Patent Grant
12013131
This disclosure relates to the field of expansion vessels with a membrane, in particular it relates to an expansion vessel made of plastic, with a membrane.
The manufacture of an expansion vessel with a membrane that is simultaneously resistant to temperature changes, non-toxic when in contact with drinking water, while maintaining sufficient strength, is currently a major problem since creating and assembling such expansion vessels is complex to implement due to various and different structural limitations.
It is particularly important especially in the field of household and civil plumbing systems to control pressure variations due to temperature differences or abrupt changes in flow (so-called water hammer), as expansion vessels commonly prevent such variations from being absorbed by the system, which could be damaged.
Moreover, the expansion vessels can act as a water reservoir for small withdrawals, with a corresponding reduction in the number of system pump starts, also in the event of leaks.
There are currently expansion vessels on the market that can be used in various sectors, for example: in the above-mentioned plumbing systems for the water supply for civil use, to compensate for pressure variations due to temperature differences or water hammer; in automobile cooling circuits to compensate for the effects of thermal expansion; in irrigation systems, both to avoid water hammer and to facilitate pressure regulation, and in hydraulics.
Among the types of expansion vessels currently used, there are the open-type expansion vessels and the closed-type expansion vessels, which may have different shapes and sizes.
In particular, the closed-type expansion vessel consists of a rigid container usually made of materials such as aluminium, cast iron, fibreglass, etc., divided into two caps welded together; there are two chambers of variable volume in the expansion vessel, one chamber containing the fluid of the circuit (water, almost incompressible), the other chamber containing air or gas (compressible) loaded at a certain pressure by means of a special valve. There is a partition between the two chambers comprising a bag or elastic membrane (also defined as “lung”).
The two variants most commonly used for this type of expansion vessel differ in terms of the positioning and operation of the membrane inside the vessel.
In the first of these variants, the expansion vessel consists of an outer casing (in cast iron, fibreglass, aluminium, etc.), a membrane, a water inlet and an air inlet; in particular, the membrane is connected to the water inlet and can vary its volume inside the expansion vessel due to the change in pressure in the adjacent chamber caused by the inflow or outflow of gas, in the latter case by taking water into the chamber and advantageously ensuring that the water itself never comes into contact with the metal walls of the vessel. However, when the expansion vessel is not used, for example during storage, the membrane, which is empty, collapses inside it, bending; over time, the bending lines can become fault lines, both because of the characteristics of the elastomeric material of which the membrane is made and the cyclic nature of the stress it is subjected to.
According to the second variant, the expansion vessel also consists of an outer casing (made of cast iron, fibreglass, aluminium, etc.), a membrane, a water inlet and an air inlet; in particular, the membrane is connected to the air inlet, resulting in an increase or decrease in the volume occupied by water, outside the membrane and inside the walls of the expansion vessel. In this case, when the expansion vessel is not used, the membrane is fully extended and full of air, in contact with the walls of the casing. While avoiding the above-mentioned problems deriving from the collapse of the membrane itself, this solution has the disadvantage of having the water in direct contact with the walls of the vessel while it is being used, increasing the risk of contamination and consequent toxicity.
Furthermore, nowadays, in order to make the expansion vessels and, in particular, the area of the fluid/water inlet, the injection molding technique is often used, during which, once the optimal area in which to mold the component has been selected, the molten plastic material is injected, at high pressure, into the mold. Once the necessary cooling time has passed, this mold is opened to allow the extraction of the molded piece.
The pieces thus obtained require ancillary operations such as, merely by way of example, the removal of the superfluous material given by the injection attachments, defined as sprue, the elimination of possible burrs caused by the molding and the execution of any holes for the fluid inlet, as in the case under analysis.
A common characteristic of the two variants is that expansion vessels, especially the larger ones, must be resistant and strong enough to withstand their own weight, depending on the cases, to contain a certain amount of water therein and to support the motor connected to the vessels themselves. Moreover, a common drawback of the variants described is related to the construction requirements, which require the presence of a welding line between the two caps that make up the outer casing of the expansion vessel. Although the presence of such a welding line makes it possible to simplify processes such as, for example, the transport of the vessel and the assembly/disassembly of the membrane, cyclic rubbing between the welding line and the membrane can cause cracks along its surface.
