Disposing system and disposing method for used air cylinder

Abstract

To provide a disposing system and a disposing method which can dispose a used air cylinder whose inside is made of aluminum and whose outside is made of an FRP, without discarding the cylinder with no change.SOLUTION: A disposing system 20, which disposes a used air cylinder 10 whose inside is made of aluminum and whose outside is made of an FRP, comprises: a receiving part 21 that receives the used air cylinder 10 whose validity data has expired; a peeling / resolving work part 22 that resolves the used air cylinder 10 received by the receiving part 21 into the aluminum and the FRP; and a recycling / disposing process part 23 that performs a process of recycling or disposing the aluminum and the FRP resolved by the peeling / resolving work part 22. This enables the resolved aluminum and the resolved FRP to be respectively recycled or properly disposed, without discarding the used air cylinder 10 with no change, which can reduce wastes and contribute to global environment conservation, and further enables disposal in a saved space.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a system and method for processing used air cylinders that have an aluminum interior and an FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) exterior. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of cylinders and tanks used to hold high-pressure gases have been known for some time, including air cylinders carried on the backs of firefighters and divers, oxygen cylinders, and gas cylinders. These cylinders and tanks are also known by various names, such as air cylinders, oxygen cylinders, gas cylinders, high-pressure tanks, general composite containers, and FRP high-pressure containers, but we will use the unified term "air cylinder" to describe them all here.

[0003] These air cylinders generally have an aluminum interior and an FRP exterior, and are required by law to undergo pressure testing every few years, that they cannot be refilled with gas, and that cylinders must be disposed of once their refill period has expired (see, for example, paragraph 0045 of Patent Document 1).In addition, if the air cylinder is an FRP composite container, the refill period (usage period) is set at 15 years.

[0004] Therefore, the only option left for these expired air cylinders was to simply discard them, store them as bulky waste that could not be disposed of, or drill holes in them and discard them as scrap metal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6190509 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in recent years, it has become necessary to separate the waste when disposing of it, and it is no longer possible to drill a hole in it and dispose of it as scrap metal. Also, if it is to be disposed of as is, the only option is to continuously store large used air cylinders in one place, which has recently made disposal itself difficult.

[0007] This invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a processing system and processing method that can process used air cylinders that have aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside without disposing of them as they are. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a processing system for used air cylinders that have aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, characterized in that it comprises a reception unit that takes in used air cylinders that have passed their expiration date, a peeling / separation work unit that separates the used air cylinders taken in by the reception unit into the aluminum and the FRP, and a recycling / disposal processing unit that processes the aluminum and FRP separated by the peeling / separation work unit to reuse or discard them. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the processing system and processing method of this invention, it is possible to separate the aluminum and FRP from used air cylinders that have an aluminum lining and an FRP lining, so that the separated materials (aluminum and FRP) can be reused or appropriately processed separately without disposing of the used air cylinder as is. This reduces waste and is considerate to the global environment, and allows for space-saving processing when disposing of the cylinders as they are strictly separated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a typical air cylinder. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system for treating used air cylinders in a first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] This invention relates to a system and method for processing used air cylinders that have aluminum on the inside and FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) on the outside. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Embodiment 1 Figure 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a typical air cylinder. The air cylinder 1 shown in Figure 1 is an air cylinder with an aluminum lining and an FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics) outer mold. Note that although the term "air cylinder" is used here, various types of cylinders filled with high-pressure gas, such as air cylinders carried on the backs of firefighters and divers, oxygen cylinders, and gas cylinders, as well as those called high-pressure tanks, general composite containers, FRP high-pressure containers, and the like, all of which have an aluminum lining and an FRP outer mold, are types of "air cylinder" as defined in this invention.

[0013] These air cylinders are required by law to undergo pressure testing every few years, are prohibited from being refilled with gas, and must be disposed of after the refill period has expired. Furthermore, if the air cylinder is an FRP composite container, that is, an air cylinder with aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, the refill period (usage period) is stipulated to be 15 years.

