Liquid Delivery Device

Abstract

To provide a liquid feeder capable of eliminating a large-sized waste liquid tank, capable of eliminating an operation of transferring the waste liquid in the waste liquid tank from a waste liquid reservoir, and capable of realizing reduction of a load of an operator and an improvement of work efficiency.SOLUTION: A liquid feeder 60 is applied to a waste liquid treatment device 11 for concentrating waste liquid contained in a processing tank 16, and is configured so as to send the waste liquid contained in a plurality of containers Ck to the processing tank 16. The liquid feeder 60 comprises a liquid feed pipe constituting a flow path from each of the plurality of containers Ck to a supply port 16A of the processing tank 16, a plurality of first pumps 63, which are provided in the flow path and driven to drive waste liquid contained in the plurality of containers Ck toward the processing tank 16 through the liquid feed pipe, and a controller 30 for controlling the driving of a plurality of first pumps 63 so that the waste liquid is successively delivered from the plurality of containers Ck.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a liquid delivery device that delivers waste liquid contained in another container to a treatment tank that contains waste liquid discharged from a factory or the like for treatment. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a treatment device that concentrates wastewater by repeatedly performing an evaporation process in which the wastewater contained in a treatment tank is heated to evaporate water, and a supply process in which untreated wastewater is supplied (replenished) to the treatment tank when the level of the wastewater drops to a predetermined level due to evaporation (see Patent Document 1). In the supply process, the level of the wastewater is detected by a water level sensor (water level gauge) provided in the treatment tank, and the wastewater is supplied based on the detection result. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-044752 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the past, in waste liquid treatment equipment for treating waste liquid such as wastewater and waste oil, the waste liquid before treatment is temporarily stored in a relatively large waste liquid tank, and the waste liquid is supplied from the waste liquid tank to a treatment tank. On the other hand, waste liquid discharged from a factory is generally not stored in a large tank such as the waste liquid tank, but in a small container with a smaller capacity than the waste liquid tank, and then transported to a waste liquid treatment plant, taking into consideration ease of recovery and ease of transportation. Small waste liquid containers in which waste liquid is stored are, for example, containers of about 15 liters to 200 liters, and specifically, are 18-liter cans (can containers of about 18 liters), pails (can containers of 18 liters or 20 liters), or so-called drums of 200 liters.

[0005] When waste liquid is transported from a waste liquid generating source such as a factory to a waste liquid treatment plant in a state where the waste liquid is contained in multiple waste liquid containers, workers transfer the waste liquid one by one from the multiple waste liquid containers to the waste liquid tank manually or by using heavy machinery. However, since there are multiple waste liquid containers, the workload of the workers is heavy. In addition, since the work requires a lot of time, the work efficiency is low. In addition, since it is necessary to provide a large-sized waste liquid tank, maintenance of the waste liquid tank is required, which not only increases the maintenance work but also increases the maintenance costs.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid delivery device that can eliminate the need for a large waste liquid tank, can eliminate the need for transferring waste liquid from a waste liquid container to the waste liquid tank, and can further reduce the workload of workers and improve work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) A liquid delivery device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied to a waste liquid treatment device that concentrates waste liquid contained in a treatment tank, and is configured to deliver the waste liquid contained in each of a plurality of containers to the treatment tank. The liquid delivery device is characterized by comprising: a liquid delivery tube that constitutes a flow path from each of the plurality of containers to a supply port of the treatment tank, a waste liquid delivery means that is provided in the flow path and driven to deliver the waste liquid contained in the plurality of containers through the liquid delivery tube to the treatment tank, and a control unit that controls the drive of the waste liquid delivery means so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the plurality of containers.

[0008] Because of this configuration, the worker can complete preparations for supplying waste liquid to the treatment tank of the waste liquid treatment device simply by setting multiple containers in the liquid delivery device. This reduces the burden on the worker and improves work efficiency. In addition, since the waste liquid is supplied in a predetermined order, it is possible to sequentially remove empty containers that have been emptied after the waste water has been discharged, without waiting for the completion of the discharge of water from all containers. This further improves the work efficiency of the worker.

[0009] (2) The waste liquid delivery means includes a plurality of first pumps that deliver the waste liquid contained in each of the plurality of containers toward the liquid delivery tube, and in this case, the control unit controls the drive of each of the plurality of first pumps so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the plurality of containers.

[0010] (3) The liquid supply pipe includes a plurality of primary liquid supply pipes extending from the plurality of containers, a collective connection part connecting the outlets of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes together, and a secondary liquid supply pipe extending from the collective connection part to the supply port of the treatment tank. In this case, the first pump is provided in each of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes.

[0011] (4) It is preferable that the liquid delivery device of the present invention further includes a second pump provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for delivering the waste liquid toward the treatment tank.

[0012] According to this configuration, the waste liquid can be more reliably sent to the treatment tank.

[0013] (5) The first pump and the second pump are compressed air driven pumps that are driven by the supply of compressed air.

[0014] The waste liquid contained in the container may contain hazardous substances that may ignite. For this reason, it is safer for the first and second pumps to be pumps that do not use high-voltage electricity, such as compressed air-driven pumps, rather than pumps that require high-voltage electricity, such as electric pumps.

