.
  • the system may include means for isolating the ejector means from variations in the pressure of the system to be treated.
  • a method for dispensing a treating material into a system may comprise providing a storage chamber port for containing the treating material having a discharge in solution form, providing an ejector having a motive fluid inlet, a discharge outlet and suction inlet, and connecting said suction inlet to the discharge port of said chamber.
  • a stream of motive fluid is caused to flow through said ejector to draw the solution from the storage container into the ejector and mix and exit therefrom with the motive fluid.
  • An adjustable regulating valve is provided for adjusting the flow rate of motive fluid through the system.
  • the method further includes adjusting the regulator valve to provide a given flow rate of motive fluid through the ejector to provide a given concentration of liquid solution in the system to be treated.
  • Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the dispensing system of the present invention shown connected to a system to be treated;
  • Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the inlet for water that feeds into the siphon tube apparatus of the dispensing unit, with a portion cut away to show the flow paths;
  • Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a modified dispensing system of used in conjunction with another type of the system to be treated;
  • Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of a dispensing system;
  • Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of the dispensing system of Figure 4 shown being used in connection with another type of system to be treated.
  • a dispensing system in accordance with the present invention may include a dispensing unit 2 having its outlet 4 connected to a feeding unit 6.
  • the feeding unit 6 is in turn connected to a system 8 to be treated.
  • the dispensing unit 2 preferably comprises a unit which can receive a soluble sanitizing material such as calcium hypochlorite in solid tablet form and provide for its dissolving into a liquid solution to form a solution and feed the solution to a storage or discharge chamber.
  • the dispensing unit 2 takes the form of a chemical dispenser such as shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,867,196 and 5,133,381. While reference may made to such patents for complete description and operation of such dispensing units, in general the dispensing unit 2 may comprise an upper soluble material or chemical chamber 10, an intermediate dissolving chamber 12 and a discharge or storage chamber 14.
  • the three chambers 10,12, and, 14 are separate, to facilitate cleaning and maintenance.
  • the chemical chamber 10 has a perforated bottom 16 for supporting the solid chemicals, preferably in the form of tablets 18.
  • the chamber 10 seats on top of the chamber 12 and includes a skirt portion 20 extending down into the chamber 20.
  • the perforated bottom is positioned within the dissolving chamber 20 so that the water or other liquid in the dissolving chamber can rise up through the perforated bottom 16 in contact with the chemical tablets 18 to cause the tablets 18 to dissolve.
  • the chemical chamber 10 may be also be provided with a hinged top 22 to permit easy refill of the tablets 18.
  • the dissolving chamber 12 has an open top into which the chemical chamber 10 extends and a closed bottom at the lower end of a skirt (not shown for the sake of clarity) which extends into the top of the discharge or storage chamber 14.
  • the discharge or storage chamber 14 is open at the top to receive the dissolving chamber 12 and has a closed bottom 22.
  • the outlet 4 in the discharge chamber 14 includes a shutoff valve 24 which includes a valve member 26 mounted on one end of a pivot arm 28 with a float 30 connected to the other end of the arm 28.
  • the valve member 26 is adapted to seat against the opening of orifice 32 passing through the valve assembly 24 as the float 30 moves downwardly from its position shown in Figure 1 as the liquid level drops in the chamber 14.
  • a water level control means 40 is attached to the outside of the dissolving chamber 12 for controlling the water level in the dissolving chamber 12.
  • the control means 40 includes a vertically adjustable control plate 42 and a lock knob 44 that tightens by means of a conventionally threaded screw extending into the wall of the dissolving chamber 12 to retain the plate 42 at its desired height.
  • a slot 46 in the control plate enables the control plate to be vertically adjustable.
  • a siphon assembly is part of the water level control means 40 and indicated generally by the numeral 48.
  • the siphon assembly 48 includes a bellows 50 formed from an appropriate, flexible material such as polyethylene.
  • a siphon tube 52 is attached to the plate 42 for movement therewith and has one end extending down into the dispensing or storage chamber 14 and the other end attached to the upper end of the bellows 50.
  • the siphon tube 52 is formed from a suitable material such as polyethylene or other plastic tubing and is curved or accurate in shape as shown to permit it to be fastened to the control plate 41 and function as a siphon.
  • the bellows 50 permits the siphon tube to be raised and lowered with the plate 42.
  • An inlet flow connector 60 is molded in the outer wall of the dissolving chamber 12 and communicates with the interior thereof. As shown particularly in Figure 2, a tubular bottom portion 62 of the bellow 50 extends into a male fitting 64 mounted in an opening 66 in the top of the inlet flow connector 60. A hex cap 68, through which the tubular bottom portion 62 of the bellows extends, is threaded onto the outer threaded surface of the fitting 64 with an O-ring 69 positioned between the top of the fitting 64 and the inside of the cap 68 to provide a sealed connection between the interior of the inlet flow connector 60 and the bellows 50. An inlet line 70 is connected to the inlet flow connector 60 through a float operated shutoff valve 72.
  • the shut off valve 72 is operated by a ball float 74 mounted on a float arm 76 connected to the valve 72.
  • the ball float 74 rises with the water level in the discharge chamber 14.
  • the rising of the ball float 74 closes off the flow path through the shut off valve 72 to stop the flow of water or other liquid into the unit 2.
  • a level sensor such as a magnetic level sensor may be used to operate a shut off valve.
  • a U-shaped connector pipe 80 connects the outlet of the shut off valve 72 with a flow indicator 82 having a flow control valve 84 therein.
  • the flow indicator 82 may have a ball inside a portion of clear tubing to indicate water flow and the quantity of water flowing into the unit 2.
  • the flow control valve 84 may be a flow controller designed to maintain constant volume output with varying inlet pressure.
  • An example of such a flow controller is the "VernaFlo" flow control manufactured by Vernay Laboratories of Yellow Springs, Ohio.
  • An outlet 85 from the flow indicator 82 extends into the interior of the inlet flow connector 60 and is sealed in place by means of a grommet 86 as shown in Figure 2.
  • the outlet 4 of the dispensing unit 2 is connected to the feed unit 6 by a suitable flow line 90 having a check valve 92 positioned adjacent the outlet 4.
  • the feed unit 6 may include an ejector means 100 or applying a suction to the discharge unit 4 of the discharge or storage chamber 14 in response to a motive fluid passing through the ejector means.
  • ejector means may be in the form of a siphon, exhauster, a eductor or other such device which uses a relatively high pressure liquid as a motive fluid to pull another liquid into a chamber where both are mixed and discharged out of the chamber.
  • the ejector may be an eductor 102.
  • the eductor 102 may be any one of the various commercially available models.
  • Such eductors are ejector-like devices for withdrawing fluid from a space and mixing it with another fluid by means of a motive fluid passing therethrough.
  • One such commercially available eductor suitable for use in the system shown in Figure 1 is FOX Series 129-WSE eductor manufactured by Fox Valve Development Corporation of Dover, New Jersey.
  • the eductor 102 includes an inlet 104 through which a motive fluid enters the eductor 102 from a suitable piping 106 and an outlet 108 connected to outlet piping 110 through which the motive fluid, along with the solution from chamber 14 of the dispensing unit 2, exits.
  • Line 90 from the discharge unit 4 of the dispensing unit 2 is connected through a flow meter 112 to a suction inlet 113 of the eductor 102.
  • a flow regulator 114 which may be manually operated or operated by means such as electricity or pneumatics, is positioned in the input line 106 to the ejector adjacent thereto, while a check valve 116 is positioned in the outlet line 110 line 94 of the eductor 102 as shown.
