Wastewater treatment apparatus

Abstract

To provide a wastewater treatment apparatus capable of improving washing efficiency through a simple structural design.SOLUTION: A wastewater treatment apparatus 10 installed in a drain port 26 includes a plasma generation part 14 that is attached to an outer side of a trap body 30 of a wastewater trap mechanism 12, generates plasma to water circulating in the trap body 30, and produces plasma water. Preferably, the plasma generation part 14 includes a dielectric body 40 and a plurality of electrodes for plasma generation supported in the dielectric body 40, and a tip 46 of each electrode desirably projects from the dielectric body 40 and is in contact with water.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wastewater treatment device to be installed at a drain outlet. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses providing a light source that uses electricity generated by a power generation unit to irradiate the inside of a drain trap with ultraviolet light.

[0003] As a result, Patent Document 1 claims that ultraviolet irradiation can prevent the proliferation of bacteria and the like inside the drain trap, reducing the effort required to keep the drain trap hygienic. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-88666 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to arrange a power generating unit and multiple light sources relative to the bowl trap housed in the trap main body. Therefore, in the structure disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a problem that the diameter dimensions of the trap main body and the bowl trap become large, and the structure of the bowl trap becomes complicated.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wastewater treatment device which has a simple structure and is capable of improving cleaning efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is a wastewater treatment device that is installed at a drain outlet, and is characterized by having a plasma generating unit that is attached to the trap body of a drain trap mechanism and generates plasma on the water flowing within the trap body to produce plasma water.

[0008] It is also preferable that the plasma generating section has a dielectric and a plurality of electrodes for generating plasma supported within the dielectric, and that the ends of each of the electrodes protrude from the dielectric and are in contact with the water.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that a water level sensor is provided in the trap body, and when it is detected that the water level in the trap body is below a reference value, the control unit outputs a signal to the plasma generating unit to stop generating plasma. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a wastewater treatment device that has a simple structure and is capable of improving cleaning efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a partial cross-section of a wastewater treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a partially transparent perspective view of the plasma generating unit shown in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a partially see-through perspective view showing a first modified example of the plasma generating section. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a partially see-through perspective view showing a second modified example of the plasma generating section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, a wastewater treatment device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a drain trap mechanism 12, a plasma generating unit 14, a water level sensor 16, a high-voltage circuit 18, a current monitoring circuit 20, a voltage monitoring circuit 22, and a control unit 24.

[0014] The drain trap mechanism 12 is installed in a drain 26, for example, in a kitchen sink, a washbasin, a bathroom, etc. Between the drain 26 and the drain trap mechanism 12, a drain basket 28 is arranged, which functions as a garbage collector and as a backflow prevention device for odors from the sewer.

[0015] This drain trap mechanism 12 is, for example, a water-sealing bowl-shaped trap, and is configured with a trap body 30 attached to the drain outlet 26, a water-sealing cylinder 32 provided inside the trap body 30 and extending in the vertical direction, and a bowl trap 36 disposed so as to cover from above an upper end opening 34 of the water-sealing cylinder 32. A bellows-shaped drain hose 38 is connected to the lower side of the water-sealing cylinder 32.

[0016] 1, a water level sensor 16 and a plasma generating unit 14 are attached to the outer periphery of the trap body 30. The water level sensor 16 is located below the upper end opening 34 of the water seal cylinder 32 in the vertical direction, and is disposed above the plasma generating unit 14. The water level sensor 16 detects the level of water (sealing water) in the drain trap mechanism 12, and outputs a detection signal to the control unit 24.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the plasma generating section 14 is composed of a dielectric 40 having a substantially cylindrical shape, and two electrodes, a first electrode 42 and a second electrode 44, supported and fixed in the dielectric 40. The material of the dielectric 40 is an insulating material. In addition, since the material of the dielectric 40 is exposed to the generated plasma, it is preferable that the material is durable against active substances generated in the plasma. The outer peripheral surface of the tip portion 46 of each of the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 is covered with the dielectric 40, and the tip portion 46 penetrates the trap body 30 and comes into contact with the water (sealing water) sealed in the trap body 30.

[0018] That is, the tip portions 46, 46 of the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 are inserted into two through holes (not shown) provided in the trap body 30. The outer peripheral surface (excluding the end face) of the tip portion 46 may be covered with the dielectric material 40. This makes it possible to protect the tip portion 46.

[0019] Moreover, the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 each have a bent portion 48 that bends from the middle portion toward the outside of the dielectric 40. The other end 50 of the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 opposite to the tip portion 46 is electrically connected to a power source via the high voltage circuit 18 and the current monitoring circuit 20, respectively (see FIG. 1).

[0020] In this embodiment, the plasma generating unit 14 is configured with two electrodes, the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44, but is not limited to this and may be configured with multiple electrodes.

[0021] Next, modified examples of the electrodes are shown below. Fig. 3 shows a plasma generating unit 14a according to a first modified example. In this first modified example, a male thread 54 is provided on the outer circumferential surface of a dielectric 52, so that the plasma generating unit 14a can be easily attached to a female thread (not shown) of the trap body 30. Also, in the first modified example, a bent portion 48 is not provided, and the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 are arranged in a substantially V-shape when viewed from the side.

