Safety device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional safety devices fail to effectively prevent backpressure, back suction, backflow, and germ regrowth between drinking water and non-drinking water pipes, leading to contamination and non-compliance with strict regulatory standards, especially in industrial and commercial settings where microbial and chemical contamination risks are higher.
Innovation Solution
A safety device comprising a system separator, gate valves, butterfly valves, shut-off valves, and a safety flushing device with a flushing line and valves arranged in series to ensure hygienic separation and periodic disinfection, preventing the ingress of non-drinking water into drinking water pipes and removing germ deposits and stubborn contaminants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional safety devices (check valves, system separators) are used to separate drinking water and non-drinking water pipes, then basic separation is achieved, but they fail to prevent backpressure, back suction, backflow, and germ regrowth, leading to contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device is divided into multiple functional segments: a first safety mechanism (backflow preventer) and a second safety mechanism (vacuum breaker), each addressing specific harmful factors. This segmentation allows targeted protection against different contamination pathways without requiring a single complex device.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary protective actions by pre-preventing backflow and vacuum conditions before contamination can occur. The backflow preventer and vacuum breaker are positioned to intercept harmful flows and pressure conditions before they can reach the drinking water pipe, eliminating the need for post-contamination remediation.
2Reliability
If standardized isolation stations (Type AA safety devices) are used to meet regulatory requirements, then drinking water protection is improved, but costs increase significantly due to emergency diesel engines and ongoing follow-up costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary emergency diesel engine component from the standardized Type AA safety device while retaining the essential backflow prevention functionality. By taking out the expensive emergency power system and keeping only the critical safety mechanisms (backflow preventer and vacuum breaker), the device achieves regulatory compliance at a fraction of the cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses simple, inexpensive passive mechanical components (backflow preventer and vacuum breaker) instead of expensive active systems requiring maintenance. These passive components have no moving parts that wear out, eliminating ongoing follow-up costs while providing reliable protection.
3Ease of operation
If drinking water is used for non-drinking purposes (emergency cooling) to simplify operations and eliminate additional energy requirements, then operational simplicity is improved, but the risk of microbial and chemical contamination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety device acts as an intermediary barrier between the drinking water pipe and non-drinking water applications. The backflow preventer and vacuum breaker create a protective interface that allows drinking water to be used for cooling purposes while preventing any reverse flow or vacuum conditions that could introduce contaminants into the drinking water system.
4Reliability
If multiple valves (gate valves, butterfly valves) are arranged in series to enhance safety separation, then contamination prevention is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple safety functions into a compact integrated assembly. The backflow preventer and vacuum breaker are positioned in close proximity and work together as a coordinated system, reducing the need for separate complex valve arrangements while maintaining enhanced safety separation. The compact design simplifies installation compared to distributed multiple valve systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cost-effective safety device for easy installation between a drinking water pipe and a non-drinking water pipe, for reliable hygienic separation between drinking water and non-drinking water in a supply line connecting the drinking water pipe and the non-drinking water pipe, and for preventing the ingress of water, such as drinking water, contaminated drinking water and/or non-drinking water, from the non-drinking water pipe into the drinking water pipe and for the sustainable hygienization of at least a part of the same, and a method for controlling the drinking water supply, for hygienizing the supply line connecting the drinking water pipe and the non-drinking water pipe, and for hygienizing a part of the same, and for preventing backflow of non-drinking water into the same.