  • the flow regulator 114 may be a pressure regulator such as an adjustable pressure regulating valve.
  • the system 8 to be treated includes a pumping system, including a pump 120 which draws water or other liquid from any suitable source through an intake line 122 and discharges it through an output line 124.
  • such a system might be used as an intake filter washing system at a generating station to prevent the fouling of the surfaces of the intake filters by marine life such as Zebra mussels.
  • the intake filters are provided at the source of industrial water into the plant.
  • the source of water may be a lake or river and the water may be used for many different purposes such as cooling conversion into steam, and the like.
  • the filters of the intake need to be periodically cleaned and accordingly, a washing system is provided.
  • the washing system 8 utilizes the high pressure pump 120 to draw water from a suitable source (the same source as the industrial water) through the intake line 22 and discharges the water through the output line 124 provided with suitable nozzles (not shown) to wash the filters in the intake line in the plant.
  • Such washing system are typically periodically operated, for example, for a 10 to 20 minutes wash cycle.
  • the motive fluid for actuating the eductor 100 is provided by the washing system itself with the line 106 to the inlet 104 of the eductor 102 connected to connected to the output line 124 from the pump 120 on the high pressure side of the pump 120.
  • the outlet 108 of the eductor 102 is connected by line 110 to the intake line 122 on the low pressure side of the pump 120.
  • a suitable eductor 102 In the operation of the system of the present invention, a suitable eductor 102 must be selected that embraces the flow rates of the motive fluid available.
  • the flow regulator 114 is then used to regulate the flow rate through the eductor to ensure that the proper amount of the treating material is drawn into the fluid stream passing through the eductor to provide the proper concentration of the treating material in the system 8. More particularly, with the system shown in
  • the dispensing unit 2 serves to produce a supply of concentrated solution containing a dissolved sanitizing agent such as calcium hypochlorite produced by periodically dissolving solid tablets 18 of the treating agent into the liquid in the dissolving chamber 12 and dispensing it into the lower storage chamber 14.
  • a dissolved sanitizing agent such as calcium hypochlorite
  • the periodic dissolving is accomplished by means of the dispensing unit 2.
  • the input line 70 is attached to a constant supply of liquid such as water which source is generally separate from the liquid in the system being treated.
  • the water or other liquid enters the dispensing unit 2 through the inlet line 70 into the inlet flow connector 60 whereupon it flows into the interior of the dissolving chamber 12 and rises therein.
  • the water enters the bellows 35 and rises up into the upper portion of a siphon tube 52, as well as up through perforations in the bottom 16 of the chemical chamber 10 into contact with the tablets 18 causing the dissolution of at least a portion of the tablets.
  • the water starts draining through the siphon tube 34 into the discharge chamber 14 at a faster flow rate than the water is flowing into the inlet flow connector 60 from the inlet line 70.
  • the siphon tube 52 thus siphons the chemically treated water from the dissolving chamber back through the flow inlet connection 60 through the siphon tube 52 until the water is drained from the dissolving chamber 12 into the discharge chamber 22.
  • the filling of the discharge chamber 14 and corresponding lowering of the water level in dissolving chamber 21 continues until the tablets 18 are no longer immersed.
  • the siphon assembly 48 stops the draining of the water through the siphon tube 52 from the dissolving chamber 12 to the discharge chamber 14 when air enters the bellows 50 due to the fact that the chemically treated water has been siphon off to the lower discharge chamber 14 faster than the inlet flow of the water so that an air gap is created between the water level in the dissolving chamber and the inlet flow connector 60 and the bottom of bellows tube 50.
  • the air breaks the siphon and permits the refill of the dissolving chamber 12 to occur to achieve the partial immersion of the chemical tablets 18 to restart the periodic immersion and dissolution cycle. It is noted that the diameter of the bellows 50 and the bellow tubes must be wider than the siphon tube 34 to ensure that there is a definite air/water break.
  • the periodic immersion/dissolution cycle will continue until the lower storage or discharge chamber 14 becomes filled with water to the point at which the ball float 74 actuates the cutoff valve 72 whereupon the inflow of water or other liquid into the inlet flow connector 60 is cut off.
  • the size of the storage chamber 14 should be large enough to ensure that a sufficient amount of treating material may be stored therein to maintain a sufficient quantity so that a supply of solution is always available for feeding to the ejector means 100 during its operation, whether intermittent or continuous, without the storage chamber 14 being depleted of its supply.
  • the flow rate of the water or other liquid into the flow inlet connection 60 is controlled by the flow control valve 84 to regulate the amount of the material dissolved into the concentrated solution.
  • the float 30 will be remain raised so that the valve 24 remains open to permit discharge of the concentrated liquid solution through the outlet 4 as long as there is an amount of the concentrated treating solution in the storage chamber 14.
  • a portion of the liquid passing through the outlet line 124 from the pump 120 is bled off through line 106, through the eductor 102 and back through line 110 into the intake line 122 to the pump, providing a motive fluid to actuate the eductor.
  • this liquid flows through the eductor 102, it siphons off a stream of treating solution from the dispensing unit 2 through its outlet 4 through line 90 into the suction inlet 104 of the eductor wherein the treating solution mixes with the motive fluid passing through the eductor.
  • the fluid exiting from the eductor 102 thus contains an amount of the treating solution from the feeding unit 2 which is dispensed into the liquid to be treated passing through the inlet line 122 to the pump 120.
  • the flow regulator 114 is used to vary the flow rate of the motive fluid through the eductor 102
  • This control of the flow rate of the motive fluid serves to effectively regulate the concentration of the treating material in the system liquid passing through the pump 120.
  • FIG. 3 shows the dispensing system of the present invention adapted for use in another application.
  • a liquid main 130 or other large liquid carrying pipe has a liquid passing therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrow 132.
  • the dispensing unit 2 is the same as that described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, and has its outlet 4 connected to an eductor 102.
  • the inlet port 104 of the eductor 102 is connected to the main 130 by line 134.
  • the pressure regulator 92 is also mounted in this line 134.
  • the discharge port 108 of the eductor 102 is connected by a line 136 to the main 130 at a point upstream of the connection of 134 as shown.
  • a pump 138 is provided in the input line 134 to the eductor to provide sufficient flow of the motive fluid from the main 130.
  • the pump 138 is positioned in line 134 upstream of the flow regulator 92 as shown.
  • the flow regulator 92 serves to regulate the flow of motive fluid entering the eductor 102 from the main 130 through pump 138.
  • the flow regulator 92 serves to control the amount of the treating solution being drawn into the eductor 102 from the storage chamber 14 of the feed unit 2. This results in the control of the concentration of the treating material in the liquid flowing through the main 130.
  • FIG 4 there is shown a modified form of a feeding unit 200 which is connected to a system 202 to be treated to feed a chemical treating solution from the dispensing unit 2.
  • the dispensing unit 2 may be the same as that described above in connection with the embodiments show in Figures 1 - 3.
  • the system 202 to be treated is similar to that shown in Figure 3 in that it comprises a main 204 or other relatively large liquid carrying pipe having a liquid passing therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrow 206.
  • the feeding unit 200 includes an eductor 208 having its inlet port 210 connected to the main 204 by an input line 212 and its outlet port 214 connected to the main 204 by an output line 216.
  • the connection of the output line 216 to the main 204 is upstream of the connection to the main 204 of the input line 212.
