Modular intake arrangement

Abstract

The utility model relates to a modularized water inlet arrangement which is used for mining and heading machines. The water inlet arrangement comprises at least one module used for installing at least one fluid component, each module comprises an inner cavity and at least one junction surface, each junction surface is used for being directly connected with a corresponding junction surface of another module, and each junction surface is provided with a port communicated with the inner cavity of the module. And when one module is connected with the other module, the inner cavity of the module is communicated with the inner cavity of the other module through the port on the directly connected combination surface. According to the water inlet arrangement, the occupied space is small, the fluid pressure drop is low, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and meanwhile the high design flexibility is still achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present utility model relates to the field of mining and tunneling. Specifically, the present utility model relates to a water inlet arrangement for a mining and tunneling machine. BACKGROUND

[0002] Water inlet arrangements used in mining and tunneling machines generally adopt a straight-through type structure, in which various valves and other components (such as water supply on-off valves (automatic or manual), water filtering components, pressure reducing components and pressure relief components) are connected to each other by hoses or other fittings. In addition, indicating components such as water pressure gauges can also be provided in the water inlet arrangement.

[0003] The above-mentioned straight-through type arrangement is well known in the art and different components can be added according to application requirements to provide high flexibility. However, according to different application requirements (for example, for a given pressure and flow rate), the volume of such design is large, resulting in a large space occupied by the machine. Moreover, this design requires multiple sealing points, and the fluid pressure drop is also high due to the presence of multiple fluid guiding components (such as hoses and other fittings).

[0004] Some compact and modular designs of water inlet arrangements have emerged. For example, DE2445199 discloses a water inlet arrangement for a domestic water station, in which valves, water filters, pressure reducing components and backflow prevention components share a housing, thereby eliminating the need for separate housings for each component and saving space. However, the flexibility of this shared housing design is not high because the housing needs to be specially produced according to different application requirements and cannot be flexibly expanded or reduced.

[0005] WO9959392 discloses a modular surface mount manifold assembly for a semiconductor wafer production system for interconnecting a plurality of fluid components (such as valves, filters and flow regulating components) having one or more bridge fittings, functional components such as valves being surface mounted to the assembly to be connected to respective bridge fittings, the bridge fittings being connected to each other and having internal fluid passages therethrough. However, due to the presence of the bridge fittings, the fluid pressure drop of this design is high. Moreover, each fluid component has a separate and different housing, which results in a large space being occupied and high manufacturing cost

[0006] CN202992306U discloses a filter, backflow prevention and pressure reduction integrated assembly for an electronic toilet. This design needs to be specially produced according to different application requirements and has low flexibility. Moreover, each fluid component (pressure reducing valve, filter and backflow prevention valve) has a separate and different housing, which results in a large space being occupied.

[0007] There is currently no compact modular water intake arrangement for mining and tunnel boring machines which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages. Summary of the utility model

[0008] The utility model aims at providing a compact modular water intake arrangement for mining and tunnel boring machines which is designed modularly to save space while still providing comparable or even higher flexibility than straight-line arrangements and lower fluid pressure drops.

[0009] According to the utility model embodiment, the modular water intake arrangement for mining and tunnel boring machines comprises at least one module for mounting at least one fluid component, each module comprises an inner cavity and at least one joining surface, each joining surface is used for directly connecting with a corresponding one of the joining surfaces of another module, and each regular joining surface is arranged with a port which communicates with the inner cavity of the module, so that in the state that one of the modules is connected with another module, the inner cavity of the one module communicates with the inner cavity of the another module via the ports on the directly connected joining surfaces. Thus, the modular water intake arrangement can be expanded by adding another module. For example, the modules are formed by milling and then connected with each other by welding, thereby constituting a manifold assembly. With this arrangement, the use of hoses and other fittings to connect the fluid components is avoided, so that the fluid pressure drop is lower and the space occupied is reduced. In addition, the modular design allows flexible expansion or reduction according to different application requirements, and the flexibility is higher.

[0010] Preferably, the joining surfaces are regular joining surfaces.

[0011] Preferably, the joining surfaces are flat, for example, formed by milling.

[0012] According to the embodiment, the connection is a form-fit connection, preferably welding.

[0013] According to the embodiment, the modules can be different from each other. In this way, the modules can serve as housings for the fluid components, such as on-off valves, filters, pressure reducing valves, pressure relief valves, etc., which can be mounted in the inner cavities of the corresponding modules. With this arrangement, separate housings for different fluid components are avoided, reducing manufacturing costs. Of course, the modules can also be the same as each other.

[0014] According to the embodiment, the ports can include at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port.

[0015] According to the embodiment, the inlet ports and the outlet ports have different orientations, respectively. For example, the modular water intake arrangement can have 20 ports with different orientations to meet different application requirements. With this arrangement, for a given space, the ports with appropriate orientations can be selected as inlet ports and outlet ports, thereby improving the design flexibility.

[0016] The modular water inlet arrangement can comprise any number of fluid components. According to an embodiment, the modular water inlet arrangement comprises at least one fluid component. Preferably, the fluid components comprise a shut-off valve and a pressure reducing valve, which are installed in the respective module such that the shut-off valve is located upstream of the pressure reducing valve, so that the pressure reducing valve is not operated with little or no flow. With this arrangement, overpressure in the fluid circuit is avoided, which can lead to damage of components, such as a hydraulic plate heat exchanger.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the shut-off valve is configured in the form of a butterfly spring. With this arrangement, the shut-off valve can be easily installed without the need for pre-pressurization of the shut-off valve.

