JP7602776B2 - Liquid Delivery Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid delivery device that delivers waste liquid contained in another container to a treatment tank that contains waste liquid discharged from a factory or the like for treatment.

Conventionally, there is known a treatment device that concentrates wastewater by repeatedly performing an evaporation process in which the wastewater contained in a treatment tank is heated to evaporate the water, and a supply process in which untreated wastewater is supplied (replenished) to the treatment tank when the level of the wastewater drops to a predetermined level due to evaporation (see Patent Document 1). In the supply process, the level of the wastewater is detected by a water level sensor (water level gauge) installed in the treatment tank, and the wastewater is supplied based on the detection result.

JP 2018-044752 A

In the past, in waste liquid treatment equipment that treats waste liquids to be disposed of, such as wastewater and waste oil, the waste liquid before treatment is temporarily stored in a relatively large waste liquid tank, and the waste liquid is supplied from the waste liquid tank to a treatment tank. On the other hand, waste liquid discharged from factories and the like is generally not stored in a large tank such as the waste liquid tank, but is stored in a small container with a smaller capacity than the waste liquid tank, and transported to the waste liquid treatment plant, taking into consideration ease of recovery and transportation. Small waste liquid containers that store waste liquid are, for example, containers of about 15 to 200 liters, and specifically, are 18-liter cans (can containers of about 18 liters), pails (can containers of 18 liters or 20 liters), or so-called drums of 200 liters.

When waste liquid is transported from a waste liquid generation source such as a factory to a waste liquid treatment plant in a state where it is contained in multiple waste liquid containers, workers transfer the waste liquid one by one from the multiple waste liquid containers to the waste liquid tank, either manually or by using heavy machinery. However, since there are multiple waste liquid containers, the workload of the workers is heavy. In addition, since this work requires a lot of time, the work efficiency is low. In addition, since it is necessary to install a large waste liquid tank, maintenance of the waste liquid tank is required, which not only increases the maintenance work but also increases the maintenance costs.

The object of the present invention is to provide a liquid delivery device that can eliminate the need for a large waste liquid tank, eliminates the need to transfer waste liquid from a waste liquid container to the waste liquid tank, and further reduces the workload of workers and improves work efficiency.

(1) A liquid delivery device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied to a waste liquid treatment device that concentrates waste liquid contained in a treatment tank, and is configured to deliver the waste liquid contained in each of a plurality of containers to the treatment tank. The liquid delivery device is characterized by comprising: a liquid delivery tube that constitutes a flow path from each of the plurality of containers to a supply port of the treatment tank; a waste liquid delivery means that is provided in the flow path and is driven to deliver the waste liquid contained in the plurality of containers through the liquid delivery tube toward the treatment tank; and a control unit that controls the drive of the waste liquid delivery means so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the plurality of containers.

Because of this configuration, the worker can complete preparations for supplying waste liquid to the treatment tank of the waste liquid treatment device simply by setting multiple containers in the liquid delivery device. This reduces the workload of the worker and improves work efficiency. In addition, because the waste liquid is supplied in a predetermined order, it is possible to sequentially remove empty containers that have been emptied after the wastewater has been discharged, without having to wait for the completion of the discharge of water from all containers. This further improves the work efficiency of the worker.

(2) The waste liquid delivery means includes a plurality of first pumps that deliver the waste liquid contained in each of the plurality of containers toward the liquid delivery tube. In this case, the control unit controls the operation of each of the plurality of first pumps so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the plurality of containers.

(3) The liquid supply pipes include a plurality of primary liquid supply pipes extending from the plurality of containers, a collective connection part that connects the outlets of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes together, and a secondary liquid supply pipe that extends from the collective connection part to the supply port of the treatment tank. In this case, the first pump is provided in each of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes.

(4) It is preferable that the liquid delivery device of the present invention further includes a second pump provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for delivering the waste liquid toward the treatment tank.

This configuration allows the waste liquid to be sent to the treatment tank more reliably.

(5) The first pump and the second pump are compressed air-driven pumps that are driven by the supply of compressed air.

The waste liquid contained in the container may contain hazardous, flammable substances. For this reason, it is safer for the first and second pumps to be pumps that do not use high-voltage electricity, such as compressed air-driven pumps, rather than pumps that require high-voltage electricity, such as electric pumps.

(6) The control unit controls the operation of the first pump and the second pump by controlling the opening and closing of an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the first pump and an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the second pump.

(7) The liquid delivery device of the present invention further includes a sensor provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for detecting the liquid delivery state of the waste liquid in the secondary liquid delivery pipe. In this case, the control unit sequentially switches the drive of the multiple first pumps based on the detection result of the sensor.

This configuration is preferable because it eliminates the need to provide a sensor for each of the multiple containers.

(8) When the output value of the sensor falls below a predetermined threshold while any one of the plurality of first pumps is in operation, the control unit switches operation to the next first pump.

(9) The sensor is provided in the secondary liquid supply pipe upstream of the second pump in the liquid supply direction.