  • the suction inlet 218 of the eductor 208 is connected to the dispensing unit 2 by line 90 having a flow meter 112 therein as described in connection with the previous embodiments.
  • a pump 220 is positioned in the input line 212 to the eductor 208 with its input side connected to the main 204 to provide sufficient flow of motive fluid to the eductor and raise the pressure of the system fluid from the main 204 flowing to the eductor 208 above the system pressure of the fluid flowing through the main 204.
  • a pressure regulator 222 such as an adjustable pressure regulating valve, is provided in the input line 212 on the discharge side of the pump 220, between the pump 220 and the eductor 208 as shown in Figure 4.
  • a eductor by-pass line 224 is connected to the input line 212 at a point between the pump and the pressure regulator 222. The output of this line 224 is connected to the output line 216 from the eductor 208.
  • a flow control valve 228 is provided in the output line 216 at a point downstream of the connection of line 224 to the output line 216. This valve 228 may be a gate valve, or other suitable type of valve, capable of controlling the flow of fluid from the eductor 208 to the main 202.
  • Pressure gauges may be provided at various locations in the feeding system 200 to provided an indication of the pressure at various locations to aid in the setup and stabilization of the system.
  • a pressure gauge 230 may be connected to the input line 212 at a point downstream of the discharge of the pump 220 and the connection of line 224 thereto and upstream of the pressure regulator 222.
  • a second pressure gauge 232 is connected to the input line 212 to the eductor 208 at a point after the pressure regulator 222 and before the inlet port 210 of the eductor 208.
  • a third pressure gauge 234 is connected to the eductor by-pass line 224 at a point downstream of the pressure regulator 226.
  • a fourth pressure gauge 236 may be connected to the output line 216 from the eductor 208 at a point downstream of the valve 228. As positioned within the system as shown in Figure 4 and described above, the pressure gauge 230 provides an indication of the pump discharge pressure Pj. The pressure gauge 232 indicates the motive fluid pressure P 2 to the eductor 208. The pressure gauge 234 indicates the back pressure P 3 to the eductor 208 and the pressure gauge 236 indicates the system pressure P 4 of the system into which the treating liquid is being discharged.
  • the booster pump 220 provides a rise in the pressure of the fluid being drawn from the system 202 and being supplied to the eductor 208.
  • the pressure P is maintained at a higher level than the system pressure P 4 by the pump 202.
  • the pressure regulator 222 along with the valve 228 are adjusted so that the motive fluid pressure P 2 to the eductor 208 is less than the pump discharge pressure P,, but greater than the system pressure P 4 .
  • the pressure regulator 226 in the eductor bypass line 224 is adjusted so that the back pressure P 3 to the eductor 208 is less than the motive fluid pressure P lf but greater than the system pressure P 4 on the downstream side of the valve 228.
  • the amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor suction inlet 218 from the dispensing unit 2 due to the motive fluid passing though the eductor 208 may be regulated by the adjusting of the flow control valve 228, and, if necessary, by adjusting the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 to the eductor 208, while maintaining the relative pressure differentials of the various locations of the system as described above.
  • the flow meter 112 provides an indication of the flow of the treating fluid from the dispensing unit 2 into the eductor 208, and thus an indication of the amount of fluid being dispensed into the system 204.
  • the eductor bypass line 224 with the regulator 226 therein serves to isolate the eductor 208 from changes in pressure in the fluid in the system to be treated.
  • the system pressure P 4 When there is a change in the system pressure P 4 , such changes will be observed in the output line 216 from the eductor 208. The change will also be observed on the discharge side of the pump 220.
  • the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 will maintain the pressure P 2 of the motive fluid flowing to the eductor 208 constant.
  • the pressure regulator 224 in the bypass line 224 will maintain the back pressure P 3 to the eductor 208 constant.
  • the pressure P 4 of the fluid in the system to be treated may range from 0 to about 120 pounds per square inch (psi) .
  • the pump should provide a pump discharge pressure P 2 about 50 to about 150 psi higher than the system pressure P 4 .
  • the motive fluid pressure P 2 may be set in the range of about 5 to about 25 psi lower than the pump discharge pressure P lr while the back pressure P 3 is lower than the motive fluid pressure P 2 and may be about 10 to about 75 psi higher than the system pressure P 4 .
  • the pump discharge pressure P t may be about 200 psi, the motive fluid pressure P 2 between about 185 to 190 psi, and the back pressure P 3 between about 90 and about 95 psi.
  • Figure 5 shows the modification of the dispensing system shown and described in connection with Figure 4 adapted to a different system 250 to be treated.
  • the system 250 includes a pump 252 which draws water or other liquid from a suitable source through an intake line 254 and discharges it through a discharge line 256 in the direction as indicated by the arrows.
  • the feeding system 258 of this embodiment does not need to have a booster pump in the input line 212 to the eductor 208 if the pump 252 of the system 250 is sufficient to provide suitable flow and pressure of the motive fluid flowing from the discharge line 256 of the system through the input line 212 to the eductor 208 to provide for the operation of the eductor 208.
  • the feeding system 258 is otherwise similar to that shown in Figure 4.
  • the input line 212 to the inlet port 210 of the eductor 208 is connected to the system 250 to be treated at a point downstream of the pump in the discharge line 256.
  • the output line 216 from the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208 is connected to the system 250 to be treated at a point upstream of the pump 252 in the intake line 254.
  • the feeding system 258 shown in Figure 5 includes a first pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 and a flow control valve 228 in the output line 216 similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 4. Also, the system of Figure 5 includes an eductor bypass line 224 having one end connected to the input line 212 at a point upstream of the first pressure regulator 222 and it other end connected to the output line 216 between the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208 and the valve 228. A second pressure regulator 226 is provided in the bypass line 224. Pressure gauges 230, 232, 234 and 236 may be provided at the same locations in the feeding system 258 as in the feed system 200 of the modification of Figure 4.
  • the pressure P t that is measured by the pressure gauge 230 is the discharge pressure of the pump 252 within the system 250 to be treated.
  • the pressure gauge 232 positioned in the input line 212 to the eductor measures the motive fluid pressure P 2 to the eductor 208 and the pressure gauge 234 measures the back pressure P 3 to the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208.
  • the pressure gauge 236 measures the pressure P 4 in the system 250 to be treated in the intake line 254 upstream of the pump 252. This pressure P 4 in the system will be lower than pressure Pi on the discharge side of the pump 256 as measured by the pressure gauge 230.
  • the operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 5 is similar to that of Figure 4, except that the pump 253 in the system 250 to be treated provides a rise in pressure of the motive fluid being supplied to the eductor 208 relative to the pressure at which the treating fluid from the eductor 208 is supplied to the fluid in the system to be treated.
  • the pressure regulator 222 along with the valve 228 are adjusted so that the motive fluid pressure P 2 to the eductor 208 is less than the pump discharge pressure P t , but greater than the system pressure P 4 in the intake line 254.
  • the pressure regulator 226 in the eductor bypass line 224 is adjusted so that the back pressure P 3 to the eductor 208 is less than the motive fluid pressure P lf but greater than the system pressure P 4 on the downstream side of the valve 228.
  • the amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor suction inlet 218 from the dispensing unit 2 due to the motive fluid passing though the eductor 208 may be regulated by the adjusting of the flow control valve 228, and, if necessary, by adjusting the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 to the eductor 208, while maintaining the relative pressure differentials of the various locations of the system as described above.
  • the eductor bypass line 224 with the regulator 226 therein as shown in Figure 5 serves to isolate the eductor 208 from changes in pressure in the fluid in the system t be treated.
