Air driven dispenser for delivery of undiluted chemical

• US 9,421,559 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonny's HFI Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Hydra-Flex, Inc. (Sonny'S Enterprises, LLC)
• Inventors: Cornett, Zachary, Greffin, John Tyler
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US14/176,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20140224895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 239/8, 239/159, 239/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/202 comprising inserted outlet elements B05B1/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/267 the liquid or other fluent material being deflected in determined directions
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/0416 with arrangements for mixing one gas and one liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/04 for exteriors of land vehicles B60S3/002, B60S3/004 take precedence; specially adapted for railway vehicles B60S3/006

Abstract

A chemical delivery system that delivers concentrated liquid chemical using a non-liquid motive fluid to deliver the concentrated liquid chemical in an undiluted form to a point of use. The concentrated chemical is delivered by the motive fluid by way of the aggressive interaction of a high-pressure jet stream of motive fluid causing a nearly complete local vacuum such that the concentrated chemical is drawn under low pressure into a jet vortex to form a chemical dispersion. Forming the chemical dispersion by way of this venturi eduction process occurs in a substantially continuous real-time manner allowing for multiple methods of controlling the total amount of chemical delivered and the rate in which it is delivered to the application device.

Claims

1. A chemical delivery system, comprising:

a motive fluid source having a non-liquid motive fluid;

a chemical source having an amount of a concentrated liquid chemical;

a plurality of venturi injectors, each venturi injector having a motive fluid inlet fluidly connected to the motive fluid source, a concentrated chemical inlet comprising a check valve, the concentrated chemical inlet fluidly connected to the chemical source, and a dispensing outlet fluidly connected to a point of use, the non-liquid motive fluid inducing a vacuum condition within a mixing region of the venturi injector where the check valve opens in response to the vacuum condition and the concentrated liquid chemical is drawn into the mixing region and mixed with the non-liquid motive fluid to form an undiluted chemical dispersion for dispensing from the dispensing outlet; and

a manifold defining a chemical supply flow pathway therein fluidly connecting the chemical source to the concentrated chemical inlet for each of the venturi injectors; and

a plurality of connector blocks fluidly connected to the chemical supply flow pathway and selectively securable to the manifold, wherein each of the plurality of connector blocks is fluidly coupled to one venturi injector of the plurality of venturi injectors and selectively couples the one venturi injector to the manifold, wherein each of the plurality of connector blocks comprises;

a motive fluid connector fluidly coupled to the motive fluid inlet; and

a chemical fluid connector fluidly coupled to the concentrated chemical inlet.

2. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, wherein the concentrated liquid chemical comprises a non-water soluble liquid chemical.

3. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, wherein the non-liquid motive fluid comprises compressed air.

4. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a non-liquid motive fluid channel fluidly connecting the motive fluid source with the motive fluid inlet.

5. The chemical delivery system of claim 4, further comprising a motive fluid control valve and a pressure regulator between the motive fluid source and the non-liquid motive fluid channel.

6. The chemical delivery system of claim 4, wherein the non-liquid motive fluid channel and the chemical flow pathway are both defined by the manifold, wherein the channels extend through the manifold.

7. The chemical delivery system of claim 6, wherein the manifold includes a plurality of coupling locations, each coupling location having a motive fluid port and a concentrated chemical port, each coupling location accepting attachment to one of the plurality of venturi injectors.

8. The chemical delivery system of claim 7, wherein each connector block comprises a releasable quick-connect feature for attaching the venturi injector.

9. The chemical delivery system of claim 8, wherein each venturi injector includes a metering tip within the concentrated chemical inlet, the metering tip having a metering orifice for metering the amount of concentrated chemical drawn into the venturi injector.

10. The chemical delivery system of claim 9, wherein the metering tip can be replaced with a second metering tip having a second metering orifice for adjusting the amount of concentrated liquid chemical drawn into the venturi injector.

11. The chemical delivery system of claim 7, further comprising a nozzle being fluidly coupled to each dispensing outlet, wherein a velocity of the chemical dispersion is reduced so as to separate the concentrated liquid chemical and the non-liquid motive fluid such that no dilution of the concentrated liquid chemical occurs during application at point of use.

12. The chemical delivery system of claim 6, wherein the motive fluid channel and the chemical supply flow pathway are defined solely by the manifold.

13. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a motive flow path fluidly connected to the motive fluid source and the motive fluid inlet of each of the venturi injectors, wherein the non-motive fluid and the concentrated chemical flow in substantially parallel paths between each of the venturi injectors in the motive flow path and chemical supply flow pathway, respectively.

14. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, wherein the motive fluid connector is aligned with the chemical fluid connector.

15. A method for dispensing an undiluted liquid chemical at a point of use, comprising:

supplying through a motive fluid inlet, a non-liquid motive fluid to a plurality of venturi injectors, each venturi injector having a check valve, the non-liquid motive fluid creating a vacuum condition within a mixing region of the at least one venturi injector;

drawing a concentrated chemical from a common chemical inlet through a manifold defining a chemical supply flow pathway directing the chemical towards a plurality of connector blocks fluidly connected to the chemical supply flow pathway, wherein the plurality of connector blocks are selectively securable to the manifold and each connector block is fluidly coupled to one venturi injector of the plurality of venturi injectors and selectively couples the one venturi injector to the manifold, wherein each of the plurality of connector blocks comprises;

a motive fluid connector fluidly coupled to motive fluid inlet; and

a chemical fluid connector fluidly coupled to the common chemical inlet;

wherein each of the connector blocks directs the non-liquid motive fluid and the chemical fluid into corresponding mixing regions of each of the plurality of venturi injectors via the check valve under the influence of the vacuum condition, wherein by the concentrated chemical is mixed into the non-liquid motive fluid to form a chemical dispersion; and

dispensing the chemical dispersion at a point of use with a reduced velocity to promote separation of the non-liquid motive fluid and the concentrated chemical such that the concentrated chemical is delivered to the point of use at an undiluted concentration.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein, the manifold is a dual channel manifold defining a motive fluid channel for the non-liquid motive fluid and the chemical supply flow pathway, wherein the dual channel manifold includes a plurality of coupling locations, wherein each coupling location includes a motive fluid port and a concentrated chemical port for fluidly coupling one venturi injector to each coupling location;

and

each of the connector blocks couples to the dual channel manifold at the coupling location such that the motive fluid connector is fluidly coupled to the motive fluid port and the chemical fluid connector is fluidly coupled to the concentrated chemical port.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

regulating a pressure of the non-liquid motive fluid such that the pressure of the non-liquid motive fluid is the same at each motive fluid port.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

metering an amount of concentrated chemical drawn into each venturi injector with a metering tip having a metering orifice, the metering tip positioned in a concentrated chemical flowpath of each venturi injector.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

adjusting the amount of concentrated chemical drawn into each venturi injector by replacing the metering tip with a second metering tip having a second metering orifice.