Gray Water Interface Valve for Aircraft Vacuum Disposal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for disposing of gray water on passenger transport vehicles face challenges such as energy inefficiency, maintenance issues, safety hazards, environmental concerns, and noise pollution, particularly when discharging gray water separately from black water, and are unable to handle mixed liquid and solid waste effectively.
Innovation Solution
A galley waste disposal system that interfaces with a vacuum waste system, featuring a basin, reservoir, vent line, pressure switch, controller, solenoid valve, and drain valve, which collects and stores gray water in a septic tank, using a solenoid valve to control vacuum flow and a check valve to prevent backflow, allowing for quiet and safe disposal and storage of gray water with black water.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gray water is discharged outside the aircraft through drain masts, then the disposal problem is solved, but energy consumption increases due to heating requirements and maintenance issues arise from clogs and safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines gray water disposal with the existing vacuum waste system used for black water, merging two previously separate disposal paths into a unified system. This eliminates the need for separate drain masts and heating systems, directly resolving the energy consumption and maintenance issues associated with external discharge
2Productivity
If gray water is discharged outside the aircraft, then disposal is achieved, but maintenance costs increase due to cleaning requirements and reputation damage
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating gray water into the black water disposal system, the patent eliminates external discharge infrastructure such as drain masts that require cleaning and maintenance. The unified system uses the existing vacuum infrastructure, reducing maintenance burdens and avoiding exterior surface contamination
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate tanks are provided for gray water, then disposal options are increased, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for separate gray water storage and disposal infrastructure by integrating it into the existing black water vacuum system. This single unified system maintains disposal versatility while significantly reducing system complexity compared to maintaining separate tanks and discharge mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum waste system is designed to handle multiple types of waste (both black water and gray water) through a single infrastructure. This multi-functional approach provides disposal options for different waste streams without requiring separate specialized systems, reducing overall complexity
4Productivity
If vacuum pressure is used to dispose of gray water, then disposal speed increases, but noise levels increase creating passenger disturbance
Solution Approach 1:
The system accumulates gray water in the reservoir before initiating vacuum disposal. This preliminary storage allows the vacuum to be activated only when necessary and controls the disposal timing, enabling faster disposal when needed while managing noise impact through controlled operation cycles rather than continuous high-speed discharge
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoir acts as an intermediary between collection and disposal, buffering the direct connection between the sink and vacuum system. This intermediate storage allows controlled vacuum activation and can reduce noise by managing the pressure differential application, balancing disposal speed with noise reduction
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 provides a quiet, safe, and environmentally friendly method for disposing of gray water, preventing back-ups and noise, while allowing for combined storage with black water, reducing maintenance and environmental impact, and eliminating the need for external discharge.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum source in fluid communication with the collection tank, the vacuum source adapted to create a vacuum in the collection tank
Implementation Method 2
The suction is generated either by the pressure differential between the pressurized cabin and the reduced pressure outside of an aircraft
Implementation Method 3
a solenoid valve activated by the controller in order to control the flow of vacuum through the system
Implementation Method 4
a drain valve adapted to open via vacuum pressure and evacuate gray water from the reservoir
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for a gray- water interface valve for use with a vacuum source and a collection tank. The systems and methods comprise a basin (12) for collecting gray water, the basin having an outlet; a reservoir (20) in fluid communication with the outlet, the reservoir adapted to house gray water; a vent line (3) associated with the reservoir; a pressure switch (40) associated with the reservoir, the pressure switch adapted to signal when the reservoir is full; a controller (50) associated with the pressure switch, the controller adapted to begin a discharge cycle by checking and switching on the vacuum source if necessary; a solenoid valve activated by the controller in order to control the flow of vacuum through the system; and a drain valve (70) adapted to open via vacuum pressure and evacuate gray water from the reservoir, wherein the drain valve is adapted to close before all of the gray water from the reservoir is emptied to reduce noise.