(10) It is preferable that the collecting connection part also serves as a primary storage tank for temporarily storing the waste liquid sent from the primary liquid sending pipe.

The present invention can also be seen as a waste liquid treatment device that is characterized by having the above-mentioned liquid delivery device.

The present invention makes it possible to eliminate the need for large waste liquid tanks, and also to eliminate the need to transfer waste liquid from waste liquid containers to the waste liquid tanks, and furthermore, to reduce the workload of workers and improve work efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a liquid delivery device 60 and a wastewater treatment device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the liquid delivery device 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the liquid delivery device 60 and the wastewater treatment device 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for a wastewater supply process executed in the liquid delivery device 60. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for the wastewater replenishment process executed in the liquid delivery device 60.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Note that the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Wastewater treatment device 10]
The wastewater treatment device 10 shown in FIG. 1 treats wastewater (waste liquid) discharged from a factory or the like. Specifically, the device evaporates water from the wastewater to concentrate the wastewater, and decomposes and purifies persistent substances contained in gas generated from the wastewater.

In the following, the wastewater to be treated by the wastewater treatment device 10 is wastewater contaminated with impurities and harmful substances that is discarded after use in factories and business establishments. A specific example of the wastewater is cutting oil used for lubrication and cooling during metal cutting. Here, the cutting oil is a water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 as specified in JIS K 2241, which has a lower density than water. The wastewater also includes metal powder generated by cutting. Note that the wastewater to be treated by the wastewater treatment device 10 is not limited to wastewater containing water-soluble cutting oil of type A1, but may also include wastewater containing other water-soluble cutting oils (types A2 and A3) or water-insoluble cutting oils (types N1 to N4) as specified in JIS K 2241.

In this embodiment, the wastewater treatment device 10 that treats the wastewater is described as an example, but the wastewater treatment device to which the liquid delivery device 60 is applied is not limited to the wastewater treatment device 10. For example, the liquid delivery device 60 can also be applied to a waste oil treatment device that treats used waste oil (waste liquid) discharged from a factory, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wastewater treatment device 10 is broadly divided into a wastewater concentrator 11 (one example of a wastewater treatment device of the present invention), a decomposition treatment device 12, and a control panel 30 (see FIG. 3) that controls the operation of the wastewater concentrator 11. The wastewater concentrator 11 and the decomposition treatment device 12 are connected to each other by a connecting duct 14 so that gas containing steam is sent from the wastewater concentrator 11 to the decomposition treatment device 12. The control panel 30 controls the operation of not only the wastewater concentrator 11 but also the liquid delivery device 60, which will be described later.

[Wastewater concentrator 11]
The wastewater concentrating apparatus 11 heats the wastewater contained in a treatment tank 16 to evaporate the water content and concentrate the wastewater, and as shown in FIG. 1, is equipped with a treatment tank 16 (an example of a treatment tank of the present invention), a water level tank 18, a first heater 22, a second heater 23, an air blower 24, and a discharge pump 29.

The treatment tank 16 is for containing the wastewater to be treated. A predetermined amount of wastewater is stored inside the treatment tank 16. In the process of concentrating the wastewater, the wastewater is supplied to the treatment tank 16 so that the water level of the wastewater becomes an upper water level H1 (first water level) described below. In other words, the upper water level H1 is the upper water level at which the wastewater is stored in the treatment tank 16 in the process of concentrating the wastewater.

In this embodiment, the wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 and concentrated is, for example, wastewater (so-called industrial wastewater) that is discarded after use in industrial production in a factory or the like. As described above, the wastewater contains a water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 as defined in JIS K 2241 (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as "water-soluble cutting oil"), the metal powder, and water. The water-soluble cutting oil of type A1 contains an oil component (such as mineral oil or fatty oil) that is an example of a hydrophobic substance that is poorly soluble in water, and a surfactant as an emulsifier, and is emulsified by dilution with water to form a milky emulsion. The content of water-soluble cutting oil in the wastewater is approximately 10 to 20%, and the rest is mainly water.

The wastewater to be treated is stored in multiple containers Ck (k = 1, 2, ..., n) attached to a liquid delivery device 60 described below. The liquid delivery device 60 is connected to the treatment tank 16 by piping 51. The liquid delivery device 60 is controlled by the control unit 100 (see Figure 3) of the control panel 30, so that wastewater is supplied from the multiple containers Ck to the treatment tank 16.

An electrically operated motorized valve 51A that is opened and closed by electrical drive is provided on the piping 51 upstream of the supply port 16A of the treatment tank 16. When the motorized valve 51A is opened under the control of the control unit 100, and the liquid delivery device 60 is driven by the control unit 100, wastewater sent from the liquid delivery device 60 through the piping 51 is supplied from the supply port 16A to the inside of the treatment tank 16. In other words, wastewater is delivered from the liquid delivery device 60 to the treatment tank 16. When the motorized valve 51A is closed and the drive of the liquid delivery device 60 is stopped, the supply of the wastewater stops.

