Fluid vessel system

Abstract

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a vessel for transporting a flowable material comprising: a body having: at least one primary recess through which the flowable material travels, the primary recess extending substantially along a length of the body; and a plurality of secondary recesses that extend substantially parallel to the primary recess along the length of the body, wherein the plurality of secondary recesses are configured to receive a thermal fluid at a predetermined temperature such that the temperature of the thermal fluid is at least partially transferred to the flowable material travelling in the primary recess.

Description

[0001] FLUID VESSEL SYSTEM

[0002] RELATED APPLICATION

[0003] The present invention claims priority from earlier filed Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2023903511 filed on 1 November 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] FIELD OF INVENTION

[0005] The present invention relates generally to a vessel system for carrying a flowable material, and in particular, to a jacketed vessel system for carrying a flowable material that can be connected to a heated or chilled medium to aid in handling of the flowable material being carried by the vessel system.

[0006] BACKGROUND ART

[0007] Flowable materials, such as liquids, or solid materials in a fluid form, typically require transportation about a facility in a tube or similar conduit for processing. For materials such as food-based materials, they are often transported in a fluid form within a tube, where they are supplied to a processing station for processing into food products and the like for packaging.

[0008] One example of such a material is fatty meat products for the human or animal food industry. Such products are typically transported within a tube with the material supplied under a pressure to facilitate the flow of the material within the tube. A problem with handling such material is that the fat present within the material may harden when exposed to lower temperatures, which can result in a fat build up against the wall of the tube, which can restrict the diameter of the tube resulting in reduced flowability, and can cause the material to stop flowing and become blocked within the tube.

[0009] To address this, jacketed piping has been proposed whereby an internal pipe having a smaller diameter is positioned within a pipe having a larger diameter, such that the concentric pipes are welded in place at their ends. A heated fluid can be provided to flow in the space formed between the concentric pipes such that the heated fluid will heat the internal pipe and maintain the material flowing in the inner pipe at a desired temperature that retains the flowability of the material. Whilst such a jacketed pipework has been proven successful, it is difficult to form and maintain given the need to physically weld the pipes together and is prone to leakage and maintenance problems. Another application of traditional jacketed pipework is in relation to heat exchange systems that are employed across a variety of different industries, including food, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Such systems generally provide a means for heating or cooling a medium for a variety of different purposes. To perform this function the systems generally require pipes or similar vessels for transporting a heating / cooling medium from a source and for delivering that heating / cooling medium to an exchange point where energy is exchanged to heat / cool a desired product. Pipework is also generally required to return the heating / cooling medium to the source for recharging.

[0010] One type of heating / cooling medium that has long been used in heat exchange systems across a variety of industries is ammonia. In heat exchange systems, industrial-grade anhydrous ammonia is used as it has very little water contamination. Such refrigeration-grade ammonia has a maximum of about 150 ppm water (0.015 percent). Refrigeration- grade ammonia has a high latent capability per pound and as such, less ammonia is generally required when compared to other known refrigerants to do the same work. Such an efficient medium results in less power used and lower operating costs.

[0011] Where ammonia, and other similar refrigerants are used, due to the refrigerant being stored under pressure, the supply line carrying the refrigerant typically employs pressure manifolds and pressure piping to safely transport the refrigerant around a facility. All piping is typically under pressure and such pressurized piping lines are kept as short as possible in order to minimize the chance of pressurized leaks. Expansion chambers are also typically provided in a liquid ammonia line, due to ammonia’s large coefficient of expansion. In such an environment, any liquid that may become trapped in the pipeline could expand rapidly and burst the pipe should the temperature of the room increase.

[0012] As such, the piping and vessel requirements for establishing a pressurised fluid line are significant and require considerable design and installation requirements to handle the pressurised environment. This is a further problem when the piping must travel distances and feed into heat exchangers and the like, where a variety of pressure relief valves and the like are required to facilitate the delivery of the pressurised fluid into the exchange system in a safe and controlled manner.