[0015] (6) The control unit controls the operation of the first pump and the second pump by controlling the opening and closing of an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the first pump and an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the second pump.

[0016] (7) The liquid delivery device of the present invention further includes a sensor provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for detecting a delivery state of the waste liquid in the secondary liquid delivery pipe, in which the control unit sequentially switches the drive of the plurality of first pumps based on a detection result of the sensor.

[0017] This configuration is preferable because it is not necessary to provide a sensor for each of the multiple containers.

[0018] (8) When the output value of the sensor falls below a predetermined threshold while any one of the plurality of first pumps is being driven, the control unit switches driving to the next first pump.

[0019] (9) The sensor is provided in the secondary liquid feed pipe upstream of the second pump in a liquid feed direction.

[0020] (10) It is preferable that the collecting connection part also serves as a primary storage tank for temporarily storing the waste liquid sent from the primary liquid sending pipe.

[0021] The present invention can also be understood as a waste liquid treatment device comprising the above-mentioned liquid delivery device. Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the need for a large waste liquid tank, and also to eliminate the task of transferring waste liquid from a waste liquid container to the waste liquid tank, and further to reduce the workload of workers and improve work efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a liquid delivery device 60 and a wastewater treatment device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the liquid delivery device 60. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the liquid delivery device 60 and the wastewater treatment device 10. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for a wastewater supply process executed in the liquid delivery device 60. As shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for the wastewater replenishment process executed in the liquid delivery device 60. As shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0025] [Wastewater treatment device 10] The wastewater treatment device 10 shown in FIG. 1 treats wastewater (waste liquid) discharged from a factory or the like, and more specifically, it evaporates water from the wastewater to concentrate the wastewater, and decomposes and purifies difficult-to-decompose substances contained in gas generated from the wastewater.

[0026] In the following, the target of treatment by the wastewater treatment device 10 is wastewater contaminated with impurities and harmful substances that is discarded after use in a factory or business. A specific example of the wastewater is cutting oil used for lubrication and cooling during metal cutting. Here, the cutting oil is a water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 as specified in JIS K 2241, which has a lower density than water. The wastewater also includes metal powder generated by cutting. The target of treatment by the wastewater treatment device 10 is not limited to wastewater containing a water-soluble cutting oil of type A1, and may be wastewater containing, for example, other water-soluble cutting oils (types A2 and A3) or water-insoluble cutting oils (types N1 to N4) as specified in JIS K 2241.

[0027] In this embodiment, the wastewater treatment device 10 that treats the wastewater is described as an example, but the wastewater treatment device to which the liquid delivery device 60 is applied is not limited to the wastewater treatment device 10. For example, the liquid delivery device 60 can also be applied to a waste oil treatment device that treats used waste oil (waste liquid) discharged from a factory, etc.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 1, wastewater treatment device 10 mainly comprises a wastewater concentrator 11 (one example of a wastewater treatment device of the present invention), a decomposition treatment device 12, and a control panel 30 (see Fig. 3) that controls the operation of wastewater concentrator 11. Wastewater concentrator 11 and decomposition treatment device 12 are connected to each other by a connecting duct 14 so that gas including steam is sent from wastewater concentrator 11 to decomposition treatment device 12. The control panel 30 controls the operation of not only wastewater concentrator 11 but also a liquid sending device 60 described later.

[0029] [Wastewater concentrator 11] The wastewater concentrating apparatus 11 heats the wastewater contained in a treatment tank 16 to evaporate the water content and concentrate the wastewater, and as shown in FIG. 1, is equipped with a treatment tank 16 (an example of a treatment tank of the present invention), a water level tank 18, a first heater 22, a second heater 23, an air blower 24, and a discharge pump 29.

[0030] The treatment tank 16 is for containing the wastewater to be treated. A predetermined amount of wastewater is stored inside the treatment tank 16. In the process of concentrating the wastewater, the wastewater is supplied to the treatment tank 16 so that the water level of the wastewater becomes an upper limit water level H1 (first water level) described below. In other words, the upper limit water level H1 is the upper limit water level at which the wastewater is stored in the treatment tank 16 in the process of concentrating the wastewater.

[0031] In this embodiment, the wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 and subjected to the concentration treatment is, for example, wastewater (so-called industrial wastewater) that is used in industrial production in a factory or the like and then discarded after use. As described above, the wastewater contains a water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 defined in JIS K 2241 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "water-soluble cutting oil"), the metal powder, and water. The water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 contains an oil component (such as mineral oil or fatty oil) which is an example of a hydrophobic substance that is poorly soluble in water, and a surfactant as an emulsifier, and is emulsified by dilution with water to form a milky emulsion. The content of the water-soluble cutting oil in the wastewater is approximately 10 to 20%, and the rest is mainly water.

[0032] The wastewater to be treated is stored in a plurality of containers Ck (k=1, 2,..., n) attached to a liquid delivery device 60 described later. The liquid delivery device 60 is connected to the treatment tank 16 by piping 51. The liquid delivery device 60 is controlled by the control unit 100 (see FIG. 3) of the control panel 30, whereby the wastewater is supplied from the plurality of containers Ck to the treatment tank 16.

