JP7762033B2 - Recovery tank system and method of operation thereof - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to equipment for recovering underwater sediment, and in particular to a recovery tank system and a method for operating the same.

Various technologies have been proposed for recovering sediment from underwater. The sand pumping and transporting device disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses a vacuum generator to suck up the sediment, while also using compressed air to transport the water and sediment continuously to a sediment recovery section (solid-liquid separation device), where the water and sediment are separated, recovering a high concentration of sediment.

Furthermore, the sediment removal equipment disclosed in Patent Document 2 is equipped with a pair of recovery tanks for solid-liquid separation, and by alternately switching between suction and discharge, continuous operation of the discharge system is possible.

Patent Publication No. 2018-158277 Patent Publication No. 2011-125865

The discharge system disclosed in Patent Document 2 operates in an alternating manner: when the water level in the first recovery tank reaches its upper limit, it switches to the second recovery tank, during which time it discharges wastewater containing sediment stored in the first recovery tank, and when the second recovery tank reaches its upper limit, it switches back to the first recovery tank. For this reason, if there is a difference between the water absorption process time required for the recovery tank to reach its upper limit and the water discharge process time required for the recovery tank to reach its lower limit, efficient discharge processing cannot be achieved. For example, if the water discharge process time is significantly shorter than the water absorption process time, once one recovery tank has completed draining, it will remain idle until the next water absorption begins.

If multiple collection tanks are to be operated simultaneously, a vacuum suction device with sufficiently high performance must be prepared, but if large volumes of suction are performed, the collection tank is likely to exceed its upper limit and burst, hindering continuous construction. Furthermore, the increased frequency of the drainage process causes wear on parts, and the high costs of part replacement are unavoidable.

The present invention was devised in light of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a recovery tank system and an operating method thereof that can improve the efficiency of mud recovery and accommodate large-volume suction while avoiding high costs.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a recovery tank system for sucking in and discharging muddy water containing sedimentary soil from the bottom of the water, comprising a plurality of recovery tanks connected in parallel and a controller for controlling the operation of each recovery tank, wherein each of the plurality of recovery tanks comprises a first tank chamber that sucks in the muddy water by creating a negative pressure inside it, and a second tank chamber that is connected to the bottom of the first tank chamber via a first opening/closing valve and has a second opening/closing valve for discharging the muddy water to the bottom, wherein the controller controls the opening and closing of the first and second opening/closing valves by changing the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber of each recovery tank, and performs the suction/discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks in parallel and continuously while delaying the timing of the absorption/discharge processes of each recovery tank by a predetermined time, wherein the discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks are set to different times, and the predetermined delay time is set to be longer than the discharge process time of each of the plurality of recovery tanks .
In a recovery tank system according to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of recovery tanks further has a first control valve for connecting or separating the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber, and a second control valve for connecting or separating the second tank chamber and the outside, and the controller can change the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber by controlling the opening and closing of the first and second control valves, respectively.
In a recovery tank system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the controller can perform continuous operation of the multiple recovery tanks by: a) opening the first opening/closing valve to cause the muddy water sucked into and stored in the first tank chamber to fall into the second tank chamber and be stored in the second tank chamber; b) closing the first opening/closing valve to store the muddy water sucked into the first tank chamber; c) opening the second opening/closing valve to discharge the muddy water stored in the second tank chamber; and d) closing the second opening/closing valve, and repeating a) to d).
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an operating method for a recovery tank system which comprises a plurality of recovery tanks connected in parallel and a controller which controls the operation of each recovery tank, and which sucks up and discharges muddy water containing sediment from the bottom of the water, wherein each of the plurality of recovery tanks comprises a first tank chamber which sucks up the muddy water by creating a negative pressure inside it, and a second tank chamber which is connected to the bottom of the first tank chamber via a first opening/closing valve and has a second opening/closing valve which discharges the muddy water to the bottom, and the controller controls the opening and closing of the first and second opening/closing valves by changing the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber of each recovery tank, and performs the suction/discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks in parallel and continuously while delaying the timing of the absorption/discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks by a predetermined time, and the discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks are set to different times, and the predetermined delay time is set to be longer than the discharge process time of each of the plurality of recovery tanks .
In a method for operating a recovery tank system according to one embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of recovery tanks further has a first control valve for connecting or separating the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber, and a second control valve for connecting or separating the second tank chamber and the outside, and the controller can change the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber by controlling the opening and closing of the first and second control valves, respectively.
In one embodiment of the present invention, in a method for operating a recovery tank system, the controller a) opens the first opening/closing valve to cause the muddy water sucked into and stored in the first tank chamber to fall into the second tank chamber and be stored in the second tank chamber, b) closes the first opening/closing valve to store the muddy water sucked into the first tank chamber, c) opens the second opening/closing valve to discharge the muddy water stored in the second tank chamber, and d) closes the second opening/closing valve, and by repeating a) to d), continuous operation of the multiple recovery tanks can be performed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, by delaying the absorption/discharge timing of each of multiple recovery tanks connected in parallel by a predetermined time, the suction/discharge processes of multiple recovery tanks can be carried out continuously in parallel, thereby making the recovery of sediment more efficient.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, by setting the discharge processes of the plurality of collection tanks at different times, the suction/discharge processes can be performed continuously in parallel without overlapping the discharge processes of the plurality of collection tanks in time. This reduces the capacity of the high-concentration conveying pump that discharges muddy water, making it possible to efficiently collect mud and accommodate large-volume suction while avoiding high costs.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air pressures in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber are changed by controlling the opening and closing of a first control valve for connecting or separating the first tank chamber and the second control valve for connecting or separating the second tank chamber and the outside, respectively. This makes it possible to automatically control the opening and closing of the first and second opening and closing valves of each collection tank without providing a drive mechanism for opening and closing them, thereby simplifying the configuration for opening and closing control.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the recovery tank, which is made up of a first tank chamber and a second tank chamber, is used and the above-described operations a) to d) are repeated to perform continuous operation of multiple recovery tanks. This improves the efficiency of mud recovery and enables large-volume suction while avoiding high costs.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a barge-based sediment recovery facility equipped with a recovery tank system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one mud recovery tank in the recovery tank system according to the present embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of operation control of the mud recovery tank shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of operation control of the mud recovery tank shown in FIG. 2 . 3 is a time chart showing the mud absorption/discharge cycle of the mud recovery tank shown in FIG. 2 . 1 is a block diagram of a recovery tank system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing the operation control of the recovery tank system shown in FIG. 6 . FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a recovery tank system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a time chart showing the operation control of the recovery tank system shown in FIG. 8 . FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a recovery tank system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