[0022] 4 shows a plasma generating section 14b according to the second modified example. In contrast to the first modified example in which plasma is generated by point contact, this second modified example differs in that the cross section perpendicular to the axis of the electrode (cross section perpendicular to the axis of the electrode) is configured as a thin, approximately flat plate, thereby generating plasma by line contact. Compared to point contact electrodes, line contact electrodes have a large change in impedance, making it difficult to control the high voltage power supply, but have the advantage of being able to generate more plasma because there are more plasma generating parts.

[0023] Returning to Fig. 1, the high voltage circuit 18 is a circuit that applies a high voltage to the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to the high voltage circuit 18, the current monitoring circuit 20, and the voltage monitoring circuit 22, and is a component that controls each circuit. When the water level sensor 16 detects that the water level in the trap body 30 is below a reference value, the control unit 24 derives a control signal to the high voltage circuit 18 to stop the application of the high voltage to the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44, thereby stopping the generation of plasma (generation of plasma water).

[0024] The voltage monitoring circuit 22 is a circuit that monitors the potential difference (voltage) applied between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 by the high voltage circuit 18. The current monitoring circuit 20 monitors the current flowing from the power supply to the high voltage circuit 18. The measurement signals measured by the voltage monitoring circuit 22 and the current monitoring circuit 20 are each output to the control unit 24. This makes it possible to know the state of the water in the area in contact with the electrodes and generate an optimal voltage to maintain stable plasma.

[0025] The control unit 24 may also be provided with a timer circuit 56 (see FIG. 1). This timer circuit 56 generates plasma water in the drain trap mechanism 12 at regular time intervals even when no water is being drained to the drain outlet 26, provided that the water level sensor 16 detects that there is water in the trap body 30. This makes it possible to maintain a sufficient amount of active species in the water in the trap body 30.

[0026] Furthermore, the control unit 24 may observe and estimate the impedance between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 from the potential difference (voltage) between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 and the current flowing into the high voltage circuit 18 measured by the current monitoring circuit 20, and control the voltage between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44. Furthermore, since the state of the water (degree of dirt) can be grasped from the impedance between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44, the frequency and intensity of plasma generation may be changed based on the state of the water. This allows plasma water to be generated efficiently in the drain trap mechanism 12.

[0027] The control unit 24 may control the voltage between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 in response to the water level in the drain trap mechanism 12, based on a data map stored in a memory unit (not shown) in the control unit 24. Also, a correlation between the state of the water (degree of dirt) and the impedance between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 may be obtained in advance, and the voltage between the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 that is optimal for the state of the water may be stored as a data map in a memory unit (not shown) in the control unit 24.

[0028] In the wastewater treatment device 10, an AC voltage of a predetermined voltage and frequency is applied to the first electrode 42 and the second electrode 44 from the power source shown in Fig. 1 via the high voltage circuit 18, and the water in the trap body 30 can be turned into plasma water by discharge. Plasma water is an aqueous solution in which electrons are bombarded with water molecules to change the state of H2O+e to H+OH+e, generating radicals such as hydrogen peroxide H2O2, hydroxyl radicals OH, and ozone O3. This plasma water can chemically decompose and clean dirt on the surface of the trap body 30, etc., with the ozone O3 and hydroxyl radicals OH.

[0029] The wastewater treatment device 10 according to the present embodiment described above includes a plasma generating unit 14 that is attached to the trap body 30 of the drain trap mechanism 12 and generates plasma water by generating plasma on the water flowing through the trap body 30. This allows the wastewater treatment device 10 to have a simple structure and improves cleaning efficiency. Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, it is only necessary to include the plasma generating unit 14, which allows for miniaturization.

[0030] Moreover, the plasma generating section 14 of this embodiment has a dielectric 40 and a plurality of first electrodes 42 and second electrodes 44 for generating plasma supported within the dielectric 40, with tip portions 46 of the electrodes 42, 44 protruding from the dielectric 40 and in contact with the water. This allows the wastewater treatment device 10 to be configured with a simpler structure.

[0031] Furthermore, when the water level sensor 16 detects that the water level in the trap body 30 of this embodiment is below the reference value, the control unit 24 outputs a signal to the plasma generating unit 14 to stop the generation of plasma. This allows efficient cleaning.

[0032] Although the embodiment and the modified examples of the present invention have been described above, appropriate design changes are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, a sealed-water bowl-shaped trap has been exemplified in this embodiment, but the present invention can also be applied to other mechanisms such as an S-shaped trap or a U-shaped trap. In other words, a plasma generating unit may be attached to the trap body in which the sealed water is stored. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10 Wastewater treatment equipment 12 Drain trap mechanism 14, 14a, 14b Plasma generating unit 16 Water level sensor 24 Control Unit 26 Drain 30 Trap body 32 Water bottle 36 Bowl Trap 42 1st electrode 44 2nd electrode 46 (electrode) tip (end)

Claims

1. A wastewater treatment device installed at a drain outlet, 1. A wastewater treatment device comprising: a plasma generating unit attached to a trap body of a drain trap mechanism, the plasma generating unit generating plasma on water flowing through the trap body to produce plasma water.

2. The wastewater treatment device according to claim 1, The plasma generating unit has a dielectric and a plurality of electrodes for generating plasma supported within the dielectric, The wastewater treatment device according to claim 1, wherein an end of each of the electrodes protrudes from the dielectric and contacts the water.

3. The wastewater treatment device according to claim 1 or 2, A water level sensor is provided in the trap body, The wastewater treatment device, wherein, when it is detected that the water level in the trap body is below a reference value, the control unit outputs a signal to the plasma generating unit to stop generating plasma.

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