  • the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 will maintain the pressure P 2 of the motive fluid flowing to the eductor 208 constant.
  • the pressure regulator 224 in the bypass line 224 will maintain the back pressure P 3 to the eductor 208 constant.

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated. The system includes a storage means (14) for holding a quantity of treating material in solution form. An ejector (100), preferably in the form of an eductor (102), is used to draw the treating solution from said container (14) into a motive fluid passing through the eductor (102) and exiting into the system to be treated. Means, preferably in the form of a pressure regulator (114), is provided in the input line (106) of the motive fluid to the eductor (102) to regulate the concentration of the treating solution in the system to be treated.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING A TREATING MATERIAL
This invention relates generally to a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for dispensing a solid soluble treating material (e.g., calcium hypochlorite) into a system to be treated in the form of a solution.
Chlorine is used in many industrial applications for treating purposes. It can be used for sanitizing, bleaching, oxidizing and preventing the buildup of unwanted vegetable an animal matter such as algae and marine life. Although in some instances, the chlorine is supplied as gaseous chlorine or liquid sodium hypochlorite, a dry, solid calcium source of chlorine such as calcium hypochlorite offers many advantages over gaseous chlorine or liquid sodium hypochlorite. It is stable, concentrated and relatively easily handled. However, most industrial systems are water and, in the solid form, calcium hypochlorite tends to cake and become corrosive in the presence of water.
The solid chlorine-containing material may be metered directly into the system to be treated or dissolved and then metered into the system to be treated to provide the proper concentration of chlorine for the system to be treated. Such delivery systems for solids of this type tend to be expensive and, due to the caking and corrosion, tend to be unreliable. A feeder for dissolving and feeding a solid soluble sanitizing material such as calcium hypochlorite, into a body of water such as a swimming pool is shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 4,867,196, issued September 19, 1989 to CN. Zetena et al, and U.S. Patent No. 5,133,381, issued July 28, 1992 to Wood et al. As shown in these patents, the feeder includes three separate chambers: a discharge chamber, a dissolving chamber and a removable solid tablet container or hopper. While such feeders have been successful, their application has generally been limited to swimming pools utilizing forced circulation systems where the feeder is designed so that the dissolving chamber provides enough of the treated water into the discharge chamber, whereupon it is then discharged into a flow loop connected to the forced recirculation system associated with the swimming pool or other body of water.
In general installations of the feeder described in the above mentioned patents, the outlet from the feeder is directly connected to the forced circulation system including a circulating pump at a point on the low pressure side of the pump and the input to the feeder is connected to the forced circulation system at a point on the high pressure side of the pump. In below ground installations, where the circulating pump and filter are located below the level of the pool water, it is customary to connect the outlet from the discharge of the feeder to the suction intake of a venturi. The main inlet of the venturi is connected to the high pressure side of the circulating pump while the outlet from the venturi is connected to the low pressure side of the pump. This latter arrangement is necessary due to the fact that the water in the pool itself provides a pressure head resulting in positive pressure in the water flow to the pump which might prevent discharge of the feeder directly into that line.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system and method for dispensing a treating material in which a solid soluble treating material is dissolved and fed into the system to be treated as a solution.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved system and method for dispensing a treating material in which a motive fluid provides means for feeding a liquid solution containing the treating material into the system requiring treatment and which has improved means for controlling the concentration of the treating material in the system to be treated.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated in which the motive fluid for drawing the material from a dispensing unit is provided from the system to be treated. Yet still another object of the present invention is the provision of a system and method for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated in which the motive fluid for drawing the material from a dispensing unit is provided from the system to be treated and in which the effects of a pressure change in the system is minimized.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved method and system for dispensing a treating material which utilizes a dispensing unit in which a solid soluble material is dissolved and dispensed into an open loop system.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention may be achieved through the provision of a system for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated which may comprise a storage chamber for holding a quantity of treating material in solution form. An ejector means is provided having its inlet and outlet connected to the system to be treated to provide a flow of motive fluid from the system to be treated through said ejector means. The suction inlet of the ejector means is connected to the storage chamber for drawing the solution from the chamber into the motive fluid stream. Means are provided for regulating the flow of motive fluid through the ejector to regulate the concentration of the treating material in the system to be treated. According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for dispensing a solid soluble treating material may comprise a dispensing unit including a soluble material chamber for holding the treating material in solid form, a dissolving unit connected to a source of liquid for dissolving said treating material and a storage chamber. The soluble material chamber extends down inside the dissolving chamber contactable with the liquid in the dissolving chamber to periodically immerse at least a portion of the soluble material in the liquid. Control means may control the level of liquid that flows into the dissolving chamber and be connected in flow communication with the dissolving chamber and the storage chamber to periodically permit the flow of liquid from the dissolving chamber to the discharge chamber. An ejector means may be provided having its inlet and outlet connected to the system to be treated for providing a flow of motive fluid from said system to be treated through said ejector means. The suction inlet of said ejector means may be connected to said storage chamber for drawing the solution from said chamber into the motive fluid stream passing through said ejector means in response to the flow of motive fluid therethrough. Means is also provided for regulating the flow of motive fluid through the ejector to regulate the concentration of the treating solution in the system.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the system may include means for isolating the ejector means from variations in the pressure of the system to be treated.
A method according to the present invention for dispensing a treating material into a system may comprise providing a storage chamber port for containing the treating material having a discharge in solution form, providing an ejector having a motive fluid inlet, a discharge outlet and suction inlet, and connecting said suction inlet to the discharge port of said chamber. A stream of motive fluid is caused to flow through said ejector to draw the solution from the storage container into the ejector and mix and exit therefrom with the motive fluid. An adjustable regulating valve is provided for adjusting the flow rate of motive fluid through the system. The method further includes adjusting the regulator valve to provide a given flow rate of motive fluid through the ejector to provide a given concentration of liquid solution in the system to be treated.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the dispensing system of the present invention shown connected to a system to be treated; Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the inlet for water that feeds into the siphon tube apparatus of the dispensing unit, with a portion cut away to show the flow paths;
Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a modified dispensing system of used in conjunction with another type of the system to be treated; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of another embodiment of a dispensing system; and
Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of the dispensing system of Figure 4 shown being used in connection with another type of system to be treated.
Referring to the drawings and particularly Figure l, a dispensing system in accordance with the present invention may include a dispensing unit 2 having its outlet 4 connected to a feeding unit 6. The feeding unit 6 is in turn connected to a system 8 to be treated.
The dispensing unit 2 preferably comprises a unit which can receive a soluble sanitizing material such as calcium hypochlorite in solid tablet form and provide for its dissolving into a liquid solution to form a solution and feed the solution to a storage or discharge chamber. According to the preferred form of the invention, the dispensing unit 2 takes the form of a chemical dispenser such as shown in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,867,196 and 5,133,381. While reference may made to such patents for complete description and operation of such dispensing units, in general the dispensing unit 2 may comprise an upper soluble material or chemical chamber 10, an intermediate dissolving chamber 12 and a discharge or storage chamber 14. The three chambers 10,12, and, 14 are separate, to facilitate cleaning and maintenance.The chemical chamber 10 has a perforated bottom 16 for supporting the solid chemicals, preferably in the form of tablets 18. The chamber 10 seats on top of the chamber 12 and includes a skirt portion 20 extending down into the chamber 20. The perforated bottom is positioned within the dissolving chamber 20 so that the water or other liquid in the dissolving chamber can rise up through the perforated bottom 16 in contact with the chemical tablets 18 to cause the tablets 18 to dissolve. The chemical chamber 10 may be also be provided with a hinged top 22 to permit easy refill of the tablets 18.