[0018] Preferably, the fluid components comprise a pressure relief valve, which is installed in the respective module and is in communication with the atmosphere (e.g. releasing 20 bar pressure). Furthermore, the modular water inlet arrangement is installed with a guard ring (e.g. by welding). With this arrangement, the safety of the operating personnel is improved and the risk of unintentional blocking of the ports by the operating personnel is avoided.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the fluid components comprise a main filter and a pre-filter, which are installed in one module. With this arrangement, space can be saved since the pre-filter is installed within the space of the main filter.

[0020] According to a specific embodiment, the modular water inlet arrangement comprises two filters, which are arranged in series, two shut-off valves, which are used for different water pipes, respectively, and several pressure gauges, which are used to measure the fluid pressure of the modules, which are installed in the respective modules, respectively. Of course, the modular water inlet arrangement can be extended or reduced according to the application requirements.

[0021] In addition to the above advantages, the modular water inlet arrangement according to the present application has the following advantages. The main filter and the pre-filter can be maintained separately, respectively. The main filter and the pre-filter can be back-flushed manually or automatically. The modular water inlet arrangement can be used for explosion-proof applications, but also for non-explosion-proof applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Embodiments of the present application will be explained in greater detail in the drawings, wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a modular water inlet arrangement according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a sectional view of the modular water inlet arrangement shown in

[0025] Figure 3 is Figure 1partial perspective view of the modular water intake arrangement shown, showing the regular joint faces; and

[0026] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a cross-sectional view of the modular water intake arrangement shown.

[0027] In the drawings, the embodiments of the application are shown in simplified form to facilitate an understanding of the present application. The drawings are not necessarily to scale. Like reference numerals in different figures refer to like parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Reference will now be made to Figures 1-2 embodiments of the present application.

[0029] Figure 1 A modular water intake arrangement 100 for a mining and tunneling machine according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, which comprises five modules, namely a first module 110, a second module 120, a third module 130, a fourth module 140 and a fifth module 150, each for mounting a shut-off valve 210, a shut-off valve 220, a pre-filter 230a and a main filter 230b, a pressure reducing valve 240 and a pressure relief valve 250, respectively (see Figure 2 ). Each module comprises an inlet port and an outlet port and an inner cavity (not shown) in communication therewith, the modules being directly connected to each other by welding, each module comprising regular joint faces configured to be flat, such that the modules are directly connected to each other by the regular joint faces, e.g. a form-fit connection. The inlet ports and outlet ports of the modules are arranged on the regular joint faces, such that in the state where the modules are directly connected to each other, the inner cavities are in communication with each other via the respective inlet ports and outlet ports on the directly connected regular joint faces, thereby forming a manifold assembly. The inlet ports and outlet ports have different orientations, respectively. In this example, the modular water intake arrangement has 20 differently oriented ports.

[0030] As shown, the first module 110 and the second module 120 are identical to each other and are each for mounting a shut-off valve, but are different from the third module 130, the fourth module 140 and the fifth module 150. Thereby, the modules each act as a housing for the shut-off valves 210 and 220, the pre-filter and main filter 230a-b, the pressure reducing valve 240 and the pressure relief valve 250 to mount the respective functional components of the fluid components in the inner cavities.

[0031] Figure 2A cross-sectional view of the modular water inlet arrangement is shown. As shown, the on-off valves 210 and 220, the pre-filter 230a and the main filter 230b, the pressure reducing valve 240 and the pressure relief valve 250 are arranged in series along the fluid flow direction. The on-off valves are located upstream of the pressure reducing valve, the pre-filter and the main filter are arranged in series and installed in the same module 130, and the pressure relief valve is in communication with the atmosphere. In this example, the on-off valves are configured in the form of butterfly springs.

[0032] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A partial perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the modular water inlet arrangement 100 are shown, showing the regular flat joint face of the third module 130.

[0033] In some cases, the features disclosed in the present utility model can be used independently of other features. On the other hand, when necessary, the features disclosed in the present utility model can be combined to provide various combinations.

[0034] The words and expressions used in the present utility model are all illustrative and not restrictive, and therefore the use of these words and expressions is not intended to exclude any equivalent examples of the illustrated and described features from the scope of the present utility model. There can be various modifications, variations and alternatives within the scope of the claims. The claims are intended to encompass all such equivalent examples.

Claims

1. A modular water intake arrangement for a mining and tunnelling machine, characterised in that The modular water inlet arrangement comprises at least one module for mounting at least one fluid component, each module comprising an inner cavity and at least one coupling face, each coupling face being configured for direct connection with a corresponding one of the coupling faces of another module, and each coupling face being provided with a port in communication with the inner cavity of said module, such that in a state in which one of the modules is connected with another module, the inner cavity of said one module is in communication with the inner cavity of said another module via the ports in the directly connected coupling faces.

2. The modular water inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein, The coupling faces are regular coupling faces.

3. The modular water inlet arrangement of claim 1, wherein, The coupling faces are flat.

4. Modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that The connection is a form-fit connection.

5. Modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that, The modules are different from each other.

6. The modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that, The ports comprise at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port.

7. Modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that The inlet ports and the outlet ports have different orientations, respectively.

8. The modular water intake arrangement of claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that, The modular water inlet arrangement comprises at least one filter.

9. Modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterized in that, The modular water inlet arrangement comprises a switch valve and a pressure reducing valve, which are mounted in respective modules, such that the switch valve is upstream of the pressure reducing valve.

10. The modular water inlet arrangement of claim 9, wherein, The switch valve is configured in the form of a butterfly spring.

11. A modular water inlet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2 or 3, characterised in that, The modular water inlet arrangement comprises a pressure relief valve, which is mounted in a respective module and is in communication with the atmosphere.

12. The modular water inlet arrangement of claim 11, wherein, The modular water inlet arrangement is provided with a guard ring.

13. The modular water inlet arrangement of claim 11, wherein, The modular water inlet arrangement comprises a main filter and a pre-filter, which are mounted in one module.

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