A bubbling pipe 26 with many small holes is provided at the bottom of the treatment tank 16. The bubbling pipe 26 is connected to an air tank 37 (compressed air supply unit) that serves as an external compressed air source by an air pipe 57. When an electromagnetic valve 57A provided on the air pipe 57 is operated to supply compressed air to the air pipe 57, countless air bubbles are generated from the bubbling pipe 26, and the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 is agitated by the upward flow of the air bubbles. The compressed air source may be an air compressor.

The first heater 22 heats the wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 and is provided in the treatment tank 16. The first heater 22 is, for example, a unit type in which a burner 22A and a first heating control unit 22B that controls combustion by the burner 22A are integrated together. The burner 22A is provided outside the treatment tank 16 and burns fuel such as kerosene or combustion gas in a combustion furnace 22C provided inside the treatment tank 16. The exhaust gas after combustion is sent from the combustion furnace 22C to an exhaust pipe 31 connected to the treatment tank 16 and is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust pipe 31.

The combustion furnace 22C is provided below the middle position in the height direction inside the treatment tank 16, and the entire wastewater is placed in the liquid when the predetermined amount of wastewater is stored in the treatment tank 16. The first heater 22 heats the wastewater by being driven by the control unit 100. Specifically, when a drive signal is sent from the control unit 100 to the first heating control unit 22B, the first heating control unit 22B operates the burner 22A based on the drive signal to control the heating. The first heater 22 may be of any configuration as long as it heats the wastewater in the treatment tank 16, and may be an electric heater instead of the burner 22A or the combustion furnace 22C.

The air blower 24 (see FIG. 1) is an electrically driven blower. The air blower 24 blows steam generated from the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 by heating with the first heater 22 from the treatment tank 16 to the outside. The air blower 24 is connected to the intermediate duct 14A, which is a part of the connecting duct 14, by a pipe 25. The intermediate duct 14A is a duct member extending upward from the upper surface of the treatment tank 16. The air blown out from the air blower 24 is sent into the intermediate duct 14A through the pipe 25. In this embodiment, the air blown out by the air blower 24 is sent by the pipe 25 in a direction that generates an upward airflow inside the intermediate duct 14A. The airflow of the air sent into the intermediate duct 14A guides gas containing steam generated in the treatment tank 16 to the connecting duct 14, thereby discharging the gas to the outside of the treatment tank 16. The gas that has entered the connecting duct 14 is sent to the decomposition treatment device 12 through the connecting duct 14.

The second heater 23 is provided in the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 heats the gas (steam and air) passing through the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 is a unit type in which an electric heater 23A, such as a halogen heater, and a second heating control unit 23B including a driver circuit for driving the electric heater 23A are integrally configured. The electric heater 23A is provided inside the connecting duct 14, and the second heating control unit 23B is disposed outside the connecting duct 14. The second heater 23 heats the gas in the connecting duct 14 by being driven by the control unit 100. Specifically, when a drive signal is sent from the control unit 100 to the second heating control unit 23B, the second heating control unit 23B drives the electric heater 23A based on the drive signal to control the heating. The second heater 23 may use any of the following heating methods, as long as it heats the gas in the connecting duct 14: resistance heating, infrared heating, microwave heating, dielectric heating, and induction heating.

A water supply pipe 28 extending from a water supply source (not shown), such as a water source or a water tank, is connected to the treatment tank 16. The water supply pipe 28 is provided with an electric valve 28A for starting and stopping the supply of water. The electric valve 28A is, for example, an electric ball valve. The opening and closing of the electric valve 28A is controlled by the control unit 100 of the control panel 30, so that water is supplied from the water supply pipe 28 to the treatment tank 16 as needed.

The discharge pump 29 is an electric pump. The discharge pump 29 discharges wastewater stored in the treatment tank 16 to the outside of the treatment tank 16 as necessary. In this embodiment, the discharge pump 29 is used to send concentrated water in the treatment tank 16 after concentration processing to the external tank 36. A pipe 54 is connected to the bottom of the treatment tank 16, and this pipe 54 is connected to the external tank 36. The discharge pump 29 is provided on the pipe 54.

In addition, an electric valve 54A that is electrically driven and opens and closes is provided upstream of the discharge pump 29 in the piping 54. The electric valve 54A is opened under the control of the control unit 100, and the discharge pump 29 is driven by the control unit 100, thereby discharging the wastewater (concentrated water) in the treatment tank 16 into the external tank 36. When the electric valve 54A is closed and the drive of the discharge pump 29 is stopped, the discharge of the wastewater stops.

The water level tank 18 is arranged next to the treatment tank 16, and like the treatment tank 16, is formed to be capable of storing wastewater therein. The water level tank 18 does not have any openings or ducts communicating with the atmosphere, and is formed as a sealed type. As will be described later, the water level tank 18 is used for storing wastewater therein and measuring the level of the wastewater. The water level tank 18 has the same size in the height direction as the treatment tank 16, and is installed at the same position in the height direction as the treatment tank 16. It is sufficient for the water level tank 18 to have a capacity applicable to such uses, and in this embodiment, the capacity is smaller than that of the treatment tank 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower part of the treatment tank 16 and the lower part of the water level tank 18 are connected by a connecting pipe 52 so that wastewater can flow between the two tanks. In this way, because the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are connected by the connecting pipe 52, when wastewater is supplied to the treatment tank 16, the wastewater spreads throughout the water level tank 18, and the position of the liquid surface (water level) of the wastewater in the water level tank 18 becomes the same height as the position of the liquid surface of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16.