The dissolving chamber 12 has an open top into which the chemical chamber 10 extends and a closed bottom at the lower end of a skirt (not shown for the sake of clarity) which extends into the top of the discharge or storage chamber 14. The discharge or storage chamber 14 is open at the top to receive the dissolving chamber 12 and has a closed bottom 22. The outlet 4 in the discharge chamber 14 includes a shutoff valve 24 which includes a valve member 26 mounted on one end of a pivot arm 28 with a float 30 connected to the other end of the arm 28. The valve member 26 is adapted to seat against the opening of orifice 32 passing through the valve assembly 24 as the float 30 moves downwardly from its position shown in Figure 1 as the liquid level drops in the chamber 14.
A water level control means 40 is attached to the outside of the dissolving chamber 12 for controlling the water level in the dissolving chamber 12. The control means 40 includes a vertically adjustable control plate 42 and a lock knob 44 that tightens by means of a conventionally threaded screw extending into the wall of the dissolving chamber 12 to retain the plate 42 at its desired height. A slot 46 in the control plate enables the control plate to be vertically adjustable.
A siphon assembly is part of the water level control means 40 and indicated generally by the numeral 48. The siphon assembly 48 includes a bellows 50 formed from an appropriate, flexible material such as polyethylene. A siphon tube 52 is attached to the plate 42 for movement therewith and has one end extending down into the dispensing or storage chamber 14 and the other end attached to the upper end of the bellows 50. The siphon tube 52 is formed from a suitable material such as polyethylene or other plastic tubing and is curved or accurate in shape as shown to permit it to be fastened to the control plate 41 and function as a siphon. The bellows 50 permits the siphon tube to be raised and lowered with the plate 42.
An inlet flow connector 60 is molded in the outer wall of the dissolving chamber 12 and communicates with the interior thereof. As shown particularly in Figure 2, a tubular bottom portion 62 of the bellow 50 extends into a male fitting 64 mounted in an opening 66 in the top of the inlet flow connector 60. A hex cap 68, through which the tubular bottom portion 62 of the bellows extends, is threaded onto the outer threaded surface of the fitting 64 with an O-ring 69 positioned between the top of the fitting 64 and the inside of the cap 68 to provide a sealed connection between the interior of the inlet flow connector 60 and the bellows 50. An inlet line 70 is connected to the inlet flow connector 60 through a float operated shutoff valve 72. The shut off valve 72 is operated by a ball float 74 mounted on a float arm 76 connected to the valve 72. The ball float 74 rises with the water level in the discharge chamber 14. When the water level reaches the level of the float 74, the rising of the ball float 74 closes off the flow path through the shut off valve 72 to stop the flow of water or other liquid into the unit 2. As an alternative to the float operated shut off valve 72, a level sensor such as a magnetic level sensor may be used to operate a shut off valve.
A U-shaped connector pipe 80 connects the outlet of the shut off valve 72 with a flow indicator 82 having a flow control valve 84 therein. The flow indicator 82 may have a ball inside a portion of clear tubing to indicate water flow and the quantity of water flowing into the unit 2. In the preferred embodiment, the flow control valve 84 may be a flow controller designed to maintain constant volume output with varying inlet pressure. An example of such a flow controller is the "VernaFlo" flow control manufactured by Vernay Laboratories of Yellow Springs, Ohio. An outlet 85 from the flow indicator 82 extends into the interior of the inlet flow connector 60 and is sealed in place by means of a grommet 86 as shown in Figure 2. The outlet 4 of the dispensing unit 2 is connected to the feed unit 6 by a suitable flow line 90 having a check valve 92 positioned adjacent the outlet 4.
The feed unit 6 may include an ejector means 100 or applying a suction to the discharge unit 4 of the discharge or storage chamber 14 in response to a motive fluid passing through the ejector means. Such ejector means may be in the form of a siphon, exhauster, a eductor or other such device which uses a relatively high pressure liquid as a motive fluid to pull another liquid into a chamber where both are mixed and discharged out of the chamber. In the preferred form of the invention, the ejector may be an eductor 102. The eductor 102 may be any one of the various commercially available models. Such eductors are ejector-like devices for withdrawing fluid from a space and mixing it with another fluid by means of a motive fluid passing therethrough. One such commercially available eductor suitable for use in the system shown in Figure 1 is FOX Series 129-WSE eductor manufactured by Fox Valve Development Corporation of Dover, New Jersey.
The eductor 102 includes an inlet 104 through which a motive fluid enters the eductor 102 from a suitable piping 106 and an outlet 108 connected to outlet piping 110 through which the motive fluid, along with the solution from chamber 14 of the dispensing unit 2, exits. Line 90 from the discharge unit 4 of the dispensing unit 2 is connected through a flow meter 112 to a suction inlet 113 of the eductor 102.
A flow regulator 114, which may be manually operated or operated by means such as electricity or pneumatics, is positioned in the input line 106 to the ejector adjacent thereto, while a check valve 116 is positioned in the outlet line 110 line 94 of the eductor 102 as shown. According to the preferred embodiment, the flow regulator 114 may be a pressure regulator such as an adjustable pressure regulating valve.
The system 8 to be treated, as shown in Figure 1, includes a pumping system, including a pump 120 which draws water or other liquid from any suitable source through an intake line 122 and discharges it through an output line 124.
By way of an example, such a system might be used as an intake filter washing system at a generating station to prevent the fouling of the surfaces of the intake filters by marine life such as Zebra mussels. The intake filters are provided at the source of industrial water into the plant. The source of water may be a lake or river and the water may be used for many different purposes such as cooling conversion into steam, and the like. The filters of the intake need to be periodically cleaned and accordingly, a washing system is provided. The washing system 8 utilizes the high pressure pump 120 to draw water from a suitable source (the same source as the industrial water) through the intake line 22 and discharges the water through the output line 124 provided with suitable nozzles (not shown) to wash the filters in the intake line in the plant. Such washing system are typically periodically operated, for example, for a 10 to 20 minutes wash cycle.
The motive fluid for actuating the eductor 100 is provided by the washing system itself with the line 106 to the inlet 104 of the eductor 102 connected to connected to the output line 124 from the pump 120 on the high pressure side of the pump 120. The outlet 108 of the eductor 102 is connected by line 110 to the intake line 122 on the low pressure side of the pump 120.
In the operation of the system of the present invention, a suitable eductor 102 must be selected that embraces the flow rates of the motive fluid available. The flow regulator 114 is then used to regulate the flow rate through the eductor to ensure that the proper amount of the treating material is drawn into the fluid stream passing through the eductor to provide the proper concentration of the treating material in the system 8. More particularly, with the system shown in
Figure 1, the dispensing unit 2 serves to produce a supply of concentrated solution containing a dissolved sanitizing agent such as calcium hypochlorite produced by periodically dissolving solid tablets 18 of the treating agent into the liquid in the dissolving chamber 12 and dispensing it into the lower storage chamber 14.
