Containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a container (2) for storing a liquid (3), comprising a container opening and a closure means (12) designed to close the container opening. The closure means (12) consists of an electrically conductive material and is designed to dissipate electrostatic charges from the liquid (3).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a container for storing liquid.

[0002] The container generally has a container opening through which liquid can be drawn from the container and also supplied to the container. The container opening can be sealed with a closure. Particularly in containers used in the semiconductor industry, the closure is generally made of an electrically insulating material such as plastic. The container sealed with the closure then forms a transportable unit.

[0003] Such containers are especially suitable for transporting highly flammable media. There is an increased risk of explosion if the medium, i.e., the liquid in the container, becomes electrostatically charged.

[0004] To counteract this risk, it is known to equip the container wall with an outer layer made of electrically conductive material and an inner layer made of electrically insulating material. An electrically conductive element is then brought into contact with the outer layer, with the element extending into the container and thus able to come into contact with the liquid, allowing electrostatic charges in the liquid to be dissipated.

[0005] Such an element can be formed, for example, by an electrically conductive strip that hangs in the interior of the container.

[0006] Such elements are susceptible to mechanical damage, i.e. they can be easily damaged, so that the dissipation of electrostatic charges from the liquid in the container is no longer possible.

[0007] The container can also be part of a withdrawal system.

[0008] Such a withdrawal system is used for filling and emptying containers, particularly drums, filled with liquid chemicals. These chemicals can be highly flammable. The withdrawal system comprises a withdrawal head that can be attached to a dip tube of a container. Using the withdrawal head, liquid can be withdrawn from the container via the dip tube or liquid can be added to the container. The dip tube is mounted as an integral part in a container opening in such a way that it protrudes into the interior of the container.

[0009] The containers of such extraction systems also have a multi-layer structure, with an outer layer made of a conductive material and an inner layer made of an electrically insulating material. The immersion tube, which itself is made of a conductive material, is mounted in the container in an electrically insulated manner.

[0010] In order to avoid electrostatic charges in the liquid in the container, additional connecting components must be attached to the top of the dip tube, which ensure that electrostatic charges in the liquid in the container are discharged via the dip tube to the outer layer of the container, which is made of dissipative material.

[0011] Such additional connecting components require considerable additional design effort. Furthermore, the connecting components can be damaged or torn off during transport of the container.

[0012] The invention is based on the object of providing a structurally simple system by means of which the risk of electrostatic charging of a liquid in a container is reduced.

[0013] To achieve this object, the features of claim 1 are provided. Advantageous embodiments and expedient developments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

[0014] The invention relates to a container for storing a liquid, comprising a container opening and a closure means designed to close the container opening. The closure means is made of electrically conductive material and is designed to dissipate electrostatic charges in the liquid.

[0015] With the sealing device, which has been proven to be effective, the risk of electrostatic charging of a liquid and the resulting risk of explosion can be reduced in a simple and efficient manner.

[0016] For this purpose, the closure means according to the invention consists of electrically conductive material, i.e. typically of a material with at least a low electrical conductivity, so that it dissipates electrostatic charges.

[0017] The closure means according to the invention prevents electrostatic charging of the liquid in the container, particularly when the container is opened or closed.

[0018] Typically, the closure means is designed in such a way that it can be opened with a grounded tool.

[0019] Of course, the grounded tool can also be used for a corresponding closing process.

[0020] When the grounded tool comes into contact with the closure means according to the invention, electrostatic charges are discharged via the closure means, whereby the risk of electrostatic charges of the liquid in the container can be reduced.

[0021] A particularly advantageous closure means is a sealing plug.

[0022] The sealing plug can be fixed in the container opening, for example, with a screw, snap-in, clamp connection or the like.

[0023] Advantageously, the closure means consists of a plastic containing electrically conductive particles.

[0024] The plastic can be electrically insulating because the electrical conductivity of the particles is sufficient to give the closure means the electrically conductive property.

[0025] In particular, the conductive particles are soot or carbon particles.

[0026] The closure means according to the invention advantageously forms an additional element for preventing electrostatic charges of the liquid in the container, ie the closure means does not form the only securing element against electrostatic charges of the liquid.

[0027] Advantageously, the container has an outer layer made of electrically conductive material and an inner layer made of electrically insulating material.

[0028] The outer layer of the container, which is made of electrically conductive material, forms an essential safety element for dissipating electrostatic charges.