The upper part of the treatment tank 16 and the upper part of the water level tank 18 are connected by a connecting pipe 53, and the air layer at the upper part of the treatment tank 16 and the air layer at the upper part of the water level tank 18 are connected by a connecting pipe 52. Therefore, the water level tank 18 can be connected to the atmosphere via the connecting pipe 53 and the treatment tank 16.

The water level tank 18 is provided with a liquid level sensor 34. The liquid level sensor 34 detects the position (water level) of the liquid level of the wastewater stored in the water level tank 18, and is specifically a guided pulse type sensor that detects the position (water level) of the liquid level by sending a pulse signal toward the liquid level and receiving a pulse signal reflected by the liquid surface. The liquid level sensor 34 is used to detect whether the liquid level of the wastewater has reached the upper limit water level H1 set in the water level tank 18, a make-up water level H2 (second water level) lower than the upper limit water level H1, or a lower limit water level H3 even lower than the make-up water level H2.

In this embodiment, the upper limit water level H1 is set to the water level when, for example, 500 liters of wastewater are stored in the treatment tank 16. The make-up water level H2 is set to the water level when 450 liters of wastewater are stored in the treatment tank 16. The make-up water level H2 is a water level used to determine whether or not the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 needs to be replenished due to evaporation and reduction. The lower limit water level H3 is a water level used to determine whether or not the concentrated water in the treatment tank 16 has been discharged and the treatment tank 16 is empty.

The liquid level sensor 34 sends a detection signal corresponding to the position of the wastewater level to the control unit 100, and the control unit 100 determines whether the liquid level has reached the upper limit water level H1 or the make-up water level H2, or whether the treatment tank 16 is empty, depending on whether the level of the detection signal is a level value corresponding to the upper limit water level H1, the make-up water level H2, or the lower limit water level H3. Note that the liquid level sensor 34 can be, for example, a float switch type or a capacitance type.

[Decomposition treatment device 12]
The decomposition treatment device 12 is provided downstream of the connecting duct 14. The decomposition treatment device 12 includes a cylindrical housing 41, an oxidation catalyst 43, and an exhaust duct 44.

The housing 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape that extends vertically and has a circular cross section. One side (the inlet side) of the housing 41 is connected to the outlet side of the connecting duct 14, and gas guided from the connecting duct 14 flows into the inside. The other side (the outlet side) of the housing 41 is connected to the exhaust duct 44. The gas (steam) sent from the connecting duct 14 is guided upward through the inside of the housing 41 and flows into the exhaust duct 44. In other words, an airflow is generated inside the housing 41 that flows from the bottom to the top.

The oxidation catalyst 43 is provided inside the housing 41. The oxidation catalyst 43 is a metal catalyst whose main component is platinum, and is a so-called metal honeycomb catalyst having a honeycomb structure. When the gas containing steam sent from the connecting duct 14 passes through the inside of the honeycomb structure, an oxidation reaction occurs between the oxidation catalyst 43 and the difficult-to-decompose substances contained in the gas, and the substances are decomposed.

[Liquid delivery device 60]
Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the liquid delivery device 60. The liquid delivery device 60 shown in Fig. 2 delivers wastewater collected in a factory or the like to the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11. As will be described later, the liquid delivery device 60 sucks up wastewater from a plurality of containers Ck (one example of the container of the present invention) that contain wastewater collected in a factory or the like, and delivers the wastewater through a pipe 51 toward the treatment tank 16.

Here, the container Ck is a metal can container, a so-called drum can. The container Ck is, for example, a medium-sized metal drum can with a capacity of 15 liters to less than 200 liters, or a large drum can with a capacity of more than 200 liters. The container Ck is used to store waste liquid in factories, and is used for transporting wastewater when it is brought to a waste treatment plant. In this embodiment, the container Ck is described as a metal drum can with a capacity of 200 liters. Of course, the material, capacity, size, and shape of the container Ck are not particularly limited, and any configuration of container with a capacity smaller than that of the treatment tank 16 can be applied.

2, the liquid delivery device 60 has a plurality of supply pipes 61 and 62 (both of which are examples of liquid delivery pipes according to the present invention) that form a flow path from each container Ck to the supply port 16A of the treatment tank 16, and a plurality of first pumps 63 (an example of waste liquid delivery means, a first pump according to the present invention) that deliver the wastewater in each container Ck through the supply pipes 61 and 62 toward the treatment tank 16. The liquid delivery device 60 is controlled by the control unit 100 of the control panel 30, and the control panel 30 is also a controller that constitutes the liquid delivery device 60. As described above, the control panel 30 has been described as being provided in the wastewater treatment device 10, but the liquid delivery device 60 may be provided with a control unit different from the control unit 100 provided in the control panel 30.