[0033] An electrically operated motorized valve 51A, which is electrically opened and closed, is provided in the piping 51 upstream of the supply port 16A of the treatment tank 16. When the motorized valve 51A is opened under the control of the control unit 100 and the liquid delivery device 60 is driven by the control unit 100, the wastewater sent from the liquid delivery device 60 through the piping 51 is supplied from the supply port 16A to the inside of the treatment tank 16. In other words, the wastewater is delivered from the liquid delivery device 60 to the treatment tank 16. When the motorized valve 51A is closed and the drive of the liquid delivery device 60 is stopped, the supply of the wastewater is stopped.

[0034] A bubbling pipe 26 having many small holes formed therein is provided at the bottom of the treatment tank 16. The bubbling pipe 26 is connected to an air tank 37 (compressed air supply unit) as an externally installed compressed air source by an air pipe 57. When an electromagnetic valve 57A provided in the air pipe 57 is operated to supply compressed air to the air pipe 57, countless air bubbles are generated from the bubbling pipe 26, and the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 is agitated by the upward flow of the air bubbles. The compressed air source may be an air compressor.

[0035] The first heater 22 heats the wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 and is provided in the treatment tank 16. The first heater 22 is, for example, a unit type in which a burner 22A and a first heating control unit 22B that controls combustion by the burner 22A are integrally configured. The burner 22A is provided outside the treatment tank 16 and burns a fuel such as kerosene or combustion gas in a combustion furnace 22C provided inside the treatment tank 16. Exhaust gas after combustion is sent from the combustion furnace 22C to an exhaust pipe 31 connected to the treatment tank 16 and is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 31 to the outside.

[0036] The combustion furnace 22C is provided below the middle position in the height direction inside the treatment tank 16, and the entire wastewater is placed in the liquid with the predetermined amount of wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16. The first heater 22 heats the wastewater by being driven by the control unit 100. Specifically, when a drive signal is sent from the control unit 100 to the first heating control unit 22B, the first heating control unit 22B operates the burner 22A based on the drive signal to control heating. The first heater 22 may be of any configuration as long as it heats the wastewater in the treatment tank 16, and may be an electric heater instead of the burner 22A or the combustion furnace 22C.

[0037] The air blower 24 (see FIG. 1) is an electrically driven blower. The air blower 24 blows steam generated from the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 by heating with the first heater 22 from the treatment tank 16 to the outside. The air blower 24 is connected to the intermediate duct 14A, which is a part of the connecting duct 14, by a pipe 25. The intermediate duct 14A is a duct member extending upward from the upper surface of the treatment tank 16. The air blown from the air blower 24 is sent into the intermediate duct 14A through the pipe 25. In this embodiment, the air blown by the air blower 24 is sent by the pipe 25 in a direction that generates an upward airflow inside the intermediate duct 14A. The airflow of the air sent to the intermediate duct 14A guides gas containing steam generated in the treatment tank 16 to the connecting duct 14, and the gas is thereby discharged to the outside of the treatment tank 16. The gas that has entered the connecting duct 14 is sent to the decomposition treatment device 12 through the connecting duct 14 .

[0038] The second heater 23 is provided in the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 heats the gas (steam and air) passing through the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 is a unit type in which an electric heater 23A such as a halogen heater and a second heating control unit 23B including a driver circuit for driving the electric heater 23A are integrally configured. The electric heater 23A is provided inside the connecting duct 14, and the second heating control unit 23B is disposed outside the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 heats the gas in the connecting duct 14 by being driven by the control unit 100. Specifically, when a drive signal is sent from the control unit 100 to the second heating control unit 23B, the second heating control unit 23B drives the electric heater 23A based on the drive signal to control the heating. As long as the second heater 23 can heat the gas in the connecting duct 14, it may be of any heating type, including resistance heating, infrared heating, microwave heating, dielectric heating, and induction heating.

[0039] A water supply pipe 28 extending from a water supply source (not shown), such as a water source or a water tank, is connected to the treatment tank 16. An electric valve 28A for starting and stopping the supply of water is provided in the water supply pipe 28. The electric valve 28A is, for example, an electric ball valve. The opening and closing of the electric valve 28A is controlled by the control unit 100 of the control panel 30, so that water is supplied from the water supply pipe 28 to the treatment tank 16 as needed.

[0040] The discharge pump 29 is an electric pump. The discharge pump 29 discharges wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 to the outside of the treatment tank 16 as necessary. In this embodiment, the discharge pump 29 is used to send concentrated water in the treatment tank 16 after concentration treatment to the external tank 36. A pipe 54 is connected to the bottom of the treatment tank 16, and the pipe 54 is connected to the external tank 36. The discharge pump 29 is provided in the pipe 54.

[0041] Furthermore, an electric valve 54A that is electrically driven and opened and closed is provided in the pipe 54 upstream of the discharge pump 29. The electric valve 54A is opened under the control of the control unit 100, and the discharge pump 29 is driven by the control unit 100, whereby the wastewater (concentrated water) in the treatment tank 16 is discharged to the external tank 36. Furthermore, when the electric valve 54A is closed and the driving of the discharge pump 29 is stopped, the discharge of the wastewater stops.

