Radial Slit Distributor Plate for Composite Pressure Vessel
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Solution Overview
Problem
In water treatment systems, the use of distributor baskets leads to issues during servicing, where water treatment media settlement causes difficulties in resecuring the valve assembly, resulting in water leakage and media disturbance, affecting treatment performance.
Innovation Solution
A distributor plate with radial slits in a thermoplastic polymeric disk is used, allowing for fluid flow that swirls around a central opening, supporting water treatment media and enhancing backwashing efficiency by ensuring optimal media contact and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a distributor basket with narrow slits is used to prevent media from flowing into the dip tube, then media prevention is improved, but during servicing media settlement occurs making it difficult to re-secure the valve assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The distributor basket is segmented into multiple vertical sections or levels, each with progressively wider openings from bottom to top. This segmentation allows media to be contained effectively at lower levels during operation while providing adequate clearance and access at upper levels during servicing, resolving the contradiction between media prevention and ease of valve assembly resecuring.
2Reliability
If high pressure water is pumped through the dip tube to flush media away from the distributor basket, then media disturbance is reduced, but water leakage onto the floor occurs creating a mess
Solution Approach 1:
A removable access plate or service cover is introduced as an intermediary component between the distributor basket and the external environment. This intermediary allows controlled access for flushing media away from the distributor basket during servicing while containing the water flow within the system, preventing water leakage onto the floor while maintaining reliable media distribution.
3Productivity
If the distributor basket is positioned to allow media flow, then media distribution is achieved, but water treatment performance is adversely affected
Solution Approach 1:
The distributor basket incorporates adjustable or movable components that allow the system to dynamically adapt between operational mode (optimized for media distribution) and servicing mode (optimized for maintenance access). This dynamic adjustment enables the system to achieve both effective media distribution during operation and proper media containment during servicing, maintaining water treatment performance while enabling productivity.
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 distributor plate improves water treatment media bed life and reduces backwashing flow rates, minimizing chemical and salt discharge, saving water and resources over the system's lifetime.
Implementation Method 1
The fluid flow passages through the disk are adapted to swirl fluid flowing through the disk from the bottom side to the top side such that it swirls around the central opening
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides: a distributor plate for a composite pressure vessel. The distributor plate includes a thermoplastic polymeric disk having a top side, a bottom side, a perimeter edge and a central opening. Radial slits are formed in the disk to define fluid flow passages through the disk between the central opening and the perimeter edge. The fluid flow passages through the disk are adapted to swirl fluid flowing through the disk from the bottom side to the top side around the central opening. The present invention also provides a water treatment vessel that includes one or more distributor plates, a method for manufacturing a composite pressure vessel that includes one or more of the distributor plates and a method for preparing a composite pressure vessel that includes one or more of the distributor plate for use as a water treatment apparatus.