The liquid delivery device 60 further includes an intermediate tank 64 (an example of a collective connection part or primary storage tank of the present invention) that connects the multiple supply pipes 61 and the supply pipe 62, and a second pump 65 (an example of a second pump of the present invention) provided in the supply pipe 62.

One end of each of the multiple supply pipes 61 is connected to a corresponding container Ck, and the other end of the multiple supply pipes 61 is connected to the relay tank 64. The outlets at the other ends of the multiple supply pipes 61 extending from the multiple containers Ck are connected together to the relay tank 64. In addition, a supply pipe 62 for discharging wastewater extends from the relay tank 64, and the other end is connected to the piping 51. The relay tank 64 serves as a buffer tank that temporarily stores the wastewater supplied from the multiple containers Ck. Here, the multiple supply pipes 61 are an example of the multiple primary liquid transfer pipes of the present invention, and the supply pipe 62 is an example of the secondary liquid transfer pipe of the present invention.

As described below, the first pump 63 is a compressed air-driven pump. Therefore, the amount of wastewater supplied per unit time by the first pump 63 is not as stable as that of an electric pump. Therefore, if the relay tank 64 is provided, the second pump 65 can stably pump up the wastewater temporarily stored in the relay tank 64 and supply it to the treatment tank 16.

The relay tank 64 does not need to function as a tank for temporarily storing wastewater, but must at least have the function of combining multiple supply pipes 61 into one and discharging it into a single supply pipe 62.

The first pump 63 is provided in the flow path of each of the multiple supply pipes 61. For example, the first pump 63 is connected to the upstream end of the supply pipe 61. A suction pipe 69 that extends from the inside of the container Ck toward the bottom is attached to the water intake port of the first pump 63. When driven, each of the multiple first pumps 63 sucks up wastewater contained in the corresponding container Ck through the pipe 69 and sends the wastewater through the supply pipe 61 toward the treatment tank 16.

Each of the supply pipes 61 is provided with an electrically operated valve 61A that is opened and closed downstream of the first pump 63. When wastewater is supplied from the first pump 63, the electric valve 61A is opened under the control of the control unit 100, and when the supply of wastewater by the first pump 63 is stopped, the electric valve 61A is closed.

The first pump 63 is, for example, a compressed air-driven pump that is driven by the supply of compressed air. Therefore, the liquid delivery device 60 is provided with an air pipe 66 for supplying compressed air from the air tank 37 to each of the first pumps 63, and branch pipes 67 that branch off from the air pipe 66 and are connected to each of the first pumps. Each of the branch pipes 67 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 67A that opens or closes the air flow path in the branch pipe 67. The operation of the electromagnetic valve 67A is controlled by the control unit 100. In other words, the opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 67A is controlled by the control unit 100. When the electromagnetic valve 67A is in the open position, compressed air is supplied to the first pump through the air pipe 66 and the branch pipe 67. This allows the first pump 63 to be driven and to suck up and supply the wastewater in the container Ck. When the wastewater in the container Ck is emptied, the electromagnetic valve 67A is returned to its original closed position and the branch pipe 67 is shut off.

Although an electric pump can be used as the first pump 63, in this embodiment, a compressed air-driven pump is preferred. The wastewater contained in the container Ck may contain hazardous flammable substances. For this reason, from the standpoint of safety, it is preferable that the first pump 63 be a pump that does not use high-pressure electricity, such as a compressed air-driven pump, rather than one that requires high-pressure electricity, such as an electric pump.

The liquid delivery device 60 further includes a sensor 71 (an example of a sensor of the present invention) provided in the supply pipe 62, and a filter 73.

The sensor 71 is provided in the supply pipe 62 downstream of the relay tank 64. The filter 73 is provided in the supply pipe 62 downstream of the sensor 71 and upstream of the second pump 65.

The sensor 71 detects the supply state of the wastewater inside the supply pipe 62, and is, for example, a pressure sensor. When the wastewater is flowing through the supply pipe 62 toward the treatment tank 16 by the liquid delivery device 60, the sensor 71 detects a pressure equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value according to the flow rate of the wastewater and the water pressure of the wastewater. On the other hand, when the container Ck is empty and a supply operation is being performed from the container Ck, the sensor 71 detects a pressure less than the threshold value when no wastewater is flowing through the supply pipe 62. The detection signal from the sensor 71 is sent to the control unit 100 and is used in a predetermined determination process by the control unit 100. The determination process is, for example, a process of determining whether or not there is wastewater in the container Ck, or a process of determining whether or not the wastewater in the container Ck has been emptied by the supply of wastewater.

The sensor 71 is not limited to a pressure sensor as long as it is capable of performing the above-mentioned determination process. For example, the sensor 71 may be a sensor that detects the flow rate of the wastewater in the supply pipe 62, or a sensor that detects the presence or absence of wastewater. Alternatively, the sensor 71 may be a water level sensor that directly detects the level of the wastewater in the container Ck.

