Claims
- 1. In a system which includes a liquid-supply tank, an air-supply tank, and an air-conduit means connected to and communicating with both of said tanks so that said air-supply tank may be cyclically operated at a given normal cyclical rate for maintaining an air cushion over liquid in the liquid-supply tank during normal operation of the system while the air-supply tank may be operated at a cyclical rate faster than said normal rate to rapidly build up the air cushion in the liquid-supply tank under conditions where the liquid-supply tank is initially installed, or is set up for operation after inspection, repairs, or the like, a pair of lower pipes respectively communicating with both of said tanks and each situated at an elevation lower than said air-conduit means, a liquid-supply tank discharge pipe, an air-supply tank dishcarge pipe, and control valve means having a high pressure position and a low pressure position, said valve means being operatively connected to and communicating with said lower pipes and said discharge pipes for placing said lower pipe of said liquid-supply tank in communication with said liquid-supply tank discharge pipe and said lower pipe of said air-supply tank in communication with said air-supply tank discharge pipe when said valve means is in said high pressure position thereof and for placing said lower pipes in communication with each other while terminating communication between said lower pipes and discharge pipes when said valve means is in said low pressure position thereof.
- 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said control valve means includes a pressure-responsive valve means connected to and communicating with said lower pipe of said liquid-supply tank and responding to upper and lower pressure limits in said liquid-supply tank for assuming said high and low pressure positions, and said control valve means including a change-over valve means connected to and communicating with said lower pipe of said air-supply tank for changing over between a normal cycle position during normal operation of the system and a rapid cycle position during rapid buildup of the air cushion in the liquid-supply tank, and said control valve means further including a valve conduit means connected between and communicating with said pressure-responsive valve means and said change-over valve means, said liquid-supply tank discharge pipe being operatively connected with said change-over valve means and extending therefrom while remaining open downstream of said change-over valve means, the positions of said pressure-responsive valve means and said change-over valve means providing four different operating phases, said pressure-responsive valve means and said change-over valve means together with said valve conduit means cooperating in said high pressure position of said pressure-responsive valve means and said rapid-cycle position of said change-over valve means to place said lower pipe of said liquid-supply tank in communication with said liquid-supply tank dishcarge pipe while cutting off communication between the latter discharge pipe and said liquid-supply tank in the three other operating phases.
- 3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said lower pipe of said air-supply tank itself has a lower portion and an upper portion both communicating with said air-supply tank with said lower pipe portion having a lower elevation than said upper pipe portion, and said change-over valve means being operatively connected with both of said pipe portions for providing communication between said lower pipe portion and said valve conduit means when said change-over valve means is in said rapid cycle position thereof while providing communication between said upper pipe portion and said valve conduit means when said change-over valve means is in said normal cycle position thereof.
- 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said air-supply tank is an upright cylindrical tank of circular cross-sectional configuration while said upper and lower portions of said lower pipe of said air-supply tank both communicate tangentially with said air-supply tank.
- 5. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said pressure-responsive valve means remains connected to and in communication with said lower pipe of said liquid-supply tank in both said high pressure and low pressure position of said pressure-responsive valve means, while said change-over valve means is connected to and communicates with said liquid-supply tank discharge pipe but provides communication between the latter and said valve conduit means only in the rapid cycle position of said change-over valve means.
- 6. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a counting means is operatively connected with said air-supply tank for counting the number of operating cycles carried out thereby when said change-over valve means is in said rapid cycle position thereof, and automatic means connected between said counting means and said change-over valve means for automatically transferring the latter from said rapid cycle to said normal cycle position thereof after said counting means has counted a given number of operating cycles of said air-supply means.
- 7. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said liquid-supply tank lower pipe carries a throttle means for providing a time interval required for lowering of the pressure in said liquid-supply tank from said upper limit to said lower limit greater than the time interval required for said air-supply tank to receive a new charge of air.
- 8. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said liquid-supply tank lower pipe carries a throttle means for throttling the flow of liquid through the latter lower pipe, and the latter lower pipe carrying a means which supports said throttle means for interchange with a different throttle means.
- 9. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said air-conduit means has a non-return valve means for providing flow of air only from said air-supply tank to said liquid-supply tank, said non-return valve means including a freely movable valve member free to move in response to gravitational forces acting thereon and a housing housing said valve member to provide for the latter a space large enough to permit the valve member to fall to an open position while in response to flow of fluid from said liquid-supply tank toward said air-supply tank said valve member automatically returns to its closed position.
- 10. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said air-supply tank is entirely closed except for its connection to said air-conduit means and said air-supply tank lower pipe with a new charge of air being received by said air-supply tank through said lower pipe thereof and said air-supply tank discharge pipe simultaneously with the discharge of liquid from said air-supply tank through said lower pipe thereof and said air-supply tank discharge pipe, so that said air-supply tank does not have a separate valve for admitting air and does not have any dead space associated with such a valve.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of previously copending but now abandoned application Ser. No. 335,156, filed Feb 23, 1973.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
2845082 |
Kracht et al. |
Jul 1958 |
|
3163114 |
Kracht |
Dec 1964 |
|
3297236 |
Eckerle et al. |
Jan 1967 |
|
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
208,710 |
Apr 1960 |
OE |
1,369,266 |
Jun 1964 |
FR |
1,092,595 |
Apr 1955 |
FR |
1,073,405 |
Jan 1960 |
DT |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
335156 |
Feb 1973 |
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