Pneumatic Toilet Waste Propulsion for Low-Water Vertical Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing human waste disposal systems in unsewered applications, such as recreational vehicles and remote toilet facilities, face challenges with high water consumption, inflexibility in waste tank placement, susceptibility to damage, odor production, and clogging, particularly in low-flush and no-flush toilets.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic propulsion system that uses compressed air to move human waste from a toilet into a black-water tank, utilizing a fluid receiving chamber with a U-shaped profile and a pneumatic line to propel waste vertically, combined with a controller to manage valve operations and air flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If compressed air is used to propel waste vertically, then flexible waste tank placement is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pneumatic propulsion system using compressed air to move waste horizontally through a fluid receiving chamber and vertically through a U-shaped profile. This pneumatic approach replaces gravity-dependent systems, enabling flexible waste tank placement without being constrained by elevation differences between toilet and tank, thus resolving the contradiction between placement flexibility and system complexity.
2Quantity of substance
If low-flush water volume is used, then water consumption is reduced, but waste transport capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines minimal water flushing with pneumatic propulsion. Compressed air provides the primary force for waste transport through the fluid receiving chamber and up the vertical portion of the U-shaped profile, while water serves only to facilitate initial waste movement into the chamber. This resolves the contradiction by decoupling water volume from transport capability, with air pressure becoming the dominant transport mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and pressure parameters of air to create a high-energy propulsion force. By introducing compressed air at controlled pressure into the fluid receiving chamber, the system generates sufficient force to move waste with minimal water, transforming the transport mechanism from water-dependent to pressure-dependent.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If pneumatic propulsion is used, then odor emission is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic system creates a controlled, rapid waste ejection process that minimizes the time waste remains in the toilet bowl and immediate drainage area, thereby reducing odor generation. The compressed air propels waste quickly through the U-shaped profile and into the storage tank, limiting odor exposure time despite the energy input required for air compression.
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 achieves low-water flushing with reduced odor emission, flexible waste tank placement, and resistance to clogging, suitable for mobile and stationary unsewered applications, including recreational vehicles and remote facilities.
Implementation Method 1
A pneumatic propulsion system that uses compressed air to move human waste from a toilet into a black-water tank
Implementation Method 2
utilizing a fluid receiving chamber with a U-shaped profile and a pneumatic line to propel waste vertically
Data Source
AI summary
A hydraulic propulsion system for disposing of human waste. The system includes a toilet having a bowl, and a base below the bowl. The base is secured to the chassis of a vehicle, or to a remote sanitation facility. The system also comprises a hydraulic flushing mechanism associated with the toilet, and a fluid receiving chamber that receives water and human waste when the flushing mechanism is actuated. The human waste is directed through a sewage ejection pipe and into a black-water tank or a municipal sewer system. The human waste propulsion system further comprises a pneumatic line. The pneumatic line is in fluid communication with the fluid receiving chamber proximate the bowl. The pneumatic line receives compressed air which is delivered when the hydraulic flushing mechanism is actuated. Additionally, the human waste propulsion system has a controller. The controller is configured to close a flush valve and then direct the compressed air into the pneumatic line when the flushing mechanism is actuated, thereby moving human waste through the fluid receiving chamber.