The present disclosure relates to a device for pressurizing a substance and more particularly to a device for pressurizing a substance to a pressure substantially equal or similar to that of another substance. The present disclosure also relates to component parts for such a device.
Some installations use or consume various substances, including gases, liquids or particulates. Furthermore, those installations may require some of those substances to be at a particular pressure, and sometimes at a pressure substantially equal or similar to that of another substance. This requirement may be for various reasons, including the possibility of subsequently combining controlled quantities of first and second substances to create a composition of specific proportions of each substance. The effective control of those quantities may be improved when the first and second substances are at substantially the same pressure. The first and second substances may comprise particulates, liquids or gases and the composition may comprise a combination of any of those, e.g. a mixture of particulates and liquids.
Furthermore, the pressure of the first substance may be transient and therefore it may be necessary to be able to vary the pressure of the second substance accordingly. That is to say, it may not be appropriate merely to compress the second substance to a set pressure because the first substance may not be at a constant pressure. The pressure of the second substance must be adjusted rapidly in response to a sudden change in the pressure of the first substance.
Some installations requiring two substances of equal or similar pressures may be large, fixed installations where space and energy are of little concern. However, some smaller, mobile installations exist where available space and energy for pressurizing the second substance are rather limited and thus a significant concern.
For example, the engine of a vehicle uses or consumes various substances, such as fuels, coolants, refrigerants, lubricants, emissions fluids, hydraulic fluids and many other substances that may be pressurized or even combined with other substances. For instance, those engines may be adapted to run on alternative fuels that may need to be mixed with a lubricant prior to consumption to prevent excessive friction between moving parts, such as fuel pumps.
Systems are known for combining two or more substances, such as fuel and lubricant. However, those systems store the fuel-lubricant mixture in the tank ready for consumption and the substances are known to separate when left for some time or as they are drawn from the tank. This leads to fuel-lubricant mixtures having inconsistent quantities of fuel and lubricant.
Although the present disclosure is particularly relevant to industrial installations such as engines and heavy machinery, it is believed to be equally as applicable to any other apparatus requiring two or more substances to be of substantially equal or similar pressures.
It is an object of the present disclosure to address the problems associated with known pressurization systems so as to provide a pressurization system and a pressurization method with more versatility.
According to a first aspect of the disclosure, there is provided an additive container for connection to a pressurization device having a fluid inlet passage for receiving pressurized fluid and an additive outlet passage for dispensing pressurized additive, the additive container comprising: a flexible bladder for holding additive and having a bladder outlet through which additive may be expelled; and a support member provided on the flexible bladder and defining pressurization device connection means adapted to support the additive container relative to the pressurization device and to arrange the bladder outlet in fluid communication with the additive outlet passage.
According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a pressurization device comprising: a first housing part defining a fluid inlet passage and an additive outlet passage; a second housing part detachably mounted to the first housing part, which together define a chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet passage; an additive container disposed within the chamber and defining an additive flow passage arranged in fluid communication with the additive outlet passage.
One embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail, with reference being made to-the accompanying drawings, in which:
The following is a detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The exemplary embodiment described therein and illustrated in the drawings is intended to teach the principles of the present disclosure, enabling those of ordinary skill in the art to implement and use the present disclosure in many different environments and for many different applications. Therefore, the exemplary embodiment is not intended to be, and should not be considered as, a limiting description of the scope of patent protection. Rather, the scope of patent protection shall be defined by the appended claims.
Referring to
The device 10 may comprise a first housing part 11 to which the fluid may be delivered and from which the additives may be expelled at substantially the same pressure as the fluid. A second housing part 40 may be connected to the first housing part 11, which together define an interior space 41. An additive container 70 may be disposed within that interior space 41 and secured to the first housing part 11, the second housing part 40 or both to maintain its position. Each of which will be described in more detail below.
The first housing part 11 may fulfill several functions, such as providing a means of closing the interior of the second housing part 40, a means of directing additives (not shown) away from the device 10 and also a means of directing fluid towards the device. It may also provide a means of mounting the device 10 to a larger assembly, such, as an engine.
