Chemical dilution system

• US 9,700,854 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ecolab USA Incorporated (Ecolab, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tischler, Sherri, Schirmer, Brandon J., Kraus, Paul R., Olson, Keith E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maust, Timothy L
• Assistant Examiner(s): StClair, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US13/835,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20140261870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 21/22 using additional holders in conduits, containers or pools for keeping the solid material in place, e.g. supports or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/25 Mixing by jets impinging against collision plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/53 in which the mixture is discharged from and reintroduced into a receptacle through a recirculation tube, into which an additional component is introduced
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/84 Mixing plants with mixing receptacles receiving material dispensed from several component receptacles, e.g. paint tins
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/881 by weighing, e.g. with automatic discharge

Abstract

A dilute chemical solution may be prepared in response to a dispense request by combining multiple concentrated chemicals with a diluent. In one example, a target amount of diluent is dispensed into a container until a measured weight of the diluent reaches a target weight. A first concentrated chemical is also dispensed into the container until a measured weight of the first concentrated chemical reaches a target weight. The liquid solution containing the diluent and the first concentrated chemical is withdrawn from the container and applied on a second concentrated chemical that is a solid state product so as to cause the second concentrated chemical to at least partially dissolve and enter the container. In some applications, the first and second concentrated chemicals react with one another to generate an active molecule in the chemical solution that is not present in either of the two concentrated chemicals.

Claims

1. A chemical dilution system comprising:

a first reservoir containing a first concentrated chemical;

a second reservoir containing a second concentrated chemical, wherein the second concentrated chemical is a solid state product and is different than the first concentrated chemical;

a container into which a target amount of a diluent required to prepare a diluted chemical solution is dispensed;

a weighing device positioned to obtain container weight information concerning a weight of the container and any contents thereof;

a fluid delivery system configured to extract a liquid solution from the container and apply the liquid solution on at least the second concentrated chemical so as to cause the second concentrated chemical to at least partially dissolve and enter the container; and

a controller configured to receive a dispense request requesting preparation of a requested amount of the diluted chemical solution, determine the target amount of the diluent required to prepare the diluted chemical solution, determine a target weight of the first concentrated chemical required to prepare the diluted chemical solution, determine a target weight of the second concentrated chemical required to prepare the diluted chemical solution, control addition of the first concentrated chemical to the container based on the container weight information until the target weight of the first concentrated chemical is in the container, and control application of the liquid solution on the second concentrated chemical based on the container weight information until the target weight of the second concentrated chemical is in the container,

wherein the fluid delivery system comprises a pump and a pick-up conduit extending from a suction side of the pump into the container so that the pick-up conduit is submerged to an increasing extent as the container fills with liquid, and

wherein the controller is configured to receive container weight information from the weighing device and to correct an error caused by the pick-up conduit being submerged in the liquid by adjusting the container weight information based on a relationship between the container weight information and at least one known mass of liquid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid solution applied on the second concentrated chemical includes both the diluent and the first concentrated chemical.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first concentrated chemical reacts with the second concentrated chemical when the liquid solution containing the diluent and the first concentrated chemical is applied on the second concentrated chemical.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first concentrated chemical is a solid state product and the fluid delivery system is further configured to extract the liquid solution from the container and apply the liquid solution on the first concentrated chemical so as to cause the first concentrated chemical to at least partially dissolve and enter the container.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the relationship includes multiplying the received container weight information by a correction factor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery system comprises a pump, a first spray nozzle configured to spray the liquid solution on the first concentrated chemical, a second spray nozzle configured to spray the liquid solution on the second concentrated chemical, a first electronically controllable valve positioned to control liquid flow between the pump and the first spray nozzle, and a second electronically controllable valve positioned to control liquid flow between the pump and the second spray nozzle, and wherein the controller is configured to control application of the liquid solution to the first concentrated chemical and the second concentrated chemical by controlling actuation of the first electronically controllable valve and the second electronically controllable valve.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control addition of the first concentrated chemical to the container based on the container weight information by receiving container weight information from the weighing device, subtracting a weight of the diluent from the container weight information to determine a weight of the first concentrated chemical in the container, and comparing the determined weight of the first concentrated chemical to the target weight for the first concentrated chemical, and wherein the controller is configured to control application of the liquid solution on the second concentrated chemical based on the container weight information by receiving container weight information from the weighing device, subtracting a weight of the diluent and a weight of the first concentrated chemical from the container weight information to determine a weight of the second concentrated chemical in the container, and comparing the determined weight of the second concentrated chemical to the target weight for the second concentrated chemical.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the container is removable from the chemical dilution system so that a user can manually move the container and any diluted chemical solution therein to an intended application location and apply the diluted chemical solution from the container to an intended application.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first reservoir contains a liquid and the controller is configured to control addition of the first concentrated chemical to the container by controlling an electronically controllable valve through which the liquid is dispensed.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first concentrated chemical is an oxygen source and the second concentrated chemical is an oxygen catalyst.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to initiate a timer upon preparation of the diluted chemical solution that counts an amount of time elapsed since the diluted chemical solution was prepared and further discard the diluted chemical solution from the container when the amount of time elapsed has exceeded a threshold.

12. A chemical dilution system comprising:

a first reservoir containing a first concentrated chemical;

a second reservoir containing a second concentrated chemical, wherein the second concentrated chemical is a solid state product and is different than the first concentrated chemical;

a container into which a target amount of a diluent required to prepare a diluted chemical solution is dispensed;

a weighing device positioned to obtain container weight information concerning a weight of the container and any contents thereof;

a fluid delivery system configured to extract a liquid solution from the container and apply the liquid solution on at least the second concentrated chemical so as to cause the second concentrated chemical to at least partially dissolve and enter the container; and

a controller configured to;

determine a target weight of the first concentrated chemical required to prepare the diluted chemical solution,

determine a target weight of the second concentrated chemical required to prepare the diluted chemical solution,

determine the target amount of the diluent required to prepare the diluted chemical solution based on the target weight of the first concentrated chemical and the target weight of the second concentrated chemical,

control addition of the diluent to the container based on the container weight information until the target amount of the diluent is in the container,

control addition of the first concentrated chemical to the container based on the container weight information until the target weight of the first concentrated chemical is in the container by receiving container weight information from the weighing device, subtracting a weight of the diluent from the container weight information to determine a weight of the first concentrated chemical in the container, and comparing the determined weight of the first concentrated chemical to the target weight for the first concentrated chemical, and

control application of the liquid solution on the second concentrated chemical based on the container weight information until the target weight of the second concentrated chemical is in the container by receiving container weight information from the weighing device, subtracting a weight of the diluent and a weight of the first concentrated chemical from the container weight information to determine a weight of the second concentrated chemical in the container, and comparing the determined weight of the second concentrated chemical to the target weight for the second concentrated chemical,

wherein the fluid delivery system comprises a pump and a pick-up conduit extending from a suction side of the pump into the container so that the pick-up conduit is submerged to an increasing extent as the container fills with liquid, and

wherein the controller is configured to receive container weight information from the weighing device and to correct an error caused by the pick-up conduit being submerged in the liquid by adjusting the container weight information based on a relationship between the container weight information and at least one known mass of liquid.