The second pump 65 sends the wastewater sent out by the first pump 63 further downstream through the supply pipe 62. Specifically, the second pump 65 sends the wastewater in the relay tank 64 through the supply pipe 62 and the piping 51 toward the treatment tank 16. The second pump 65 is, for example, an electric pump, and is driven and controlled by receiving a drive signal (electrical signal) from the control unit 100.

[Control panel 30]
The control panel 30 controls the wastewater supply operation by the first pump 63 and second pump 65 in the liquid delivery device 60, controls the heating of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 by the first heater 22, controls the heating of gas (steam or air) by the second heater 23, and controls the operation of discharging the concentrated water after concentration processing by the discharge pump 29, etc.

As shown in FIG. 3, the control panel 30 includes a control unit 100 such as a sequencer, a storage unit 105 such as a HDD or flash memory, and the like. The housing of the control panel 30 also includes an LCD monitor 106, an operation unit 107, and the like.

The control unit 100 is connected to a memory unit 105, an LCD monitor 106, an operation unit 107, a first heating control unit 22B, a second heating control unit 23B, various electric valves 28A, 51A, 54A, a solenoid valve 67A for operating the first pump 63, various sensors 34, 71, electric pumps such as the discharge pump 29 and the second pump 65, and the like, and is configured to enable mutual communication of signals and data. The LCD monitor 106 displays the wastewater level in the treatment tank 16 based on the output of the liquid level sensor 34.

The control unit 100 is a computer having a CPU 101, a ROM 102, a RAM 103, an EEPROM 104 (registered trademark), etc., and controls the wastewater treatment device 10 in an integrated manner. A control program is stored in the ROM 102, and the CPU 101 reads and executes the control program to perform concentration processing in the wastewater concentrating device 11 and wastewater supply processing or wastewater replenishment processing in the liquid delivery device 60.

The storage unit 105 stores setting data that is referenced when the wastewater supply process or wastewater replenishment process described below is performed. In the setting data, any one container selected from a plurality of containers Ck is set as the wastewater transfer target. Here, the transfer target refers to the container Ck that is the supply source that supplies the wastewater. For example, when the container C1 is the transfer target, the setting data includes an identification code of the solenoid valve 67A for driving the first pump 63 corresponding to the container C1. In addition, the setting data also includes ranking information indicating the ranking (order) of each container Ck (containers C1 to Cn). Hereinafter, the first container C1 is referred to as the first container C1, the second container C2 is referred to as the second container C2, and the nth container is referred to as the nth container Cn. In this embodiment, the setting data is described as being stored in the storage unit 105, but for example, the information included in the setting data may be stored in a cache memory or a register of the CPU 101.

However, the wastewater treatment device 10 and the wastewater concentrator 11 are not provided with a conventional large wastewater storage tank for temporarily storing wastewater to be supplied to the treatment tank 16. In this embodiment, the wastewater is directly pumped up from multiple containers Ck brought from a factory or the like, and the liquid delivery device 60 supplies the pumped up wastewater to the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrator 11. Specifically, the control unit 100 controls the drive of the first pump 63, the second pump 65, etc. so that the wastewater is sequentially delivered from the multiple containers Ck.

This eliminates the need to perform the burdensome and cumbersome task of transferring wastewater from multiple containers Ck to a separate storage tank, and also improves the efficiency of the work performed by workers.

[Wastewater Supply Treatment]
An example of the procedure of the wastewater supply process executed by the control unit 100 in the liquid delivery device 60 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the wastewater supply process in which the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11 is empty and wastewater is sequentially supplied from multiple containers Ck by the liquid delivery device 60 in preparation for the concentration process. S11, S12, ... in the figure represent the numbers of the processing procedures (steps). The processing in each step is performed by the control unit 100, more specifically, by the CPU 101 executing the control program in the ROM 102.

In the following, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that in the wastewater concentrating device 11, the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are both empty, the motor valves 51A, 54A, and 61A are closed, and the solenoid valve 67A is in the closed position. It is also assumed that in the liquid delivery device 60, the first pump 63 and the second pump 65 are stopped, and each container Ck contains sufficient wastewater.

In step S11, the control unit 100 determines whether a wastewater supply instruction has been input. For example, when multiple containers Ck are set in the liquid delivery device 60 so that the liquid delivery device 60 is ready to supply wastewater, and then an operator inputs a wastewater supply instruction from the operation unit 107 of the control panel 30, the control unit 100 determines that a wastewater supply instruction has been input based on the support signal.

In the next step S12, the control unit 100 determines whether the water level indicated by the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34 is below the lower limit water level H3 based on the detection signal. If it is determined that the water level is below the lower limit water level H3, the treatment tank 16 is considered to be empty, and it is determined that wastewater can be supplied to the treatment tank 16.

In the next step S13, the control unit 100 sets the container Ck that is the first to be pumped and supplied with wastewater to the first container C1, and stores the setting information in the setting data of the memory unit 105. After that, the control unit 100 operates the motor-operated valve 51A to be in an open state, and further drives the second pump 65 (S14).