Referring now also to
The upper portion 12 may define a substantially concave inner surface 14 and a convex outer surface 15. The interior space 41 includes an annular wall 16 depending substantially from the centre of the concave inner surface 14 so as to define an inner chamber 17 and an outer chamber 18. In this example the annular wall 16 is generally circular such that the inner chamber 17 is generally cylindrical and the outer chamber 18 is generally toroidal, though the annular wall 16 may be polygonal or any other shape.
The upper portion 12 may include fluid ports 20,21 for the delivery and expulsion of fluid and additive ports 22,23 for the expulsion of additives from the device 10. For example, the fluid ports 20,21 for the supply and expulsion of fluid may be located so as to communicate with the outer chamber 18 and the additive port 22 for the expulsion of additives may be located so as to communicate with the inner chamber 17. There may be any number of ports arranged in various positions on the upper portion 12 so as to provide a choice of configurations according to the space available within the installation.
Furthermore, the convex outer surface 15 may be furnished with fluid port members 24,25 and additive port members 26,27. Each fluid port member 24,25 and additive port member 26,27 may define a passage 24A,25A,26A,27A having an inner end defined by a respective fluid port 20,21 or additive port 22,23 and an outer end defined by an opening 24B,25B,26B,27B formed in an end face 24C,25C,26C,27C. Specifically, the fluid port members 24 and 25 may be arranged such that their fluid passages 24A,25A intersect the outer chamber 18 and the additive port members 26,27 are arranged such that their passages 26A,27A intersect the inner chamber 17. Further, fluid port members 24,25 and additive port members 26,27 may be arranged to extend outwardly from the periphery of the upper portion 12 and the end faces 24C,25C,26C,27C may be suitably arranged to receive a connector (not shown) provided on the end of a hose, pipe or suitable conduit (not shown). For instance, the end faces 24C,25C,26C,27C may be substantially flat and may be orientated in parallel planes. In the exemplified embodiment, the openings 24B,25B,26B,27B in each end face may be threaded so as to receive a threaded end portion of the connector provided on the end of a hose, pipe or suitable conduit. Each connector may have a flange adjacent the threaded portion that may bear against the end face 24C,25C,26C,27C of the fluid port members 24,25 and additive port members 26,27 when fully tightened. The flange may be hexagonal or otherwise suitably profiled to enable the connector to be fully tightened by hand or an appropriate tool.
One additive port 23 is plugged in the present example since it is not required for this particular installation. Were that additive port 23 to be required, it may be unplugged simply by drilling through the passage 27A such that the passage communicates with the inner chamber 17. In the present embodiment the fluid port members 24,25 and the additive port members 26,27 are arranged generally parallel to one another. Furthermore, the fluid port members 24,25 may be arranged such that their fluid passages 24A,25A are joined, and are possibly coaxial to aid flow. One of the openings 24B,25B may be arranged as an inlet and the other as an outlet. In this way, when the fluid passages 24A,25A are joined, some fluid may flow directly between the inlet and the outlet, while some fluid may flow in and out of the interior space 41, via the ports 20,21.
An annular lip 30 may be defined within the first housing part 11 and which may delineate the upper and lower portions 12,13. In the present embodiment, the annular lip 30 extends outwardly from a circumferential edge of the upper portion 12 and provides an interior surface against which the additive container 70 may bear when the device 10 is properly assembled. The lower portion 13 may comprise a skirt 32 depending downwardly from the outer circumferential edge 33 of the annular lip 30 so as to enclose a portion of the interior space 41. In this instance, the upper and lower portions 12,13 are both the same shape, though this need not necessarily be so. For instance, they may take different shapes depending on the size and shape of the installation or the size and shape of the additive container 40. The skirt 32 may be furnished with a threaded portion 34, possibly on its internal surface for engagement with a threaded portion 45 provided on the second housing part 40.