Within the above-mentioned requirements, therefore, the main aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel with a membrane capable of overcoming the technical drawbacks mentioned above and, in particular, to make an expansion vessel with a membrane that is safe from the point of view of water contamination and at the same time durable over the years.
A further aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel with a membrane that is strong enough.
Another aim of some embodiments of this disclosure is to make an expansion vessel that is compatible with contact with drinking water.
A further aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel in such a way as to facilitate processes such as, for example, the detection of any foreign bodies trapped inside it or the checking from the outside of any cracks of the membrane.
A further aim of the some embodiments of disclosure is to make an expansion vessel that allows its interior to be viewed entirely without blind spots and, at the same time, to shield the UV rays to avoid the proliferation of microorganisms inside it, such as, merely by way of example, legionella. Another aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel with a membrane that is easily transportable, resistant to sudden temperature changes and UV rays.
Another aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel with a membrane such as to be simpler to manufacture.
A further aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to obtain an expansion vessel with a membrane which is simple and economical to make with respect to the advantages achieved.
Another aim of some embodiments of the disclosure is to make an expansion vessel having a structure such as to optimize the containment of the loads and, more generally, the withstanding of the external stresses which it will encounter.
Not least, an aim is to provide an expansion vessel with a membrane for which it is possible to check the compensation activity of the air volume, without the aid of any instrumentation.
These and other aims are achieved by an expansion vessel with a membrane according to the disclosure, as will better emerge later in this description.
Preforms have been known for some time in the production of plastic material vessels, consisting of semi-finished products used in particular in blow-molding processes, and have a body with a more or less elongated tubular structure with a closed end.
At the opposite end there is a mouth, of variable diameter, the size of which remains unchanged at the end of the process. The above-mentioned mouth, in order to be used, favouring the injection of the fluid/water inside the expansion vessel, requires ancillary operations such as the removal of the excess material due to the injection attachments, that is to say, the sprue.
The body, on the other hand, precisely because of the nature of the process, undergoes a reduction in wall thickness during blowing, which will be all the greater, the greater the final volume of the vessel.
Such preforms, however, have the drawback of not being designed to contain a membrane or an air inlet valve, thus being unsuitable to act as an expansion vessel.
Another drawback is the size of traditional preforms, which are limited to a relatively small volume, unsuitable for making expansion vessels with a capacity of at least 20 litres.
In an advantageous way, the plastic material expansion vessel with a membrane can be made substantially from a preform of non-blown polymeric material, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which is suitable for contact with drinking water and is non-toxic and sufficiently robust.
The object of some embodiments of the disclosure is therefore an expansion vessel for containing and dispensing a liquid, by means of compression by a fluid, comprising a main body having a first and a second end and having, at the first end, an edge protruding from the main body itself.
Again advantageously, the above-mentioned first edge has a substantially “L” shape in such a way as to delimit, with the main body, a compartment which is provided with an opening facing towards the second end, defining a plane perpendicular to the main body.
Furthermore, the compartment in question comprises a plurality of reinforcing ribs which are recessed with respect to said plane (A) which have a substantially curvilinear profile in such a way as to increase the resistance to any external stresses that the expansion vessel will encounter during its use.
Furthermore, the expansion vessel in question also comprises a sprue, resulting from the injection attachment of the plastic for its manufacture, and at least two equidistant holes placed around said sprue.
Advantageously, the above-mentioned holes are such as to guarantee the centering of the male-matrix part of the mold for making the main body; in order to allow the injection of the plastic material during the formation of the main body and to allow the entry/exit of the liquid, in particular water, inside the expansion vessel, during the operation.
Moreover, according to a preferred embodiment of the expansion vessel according to some embodiments of the disclosure, there are three holes, in such a way as to guarantee the sturdiness of the mold, allowing the possible stresses of the system to be divided in a balanced manner.
Advantageously, the main body comprises, at the second end, a mouth for the inlet of the liquid around which there are a plurality of support means, equidistant from each other, such as to allow a better response of the expansion vessel to any external stresses.
The expansion vessel according to some embodiments of the disclosure comprises inside it a membrane provided with a second edge.