[0013] Thus, in the fields of material handling and heat exchange systems, there is a need to provide a piping or conduit system that is able to handle a primary medium for delivery and which can receive a secondary fluid medium to aid in the delivery of the primary medium that can safely and effectively handle any pressurised fluid requirements of the secondary fluid medium and which can be simply and effectively installed without the need for any complicated installation processes.

[0014] The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

[0015] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a vessel for transporting a flowable material comprising: a body having: at least one primary recess through which the flowable material travels, the primary recess extending substantially along a length of the body; and a plurality of secondary recesses that extend substantially parallel to the primary recess along the length of the body, wherein the plurality of secondary recesses are configured to receive a thermal fluid at a predetermined temperature such that the temperature of the thermal fluid is at least partially transferred to the flowable material travelling in the primary recess.

[0017] The body may be formed from an extruded metal and the at least one primary recess and the plurality of secondary recesses may be extruded within said body.

[0018] The at least one primary recess may be centrally formed within said body and the plurality of secondary recesses are located about the at least one primary recess and radially spaced outward from the at least one primary recess.

[0019] The thermal fluid may be a pressurised fluid from a pressurised fluid source.

[0020] The pressurised fluid may be a refrigerant fluid for chilling and / or freezing the flowable material travelling in the at least one primary recess.

[0021] The refrigerant fluid may be ammonia.

[0022] The thermal fluid may be cold or hot water.

[0023] The at least one primary recess and the body may have a substantially rectangular cross section. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:

[0025] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vessel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional end view of the vessel of Fig. 1 ;

[0027] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional end view of the vessel of Fig. 1 with insulation;

[0028] Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are cross-sectional end views of a vessel without the features of the present invention;

[0029] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional end view of an alternative embodiment of a vessel in accordance with the present invention; and

[0030] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional end view of the vessel of Fig. 6 with insulation.

[0031] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0032] The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use in transporting a flowable medium around a facility and for use as part of a heat exchange system, in particular, in a refrigeration system for supplying a refrigerant, such as ammonia, to chill a material. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention could be used as a transfer pipework for transporting pressurised and non-pressurised fluid in a variety of different commercial and non-commercial applications.

[0033] Referring to Fig. 1, a vessel 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention is depicted. The vessel 10 is in the form of an elongate pipe or conduit having a substantially rectangular cross section, although the cross-sectional shape of the vessel 10 could assume any desired shape. One end of the vessel 10 has an inlet manifold 12 which is capable of being connected to source of a medium to be transported and / or chilled by a refrigerant, depending on the application of the present invention. The vessel 10 also comprises an inlet tube 14 and outlet tube 15 for delivering a secondary fluid or a refrigerant, such as ammonia, into the vessel 10 and for removing the secondary fluid or refrigerant from the vessel 10, as required.

[0034] It will be appreciated that a plurality of vessels 10 may be connected end-to-end to form a pipework for transferring the refrigerant and / or material to be processed, over a distance between processing areas in a processing facility. A connector (not shown) may be provided between adjacent vessels in the pipework to provide a sealed interconnection between adjacent vessels through which the refrigerant and / or material to be processed can flow.

[0035] A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the vessel 10 is shown in Fig. 2. The vessel 10 is formed from a metal, such as aluminium, and is extruded to form the shape as depicted. A central recess 16 is formed in the vessel 10 that extends the length of the vessel 10, to carry the material to be processed. The material to be processed could take a variety of different forms and may include a liquid, such as water or the like, or a solid material, such as meat or fish products, which can flow through the central recess. The material to be processed is supplied to the vessel 10 by way of the inlet manifold 12, and a pump (not shown) may be supplied to ensure flow of the material through the central recess 16.

[0036] The vessel 10 has a wall 17 formed about the central recess 16 that has a substantially constant thickness ‘T’. A plurality of smaller recesses 18 are formed in the wall 17, to be spaced about the central recess 16 as shown, to extend the length of the vessel 10. The spacing between the smaller recesses 18 may be substantially the same around the perimeter of the central recess 16, or may vary, as required.

