Reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems, which comprises a fiberglass-reinforced polyester body (1) containing a separating plate (2) that separates the body into a lower compartment (11) housing filtering means and comprising an inlet (13) for liquid to be filtered, and an upper compartment (12) comprising an outlet (14) for the filtered liquid. The separating plate (2) comprises holes (21) through which filtered water travels into the upper compartment (12), said separating plate (2) being a part independent from the body (1) of the tank and arranged between an upper stop (4) and a lower stop (5) that limit the vertical movement of the separating plate (2).

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] A reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems.

[0003] Technical sector.

[0004] The present invention relates to a reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems, comprising a fiberglass-reinforced polyester body, which internally has a separator plate arranged between a lower compartment provided to house filter media and comprising an inlet for the liquid to be filtered, and an upper compartment comprising an outlet for the filtered liquid; said separator plate having passage holes for the filtered water to flow from the lower compartment to the upper compartment.

[0005] Prior art

[0006] Currently, different types of tanks are known in the state of the art, applicable in liquid filtration systems, among which we can differentiate: steel tanks that have inside a steel plate that can be moved by a pneumatic system and fiberglass reinforced polyester tanks (hereinafter FRP or reinforced polyester) with a regenerative filter medium of perlite, such as those described in patent applications WO201821 1161 A1 and WO2022101528A, of the same holder of the present invention.

[0007] This latter type of tank comprises a reinforced polyester body that has internally a separator plate with a lower compartment where there is an inlet for the liquid to be filtered and which is provided to house filter media, and an upper compartment that comprises an outlet for the filtered liquid, said separator plate comprising holes for the passage of filtered water to the upper compartment.

[0008] In the aforementioned background, the filter media included in the lower compartment of the tank comprise hoses provided with an outer surface that has a closed lower end, an open upper end connected to the corresponding hole of the separator plate, an outer surface that forms a support for a filter medium and an inner surface that defines a circulation channel for the filtered liquid towards the upper compartment.

[0009] These reinforced polyester tanks offer several advantages over steel tanks, most notably their ease of manufacture, as well as their lower cost and weight. However, one of the drawbacks of their production is precisely the integration of the separator plate into the tank body, given that both are made of reinforced polyester, and the separator plate has holes across its entire surface for attaching the hoses through which the filtered liquid enters the upper compartment.

[0010] One technique used to attach the separator plate to the tank body involves applying successive layers of fiberglass and polyester resin to the contour of the upper and lower surfaces of the separator plate, and to the adjacent areas of the inner surface of the tank, so that the separator plate is integrated into the tank body.

[0011] This fastening technique complicates and slows down tank manufacturing and presents other drawbacks, such as covering a wide peripheral portion of the separator plate with the tank-to-tank bonding material. This reduces the plate's usable surface area and the number of holes available for hose connections, consequently reducing the tank's filtration capacity. Another disadvantage of this fastening technique is the generation of stress in the area where the separator plate joins the tank wall.

[0012] Therefore, the technical problem that arises is the development of a reinforced polyester tank applicable to the filtration systems mentioned above, which simplifies and speeds up its manufacture, especially with regard to the incorporation of the separator plate; that does not reduce the filtration capacity of the tank and does not generate stresses in the areas where the separator plate is attached.

[0013] Explanation of the invention.

[0014] The reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems that is the subject of this invention is of the type mentioned above and comprises a body of fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP or reinforced polyester) that has inside a separator plate of a lower compartment that houses filter media and has an inlet for the liquid to be filtered, and an upper compartment that comprises an outlet for the filtered liquid; said separator plate comprising holes for the passage of filtered water to the upper compartment.

[0015] This reinforced polyester tank has technical characteristics aimed at solving the problems mentioned above.

[0016] According to the invention, the aforementioned separator plate is an independent piece from the tank body and is arranged between an upper stop and a lower stop that limit the vertical displacement of said separator plate inside the tank, said upper and lower stops being formed by pieces of fiberglass reinforced polyester, fixed by gluing to the inner perimeter of the tank body.

[0017] The aforementioned upper and lower stops have a continuous or discontinuous annular configuration and whose inner contour is smaller than the outer contour of the separator plate.

[0018] These features provide a floating mounting of the separator plate between the upper and lower stops, meaning that the separator plate is held between these stops, but is not fixed by gluing or any other means to the tank body or to these upper and lower stops.

[0019] This plate assembly significantly simplifies the manufacture of the tank and offers a major advantage over the resin and fiberglass fixing methods currently used, since the upper and lower stops fixed to the wall of the reinforced polyester tank can be of small thickness, allowing virtually the entire surface of the separator plate to have holes for the passage of filtered water, resulting in a greater liquid filtering capacity in the tank.

[0020] In this invention it is provided that the upper and lower stops can have different constitutions, specifically, being made up of a reinforced polyester ring or a plurality of reinforced polyester pieces, like tokens, forming parallel alignments on the inner perimeter of the tank body.

[0021] In this second case, it has been planned that all the reinforced polyester pieces that make up the upper or lower stop can be joined together by means of a reinforced polyester washer placed above or below said pieces and fixed to them by gluing, for example, using polyester resin, reinforcing the joint of said pieces.

[0022] In this invention it has also been provided that the tank can incorporate between the separator plate and at least one of the upper and lower stops, an elastic seal to dampen the possible displacements of the separator plate between said stops.