Moreover, the expansion vessel in question, at the first edge of the main body, comprises the second edge of the membrane and, also, a substantially elliptical shaped steel covering cap having a third edge, with a larger diameter than the cap itself, such as to structurally follow the profile of the edge of the main body itself. Moreover, the second edge of the cap comprises a hooked flap for engaging the cap to the first edge of the main body.
Advantageously, the main body of the expansion vessel in question comprises a valve for the gas inlet; the above-mentioned cap further comprises a central hole for the insertion of the valve for the gas inlet into the expansion vessel.
Advantageously, in the area between the flap of the cap and the edge of the main body there is a steel ring in such a way as to strengthen the structure of said cap.
Moreover, again advantageously, at the area between the cap and the membrane itself, a second plastic ring is arranged to hold the membrane in position with respect to the cap during operation of the expansion vessel.
Again, the main body can be made in one piece so as to present a smooth surface internally, so as to avoid rubbing of the membrane that could cause damage.
In this case, the main body can comprise integrated supporting means, which allow it to be supported when in use.
A pump for plants can advantageously comprise the expansion vessel described above.
Lastly, the method for manufacturing the expansion vessel, according to some embodiments of the disclosure, advantageously comprises the following steps:
Further features and advantages of the plastic material expansion vessel with membrane according to some embodiments of this disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, referring to three variants of preferred and exemplifying, but not limiting, embodiments, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:
With reference to the drawings mentioned, the expansion vessel with a membrane is made of plastic material such as, merely by way of example, PET (polyethylene terephthalate).
In particular, according to a first embodiment of the disclosure, the expansion vessel made of plastic material with a membrane 4 (
The main body 1 in question has two ends: at the first end there is an inlet 2 for liquid, for example water, which can be positioned below the installation position of the vessel, while at the second end there is a valve 3 for the gas inlet, for example air, which can be positioned above the installation position of the vessel.
Advantageously, it is the expansion vessel as a whole that is at least partially transparent and therefore not only a part/portion thereof.
In detail, the expansion vessel in question, since it consists in its entirety of at least partially transparent-plastic materials, such as PET—has the following advantages: the possibility of viewing inside it, evaluating the presence of foreign bodies and/or the possible rupture of the membrane at any point, in addition to the possibility of acting as a filter, on its entire surface, for example for UV rays, avoiding the proliferation of agents harmful for the safety of the water, such as legionella.
Furthermore, the inlet 2 for liquid, as can be seen in detail in
Advantageously, this solution allows, unlike what has already been described in the prior art, an expansion vessel to be made starting from a main body made of semi-transparent plastic, allowing the effective entry of the liquid, through the above-mentioned holes 21, without the need for having an ancillary step of removing the injection sprue 22, with all the advantages described above.
Moreover, according to a preferred embodiment of the expansion vessel, there are three holes 21, guaranteeing the sturdiness of the mold and allowing the possible stresses of the system to be divided in a balanced manner. In particular, the above-mentioned three holes 21 are located, as can be seen in
As shown, again in
In particular, as visible in
In other words, the second portion 113 extends substantially parallel to the main body 1 (
Furthermore, the above-mentioned second portion 113 has a thickness H measured on a plane A, perpendicular to the main body 1.
Advantageously, the ribs 115 located in the compartment 114 of the edge 11 are partial and recessed lowered with respect to the plane A and therefore with respect to the second portion 113 of the edge 11 (
These ribs therefore have a substantially concave profile, preferably circular or elliptical, as can be seen in detail in
Again advantageously, the ribs 115, precisely because of their recessed geometry with respect to the edge 11, are such as to withstand and discharge in an optimum manner the external stresses which the expansion vessel in question will encounter.
Moreover, a curved type geometry, for example elliptical or circular, allows to structurally create fittings that are able to guide and, therefore, to discharge an applied external stress, which does not happen for other types of geometries, such as polygonal ones, the angles of which, under stress, are to be considered as invitations to for system failure.
In particular,
In fact, in the case in question, an equivalent stress of the system of 36.6 MPa is reached, a value which is very high considering that, according to the case study, the yield strength of the material would occur around 37 MPa, so much so that, with this specific geometry, even by marginally decreasing the operating pressure, this is not sufficient to achieve better results.
