Waterless Urinal Sealant Dispenser for Odor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing waterless urinals require high maintenance for replenishing the trap sealant and cleaning non-wetted surfaces, leading to odor issues due to alternating wetting and drying of surfaces, which is not addressed by conventional water-flushed urinals.
Innovation Solution
A cleansing sealant dispenser mounted on the urinal delivers a cleansing solution that seals the trap and replenishes the sealant, using a controller with a sensor to activate the valve based on usage or time schedules, reducing maintenance needs and preventing foul odors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual replenishment of trap sealant is used, then the sealant level can be maintained, but the maintenance effort and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an automated dispenser with a sensor to detect when the sealant level is low and automatically replenishes it, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The dispenser is pre-filled with trap sealant and autonomously monitors and maintains the sealant level in the well.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional water-flushed urinals are used, then water can rinse the backsplash and side walls, but water consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of odor prevention from the water-flushing system and implements it separately using a chemical sealant. The trap sealant creates a barrier that prevents odor formation without requiring water to be applied to the backsplash and side walls, thus separating the odor control function from the water consumption function.
3Quantity of substance
If the backsplash and side walls are allowed to dry out, then water consumption is reduced, but foul odors result from alternating wetting and drying
Solution Approach 1:
The trap sealant acts as an intermediary substance that prevents the harmful interaction between urine and ambient air. By maintaining a liquid sealant layer in the well, the system creates a barrier that prevents odor formation even when the backsplash and side walls are allowed to dry, thus mediating between water conservation goals and odor prevention requirements.
4Reliability
If the trap sealant is manually replenished, then proper operation can be maintained, but the device complexity increases due to maintenance requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is pre-filled with trap sealant before installation, and the system automatically monitors and replenishes the sealant level without requiring maintenance personnel to manually add sealant. The preliminary preparation of the dispenser eliminates the need for ongoing manual sealant replenishment, reducing maintenance complexity while ensuring proper operation.
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 solution effectively cleans and maintains the urinal surfaces, reducing maintenance and odor issues by ensuring a consistent sealant level, thus enhancing the sanitary operation of waterless urinals without the need for retrofitting or changing trap cartridges.
Implementation Method 1
A trap sealant fluid having a specific gravity lesser than that of urine is provided in the well where it resides on top of a charge of water or a water/urine mixture
Implementation Method 2
the valve opens to allow flow down the backsplash and side walls and into the well of the urinal
Data Source
AI summary
A waterless urinal has a fixture including a backsplash and side walls joining a bowl at the bottom. Mounted on the top of the fixture is a fluid reservoir, a valve and a controller. The controller periodically opens the valve to release a quantity of a cleansing sealant from the reservoir onto the non-wetted surfaces of the fixture. The cleansing sealant cleans the non-wetted surfaces and then flows into the bowl where it collects to replenish the trap seal.