The periodic dissolving is accomplished by means of the dispensing unit 2. The input line 70 is attached to a constant supply of liquid such as water which source is generally separate from the liquid in the system being treated. The water or other liquid enters the dispensing unit 2 through the inlet line 70 into the inlet flow connector 60 whereupon it flows into the interior of the dissolving chamber 12 and rises therein. As the water continues to rise in the dissolving chamber 12, the water enters the bellows 35 and rises up into the upper portion of a siphon tube 52, as well as up through perforations in the bottom 16 of the chemical chamber 10 into contact with the tablets 18 causing the dissolution of at least a portion of the tablets. Once the water level is sufficiently high in the dissolving chamber 12 so that the corresponding water level in the siphon tube 52 rises into the curved portion thereof, the water starts draining through the siphon tube 34 into the discharge chamber 14 at a faster flow rate than the water is flowing into the inlet flow connector 60 from the inlet line 70. The siphon tube 52 thus siphons the chemically treated water from the dissolving chamber back through the flow inlet connection 60 through the siphon tube 52 until the water is drained from the dissolving chamber 12 into the discharge chamber 22. The filling of the discharge chamber 14 and corresponding lowering of the water level in dissolving chamber 21 continues until the tablets 18 are no longer immersed. The siphon assembly 48 stops the draining of the water through the siphon tube 52 from the dissolving chamber 12 to the discharge chamber 14 when air enters the bellows 50 due to the fact that the chemically treated water has been siphon off to the lower discharge chamber 14 faster than the inlet flow of the water so that an air gap is created between the water level in the dissolving chamber and the inlet flow connector 60 and the bottom of bellows tube 50. The air breaks the siphon and permits the refill of the dissolving chamber 12 to occur to achieve the partial immersion of the chemical tablets 18 to restart the periodic immersion and dissolution cycle. It is noted that the diameter of the bellows 50 and the bellow tubes must be wider than the siphon tube 34 to ensure that there is a definite air/water break. The periodic immersion/dissolution cycle will continue until the lower storage or discharge chamber 14 becomes filled with water to the point at which the ball float 74 actuates the cutoff valve 72 whereupon the inflow of water or other liquid into the inlet flow connector 60 is cut off. The size of the storage chamber 14 should be large enough to ensure that a sufficient amount of treating material may be stored therein to maintain a sufficient quantity so that a supply of solution is always available for feeding to the ejector means 100 during its operation, whether intermittent or continuous, without the storage chamber 14 being depleted of its supply.
The flow rate of the water or other liquid into the flow inlet connection 60 is controlled by the flow control valve 84 to regulate the amount of the material dissolved into the concentrated solution. The float 30 will be remain raised so that the valve 24 remains open to permit discharge of the concentrated liquid solution through the outlet 4 as long as there is an amount of the concentrated treating solution in the storage chamber 14. With the particular system shown in Figure 1, when the pump 100 in the washing system to be treated is actuated to cause the liquid to flow through intake line 122 and outlet line 124 to perform the cleansing or washing operation, the chemical treatment solution in the storage chamber 14 of the dispensing unit 2 will be automatically fed to the washing system. A portion of the liquid passing through the outlet line 124 from the pump 120 is bled off through line 106, through the eductor 102 and back through line 110 into the intake line 122 to the pump, providing a motive fluid to actuate the eductor. As this liquid flows through the eductor 102, it siphons off a stream of treating solution from the dispensing unit 2 through its outlet 4 through line 90 into the suction inlet 104 of the eductor wherein the treating solution mixes with the motive fluid passing through the eductor. The fluid exiting from the eductor 102 thus contains an amount of the treating solution from the feeding unit 2 which is dispensed into the liquid to be treated passing through the inlet line 122 to the pump 120.
The flow regulator 114 is used to vary the flow rate of the motive fluid through the eductor 102
This in turn regulates the flow rate of the siphoned treating material from the feed unit 2 to the inductor 102. This control of the flow rate of the motive fluid serves to effectively regulate the concentration of the treating material in the system liquid passing through the pump 120.
Figure 3 shows the dispensing system of the present invention adapted for use in another application. In the application shown in this Figure 3, a liquid main 130 or other large liquid carrying pipe has a liquid passing therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrow 132. The dispensing unit 2 is the same as that described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, and has its outlet 4 connected to an eductor 102. The inlet port 104 of the eductor 102 is connected to the main 130 by line 134. The pressure regulator 92 is also mounted in this line 134. The discharge port 108 of the eductor 102 is connected by a line 136 to the main 130 at a point upstream of the connection of 134 as shown. A pump 138 is provided in the input line 134 to the eductor to provide sufficient flow of the motive fluid from the main 130. The pump 138 is positioned in line 134 upstream of the flow regulator 92 as shown. The flow regulator 92 serves to regulate the flow of motive fluid entering the eductor 102 from the main 130 through pump 138. Thus, the flow regulator 92 serves to control the amount of the treating solution being drawn into the eductor 102 from the storage chamber 14 of the feed unit 2. This results in the control of the concentration of the treating material in the liquid flowing through the main 130. Referring to Figure 4, there is shown a modified form of a feeding unit 200 which is connected to a system 202 to be treated to feed a chemical treating solution from the dispensing unit 2. The dispensing unit 2 may be the same as that described above in connection with the embodiments show in Figures 1 - 3. The system 202 to be treated is similar to that shown in Figure 3 in that it comprises a main 204 or other relatively large liquid carrying pipe having a liquid passing therethrough in the direction indicated by the arrow 206.
The feeding unit 200 includes an eductor 208 having its inlet port 210 connected to the main 204 by an input line 212 and its outlet port 214 connected to the main 204 by an output line 216. The connection of the output line 216 to the main 204 is upstream of the connection to the main 204 of the input line 212. The suction inlet 218 of the eductor 208 is connected to the dispensing unit 2 by line 90 having a flow meter 112 therein as described in connection with the previous embodiments.
A pump 220 is positioned in the input line 212 to the eductor 208 with its input side connected to the main 204 to provide sufficient flow of motive fluid to the eductor and raise the pressure of the system fluid from the main 204 flowing to the eductor 208 above the system pressure of the fluid flowing through the main 204. A pressure regulator 222, such as an adjustable pressure regulating valve, is provided in the input line 212 on the discharge side of the pump 220, between the pump 220 and the eductor 208 as shown in Figure 4.
A eductor by-pass line 224 is connected to the input line 212 at a point between the pump and the pressure regulator 222. The output of this line 224 is connected to the output line 216 from the eductor 208. A pressure regulator 226, such as an adjustable pressure regulating valve, is provided in the line 224 as shown. A flow control valve 228 is provided in the output line 216 at a point downstream of the connection of line 224 to the output line 216. This valve 228 may be a gate valve, or other suitable type of valve, capable of controlling the flow of fluid from the eductor 208 to the main 202.
Pressure gauges may be provided at various locations in the feeding system 200 to provided an indication of the pressure at various locations to aid in the setup and stabilization of the system. As seen in Figure 4, a pressure gauge 230 may be connected to the input line 212 at a point downstream of the discharge of the pump 220 and the connection of line 224 thereto and upstream of the pressure regulator 222. A second pressure gauge 232 is connected to the input line 212 to the eductor 208 at a point after the pressure regulator 222 and before the inlet port 210 of the eductor 208. A third pressure gauge 234 is connected to the eductor by-pass line 224 at a point downstream of the pressure regulator 226. A fourth pressure gauge 236 may be connected to the output line 216 from the eductor 208 at a point downstream of the valve 228. As positioned within the system as shown in Figure 4 and described above, the pressure gauge 230 provides an indication of the pump discharge pressure Pj. The pressure gauge 232 indicates the motive fluid pressure P2 to the eductor 208. The pressure gauge 234 indicates the back pressure P3 to the eductor 208 and the pressure gauge 236 indicates the system pressure P4 of the system into which the treating liquid is being discharged.