1. First Embodiment As illustrated in Fig. 1, the sediment recovery equipment mounted on a barge 10 is equipment that sucks up sediment 20 that has accumulated at the bottom of the water in a river, canal, lake, dam reservoir, pump sedimentation basin, etc., and recovers the sediment on the barge 10, and the recovered sediment is transported to a sedimentation basin on land.

Mounted on the barge 10 are a gantry-type facility 11, a recovery tank system 12, a filter 13, a vacuum suction device 14, and a high-concentration transport pump 15. The gantry-type facility 11 suspends an agitation high-concentration pump 20 by a wire rope 16 so that it can be raised and lowered, and an auger-equipped suction machine 21 attached to the lower end of the agitation high-concentration pump 20 can be lowered to sediment 22 at the bottom of the water at an arbitrary head h. The sediment 22 sucked up by the auger-equipped suction machine 21 is agitated by the agitation high-concentration pump 20 and transported to the recovery tank system 12 through a vacuum suction pipe 23, and the absorbed water is transported to the recovery tank system 12 through a pumping transport pipe 24.

The recovery tank system 12 consists of multiple recovery tanks, a system for controlling the operation of each tank, and a water tank W for storing discharged muddy water. In this embodiment, multiple (n) mud recovery tanks T1 to Tn are installed. Each mud recovery tank sucks up muddy water, a mixture of sediment and water, through a vacuum suction pipe 23 in a cycle described below, and discharges it into the water tank W. The muddy water stored in the water tank W is transported to the settling basin by a high-concentration transport pump 15. The suction and discharge of sediment 22 is carried out by a vacuum suction device 14 creating negative pressure inside the recovery tank through a filter 13, as described below, and the control unit controls the valves of the mud recovery tank.

The barge 10 is equipped with a control room (not shown), where workers can visually or monitor the continuous operation control of the recovery tank system 12 (described below) and the operation control of the vacuum suction device 14 and high-concentration transport pump 15. Next, the configuration and operation control of the mud recovery tank in the recovery tank system 12 will be described in detail.

2, each of the mud recovery tanks T1 to Tn (hereinafter referred to as mud recovery tank T) has a two-tiered structure consisting of an upper tank chamber BL1 and a lower tank chamber BL2. The upper surface of the upper tank chamber BL1 is provided with a suction port I and a discharge port E, with a vacuum suction pipe 23 connected to the suction port I and a vacuum suction device 14 connected to the discharge port E.