[0042] The water level tank 18 is provided next to the treatment tank 16, and is formed to be capable of storing wastewater therein, similar to the treatment tank 16. The water level tank 18 does not have an opening or duct communicating with the atmosphere, and is formed as a sealed type. As will be described later, the water level tank 18 is used for storing wastewater therein and measuring the level of the wastewater. The water level tank 18 has the same size in the height direction as the treatment tank 16, and is installed at the same position in the height direction as the treatment tank 16. It is sufficient for the water level tank 18 to have a capacity applicable to such uses, and in this embodiment, the capacity is smaller than that of the treatment tank 16.

[0043] 1, the lower part of the treatment tank 16 and the lower part of the water level tank 18 are connected by a connecting pipe 52 so that wastewater can flow between the two tanks. Since the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are connected by the connecting pipe 52, when wastewater is supplied to the treatment tank 16, the wastewater spreads throughout the water level tank 18, and the position of the liquid surface of the wastewater in the water level tank 18 (the water level) becomes the same height as the position of the liquid surface of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16.

[0044] In addition, the upper part of the treatment tank 16 and the upper part of the water level tank 18 are connected by a connecting pipe 53, and the air space in the upper part of the treatment tank 16 and the air space in the upper part of the water level tank 18 are in communication with each other by a connecting pipe 52. Therefore, the water level tank 18 can communicate with the atmosphere via the connecting pipe 53 and the treatment tank 16.

[0045] The water level tank 18 is provided with a liquid level sensor 34. The liquid level sensor 34 detects the position of the liquid level (water level) of the wastewater stored in the water level tank 18, and is specifically a guided pulse type sensor that detects the position of the liquid level (water level) by sending a pulse signal toward the liquid level and receiving a pulse signal reflected by the liquid surface. The liquid level sensor 34 is used to detect that the liquid level of the wastewater has reached any one of the upper limit water level H1 set in the water level tank 18, the make-up water level H2 (second water level) lower than the upper limit water level H1, or the lower limit water level H3 even lower than the make-up water level H2.

[0046] In this embodiment, the upper limit water level H1 is set to a water level when, for example, 500 liters of wastewater are stored in the treatment tank 16. The make-up water level H2 is set to a water level when 450 liters of wastewater are stored in the treatment tank 16. The make-up water level H2 is a water level used to determine whether or not the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 needs to be replenished due to evaporation and reduction. The lower limit water level H3 is a water level used to determine whether or not the treatment tank 16 is empty after the concentrated water in the treatment tank 16 has been discharged.

[0047] The liquid level sensor 34 sends a detection signal corresponding to the position of the wastewater level to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 judges whether the liquid level has reached the upper limit water level H1 or the make-up water level H2, or whether the treatment tank 16 is empty, depending on whether the level of the detection signal is a level value corresponding to the upper limit water level H1, the make-up water level H2, or the lower limit water level H3. Note that the liquid level sensor 34 may be, for example, a float switch type or a capacitance type.

[0048] [Decomposition treatment device 12] The decomposition treatment device 12 is provided downstream of the connecting duct 14. The decomposition treatment device 12 includes a cylindrical housing 41, an oxidation catalyst 43, and an exhaust duct 44.

[0049] The housing 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape extending in the vertical direction and having a circular cross section. One side (inlet side) of the housing 41 is connected to the outlet side of the connecting duct 14, and the gas guided from the connecting duct 14 flows into the inside. The other side (outlet side) of the housing 41 is connected to the exhaust duct 44. The gas (steam) sent from the connecting duct 14 is guided upward through the inside of the housing 41 and flows into the exhaust duct 44. That is, inside the housing 41, an airflow is generated that flows from the bottom to the top.

[0050] The oxidation catalyst 43 is provided inside the housing 41. The oxidation catalyst 43 is a metal catalyst whose main component is platinum, and is a so-called metal honeycomb catalyst having a honeycomb structure. When the gas containing steam sent from the connecting duct 14 passes through the inside of the honeycomb structure, a persistent substance contained in the gas undergoes an oxidation reaction with the oxidation catalyst 43, and the substance is decomposed.

[0051] [Liquid delivery device 60] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the liquid delivery device 60. The liquid delivery device 60 shown in Fig. 2 delivers wastewater collected in a factory or the like to the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11. As will be described later, the liquid delivery device 60 sucks up wastewater from a plurality of containers Ck (one example of the container of the present invention) that contain wastewater collected in a factory or the like, and delivers the wastewater through a pipe 51 toward the treatment tank 16.

[0052] Here, the container Ck is metal Made can The container is a so-called drum. The container Ck is, for example, a small or medium-sized metal drum having a capacity of 15 liters to less than 200 liters, or a large drum having a capacity of more than 200 liters. The container Ck is used to store waste liquid in factories, and is used for transporting wastewater when it is brought to a waste treatment plant. In this embodiment, the container Ck is described as a 200-liter metal drum. Of course, the material, capacity, size, and shape of the container Ck are not particularly limited, and any configuration of container having a capacity smaller than that of the treatment tank 16 can be applied.