In operation, with the system stabilized and running under normal conditions,the booster pump 220 provides a rise in the pressure of the fluid being drawn from the system 202 and being supplied to the eductor 208. Thus the pressure P, is maintained at a higher level than the system pressure P4 by the pump 202. The pressure regulator 222 along with the valve 228 are adjusted so that the motive fluid pressure P2 to the eductor 208 is less than the pump discharge pressure P,, but greater than the system pressure P4. The pressure regulator 226 in the eductor bypass line 224 is adjusted so that the back pressure P3 to the eductor 208 is less than the motive fluid pressure Plf but greater than the system pressure P4 on the downstream side of the valve 228. The amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor suction inlet 218 from the dispensing unit 2 due to the motive fluid passing though the eductor 208 may be regulated by the adjusting of the flow control valve 228, and, if necessary, by adjusting the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 to the eductor 208, while maintaining the relative pressure differentials of the various locations of the system as described above. The flow meter 112 provides an indication of the flow of the treating fluid from the dispensing unit 2 into the eductor 208, and thus an indication of the amount of fluid being dispensed into the system 204.
With the system shown in Figure 4, the eductor bypass line 224 with the regulator 226 therein serves to isolate the eductor 208 from changes in pressure in the fluid in the system to be treated. When there is a change in the system pressure P4, such changes will be observed in the output line 216 from the eductor 208. The change will also be observed on the discharge side of the pump 220. However, the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 will maintain the pressure P2 of the motive fluid flowing to the eductor 208 constant. The pressure regulator 224 in the bypass line 224 will maintain the back pressure P3 to the eductor 208 constant. This results in the pressure drop of the motive fluid across the eductor 208 being maintained constant in spite of changes in the system pressure so that the amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor 208, and hence being discharged into the system 204 to be treated remaining constant despite system pressure changes.
By way of illustration, the pressure P4 of the fluid in the system to be treated may range from 0 to about 120 pounds per square inch (psi) . The pump should provide a pump discharge pressure P2 about 50 to about 150 psi higher than the system pressure P4. The motive fluid pressure P2 may be set in the range of about 5 to about 25 psi lower than the pump discharge pressure Plr while the back pressure P3 is lower than the motive fluid pressure P2 and may be about 10 to about 75 psi higher than the system pressure P4. More specifically, with the system pressure P4 about 60 psi, the pump discharge pressure Pt may be about 200 psi, the motive fluid pressure P2 between about 185 to 190 psi, and the back pressure P3 between about 90 and about 95 psi.
Figure 5 shows the modification of the dispensing system shown and described in connection with Figure 4 adapted to a different system 250 to be treated.
In the case of the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the system 250 includes a pump 252 which draws water or other liquid from a suitable source through an intake line 254 and discharges it through a discharge line 256 in the direction as indicated by the arrows. With this arrangement, the feeding system 258 of this embodiment does not need to have a booster pump in the input line 212 to the eductor 208 if the pump 252 of the system 250 is sufficient to provide suitable flow and pressure of the motive fluid flowing from the discharge line 256 of the system through the input line 212 to the eductor 208 to provide for the operation of the eductor 208. The feeding system 258 is otherwise similar to that shown in Figure 4. The input line 212 to the inlet port 210 of the eductor 208 is connected to the system 250 to be treated at a point downstream of the pump in the discharge line 256. The output line 216 from the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208 is connected to the system 250 to be treated at a point upstream of the pump 252 in the intake line 254.
The feeding system 258 shown in Figure 5 includes a first pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 and a flow control valve 228 in the output line 216 similar to the arrangement shown in Figure 4. Also, the system of Figure 5 includes an eductor bypass line 224 having one end connected to the input line 212 at a point upstream of the first pressure regulator 222 and it other end connected to the output line 216 between the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208 and the valve 228. A second pressure regulator 226 is provided in the bypass line 224. Pressure gauges 230, 232, 234 and 236 may be provided at the same locations in the feeding system 258 as in the feed system 200 of the modification of Figure 4. In this case, the pressure Pt that is measured by the pressure gauge 230 is the discharge pressure of the pump 252 within the system 250 to be treated. The pressure gauge 232, positioned in the input line 212 to the eductor measures the motive fluid pressure P2 to the eductor 208 and the pressure gauge 234 measures the back pressure P3 to the outlet port 214 of the eductor 208. The pressure gauge 236 measures the pressure P4 in the system 250 to be treated in the intake line 254 upstream of the pump 252. This pressure P4 in the system will be lower than pressure Pi on the discharge side of the pump 256 as measured by the pressure gauge 230.
The operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 5 is similar to that of Figure 4, except that the pump 253 in the system 250 to be treated provides a rise in pressure of the motive fluid being supplied to the eductor 208 relative to the pressure at which the treating fluid from the eductor 208 is supplied to the fluid in the system to be treated. The pressure regulator 222 along with the valve 228 are adjusted so that the motive fluid pressure P2 to the eductor 208 is less than the pump discharge pressure Pt, but greater than the system pressure P4 in the intake line 254. The pressure regulator 226 in the eductor bypass line 224 is adjusted so that the back pressure P3 to the eductor 208 is less than the motive fluid pressure Plf but greater than the system pressure P4 on the downstream side of the valve 228. The amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor suction inlet 218 from the dispensing unit 2 due to the motive fluid passing though the eductor 208 may be regulated by the adjusting of the flow control valve 228, and, if necessary, by adjusting the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 to the eductor 208, while maintaining the relative pressure differentials of the various locations of the system as described above.
As with the system shown in Figure 4, the eductor bypass line 224 with the regulator 226 therein as shown in Figure 5 serves to isolate the eductor 208 from changes in pressure in the fluid in the system t be treated. When there is a change in the system pressure P4, such changes will be felt in the output line 216 from the eductor 208. The change will also be felt of the discharge side of the pump 220. However, the pressure regulator 222 in the input line 212 will maintain the pressure P2 of the motive fluid flowing to the eductor 208 constant. The pressure regulator 224 in the bypass line 224 will maintain the back pressure P3 to the eductor 208 constant. This results in the pressure drop of the motive fluid across the eductor 208 being maintained constant in spite of changes in the system pressure so that the amount of treating fluid being drawn into the eductor 208, and hence being discharged into the system 204 to be treated remaining constant despite system pressure changes. While reference has been made above to specific embodiments of the present invention, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A system for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated characterized by:
(a) a dispensing unit (2) for holding a quantity of treating material in solution form;
(b) a system to be treated (8) comprising a line (122, 124) having a motive liquid stream passing therethrough and having a pump (120) located on said line; (c) a bypass line (106, 110) to liquid line (b) through which said motive liquid flows, said bypass line having its inlet (106) located on the discharge side of the pump on liquid line (124) and its outlet (110) located at a point upstream of pump (120) on liquid line (122);
(d) an eductor (102) located on said bypass line (106, 110), said eductor having an inlet (104) and outlet (108) on said bypass line (106, 110) for providing a flow of said motive fluid from the system to be treated through said eductor and having a suction inlet (113) connected to said dispensing unit (2) for drawing the solution from said dispensing unit (2) into the motive fluid stream passing through said eductor in response to the flow of motive fluid therethrough; and
(e) a pressure regulating valve (114) on said bypass line (106, 110) positioned between the bypass line inlet (106) and the inlet to said eductor (104) said pressure regulating valve (114) capable of regulating the concentration of said treating solution drawn into the motive liquid stream on said bypass line (106, 110) by controlling the pressure of said motive liquid entering the eductor (102) .