[0037] The smaller recesses 18 have a substantially round shape, which may be circular or oval in configuration. The smaller recesses 18 are configured to be in fluid communication with secondary fluid source which may be a hot or cold water supply, or a pressurised refrigerant source as discussed below.

[0038] In the embodiment where the vessel 10 is intended to deliver fatty meat products through the central recess 16. Hot water may be supplied to the smaller recesses 18 to flow along the length of the vessel 10 in close proximity to the central recess 16. In this embodiment, the outer wall of the central recess 16 will be heated by the hot water present in the smaller recesses 18 thereby keeping the fat present in the fatty meat product in a melted state at the outer wall of the central recess, thereby lubricating the outer wall of the central recess 16. This ensures that the product will continue to flow under pressure within the central recess 16 of the vessel 10. Similarly, if the vessel 10 is intended to be located in an outdoor environment, where the fatty meat product may be delivered to a tanker or the like for transport to a remote site, the outdoor temperature may be as low as -25°C. This could cause the material within the central recess to freeze and stop flowing. As such, a heated fluid can be provided to the smaller recesses 198 of the vessel 10 to ensure that the central recess remains at a predetermined temperature to facilitate flow of the material in the central recess 16.

[0039] In another embodiment, the smaller recesses 18 may be configured to receive a pressurised refrigerant medium, such as ammonia. The refrigerant medium may be delivered to each of the smaller recesses 18 such that the pressurised refrigerant travels along each of the smaller recesses 18 that extend in parallel with each other and the central recess 16. It will be appreciated that the smaller recesses having the circular shape provide improved handling of pressured fluid and provide a safer and more structurally sound pipe network for such fluids.

[0040] Referring to Fig. 3, the vessel 10 described above in relation to Fig. 2 is depicted having an insulated outer shell 20. The insulated outer shell 20 may comprises an outer aluminium body 22 with an insulated material 24, such as polyurethane, provided therebetween. Such a pre-installed insulation system removes the need for post installation lagging of the vessels or the need for other jacked pipe work, which can require high labour cost and is aesthetically poor due to the exposed lagging which can also degrade in the presence of sun / weather / pests.

[0041] Referring to Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, a comparison is made of the present invention when used to receive a pressurised refrigerant, with a vessel that does not employ multiple smaller recesses to receive the pressurised refrigerant. In this embodiment, a vessel 5 having an inner recess 6 for receiving the material to be processed and a common outer recess 8 for receiving the pressurised refrigerant is depicted. The vessel 5 comprises two concentric shells 7 and 9, which may be formed from a metal.

[0042] As is shown in Fig. 5, when the pressurised fluid is delivered into the outer recess 8 the pressurised fluid causes the outer shell 9 to bow and flex under pressure. This is highly undesirable and risks failure of the vessel and the release of potentially harmful chemicals into the immediate environment. Thus, by providing multiple smaller recesses 18 for receiving and distributing the pressurised fluid within the vessel, the pressure forces due to the pressurised fluid are better distributed throughout the vessel to avoid the likelihood of the vessel 10 failing.

[0043] An alternative embodiment of a vessel in accordance with the present invention is depicted in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 as reference 30.

[0044] Vessel 30 is configured in substantially the same manner as vessel 10 previously described, and is formed from an extruded metal, such as aluminium. However, in this embodiment the vessel 30 is substantially circular in configuration and is formed to have a circular central recess 32 surrounded by a plurality of outer recesses 34 extending parallel to the central recess 32 and arranged about the periphery thereof. Each of the outer recesses 34 are also substantially circular in shape and contained within the wall of the vessel 10.