[0053] 2, the liquid delivery device 60 has a plurality of supply pipes 61 and 62 (both of which are examples of liquid delivery pipes according to the present invention) constituting a flow path from each container Ck to the supply port 16A of the treatment tank 16, and a plurality of first pumps 63 (an example of waste liquid delivery means or first pumps according to the present invention) that deliver the wastewater in each container Ck to the treatment tank 16 through the supply pipes 61 and 62. The liquid delivery device 60 is controlled by a control unit 100 of a control panel 30, and the control panel 30 is also a controller constituting the liquid delivery device 60. As described above, the control panel 30 has been described as being provided in the wastewater treatment device 10, but the liquid delivery device 60 may be provided with a control unit different from the control unit 100 provided in the control panel 30.

[0054] The liquid delivery device 60 further includes an intermediate tank 64 (an example of a collective connection portion or primary storage tank of the present invention) that connects the multiple supply pipes 61 and the supply pipe 62, and a second pump 65 (an example of a second pump of the present invention) provided in the supply pipe 62.

[0055] One end of each of the multiple supply pipes 61 is connected to a corresponding container Ck, and the other end of the multiple supply pipes 61 is connected to a relay tank 64. The multiple supply pipes 61 extending from the multiple containers Ck have outlets at their other ends collectively connected to the relay tank 64. A supply pipe 62 for discharging wastewater extends from the relay tank 64, and the other end is connected to the piping 51. The relay tank 64 serves as a buffer tank for temporarily storing the wastewater supplied from the multiple containers Ck. Here, the multiple supply pipes 61 are an example of multiple primary liquid transfer pipes of the present invention, and the supply pipe 62 is an example of a secondary liquid transfer pipe of the present invention.

[0056] As described below, the first pump 63 is a pump driven by compressed air. Therefore, the amount of wastewater supplied per unit time by the first pump 63 is not stable compared to an electric pump. Therefore, if the relay tank 64 is provided, the second pump 65 can stably pump up the wastewater temporarily stored in the relay tank 64 and supply it to the treatment tank 16.

[0057] It should be noted that relay tank 64 does not need to have the function of a tank for temporarily storing wastewater, but only needs to have the function of consolidating a plurality of supply pipes 61 into one and discharging the same into one supply pipe 62.

[0058] The first pump 63 is provided in the flow path of each of the multiple supply pipes 61. For example, the first pump 63 is connected to the upstream end of the supply pipe 61. A suction pipe 69 extending from the inside of the container Ck toward the bottom surface is attached to the water intake port of the first pump 63. When driven, each of the multiple first pumps 63 sucks up wastewater contained in the corresponding container Ck through the pipe 69 and sends the wastewater through the supply pipe 61 toward the treatment tank 16.

[0059] Each of the supply pipes 61 is provided with an electrically driven motor-operated valve 61A that is opened and closed downstream of the first pump 63. When wastewater is supplied from the first pump 63, the motor-operated valve 61A is opened under the control of the control unit 100, and when the supply of wastewater by the first pump 63 is stopped, the motor-operated valve 61A is closed.

[0060] The first pump 63 is, for example, a compressed air-driven pump that is driven by being supplied with compressed air. Therefore, the liquid delivery device 60 is provided with an air pipe 66 for supplying compressed air from the air tank 37 to each of the first pumps 63, and a branch pipe 67 that branches off from the air pipe 66 and is connected to each of the first pumps. Each of the branch pipes 67 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 67A that opens or closes the air flow path in the branch pipe 67. The operation of the electromagnetic valve 67A is controlled by the control unit 100. That is, the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 67A is controlled by the control unit 100. When the electromagnetic valve 67A is in the open position, compressed air is supplied to the first pump through the air pipe 66 and the branch pipe 67. This allows the first pump 63 to be driven and to suck up and supply wastewater in the container Ck. When the wastewater in the container Ck becomes empty, the electromagnetic valve 67A is returned to its original closed position and the branch pipe 67 is shut off.

[0061] Although an electric pump can be used as the first pump 63, in this embodiment, a compressed air driven pump is preferable. The wastewater contained in the container Ck may contain flammable and dangerous substances. For this reason, from the viewpoint of safety, it is preferable that the first pump 63 is a pump that does not use high-pressure electricity, such as a compressed air driven pump, rather than one that requires high-pressure electricity, such as an electric pump.

[0062] The liquid delivery device 60 further includes a sensor 71 (one example of the sensor of the present invention) provided in the supply pipe 62 , and a filter 73 .

[0063] The sensor 71 is provided in the supply pipe 62 downstream of the relay tank 64. The filter 73 is provided in the supply pipe 62 downstream of the sensor 71 and upstream of the second pump 65.

[0064] The sensor 71 detects the supply state of the wastewater inside the supply pipe 62, and is, for example, a pressure sensor. When the wastewater is flowing through the supply pipe 62 toward the treatment tank 16 by the liquid delivery device 60, the sensor 71 detects a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value according to the flow rate of the wastewater, the water pressure of the wastewater, and the like. On the other hand, when the container Ck is empty and a supply operation is being performed from the container Ck, the sensor 71 detects a pressure lower than the threshold value when no wastewater is flowing through the supply pipe 62. The detection signal by the sensor 71 is sent to the control unit 100 and is used in a predetermined determination process by the control unit 100. The determination process is, for example, a process of determining whether or not there is wastewater in the container Ck, or a process of determining whether or not the wastewater in the container Ck has been emptied by the supply of wastewater.