[0029] To dissipate electrostatic charges from the liquid, an element made of electrically conductive or electrically dissipative material is advantageously provided. This element is electrically connected to the outer layer, which is made of electrically dissipative material and extends into the container and can be brought into contact with the liquid.

[0030] The closure means is also electrically connected to the outer layer.

[0031] This allows electrostatic charges to be dissipated via the closure means and the outer layer of the container when the closure means is operated with a grounded tool.

[0032] The container can advantageously be part of a withdrawal system which has at least one withdrawal head by means of which liquid can be supplied to or withdrawn from a container.

[0033] In this case in particular, the container has a dip tube made of electrically conductive material.

[0034] The dip tube extends into the container and is thus in contact with the liquid, so that the dip tube can form the element through which electrostatic charges in the liquid can be discharged.

[0035] In order to ensure that the electrostatic charges can be dissipated via the immersion tube and the outer layer of the container, the immersion tube is conductively connected to the outer layer, in particular via additional conductive connections.

[0036] This is necessary because the dip tube is typically mounted in the container opening in an electrically insulated manner from the outer layer, in particular with an electrically insulating seal in between.

[0037] According to a structurally advantageous embodiment, the dip tube has a dip tube head mounted in the container opening. An opening in the dip tube head can be closed with the closure means, thereby closing the container opening.

[0038] The immersion tube has a fluid channel running axially. The outlet of the fluid channel at the top of the immersion tube forms the opening that can be closed with the closure means.

[0039] The invention is explained below with reference to the drawings. They show: Figure 1: Schematic representation of a withdrawal system with a container. Figure 2: Partial representation of the container according to Figure 1 with a closure means closing a container opening. Figure 3: First example of a dip tube of the withdrawal system according to Figure 1with an associated closure means. Figure 4: Second example of a dip tube of the extraction system according to Figure 1 with an associated closure means. Figure 5: Another embodiment of a container with a closure means.

[0040] Figure 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a withdrawal system 1 for transportable containers 2, which can in particular be formed by barrels or the like. A liquid 3 is stored in the respective container 2. The liquids 3 stored in such containers 2 are in particular liquid specialty chemicals, which can in particular be highly flammable.

[0041] The sampling system 1 comprises a sampling head 4 that can be attached to a dip tube 5. The dip tube 5 is mounted in a container opening defined by an edge segment 6 of the container 2. The longitudinal axis of the dip tube 5 runs vertically.

[0042] The extraction head 4 serves to extract liquid 3 from the container 2. It can also be used to fill containers 2. For this purpose, the extraction head 4 has a liquid connection 4a at its upper end. A line 7 leading to a pump 8 is connected to this liquid connection 4a. The line 7 can be designed in the form of a hose. The pump 8 is controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0043] Figure 2 shows a highly schematic detailed representation of the container 2 of the withdrawal system 1 according to Figure 1 .

[0044] As from Figure 2 As can be seen, the immersion tube 5 has an immersion tube head 9 on its upper side. A tube segment 10 is connected to the underside of the immersion tube head 9, the hollow space of which forms a fluid channel 11. The immersion tube 5 is essentially rotationally symmetrical with respect to its longitudinal axis.

[0045] How Figure 2 As shown, the dip tube head 9 is mounted in the container opening of the container 2, preferably by a screw connection. A seal made of electrically insulating material (not shown) may be present between the edge segment 6 defining the container opening and the dip tube head 9.

[0046] The longitudinal axis of the pipe segment 10 of the immersion pipe 5 mounted in this way runs in the vertical direction and extends into the interior of the container 2.

[0047] The liquid channel 11 opens out at the top of the immersion tube head 9 and forms an opening 11a there, to which the extraction head 4 of the extraction system 1 can be connected, for example by forming a screw connection.

[0048] Figure 2 shows the container 2 with the removal head 4 removed. The opening 11a of the dip tube head 9 is then, as Figure 2further shows, closed with a closure means 12, which in the present case is formed by a closure plug.

[0049] The closure means 12 can be fixed in the opening 11a of the dip tube head 9 by a screw, snap-in or clamp connection, so that the closure means 12 tightly closes the opening 11a and thus also the container opening of the container 2.

[0050] In order to avoid electrostatic charges of the liquid 3 and the resulting risk of explosion, appropriate safety elements are provided.

[0051] For this purpose, the container 2 has a multi-layer wall with an outer layer 13 made of conductive material and an inner layer 14 made of an electrically insulating material. ( Figure 2 )

[0052] The conductive material is an electrically conductive plastic or a metallic material. The inner layer 14 consists of an electrically insulating plastic.