[0014] Therefore, in the past, air cylinders that have passed their expiration date had no choice but to be disposed of as they were, either stored as bulky waste that could not be disposed of, or drilled holes in them and disposed of as scrap metal. However, in recent years, it has become common for waste to be separated when disposed of, making it no longer possible to drill holes in them and dispose of them as scrap metal. Furthermore, if they were to be disposed of as they were, the only option would be to continuously store large used air cylinders in one place, and due to space issues and other factors, disposal itself has become difficult in recent years.

[0015] However, since air cylinders have aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, it is extremely difficult to separate and separate the aluminum interior from the FRP exterior, and ultimately, the only way to dispose of them is to drill a hole in them and have an industrial waste disposal company take them as scrap metal, which can then be disposed of in a landfill.

[0016] Therefore, the applicant searched for a method of separating the aluminum interior from the FRP exterior, something that only an FRP manufacturing company could do. By repeatedly conducting technical evaluation tests and experiments to determine how the aluminum and FRP could be separated and analyzing the data, the applicant was able to arrive at a method that can peel and separate the aluminum and FRP.

[0017] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a used air cylinder processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, this used air cylinder processing system 20 includes a receiving unit 21, a peeling / separation work unit 22, and a recycling / disposal processing unit 23.

[0018] The reception unit 21 is a reception unit that receives used air cylinders 10 that have passed their expiration date. The peeling / separation working unit 22 peels the aluminum interior from the FRP exterior of the used air cylinder 10 received by the reception unit 21, separating the aluminum from the FRP. The reuse / disposal processing unit 23 processes the aluminum and FRP separated by the peeling / separation working unit 22 to reuse or discard them.

[0019] Here, we will explain in more detail how the aluminum interior and FRP exterior of used air cylinders 10 are stripped and separated in the stripping / separation work section 22. In this stripping / separation work section 22, the used air cylinder 10 is first cut lengthwise into two large pieces, and then the aluminum interior and FRP exterior are stripped away to separate the aluminum, which is metal, and the FRP, which is plastic.

[0020] Separating the aluminum and FRP may seem like an easy task in theory, but in the case of used air cylinders 10, which are manufactured as FRP composites and filled with air and have been in use for 15 years, it is extremely difficult to separate the aluminum inner metal from the FRP outer layer. This task requires know-how and technology that can only be achieved by an FRP manufacturer, and as mentioned above, it was made possible by the applicant's experience as an FRP manufacturer, repeated technical evaluation tests and experiments, and data analysis.

[0021] Furthermore, in the reuse / disposal processing section 23, aluminum, which is a metal, is basically sent to the reuse process, and FRP is reduced to the smallest possible size and sent to the disposal process. As a result, the separated materials (aluminum and FRP) can be reused or appropriately disposed of, reducing waste and contributing to environmental friendliness. Furthermore, disposal can be performed in a space-saving manner, as the materials are strictly separated.

[0022] As described above, the used air cylinder processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to separate the aluminum and FRP from used air cylinders that have aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, so that the separated materials (aluminum and FRP) can be reused or appropriately processed without disposing of the used air cylinder as is. This reduces waste and is considerate to the global environment, and allows for space-saving processing when disposing of the materials, as they are strictly separated.

[0023] It should be noted that, within the scope of the present invention, any of the components of the embodiments may be modified or omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 1. General air cylinder 10 Used air cylinders 20 Processing System 21 Reception 22 Peeling and Separation Work Section 23 Recycling and waste treatment department

Claims

1. A used air cylinder disposal system that uses aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, a reception unit that receives the used air cylinders that have passed their expiration date; a peeling / separation working unit that separates the used air cylinder received by the reception unit into the aluminum and the FRP; a recycling / disposal processing unit that processes the aluminum and the FRP separated by the peeling / separating working unit to be recycled or discarded; A processing system comprising:

2. A method for disposing of used air cylinders that have aluminum on the inside and FRP on the outside, comprising: A step in which a reception unit collects the used air cylinder that has passed its expiration date; a peeling / separation working unit separating the used air cylinder received by the receiving unit into the aluminum and the FRP; a recycling / disposal processing unit that reuses or discards the aluminum and the FRP separated by the peeling / separating working unit; A processing method comprising:

Images