After driving the second pump 65, the control unit 100 starts supplying wastewater from the first container C1 set in step S13, then drives the first pump 63 until the first container C1 is empty, and stops the first pump 63 when the first container C1 is empty (S15 to S20).

First, the control unit 100 opens the supply path of the supply pipe 61 corresponding to the first container C1 by opening the motor-operated valve 61A corresponding to the first container C1 (S15). After that, the control unit 100 drives the first pump 63 corresponding to the first container C1 (S16). Specifically, the control unit 100 switches the solenoid valve 67A from the closed position to the open position to drive the first pump 63, and supplies compressed air to the first pump 63.

Next, in step S17, the control unit 100 judges whether or not wastewater is actually contained in the first container C1. This judgment is made based on the detection signal output from the sensor 71. For example, since there is no wastewater in the supply pipe 62 immediately after the start of the wastewater supply process, the detection signal is lower than the threshold value. When the wastewater supply operation is started and the supply pipe 62 is filled with wastewater, the detection signal becomes higher than the threshold value. When the detection signal changes at this time, that is, when the detection signal changes from a LOW level lower than the threshold value to a HIGH level higher than the threshold value, the control unit 100 judges that wastewater is contained in the first container C1. On the other hand, when the detection signal remains at the LOW level even after the wastewater supply operation is started, the control unit 100 judges that no wastewater is contained in the first container C1, that is, the first container C1 is empty.

If it is determined in step S17 that wastewater is present in the first container C1, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if it is determined that no wastewater was contained in the first container C1 to begin with, the process proceeds to step S21.

In step S18, the control unit 100 determines whether the first container C1 has become empty due to the continued wastewater supply operation. This determination is made based on the detection signal output from the sensor 71. For example, when the detection signal of the sensor 71 changes from the HIGH level to the LOW level, the control unit 100 determines that all the wastewater in the first container 1 has been transferred, and determines that the first container C1 is empty. On the other hand, when the detection signal remains at the HIGH level, the control unit 100 determines that wastewater still remains in the first container C1, and continues the supply of wastewater by the first pump 63.

When it is determined in step S18 that the first container C1 is empty, the control unit 100 stops the first pump 63 corresponding to the first container C1 (S19). Specifically, the control unit 100 switches the solenoid valve 67A from the open position to the closed position to stop the first pump 63, thereby stopping the compressed air supplied to the first pump 63. Thereafter, the control unit 100 closes the motor-operated valve 61A corresponding to the first container C1, thereby blocking the supply path of the supply pipe 61 corresponding to the first container C1 (S20). When the first container C1 is empty and the operation of the first pump 63 is stopped, the process proceeds to step S21.

In step S21, the control unit 100 determines whether the water level indicated by the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34 is equal to or higher than the upper water level H1, based on the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34. If it is determined that the water level is equal to or higher than the upper water level H1, the treatment tank 16 is deemed to be filled with wastewater. In other words, it is determined that the treatment tank 16 is full of wastewater.

If it is determined in step S21 that the treatment tank 16 is full of wastewater, the process proceeds to step S24, where the setting data in the memory unit 105 is referenced to add flag information to the identification code of the container Ck that is the current target of liquid transfer. The control unit 100 then stops the second pump 65 (S25), and the series of wastewater supply processes ends. This completes preparations for the concentration process to concentrate the wastewater in the treatment tank 16.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 is not full, that is, that the level of the wastewater is less than the upper limit level H1, the process proceeds to step S22, where the control unit 100 determines whether there is a container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred. This determination is made, for example, based on the ranking information included in the setting data. For example, when the supply of wastewater to the first container C1 is completed, the control unit 100 can determine whether there is the next container C2 in the order by referring to the ranking information, and can thereby determine whether there is a next container to which liquid has not yet been transferred. If it is determined in step S22 that there is no container to which liquid has not yet been transferred, the control unit 100 stops the second pump 65 (S25), because the transfer of wastewater to all containers Ck has been completed, and the series of wastewater supply processes is completed. In this case, the control unit 100 displays and outputs on the LCD monitor 106 a message or indicator indicating that the wastewater supply process for all containers Ck has been completed, and displays and outputs on the LCD monitor 106 a message or indicator indicating that the treatment tank 16 is not yet full.

If it is determined in step S22 that there is a container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred, the control unit 100 refers to the ranking information in the setting data, sets the next container Ck+1 as the container to be transferred, and stores the setting information in the setting data of the storage unit 105 (S23). After that, the process returns to step S15, and the control unit 100 repeatedly executes the process from step S15 onwards for the container Ck+1 set in step S23.

[Wastewater replenishment treatment]
An example of the procedure of the wastewater replenishment process executed by the control unit 100 in the liquid delivery device 60 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the wastewater replenishment process executed when the level of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16 of the wastewater concentrating device 11 falls below the replenishment water level H2 during the process of concentration treatment of the wastewater in the treatment tank 16. In Fig. 5, the same processes as those shown in Fig. 4 are indicated by the same step numbers, and their description will be omitted.

