Evaporative Gray Water Removal Aircraft Lavatory Floor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial aircraft face challenges in effectively removing gray water from the aircraft floor due to limited space for plumbing and the absence of floor drains in galley and lavatory areas, leading to accumulation of gray water.
Innovation Solution
An evaporative system that includes a void area within the floor structure to collect gray water, with a container positioned to capture the water and a conduit for ventilation to evaporate and transport the moisture, potentially using a heating device to enhance evaporation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mast drain is installed to discharge gray water outside the aircraft, then gray water can be effectively removed from the aircraft, but the plumbing complexity increases and positioning of monuments is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gray water collection function from the traditional mast drain system and relocates it to a container positioned within the aircraft cabin floor structure. This eliminates the need for complex external discharge plumbing while maintaining effective gray water removal capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a vertical discharge system (mast drain extending outside the aircraft) to a horizontal containment system (container integrated into the floor structure). This dimensional change allows gray water to be collected and evaporated within the cabin space, avoiding external plumbing requirements.
2Device complexity
If both gray water and black water are collected in an on-board tank, then mast drain plumbing is avoided, but the plumbing for channeling water to the tank becomes difficult to tap into
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a localized gray water collection system at the point of generation (near water fixtures), rather than requiring centralized plumbing to an on-board tank. The container is positioned to receive gray water directly from the floor, eliminating the need to tap into complex centralized plumbing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The container acts as an intermediary device between the floor surface and the gray water management system. It collects gray water locally and provides a simple interface for connection to the ventilation system, avoiding the need to integrate with complex centralized water channeling plumbing.
3Device complexity
If floor drains are omitted from lavatories, then plumbing complexity is reduced, but gray water accumulates on the aircraft floor
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the mechanical floor drain system with an evaporative removal system. Instead of using gravity-driven drainage through floor drains, the system uses a container to collect gray water and a ventilation system to evaporate and remove it, eliminating the need for mechanical drainage infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the phase transition of water from liquid to vapor. The ventilation system creates air flow that promotes evaporation of collected gray water, transforming it from liquid form (which would accumulate on the floor) to vapor form (which is dispersed into the cabin air and removed by the ventilation system).
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system efficiently collects and evaporates gray water, reducing the risk of accumulation and enhancing cabin hygiene by utilizing existing ventilation systems for continuous air flow and evaporation.
Implementation Method 1
the conduit may be coupled to a ventilation system, the ventilation system being configured to generate an air flow in the conduit to evaporate the gray water collected in the container
Implementation Method 2
potentially using a heating device to enhance evaporation
Data Source
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AI summary
A system (200) for removing gray water from a lavatory (104) or galley area (102) has a container (208) positioned in or underneath a floor (204) of the lavatory or the galley. A conduit (216) is provided in flow communication with the container. The conduit is coupled to a ventilation device (218) configured to generate an air flow in the conduit to evaporate the gray water collected in the container. A method for removing gray water from a lavatory comprises: sloping a floor from a first edge down to a second edge; positioning a container within the floor and adjacent the second edge of the floor; and directing an air flow from a ventilation system towards the container to evaporate the gray water within the container.