[0065] In addition, the sensor 71 is not limited to a pressure sensor as long as the above-mentioned determination process is possible. For example, the sensor 71 may be a sensor that detects the flow rate of the wastewater in the supply pipe 62, or a sensor that detects the presence or absence of wastewater. Alternatively, the sensor 71 may be a water level sensor that directly detects the water level of the wastewater in the container Ck.

[0066] The second pump 65 sends the wastewater sent out by the first pump 63 further downstream through the supply pipe 62. Specifically, the second pump 65 sends out the wastewater in the relay tank 64 through the supply pipe 62 and the piping 51 toward the treatment tank 16. The second pump 65 is, for example, an electric pump, and is driven and controlled by receiving a drive signal (electrical signal) from the control unit 100.

[0067] [Control Panel 30] The control panel 30 controls the wastewater supply operation by the first pump 63 and second pump 65 in the liquid delivery device 60, controls the heating of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 by the first heater 22, controls the heating of gas (steam or air) by the second heater 23, and controls the operation of discharging the concentrated water after concentration processing by the discharge pump 29, etc.

[0068] 3, the control panel 30 includes therein a control unit 100 such as a sequencer, a storage unit 105 such as a HDD or a flash memory, etc. The housing of the control panel 30 also includes an LCD monitor 106, an operation unit 107, etc.

[0069] The control unit 100 is connected to a memory unit 105, an LCD monitor 106, an operation unit 107, a first heating control unit 22B, a second heating control unit 23B, various electric valves 28A, 51A, 54A, a solenoid valve 67A for operating the first pump 63, various sensors 34, 71, electric pumps such as the discharge pump 29 and the second pump 65, etc., and are configured to be able to mutually communicate signals and data. The LCD monitor 106 displays the level of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 based on the output of the liquid level sensor 34.

[0070] The control unit 100 is a computer having a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an EEPROM 104 (registered trademark), etc., and performs overall control of the wastewater treatment device 10. A control program is stored in the ROM 102, and the CPU 101 reads out and executes the control program to perform a concentration process in the wastewater concentrating device 11 and a wastewater supply process or a wastewater replenishment process in the liquid delivery device 60.

[0071] The storage unit 105 stores setting data to be referred to when a wastewater supply process or a wastewater refill process is performed. In the setting data, any one container selected from a plurality of containers Ck is set as a wastewater transfer target. Here, the transfer target refers to the container Ck that is a supply source that supplies wastewater. For example, when the container C1 is the transfer target, the setting data includes an identification code of the solenoid valve 67A for driving the first pump 63 corresponding to the container C1. In addition, the setting data also includes ranking information indicating the ranking (order) of each container Ck (containers C1 to Cn). Hereinafter, the first container C1 is referred to as the first container C1, the second container C2 is referred to as the second container C2, and the nth container is referred to as the nth container Cn. In this embodiment, the setting data is described as being stored in the storage unit 105, but for example, the information included in the setting data may be stored in a cache memory or a register of the CPU 101.

[0072] Meanwhile, the wastewater treatment device 10 and the wastewater concentrating device 11 are not provided with a conventional large wastewater storage tank for temporarily storing wastewater to be supplied to the treatment tank 16. In this embodiment, the wastewater is directly pumped up from a plurality of containers Ck brought from a factory or the like, and the liquid delivery device 60 supplies the pumped up wastewater to the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11. Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the driving of the first pump 63, the second pump 65, etc. so that the wastewater is sequentially delivered from the plurality of containers Ck.

[0073] This eliminates the need to perform the burdensome and complicated task of transferring wastewater from multiple containers Ck to another storage tank, and also improves the efficiency of the work performed by workers.

[0074] [Wastewater supply treatment] An example of the procedure of the wastewater supply process executed by the control unit 100 in the liquid delivery device 60 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. Here, Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the wastewater supply process in which the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11 is empty and wastewater is sequentially supplied from multiple containers Ck by the liquid delivery device 60 in preparation for the concentration process. S11, S12, ... in the figure represent the numbers of the processing procedures (steps). The processing in each step is performed by the control unit 100, more specifically, by the CPU 101 executing the control program in the ROM 102.

[0075] In the following, for the sake of convenience, it is assumed that in the wastewater concentrating apparatus 11, the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are empty, the motor valves 51A, 54A, and 61A are closed, and the solenoid valve 67A is in the closed position. It is also assumed that in the liquid delivery device 60, the first pump 63 and the second pump 65 are stopped, and each container Ck is sufficiently filled with wastewater.

[0076] In step S11, the control unit 100 judges whether or not a wastewater supply instruction has been input. For example, when a plurality of containers Ck are set in the liquid delivery device 60 so that the liquid delivery device 60 is ready to supply wastewater, and then an operator inputs a wastewater supply instruction from the operation unit 107 of the control panel 30, the control unit 100 judges that a wastewater supply instruction has been input based on the support signal.