In the following, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that in the wastewater concentrating device 11, the wastewater levels in the treatment tank 16 and the water level tank 18 are at the make-up water level H2, the motor-operated valves 51A, 54A, and 61A are closed, and the solenoid valve 67A is in the closed position. It is also assumed that in the liquid delivery device 60, the first pump 63 and the second pump 65 are stopped, and among the containers Ck, the first container C1 is empty, and the second and subsequent containers C2 to Cn contain wastewater.

In step S31, the control unit 100 determines whether the wastewater level in the treatment tank 16 has fallen below the make-up water level H2 based on the detection signal output from the liquid level sensor 34.

Then, in step S32, the control unit 100 determines whether there is a container Ck to which liquid has not been delivered. This determination is made by referring to the setting data in the memory unit 105 and judging whether there is an identification code to which the flag information has been added in step S24. If the flag information has been added, the container Ck corresponding to the identification code to which the flag information has been added is a container to which liquid has not been delivered. Then, the container Ck with that identification code is set as a target to which liquid will be delivered when replenishing waste liquid (S33). Then, the processing from step S14 onwards is executed.

If it is determined in step S32 that there is no container Ck to which liquid has not yet been transferred, there is no wastewater to be replenished, and the wastewater replenishment process is not performed, and the wastewater replenishment process ends.

In this way, the wastewater supply process (see FIG. 4) and the wastewater replenishment process (see FIG. 5) are performed in the liquid delivery device 60, so the worker can complete preparations for supplying wastewater to the treatment tank 16 simply by setting the multiple containers Ck that they have brought in into the liquid delivery device 60. This reduces the workload and improves work efficiency. In addition, because the wastewater is supplied in a predetermined order, the empty containers can be removed from those that have become emptied after the wastewater has been discharged, without waiting for the completion of the supply of wastewater to all containers Ck.

In the above-described embodiment, the liquid delivery device of the present invention is exemplified as the liquid delivery device 60 applied to the wastewater treatment device 10 or the wastewater concentrating device 11, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The present invention can also be understood as a wastewater treatment device 10 equipped with the liquid delivery device 60, or a wastewater concentrating device equipped with the liquid delivery device 60.

10: Wastewater treatment device, 11: Wastewater concentrating device, 12: Decomposition treatment device,
14: connecting duct, 16: treatment tank, 16A: supply port,
18: water level tank, 22: first heater, 23: second heater,
34: Liquid level sensor; 36: External tank; 37: Air tank;
51: Piping; 60: Liquid delivery device; 63: First pump;
64: relay tank; 65: second pump; 66: air piping;
67: Branch pipe, 67A: Solenoid valve, 71: Sensor,
73: filter, 100: control unit

Claims (10)

A liquid delivery device that is applied to a waste liquid treatment device that concentrates waste liquid contained in a treatment tank and delivers the waste liquid contained in each of a plurality of containers to the treatment tank,
a liquid delivery pipe that constitutes a flow path from each of the plurality of containers to a supply port of the treatment tank;
a waste liquid sending means that is provided in the flow path and that, when driven, sends the waste liquid contained in the plurality of containers toward the treatment tank through the liquid sending pipe;
a control unit that controls driving of the waste liquid delivery means so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the multiple containers. the waste liquid delivery means includes a plurality of first pumps that deliver the waste liquid contained in each of the plurality of containers toward the liquid delivery pipe;
The liquid delivery device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls driving of each of the first pumps so that the waste liquid is delivered sequentially from the multiple containers. the liquid supply pipes include a plurality of primary liquid supply pipes extending from the plurality of containers, a collective connection section that connects outlets of the plurality of primary liquid supply pipes together, and a secondary liquid supply pipe that extends from the collective connection section to the supply port of the treatment tank;
The liquid delivery device according to claim 2 , wherein the first pump is provided in each of the plurality of primary liquid delivery pipes. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3, further comprising a second pump provided in the secondary liquid delivery pipe for delivering the waste liquid toward the treatment tank. a second pump provided in the secondary liquid supply pipe for sending the waste liquid toward the treatment tank;
The liquid delivery device according to claim 3 , wherein the first pump and the second pump are compressed air-driven pumps that are driven by being supplied with compressed air. The liquid delivery device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the first pump and the second pump by controlling the opening and closing of an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the first pump and an electric valve provided in a supply path of the compressed air supplied to the second pump. a sensor provided in the secondary liquid feed pipe for detecting a liquid feed state of the waste liquid in the secondary liquid feed pipe;
The liquid delivery device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit sequentially switches the driving of the first pumps based on a detection result of the sensor. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit switches the operation of the next first pump when the output value of the sensor falls below a predetermined threshold value while any one of the plurality of first pumps is in operation. The liquid delivery device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the sensor is provided upstream of the second pump in the liquid delivery direction in the secondary liquid delivery pipe. 10. The liquid delivery device according to claim 3, wherein the collecting connection section also serves as a primary storage tank for temporarily storing the waste liquid delivered from the primary liquid delivery pipe.

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