[0023] Advantageously, and according to the invention, the reinforced polyester body of the tank comprises at least a lower part and an upper dome provided with opposing mouths joined by gluing; the separator plate and the upper and lower stops are arranged inside the lower section or the upper dome.

[0024] This feature greatly simplifies the assembly of the separator plate inside the tank, as it allows the upper stop to be attached to the inner surface of the dome, then the separator plate to be inserted through the lower opening of the dome, and finally the lower stop to be attached to the inner wall of the dome, leaving the separator plate mounted floating between both the upper and lower stops.

[0025] If the separator plate is inside the lower part of the tank body, the assembly operations will be carried out in reverse order, first joining the lower stop to the lower part of the body, placing the separator plate on top, and finally joining the upper stop to the inner surface of said lower part of the tank.

[0026] Brief description of the content of the drawings.

[0027] To complement the description being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included with this descriptive report in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0028] Figure 1 shows a schematic elevation view of an example embodiment of the reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration according to the invention, sectioned by a vertical plane, in which the separator plate is mounted between an upper and a lower stop. Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of a portion of Figure 1 corresponding to one end of the separator plate; in this case, the tank comprises, between the separator plate and the upper stop, a reinforced polyester washer and an elastic gasket.

[0029] Figure 3 shows a plan view of the tank in Figure 1, sectioned by a horizontal plane, in which the top stop and the separator plate below it can be seen.

[0030] Detailed exposition of modes of implementation of the invention.

[0031] In Figure 1 the tank comprises a body (1) of fiberglass reinforced polyester, inside which is housed a separator plate (2) of a lower compartment (11) provided with an inlet (13) of liquid to be filtered and of an upper compartment (12) provided with an outlet (14) of the filtered liquid.

[0032] The separator plate (2) comprises a plurality of holes (21) and the aforementioned lower compartment (11) is provided to house inside support hoses (3) for a filter material (not shown) comprising a closed lower end and an open upper end, coupled in the corresponding hole (21) of the separator plate (2).

[0033] In the example shown, the body (1) of the tank consists of a lower part (15) and a dome (16) that have facing mouths joined together, for example, by fiberglass and polyester resin.

[0034] The separator plate (2) is an independent piece of the body (1) and is arranged between an upper stop (4) and a lower stop (5) formed by pieces of fiberglass-reinforced polyester, fixed by gluing to the inner perimeter of the body (1) of the tank and which limit the vertical displacement of the separator plate inside said body (1).

[0035] The upper (4) and lower (5) stops have a smaller inner contour than the outer contour of the spacer plate (2), ensuring that the spacer plate (2) remains between them. As mentioned previously, the upper (4) and lower (5) stops can have a continuous or discontinuous annular configuration.

[0036] In the examples shown, the upper (4) and lower (5) stops are made up of a plurality of pieces (41, 51) respectively, like tokens attached to the body (1) of the tank, for example by means of resin, forming parallel alignments on the inner perimeter of the body (1).

[0037] In these examples the upper (4) and lower (5) stops and the separator plate (2) are mounted inside the dome (16), and their assembly is carried out before joining the facing mouths of the dome (16) and the lower part (15) of the body (1) of the tank, which greatly simplifies its manufacture.

[0038] In the enlarged detail of figure 2, an embodiment is shown in which the tank comprises between the upper stop (4) and the separator plate (2) a reinforced polyester washer (6), glued to the pieces (41) reinforcing their joint, and a gasket (7) of elastic material.

[0039] As can be seen in figures 1 and 3, the upper and lower stops have a reduced thickness, which allows the separator plate (2) to have holes (21) practically all over its surface for mounting the hoses (3), increasing the liquid filtering capacity compared to other tanks of the same section.

[0040] Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is noted for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Reinforced polyester tank for liquid filtration systems, comprising a body (1) of fiberglass-reinforced polyester comprising internally a separator plate (2) for a lower compartment (11) to house filter media and comprising an inlet (13) for the liquid to be filtered, and an upper compartment (12) comprising an outlet (14) for the filtered liquid; said separator plate (2) comprising holes (21) for the passage of filtered water to the upper compartment (12); characterized in that the separator plate (2) is a part independent of the body (1) of the tank and is arranged between an upper stop (4) and a lower stop (5) limiting the vertical displacement of the separator plate (2) and formed by pieces (41, 51) of reinforced polyester fixed by gluing to the inner perimeter of the body (1) of the tank; said upper (4) and lower (5) stops having a continuous or discontinuous annular configuration, the inner contour of which is smaller than the outer contour of the separator plate (2).

2. Tank, according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper (4) and lower (5) stops is made of a reinforced polyester ring.

3. Tank, according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper (4) and lower (5) stops is made up of a plurality of reinforced polyester pieces (41, 51), like tokens, forming an alignment on the inner perimeter of the tank body (1).

4. Tank, according to claim 3, wherein the parts (41, 51) forming at least one of the upper (4) and lower (5) stops are joined together by means of a reinforced polyester washer (6) arranged above or below said parts and fixed to them by gluing. 5.- Tank, according to any previous claim, comprising between the separator plate (2) and at least one of the upper (4) and lower (5) stops of a gasket (7) made of elastic material.

6. Tank, according to any preceding claim, wherein the reinforced polyester body (1) comprises at least a lower part (15) and an upper dome (16), provided of two mouths facing each other and joined together.

7. Tank, according to claim 6, wherein the upper (4) and lower (5) stops and the separator plate (2) are arranged inside the lower part (15) or the upper dome (16).

Images