The first housing part 11 may be provided with a mounting bracket 35 by which the device 10 may be mounted to the installation (not shown), for example, an engine. The mounting bracket 35 may extend upwardly from an exterior surface of the annular lip 30 and may be arranged in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the annular lip 30, though other orientations may be preferable, again depending on the installation. Furthermore, a web 36 may extend between the mounting bracket and the upper portion 12 to provide increased rigidity. The mounting bracket 35 may be provided with one or more holes 37 for receiving bolts (not shown) or other suitable fasteners for securing the device 10 to the installation.
Referring again to
In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the opening of the second housing part 40 and the skirt 32 of the first housing part 11 may be arranged to form a snug fit and may be secured by bolts or other suitable fasteners.
The can may be made of plastics or other material impermeable to the fluid for which the additive device may be used.
With reference to
The support member 80 may be connected to the bladder 71 and may locate securely within the first housing part 11. The support member 80 may include a collar 81 over which the neck 73 of the bladder 71 locates and which may take any shape, though in the present example it is substantially circular. The neck 73 of the bladder 71 may be clamped onto the collar 81 by a ferule 82 or other mechanism that may create a hermetic seal between the collar 81 and the bladder 71. The collar 81 may include a flow passage 84, which may take any shape, but in the present embodiment is cylindrical since it is defined by the inner circumferential face of the collar. The support member 80 may further include support means 85 which may extend outwardly from the collar 81 for supporting the additive container 70 on the second housing part 40 or the first housing part 11. In one embodiment (not shown), the support means 85 may include a plurality of struts extending from the collar 81, possibly in a radial direction, and having free ends that locate against the interior surface of the annular lip 30.
In the present embodiment the support means 85 include a disc having opposed upper and lower faces 87,88 and an aperture 89 extending between those upper and lower faces 87,88. The collar 81 may depend downwardly from the lower face 88 and the aperture 89 may be sized and positioned such that its axis is coaxial with that of the collar 81. This way, the collar 81 and the aperture 89 may together define the flow passage 84 for additives being expelled from the bladder 71.
The outer periphery 90 of the disc 85 may have a substantially uniform thickness and may locate on the interior surface of the annular lip 30 so as to be trapped in position by the rim 43 of the second housing part 40 once it is screwed onto the skirt 32. In the present example, the outer periphery 90 of the disc 85 carries an annular seal 91 (
Orifices 95 may be defined within the disc 85, possibly at a location proximal to the outer periphery 90 of the disc or adjacent the annular seal 91 if present, thereby enabling fluid in the outer chamber 18 to pass beyond the support member 80 and into the interior space 41 of the second housing part 40. To facilitate this, the upper face 87 of the disc may be frusto-conical so as to cause fluid falling thereon to drain towards the orifices 95.
A portion of the aperture 89 adjacent the upper face 87 of the disc 85 may be diametrically larger than the remainder of the flow passage 84 so as to define an annular recess 97. The annular recess 97 may be furnished with an annular seal 98, which may be adhered or otherwise secured within the annular recess. The annular seal 98 may have an internal diameter which is larger than the internal diameter of the flow passage 84 such that part of the annular recess 97 remains visible when the annular seal 98 is in place. Thus, when the device 10 is fully assembled, the free end of the annular wall 16 depending from the concave inner surface 14 of the first housing part 11 may locate in and form a snug fit with the annular seal 98. The inner diameter of the annular wall 16 may be at least as large as the diameter of the flow passage 84 so as not to restrict flow.
To prevent additives leaking from the additive container 70 prior to assembly, the flow passage 84 may be temporarily closed by a removable cap or bung (not shown). For instance the cap may sit within the annular recess 97 and may be removed and disposed of immediately before fitting the additive container 70 to the device 10.
Two alternative types of support members 80′,80″ are shown in
Referring to
Furthermore, the closing member 100 may be provided with abutments 106,107 at the closed and open ends 101,102, respectively. The abutment 106 at the closed end may extend at least part way around the closing member 100 so at to engage the free end of the collar 81 when in its closed position. This serves to limit axial displacement of the closing member 100 in a direction away from the bladder 71 and also to serve as a seal. The sealing characteristics may be further improved by the provision of an O-ring 108, or equivalent seal, adjacent the abutment 106 at the closed end for engaging the annular wall 16.
