Pollution Control Valve Isolates Drainage System
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-risk industrial sites face challenges in obtaining discharge permits due to the inability to prevent pollutants from entering the mains drainage system, leading to costly wastewater treatment as industrial waste, even when most stringent measures are taken.
Innovation Solution
A pollution control valve apparatus with a flap valve design, including a housing, pivotable panel, actuator, control means, and pressurized fluid reservoir, allowing for repeated cycles of opening and closing to isolate the interceptor tank from the mains drainage system during operation, thereby preventing pollutant discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If an interceptor tank is installed to prevent pollutants from entering the mains drainage system, then pollution prevention capability is improved, but the system cannot satisfy the most stringent measures required for high-risk sites handling chemicals
Solution Approach 1:
The drainage system is segmented into multiple isolated sections using pollution control valves at strategic locations. This segmentation allows the system to isolate contaminated areas from the mains drainage system, preventing pollutant discharge while maintaining operational flexibility for high-risk sites handling chemicals.
Solution Approach 2:
Pollution control valves act as intermediary devices between the site drainage system and the mains drainage system. These valves provide a controlled interface that can completely isolate the site system from the mains, offering higher reliability than passive interceptor tanks for preventing pollutant discharge at high-risk sites.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a bladder valve is used to prevent polluting fluids from entering the drainage pipe, then emergency pollution prevention is improved, but the valve can only undertake relatively few repeated cycles before the bladder needs to be replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a disposable inflatable bladder within the pollution control valve that can be replaced after a limited number of cycles. This approach prioritizes low cost and ease of replacement over long service life, making the system economically viable for emergency pollution prevention applications where the valve may not be used frequently but must be highly reliable when activated.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If an emergency valve is installed to prevent chemical spillages from entering the mains drainage system, then emergency pollution control is improved, but the valve alone is not sufficient to satisfy the most stringent measures required for high-risk sites
Solution Approach 1:
The invention combines multiple pollution control mechanisms into an integrated system: passive interceptor tanks for oil and grease separation, active pollution control valves for complete isolation capability, and controlled drainage systems. This merging of multiple approaches creates a comprehensive solution that satisfies the most stringent measures for discharge permit eligibility at high-risk sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The pollution control valve system provides multiple functions: it can completely isolate the site drainage system from the mains, control the timing of discharge operations, and work in conjunction with interceptor tanks. This multi-functionality makes the system adaptable to various high-risk site requirements and sufficient for obtaining discharge permits.
4Device complexity
If waste water is discharged into the mains drainage system without a discharge permit, then drainage system simplicity is maintained, but the cost of disposing of waste water becomes very expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary pollution control actions by isolating waste water in the site drainage system using pollution control valves before discharge to the mains. This preliminary isolation and control capability enables the system to obtain discharge permits, reducing waste water disposal costs from industrial waste rates to much lower rainwater rates.
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
Enables high-risk sites to obtain discharge permits by ensuring no waste water is discharged into the mains drainage system during operation, reducing treatment costs and maintaining site safety, with the valve capable of thousands of cycles without failure.
Implementation Method 1
a pump to provide pressurised fluid to the actuator
Implementation Method 2
a reservoir between the pump and the actuator
Implementation Method 3
the interceptor tank therefore acts as a settlement tank allowing solids to fall to the bottom of the interceptor tank. In addition, the outlet for the interceptor tank is located close to the bottom of the tank (but not so close as to become blocked by solids) and any oil and grease in the waste water will float to the top of the interceptor tank
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a pollution control valve (30, 32), and in particular to a pollution control valve suitable for isolating an interceptor tank (20) from the mains drainage system. The invention also relates to a drainage system (10) incorporating the pollution control valve, and to a method of constructing a drainage system. The pollution control valve (30, 32) has a housing with an inlet (58) and an outlet (60), and a panel (52) pivotably mounted within the housing. The panel is pivotable between a first position in which it closes a conduit between the inlet and the outlet and a second position in which it does not close the conduit. The valve has an actuator (62) which can move the panel to its closed position, and a control means (42) to control the actuator.