[0053] Furthermore, the immersion tube 5 is also made of an electrically conductive material.

[0054] Since the dip tube 5 is electrically insulated from the container 2 by the seal or inner layer 14, a conductive connection is established between the dip tube 5 and the container 2 by additional electrically conductive elements. This allows electrostatic charges in the liquid 3 to be dissipated via the dip tube 5 and the outer layer 13 of the container 2.

[0055] According to the invention, the closure means 12 also consists of electrically conductive material and thus forms an additional safety element for discharging electrostatic charges of the liquid 3.

[0056] The closure means 12 is advantageously conductively connected to the outer layer 13 of the container 2, a conductive connection being established for this purpose via the dip tube 5.

[0057] The closure means 12 prevents electrostatic charges, especially when it is activated with a grounded tool for opening or closing the opening 11a of the dip tube 5.

[0058] The closure means 12 and also the immersion tube 5 advantageously consist of an electrically insulating plastic to which electrically conductive particles are added, which are formed, for example, as soot or carbon particles.

[0059] Figure 3 shows a first embodiment of a dip tube 5 with associated closure means 12. Figure 3A top view of the top of the dip tube closure with a central opening 11a, which can be closed with the closure means 12. When the closure means 12 is in place, its edge rests on the edge of the dip tube closure that delimits the opening 11a.

[0060] Figure 4 shows a further embodiment of a dip tube 5 with associated closure means 12. In this case, in the area of ​​the opening 11a of the dip tube head 9 there is a tubular extension 15 onto which the closure means 12 can be attached.

[0061] Figure 5 shows an embodiment of a container 2 without dip tube 5. The container 2 again has a multi-layer wall with an outer layer 13 made of electrically conductive material and an inner layer 14 made of electrically insulating material.

[0062] In this case, the closure means 12 is inserted directly into the container opening of the container 2.

[0063] According to the design of the Figure 1 and 2 In this case too, the closure means 12 made of electrically conductive material reduces the risk of electrostatic charging of the liquid 3 stored in the container 2. List of reference symbols

[0064] (1) Withdrawal system (2) Container (3) Liquid (4) Withdrawal head (4a) Liquid connection (5) Dip tube (6) Edge segment (7) Pipe (8) Pump (9) Dip tube head (10) Pipe segment (11) Liquid channel (11a) Opening (12) Closure means (13) Outer layer (14) Inner layer (15) Tubular attachment

Claims

1. Container (2) for storing a liquid (3), with a container opening and with a closure means (12) which is designed to close the container opening, characterized in that the closure means (12) for discharging electrostatic charges from the liquid (3) is designed in that it consists of electrically conductive material.

2. Container (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure means (12) is a closure plug.

3. Container (2) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the closure means (12) is designed such that it can be opened with an earthed tool.

4. Container (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the closure means (12) consists of plastic containing electrically conductive particles.

5. Container (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the conductive particles are soot or carbon particles.

6. Container (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that which has an outer layer (13) made of electrically conductive material and an inner layer (14) made of electrically insulating material.

7. Container (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that the closure means (12) is electrically conductively connected to the outer layer (13).

8. Container (2) according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that an element consisting of electrically conductive or electrically dissipative material is present, which is electrically conductively connected to the outer layer (13) consisting of electrically dissipative material, which element projects into the container (2) and which can be brought into contact with the liquid (3).

9. Container (2) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that this has an immersion tube (5) which consists of electrically conductive material.

10. Container (2) according to one of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the immersion tube (5) is the element.

11. Container (2) according to one of claims 9 or 10 characterized in that the dip tube (5) has a dip tube head (9) mounted in the container opening, and that an opening (11a) of the dip tube head (9) can be closed with the closure means (12), whereby the container opening is closed.

12. Container 2 according to claim 11, characterized in that the immersion tube (5) has a liquid channel (11) running in the axial direction, wherein the outlet of the liquid channel (11) on the upper side of the immersion tube (5) forms the opening (11a) which can be closed with the closure means (12).

13. Removal system 1 with at least one container (2) according to claims 1 to 12, characterized in that a removal head (4) is provided which is designed to fill the container (2) with liquid (3) and / or to remove liquid (3) from the container (2).

14. Withdrawal system 1 according to claim 13, characterized in that the removal head (4) can be connected to the container opening when the closure means (12) is detached.

15. Removal system 1 according to one of claims 9 and 13, characterized in that the removal head (4) can be connected to the immersion tube (5) when the closure means (12) is removed.

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