2. A system for dispensing a treating material into a system to be treated characterized by: (a) a dispensing unit (2) for holding a quantity of treating material in solution form; (b) a system to be treated (8) comprising a line (130) having a motive liquid stream therethrough;
(c) a bypass line (134, 136) to liquid line (130) through which said motive liquid flows, said bypass line (134, 136) having its inlet (134) and its outlet (136) on said liquid line (130) , said bypass line inlet (134) located downstream of said bypass line outlet (136) ;
(d) a pump (138) located on said bypass line (134, 136);
(e) an eductor (102) located on said bypass line (134, 136), between said pump (138) and said outlet (136) of said bypass line (134, 136); said eductor (102) having an inlet (104) and outlet (108) on said bypass line (134, 136) for providing a flow of said motive fluid from the system to be treated (130) through said eductor (102) and having a suction inlet (113) for drawing the solution from said dispensing unit (2) into the motive fluid stream passing through said eductor (102) in response to the flow of motive fluid therethrough; and
(f) a pressure regulating valve (92) on said bypass line (136, 138) positioned between the discharge of said pump (138) and the inlet of said eductor (104), said pressure regulating valve (92) capable of regulating the concentration of said treating solution drawn into the motive liquid stream on said bypass line (134, 136) by controlling the pressure of said motive liquid entering the eductor (102) .
3. A system for dispensing a solutble solid treating material into a system to be treated characterized by:
(a) a dispensing unit (2) including: i. a soluble material chamber (10) for holding said treating material (18) in solid form; ii. a dissolving chamber (12) connected to a source of liquid for dissolving said treating material (18) to form a solution; iii. a storage chamber (14) for holding a quantity of said solution, said soluble material chamber (10) extending down inside said disssolving chamber (12) contactable with the liquid in the dissolving chamber (12) to periodically immerse at least a portion of the soluble material (18) in the liquid; and iv. control means for controlling the level of liquid (40) that flows into the dissolving chamber (12) and connected in flow communication with the dissolving chamber (12) and the storage chamber (14) to periodically permit the flow of liquid from the dissolving chamber (12) to the storage chamber (14) ;
(b) a system to be treated (8) comprising a line (122, 124) having a motive liquid stream passing therethrough and having a pump (120) located on said line;
(c) a bypass line (106, 110) to liquid line (122, 124) through which said motive liquid flows, said bypass line (106, 110) having its inlet (104) located on the discharge side of the pump and its outlet (108) located at a point upstream of pump (120) on liquid line (122, 124); (d) an eductor (102) located on said bypass line (106, 110), said eductor (102) having an inlet (104) and outlet (108) on said bypass line (106c) for providing a flow of said motive fluid from the system to be treated (8) through said eductor (102) and having a suction inlet (113) connected to said storage chamber (14) for drawing the solution from said storage chamber (14) into the motive fluid stream passing through said eductor (102) in response to the flow of motive fluid therethrough; and
(e) a pressure regulating valve (114) on said bypass line (106, 110) positioned between the bypass line inlet (106) and the inlet to said eductor (104) , said pressure regulating valve (114) capable of regulating the concentration of said treating solution drawn into the motive liquid stream on said bypass line (106, 110) by controlling the pressure of said motive liquid entering the eductor (102) .
4. The system of claim 3 characterized in that the size of the storage chamber (14) is such that it will hold a sufficient quantity of treating material in dissolved form to ensure that a continuous supply of the treating material is available for feeding to the eductor (102) during its operation without the storage chamber (14) being depleted.
5. A method for treating material (18) with a liquid solution characterized by:
(a) providing a dispensing unit (2) having a discharge port (4) for containing said treating material (18) in solution form;
(b) providing an eductor (102) having a motive fluid inlet (104) , a discharge outlet (108) and a suction inlet (113) ;
(c) connecting said suction inlet (113) to the discharge port (4) of said dispensing unit (2);
(d) causing a motive fluid to flow through said eductor (102) to draw liquid solution from said dispensing unit (2) into said eductor (102) and mix and exit from the eductor (102) with said motive fluid;
(e) providing a pressure regulating valve (114) for adjusting the flow rate of the motive fluid passing through the eductor (102) ; and
(f) adjusting the flow of motive liquid to provide a given flow rate of motive fluid through said eductor (102) to provide a given concentration of liquid solution in the system to be treated (8) .
6. The method of claim 5 further characterized by providing a storage chamber (10) for holding a quantity of treating material (18) in solid form, periodically contacting said solid treating material (18) with a liquid to immerse at least a portion of the solid treating material (18) in the liquid, periodically permitting the flow of liquid in contact with the treating material (18) to flow into said storage chamber (10) .
7. The method of claim 6 further characterized by maintaining a sufficient level of treating material (18) in solution form in said dispensing unit (2) to ensure the presence of a continuous supply of treating solution to said eductor (102) during the flow of motive fluid therethrough.
8. A system for dispensing a treating material (18) into a system to be treated characterized by:
(a) a dispensing unit (2) for holding a quantity of treating material (18) in solution form;
(b) an eductor means (208) having its inlet (210) and outlet (214) connected to the system to be treated (203) for providing a flow of motive fluid from said system to be treated through said eductor means (208) , and a suction inlet (218) connected to said dispensing unit (2) for drawing the solution from said unit (2) into the motive liquid stream passing through said eductor means (208) in response to the flow of said motive fluid therethrough; (c) means (228) for regulating the flow of said motive fluid through said eductor (208) to regulate the concentration of said treating solution in said system to be treated; and d. at least one pressure regulating valve (222, 226) for isolating said eductor means (208) from variations in the pressure of the flow of fluid in the system to be treated.
9. The system of claim 8 characterized in that said pressure regulator (228) is located in the connection between the eductor means (208) and the system to be treated (202) and a flow control valve in the connection of the outlet of the eductor means (208) and the system to be treated (202) .
10. The system of claim 8 characterized in that said system to be treated includes a line (254, 256) having liquid passing therethrough and having a pump (254) therein, said input to said eductor (208) for said motive fluid being connected by an input line to said system to be treated at a point on the discharge side of said pump (252) , and said output from said eductor (208) being connected by an output line (216) to said line of said system to be treated at a point upstream of said pump (252) , a first pressure regulator (222) in said input line (212) to maintain said pressure of the motive fluid at a level less than the pump discharge pressure but greater than the pressure of the fluid in the system to be treated, an eductor bypass line (224) connected to said input line (212) downstream of said first pressure regulator and to the output line (216) of the eductor (208) , a second pressure regulator (226) in said bypass line (224) to maintain the back pressure to said eductor (208) at a pressure greater than the pressure of the fluid in the system to be treated but less than the pressure of the motive fluid being supplied to the eductor (208) through the first pressure regulator (222), and a valve in the output line downstream of the connection thereto of the bypass line (224) for controlling the flow of the fluid form the eductor (208) .
PCT/US1994/002052 1993-03-12 1994-02-25 System and method for dispensing a treating material WO1994020191A1 (en)

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US030,689 1993-03-12
US14176193A 1993-10-27 1993-10-27
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WO2010014884A1 (en) * 2008-08-01 2010-02-04 Delaware Capital Formations, Inc. Chemical additive apparatus and method
EP2703360A1 (en) * 2012-09-03 2014-03-05 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Process and device for the purification of water
WO2016073475A1 (en) * 2014-11-04 2016-05-12 Tennant Company Liquid treatment systems and methods
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