[0045] As discussed previously, the central recess 32 may be configured to receive a material to be processed such that the material to be processed flows through the central recess 32 of the vessel 30. The outer recesses 34 may be configured to receive a secondary fluid from a secondary fluid source, such as hot or cold water or a pressurised refrigerant from a pressurised refrigerant source, such that the secondary fluid flows through each of the outer recesses 34 in a direction parallel to the central recess 32.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 7, the vessel 30 is depicted having an insulated outer shell 36. The insulated outer shell 36 may comprises an outer aluminium body 38 with an insulated material 37, such as polyurethane, provided therebetween. Such a preinstalled insulation system removes the need for post installation lagging of the vessels or the need for other jacked pipe work, which can require high labour cost and is aesthetically poor due to the exposed lagging which can also degrade in the presence of sun / weather / pests.

[0047] In the embodiments of the vessel 10, 30 of the present invention, the central recess 16, 32 is configured to receive a material to be processed that flows therein. As the smaller recesses 18 and the outer recesses 34 receive the secondary fluid from the secondary fluid source, the secondary fluid flows around the periphery of the central recess 16, 32 and in close proximity thereto, to influence the temperature of the material present in the central recess 16, 32. In the refrigeration application the secondary fluid will be a pressurised refrigerant that will remove heat energy from the material present in the central recess to chill the material flowing therein, with the opposite being the case if the secondary fluid flowing through the smaller recesses 18 or outer recesses 34 is of a higher temperature.

[0048] In one embodiment of the vessel of the present invention, the vessel may be configured to receive a supply of hot fluid through the smaller recesses or outer recesses to facilitate the flow of product through the vessel, in the manner as described above in relation to fatty meat product. Then, in the event that there is a breakdown in the system, such as a failure of a pump or a delay in processing the material, the hot fluid can then be evacuated from the smaller or outer recesses of the vessel and replaced with cold water or a refrigerant to cool the central recess and the material present therein. This can then function to preserve the product in the vessel during this “storage” period, before the delivery of the product restarts.

[0049] Thus, it will be appreciated that the vessel of the present invention provides a number of benefits over existing vessels used in such applications. Firstly, the vessel of the present invention provides for a pipe network that is capable of handling and distributing a material over a distance as well as a vessel for handling and distributing a pressurised fluid across a distance in a safe and effective manner. Further, the vessel enables the ability for the pipe network to function as a conventional heat transfer system by enabling a material to be delivered through the central recess so as to be chilled or heated by a heat exchange medium travelling through the outer recesses. As the vessel can be supplied pre-insulated, there is no requirement for expensive post installation lagging or jacked pipework, which can compromise the integrity of the pipework when exposed to weather and pests.

[0050] The system of the present invention is able to handle any pumpable meat or offal products, with the size of the particles only restricted by the limitations of the pump. In most embodiments, a basic pre-grind of material prior to processing will ensure the most efficient results.

[0051] Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

[0052] Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the apparatus uppermost.

[0053] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A vessel for transporting a flowable material comprising: a body having: at least one primary recess through which the flowable material travels, the primary recess extending substantially along a length of the body; and a plurality of secondary recesses that extend substantially parallel to the primary recess along the length of the body, wherein the plurality of secondary recesses are configured to receive a thermal fluid at a predetermined temperature such that the temperature of the thermal fluid is at least partially transferred to the flowable material travelling in the primary recess.

2. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the body is formed from an extruded metal and the at least one primary recess and the plurality of secondary recesses are extruded within said body.

3. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the at least one primary recess is centrally formed within said body and the plurality of secondary recesses are located about the at least one primary recess and radially spaced outward from the at least one primary recess.

4. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the thermal fluid is a pressurised fluid from a pressurised fluid source.

5. A vessel according to claim 4, wherein the pressurised fluid is a refrigerant fluid for chilling and / or freezing the flowable material travelling in the at least one primary recess.

6. A vessel according to claim 5, wherein the refrigerant fluid is ammonia.

7. A vessel according to claim 1, wherein the thermal fluid is cold or hot water.

8. A vessel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one primary recess and the body have a substantially rectangular cross section.

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