[0077] In the next step S12, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the water level indicated by the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34 is below the lower limit water level H3. If it is determined that the water level is below the lower limit water level H3, the treatment tank 16 is considered to be empty, and it is determined that wastewater can be supplied to the treatment tank 16.

[0078] In the next step S13, the control unit 100 sets the container Ck to be the first container C1 to be pumped up and supplied with wastewater, and stores the setting information in the setting data of the storage unit 105. After that, the control unit 100 operates the motor-operated valve 51A to be in an open state, and further drives the second pump 65 (S14).

[0079] After driving the second pump 65, the control unit 100 starts the supply of wastewater from the first container C1 set in step S13, then drives the first pump 63 until the first container C1 is empty, and stops the first pump 63 when the first container C1 is empty (S15 to S20).

[0080] First, the control unit 100 opens the supply path of the supply pipe 61 corresponding to the first container C1 by opening the motor-operated valve 61A corresponding to the first container C1 (S15). After that, the control unit 100 drives the first pump 63 corresponding to the first container C1 (S16). Specifically, the control unit 100 switches the solenoid valve 67A from the closed position to the open position to drive the first pump 63, and supplies compressed air to the first pump 63.

[0081] Next, in step S17, the control unit 100 judges whether or not wastewater is actually contained in the first container C1. This judgment is made based on the detection signal output from the sensor 71. For example, since there is no wastewater in the supply pipe 62 immediately after the start of the wastewater supply process, the detection signal is lower than the threshold value. When the wastewater supply operation is started and the supply pipe 62 is filled with wastewater, the detection signal becomes higher than the threshold value. When the detection signal changes at this time, that is, when the detection signal changes from a LOW level lower than the threshold value to a HIGH level higher than the threshold value, the control unit 100 judges that wastewater is contained in the first container C1. On the other hand, when the detection signal remains at the LOW level even after the wastewater supply operation is started, the control unit 100 judges that no wastewater is contained in the first container C1, that is, the first container C1 is empty.

[0082] If it is determined in step S17 that wastewater is present in the first container C1, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if it is determined that no wastewater is contained in the first container C1 from the beginning, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0083] In step S18, the control unit 100 determines whether the first container C1 has become empty due to the continued operation of supplying wastewater. This determination is made based on the detection signal output from the sensor 71. For example, when the detection signal from the sensor 71 changes from the HIGH level to the LOW level, the control unit 100 determines that all the wastewater in the first container 1 has been transferred, and determines that the first container C1 is empty. On the other hand, when the detection signal remains at the HIGH level, the control unit 100 determines that wastewater still remains in the first container C1, and continues the supply of wastewater by the first pump 63.

[0084] When it is determined in step S18 that the first container C1 is empty, the control unit 100 stops the first pump 63 corresponding to the first container C1 (S19). Specifically, the control unit 100 switches the solenoid valve 67A from the open position to the closed position in order to stop the first pump 63, thereby stopping the compressed air supplied to the first pump 63. Thereafter, the control unit 100 closes the motor-operated valve 61A corresponding to the first container C1, thereby blocking the supply path of the supply pipe 61 corresponding to the first container C1 (S20). When the first container C1 is empty and the driving of the first pump 63 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0085] In step S21, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the water level indicated by the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34 is equal to or higher than the upper limit water level H1, based on the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34. If it is determined that the water level is equal to or higher than the upper limit water level H1, it is determined that the treatment tank 16 is filled with wastewater. In other words, it is determined that the treatment tank 16 is full of wastewater.

[0086] If it is determined in step S21 that the treatment tank 16 is full of wastewater, the process proceeds to step S24, where the setting data in the memory unit 105 is referenced to add flag information to the identification code of the container Ck to which the liquid is currently being transferred. Then, the control unit 100 stops the second pump 65 (S25), and the series of wastewater supply processes ends. This completes preparation for the concentration process for concentrating the wastewater in the treatment tank 16.

[0087] On the other hand, if it is determined that the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 is not full, that is, that the water level of the wastewater is less than the upper limit water level H1, the process proceeds to step S22, and the control unit 100 determines whether there is a container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred. This determination is made, for example, based on the ranking information included in the setting data. For example, when the supply of wastewater to the first container C1 is completed, the control unit 100 can grasp the presence or absence of the second container C2, which is the next container, by referring to the ranking information, and can thereby determine the presence or absence of the next container to which liquid has not yet been transferred. If it is determined in step S22 that there is no container to which liquid has not yet been transferred, the control unit 100 stops the second pump 65 (S25), since the transfer of wastewater to all containers Ck has been completed, and a series of wastewater supply processes are completed. In this case, the control unit 100 displays and outputs on the LCD monitor 106 a message or indicator indicating that the wastewater supply process to all containers Ck has been completed, and displays and outputs on the LCD monitor 106 a message or indicator indicating that the treatment tank 16 is not yet full.

[0088] In step S22, when it is determined that there is a container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred, the control unit 100 refers to the ranking information in the setting data, sets the next container Ck+1 as the container to be transferred, and stores the setting information in the setting data of the storage unit 105 (S23). After that, the process returns to step S15, and the control unit 100 repeatedly executes the processes from step S15 onwards for the container Ck+1 set in step S23.

