Vortex Breaker Mounted on Tank Outlet Pipe
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid tanks, especially in the food industry, face challenges with vortex formation during emptying, which leads to gas mixing with liquids, reducing throughput and requiring costly structural modifications and pressure tests, while existing solutions either require structural changes or are not hygienic for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A tank outlet with a vortex breaker attached exclusively to the pipe connection body, extending into the tank without touching it, allowing for easy installation and removal without altering the tank's structure, ensuring hygienic cleaning and preventing vortex formation by dividing the liquid flow into multiple streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a vortex breaker is attached to the tank outlet using structural modifications (welding), then vortex formation is prevented, but the tank requires costly pressure tests and structural changes
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex breaker is separated from the tank structure and mounted on the outlet pipe instead. This segmentation allows the vortex breaker to be installed independently without welding or structural modifications to the pressure tank, eliminating the need for costly pressure tests while maintaining vortex prevention functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet pipe serves as an intermediary component between the tank and the vortex breaker. By mounting the vortex breaker on the outlet pipe rather than directly on the tank, the solution avoids structural modifications to the tank while still achieving vortex prevention at the critical outlet location
2Reliability
If existing vortex breaker designs are used, then vortex formation is prevented, but complete hygienic cleaning is compromised due to dead spots and thread gaps
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of designing the vortex breaker to contact and seal against the tank outlet (which creates dead spots), the invention inverts the approach by mounting the vortex breaker on the external outlet pipe. This eliminates internal threads and contact points that would create contamination risks while maintaining vortex prevention effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The vortex breaker is extracted from the internal tank environment and mounted externally on the outlet pipe. This removal eliminates the creation of dead spots and thread gaps within the tank that would trap liquid residues and create contamination risks, while the vortex breaker continues to function effectively at the outlet
3Reliability
If the vortex breaker is mounted inside the tank, then vortex formation is prevented, but structural changes and pressure tests are required
Solution Approach 1:
The vortex breaker is pre-mounted on the outlet pipe assembly rather than being installed inside the tank after construction. This preliminary mounting on the accessible outlet pipe allows for quick installation and removal without requiring tank disassembly, structural modifications, or time-consuming pressure test procedures
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
Prevents vortex formation and ensures complete hygienic cleaning of the tank outlet, eliminating the need for structural changes and pressure tests, making it suitable for retrofitting liquid tanks in the food industry without compromising the tank's integrity or increasing contamination risks.
Implementation Method 1
When a tank is emptied, a vortex forms at its outlet above a certain level due to various flow effects. The liquid in the tank rotates around a vertical axis that runs approximately centrally through the tank outlet.
Implementation Method 2
The rotation of the impeller of the centrifugal pump induces an angular momentum in the liquid, which spreads back into the tank.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a tank outlet (1) of a tank (100), comprising a tube connection body (10), which has an inlet region (11), which can be fastened to an outlet region (111) of a tank (100), and comprising a vortex breaker (20), which is fastened exclusively to the tube connection body (10), wherein the vortex breaker (20) extends through the inlet region (11) into the tank (100) and does not touch the tank (100). The invention further relates to a method for mounting a corresponding vortex breaker (20) on the tank outlet (1) of a tank (100).