In detail, the coefficient of 37 MPa is considered as a threshold value/upper limit or also as a safety factor in which, compared to it, the most acceptable value is the lowest possible.
The same example applies, with reference to
In this case, the system was externally stressed by a pressure of up to 12 bar (that is, the operating pressure of the expansion vessels in question) and the structure of the expansion vessel was stressed, with a lower value than the solution in
What has just been described in the above-mentioned examples is not compatible with the specific technical sector since, as the expansion vessels are subject to cyclic external stresses, they must be able to withstand them as well as possible and, this last configuration, it would lead to the failure of the system more easily and faster.
In particular, the criterion of maximum distortion or Von Mises criterion was applied, which assumes that the yield of the material is reached when the distortion energy reaches a limit value (where the distortion is the component of the deformation that causes a variation in the shape, but not in volume, of the volume element).
As can be seen in
In particular, the ribs 115 of the expansion vessel with an external pressure applied as in the case study, that is, 12 bar, reach an equivalent stress of about 14 MPa, which is the lowest value found in the various tests and which differs greatly from the yield threshold of the material, which is equal to 37 MPa, thus making the system safer.
For this reason, the particular configuration of the ribs 115, described in the embodiment in question of the expansion vessel is essential for guaranteeing the resistance and optimal operation of the expansion vessel itself.
In fact, further tests were carried out on geometries similar to that of
Again with reference to the same study (
The above does not occur if the support means 23 are not present, as shown in
As can be seen in detail in
In addition, in a further embodiment a first ring 5 can be provided, for example made of steel, at the area between the flap 72 of the cap 7 and the edge 11 of the main body 1, as visible in
Again advantageously, the above-mentioned first ring 5 makes it possible to facilitate the checks under stress of the expansion vessel, the distribution of the stresses and, generally, to strengthen the structure since, at the flap 72, the material that constitutes the cap 7 could be thinner and therefore less resistant to any stresses.
Moreover, between the cap 7 and the membrane 4 there is a second ring 51, for example made of plastic, as visible in
In particular, due to its particular positioning, the second plastic ring 51 makes it possible to create a space between the cap 7 and the membrane 4 so that the latter, while remaining in position, can in any case contract and expand freely during the use of the expansion vessel, with a consequent optimization of the operation.
According to a further variant of the first embodiment, the expansion vessel made of plastic material with a membrane 4 (
Therefore, the inlet 2 for liquid, for example water, is located above the installation position of the vessel, and the valve 3 for the inlet of gas, for example air, is located below the installation position of the vessel.
In particular, in the first embodiment thereof, the operation of the plastic material expansion vessel that is the object of some embodiments of this disclosure is substantially the following.
In the non-use position, the elastic membrane 4 is completely extended and full of air coming from the gas inlet valve 3; for this reason, said membrane 4 is substantially in contact with the walls of said main body 1 and the inlet 2 for the liquid is completely obstructed by the overall dimensions of said membrane 4 full of air.
During the step of filling or emptying the expansion vessel, through a variation of the pressure of the air entering from said gas inlet valve 3, there is an increase or decrease of the volume occupied by the water outside said elastic membrane 4 and inside the walls of the main body 1, entering from said inlet 2 for liquid.
Lastly, the method for manufacturing the expansion vessel, according to some of embodiments of the disclosure, advantageously comprises at least the following steps:
In this way, an expansion vessel made of plastic material with a membrane made from plastic material is obtained.
The expansion vessel thus created, as described above and according to the examples illustrated in detail in the accompanying
The disclosure described can be modified and adapted in several ways without thereby departing from the scope of the inventive concept.
Further, all the details can be replaced by other technically-equivalent elements.
Lastly, the components used, providing they are compatible with the specific use, as well as the dimensions, may vary according to requirements and the prior art.
Where the characteristics and the techniques mentioned in the following claims are followed by reference signs, such reference signs have been used only with the aim of increasing the intelligibility of the claims themselves and, consequently, the reference signs do not constitute in any way a limitation to the interpretation of each element identified, purely by way of example, by the reference signs.
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