[0089] [Wastewater replenishment treatment] Hereinafter, an example of the procedure of the wastewater replenishment process executed by the control unit 100 in the liquid delivery device 60 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. Here, Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the wastewater replenishment process executed when the water level in the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11 falls below the replenishment water level H2 during the process of concentration treatment of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16. In Fig. 5, the same processes as those shown in Fig. 4 are indicated by the same step numbers, and their explanations will be omitted.

[0090] In the following, for the sake of convenience, it is assumed that in the wastewater concentrating apparatus 11, the wastewater levels in the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are at the make-up water level H2, the motor-operated valves 51A, 54A, and 61A are closed, and the solenoid valve 67A is in the closed position. It is also assumed that in the liquid delivery device 60, the first pump 63 and the second pump 65 are stopped, and among the containers Ck, the first container C1 is empty, and the second and subsequent containers C2 to Cn are filled with wastewater.

[0091] In step S31, the control unit 100 determines, based on the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor , whether or not the level of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 has fallen below the make-up water level H2.

[0092] Then, in step S32, the control unit 100 determines whether there is a container Ck to which liquid has not been delivered. This determination is made by referring to the setting data in the memory unit 105 and judging whether there is an identification code to which the flag information has been added in step S24. If the flag information has been added, the container Ck corresponding to the identification code to which the flag information has been added is a container to which liquid has not been delivered. Then, the container Ck with that identification code is set as a target to which liquid is to be delivered when replenishing waste liquid (S33). Then, the processing from step S14 onwards is executed.

[0093] If it is determined in step S32 that there is no container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred, there is no wastewater to be replenished, and therefore the wastewater replenishment process is not performed and the series of wastewater replenishment processes ends.

[0094] In this way, since the wastewater supply process (see FIG. 4) and the wastewater replenishment process (see FIG. 5) are performed in the liquid delivery device 60, the worker can complete preparations for supplying wastewater to the treatment tank 16 simply by setting the multiple containers Ck brought in to the liquid delivery device 60. This reduces the workload and improves work efficiency. In addition, since the wastewater is supplied in a predetermined order, the empty containers can be removed starting from those that have become emptied after the wastewater has been discharged, without waiting for the completion of the supply of wastewater to all of the containers Ck.

[0095] In the above-described embodiment, the liquid delivery device 60 applied to the wastewater treatment device 10 or the wastewater concentrating device 11 is exemplified as the liquid delivery device of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be understood as the wastewater treatment device 10 including the liquid delivery device 60, or the wastewater concentrating device including the liquid delivery device 60. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 10: wastewater treatment device, 11: wastewater concentration device, 12: decomposition treatment device, 14: connecting duct; 16: treatment tank; 16A: supply port; 18: Water level tank, 22: First heater, 23: Second heater, 34: Liquid level sensor; 36: External tank; 37: Air tank; 51: piping; 60: liquid delivery device; 63: first pump; 64: relay tank; 65: second pump; 66: air piping; 67: Branch pipe, 67A: Solenoid valve, 71: Sensor, 73: filter, 100: control section

Claims

1. A liquid delivery device that is applied to a waste liquid treatment device that concentrates waste liquid contained in a treatment tank and delivers the waste liquid contained in each of a plurality of containers to the treatment tank, a liquid delivery pipe that constitutes a flow path from each of the plurality of containers to a supply port of the treatment tank; a waste liquid sending means that is provided in the flow path and that, when driven, sends the waste liquid contained in the plurality of containers toward the treatment tank through the liquid sending pipe; a control unit that controls driving of the waste liquid delivery means so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the multiple containers.

2. the waste liquid delivery means includes a plurality of first pumps that deliver the waste liquid contained in each of the plurality of containers toward the liquid delivery pipe; The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls driving of each of the first pumps so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the multiple containers.

3. the liquid supply pipes include a plurality of primary liquid supply pipes extending from the plurality of containers, a collective connection section that connects outlets of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes together, and a secondary liquid supply pipe that extends from the collective connection section to the supply port of the treatment tank; The liquid delivery device according to claim 2 , wherein the first pump is provided in each of the plurality of primary liquid delivery pipes.

4. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3 , further comprising a second pump provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for delivering the waste liquid toward the treatment tank.

5. Further comprising a second pump provided in the secondary liquid transfer pipe for sending the waste liquid toward the treatment tank; The liquid delivery device according to claim 3 , wherein the first pump and the second pump are compressed air-driven pumps that are driven by being supplied with compressed air.

6. The liquid delivery device of claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the first pump and the second pump by controlling the opening and closing of an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the first pump and an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the second pump.

7. a sensor provided in the secondary liquid feed pipe for detecting a liquid feed state of the waste liquid in the secondary liquid feed pipe; The liquid delivery device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit sequentially switches the driving of the first pumps based on a detection result of the sensor.

8. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit switches the operation of the next first pump when an output value of the sensor falls below a predetermined threshold value while any one of the plurality of first pumps is being driven.

9. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the sensor is provided on the secondary liquid delivery pipe upstream of the second pump in a liquid delivery direction.

10. 10. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3, wherein the collecting connection section also serves as a primary storage tank for temporarily storing the waste liquid delivered from the primary liquid delivery pipe.

Images