The abutment 107 at the open end may serve to limit axial displacement of the closing member 100 into the bladder 71 while permitting insertion of the closing member into the flow passage 84. The abutment 107 at the open end may be angled relative to the collar 81 so as to define a sloping surface 110 and an abutment surface 111. The sloping surface 110 may cause the closing member 100 to deflect or deform slightly as it is urged into the flow passage 84 during assembly and the abutment surface 111 may engage the annular recess 97 should attempts be made to remove the closing member 100 from the flow passage 84.
The support member 80″ shown in
To fit the device 10, first of all the first housing part 11 may be attached to the installation. This may be achieved by presenting the mounting bracket 35 to an appropriate surface on the installation such that the holes 37 align with corresponding holes formed in the appropriate surface. The first housing part 11 may be secured in place by bolts extending through the holes 37 and the corresponding holes in the appropriate surface.
The second housing part 40 and the additive container 70 may then be connected to the first housing part 11. The easiest way to do this may be first to position the additive container 70 on the second housing part 40 such that the bladder 71 locates within the interior space 41 and the outer periphery 90 rests on the rim 43 of the second housing part 40 defining the opening 42. The second housing part 40 and the additives container 70 may then be secured to the first housing part 11. This may be achieved by screwing the second housing part 40 onto the skirt 32 so as to engage the threaded portion 45 with the threaded portion 34. Once the second housing part 40 is fully screwed onto the first housing part 11, the outer periphery 90 of the support member 80 will be firmly clamped between the annular lip 30 of the first housing part 11 and the rim 43 of the second housing part 40. The clamping pressure may cause the annular seal 91 to deform so as to extend radially and thus seal the interface between the first housing part 11 and the second housing part 40. Furthermore, the annular wall 16 depending from the concave inner surface 14 may locate in the annular recess 97 and against the annular seal 98 so as to restrict or prevent additives leaking into the outer chamber 18.
The modified additive containers shown in
The closing member 120 shown in
It is then a case of plumbing the device by attaching the connectors (not shown) of the conduits to the corresponding openings 24B,25B,26B,27B of the fluid port members 24,25 and the additive port members 26,27 and also by plugging any superfluous openings. The connector provided on the end of the additive delivery hose may be threaded on to the opening 26B of the additive port member 26 such that the flange of the connector bears against the end face 26C. Depending on the configuration of the installation and thus the available space, it may be preferable to attach the additive delivery hose to the additive port member 27, which might require the passage 27A to be drilled and the passage 26A to be plugged. Similarly, the connector provided on the end of the fluid delivery hose may be threaded into the opening 25B of the fluid port member 25 and the connector provided on the end of the fluid supply hose may be threaded onto the opening 24B of the fluid port member 24. Since the fluid passages 24A,25A in the fluid port members 24,25 each lead to the outer chamber 18, they may be conversely configured depending on the hose routing of the particular installation. That is to say, the connector of the fluid delivery hose may be attached to the opening 24B of the fluid port member 24 and the connector of the fluid supply hose may be attached to the opening 25B of the other fluid port member 25.
In use, fluid may flow through the fluid supply hose, through the passage 24A of the fluid inlet port member 24 and into the outer chamber 18 whence it flows through the orifices 95 and into the interior space 41. Fluid may be drawn from the interior space 41, outer chamber 18 and passage 25A of the fluid port member 25 and delivered through the delivery hose to another components, such as a mixer. Fluid may also flow directly between the fluid passages 24A,25A.
The pressure of the fluid in the interior space 41 is substantially the same as the pressure of the fluid elsewhere in the system. The fluid in the interior space pressurizes the bladder 71, which in turn pressurizes the additives inside the bladder 71. Those additives are then expelled through the flow passage 84, through the passage 26A within the additive port member 26 and through the additive delivery hose whereat the pressure of the additives is substantially equal to the pressure of the fluid in the system. The additives may then flow towards another component, such as the mixer where they may be introduced to the fluid.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1121845.0 | Dec 2011 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/GB2012/000910 | 12/17/2012 | WO | 00 | 6/19/2014 |