The bottom surface of the upper tank chamber BL1 is slanted toward the center, and an on-off valve _SV1 that opens only downward is provided at the center lower end. The upper tank chamber BL1 can be connected downward to the lower tank chamber BL2 through the on-off valve _SV1 . In this embodiment, the on-off valve _SV1 functions similarly to a check valve and, as described below, opens and closes naturally in response to the air pressure difference between the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2, allowing the muddy water stored in the upper tank chamber BL1 to fall into the lower tank chamber BL2. That is, if the air pressure in the upper tank chamber BL1 is lower than that in the lower tank chamber BL2, the on-off valve _SV1 closes to store the muddy water, and if the air pressures in the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2 are equal, the on-off valve SV1 opens to allow the stored muddy water to fall into the lower tank chamber BL2.

The bottom surface of the lower tank chamber BL2 is slanted toward the center, and an on-off valve _SV2 that opens only downward is provided at the bottom center of the bottom surface. In this embodiment, the on-off valve _SV2 functions similarly to a check valve, and as described below, opens and closes naturally in accordance with the pressure difference between the lower tank chamber BL2 and the atmosphere, similar to the on-off valve _SV1 described above, allowing the muddy water stored in the lower tank chamber BL2 to be discharged into the water tank W.

The mud recovery tank T according to this embodiment can perform continuous mud suction and discharge by controlling the opening and closing of the on-off valves _SV1 and _SV2 , but the opening and closing control of the on-off valves _SV1 and _SV2 can be achieved in various ways. In this embodiment, as will be described below, the opening and closing control of the on-off valves _SV1 and _SV2 is performed by utilizing the air pressure difference between the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2, and the air pressure difference between the lower tank chamber BL2 and the outside. In other words, the on-off valves _SV1 and _SV2 can be configured as passive valves that can open downward, and no special actuators are required for opening and closing them.

Communication ports C1 and C2 provided on the respective side surfaces of the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2 are connected to a control valve _VL1 that can be electromagnetically controlled to open and close, and the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2 are connected to each other by opening the control valve _VL1 and are isolated from each other by closing it. Furthermore, communication port C3 provided on the side surface of the lower tank chamber BL2 is connected to a control valve _VL2 that can be electromagnetically controlled to open and close, and the lower tank chamber BL2 is connected to the outside by opening the control valve _VL2 and is isolated from the outside by closing it.

Furthermore, the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2 are provided with level sensors S1 and S2, respectively, to detect the muddy water levels therein. As will be described later, a valve controller (control unit) 100 monitors the water levels detected by the level sensors S1 and S2 and/or a timer, and opens and closes the control valves _VL1 and _VL2 to control the suction/discharge of the mud recovery tank. The suction/discharge control of the mud recovery tank will be described below.

1.2) Suction/Discharge Control The suction/discharge control of the valve controller 100 according to this embodiment will be specifically described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. The functions of the valve controller 100 can be realized by executing a program stored in a memory (not shown) on a computer processor.

3, when the vacuum suction device 14 is activated (operation 201), the valve controller 100 opens the control valve _VL1 to connect the upper tank chamber BL1 to the lower tank chamber BL2, and closes the control valve _VL2 to isolate the lower tank chamber BL2 from the outside (operation 202). As a result, both the upper tank chamber BL1 and the lower tank chamber BL2 become negative pressure, and the on-off valve _SV2 closes naturally, and the on-off valve _SV1 opens naturally, allowing the muddy water to fall into the lower tank chamber BL2 and accumulate there (FIG. 4(A)).

Next, the valve controller 100 closes the control valves _VL1 and _VL2 (operation 203). This creates a negative pressure in the upper tank chamber BL1, causing the on-off valve _SV1 to close naturally, and the muddy water is sucked into the upper tank chamber BL1 and stored there (FIG. 4B).

The valve controller 100 monitors whether the water level in the upper tank chamber BL1 detected by the level sensor S1 has reached a predetermined threshold value _LH (operation 204). The predetermined threshold value _LH corresponds to, for example, 80% of the tank chamber capacity. As an alternative monitoring method, the valve controller 100 may measure the elapsed time since the control valves _VL1 and _VL2 were closed using a timer and determine whether the timer has reached a predetermined elapsed time Tsuc and whether the water level in the upper tank chamber BL1 has reached a predetermined threshold value _LH . The elapsed time Tsuc may be calculated by averaging the actual measured time taken for the water level in the tank chamber to reach an upper limit value (e.g., 80% of the tank chamber capacity) from zero (0% of the tank chamber capacity). When either the water level in the upper tank chamber BL1 has reached the predetermined threshold value _LH or the timer has reached the predetermined elapsed time Tsuc, it can be determined that the water level in the upper tank chamber BL1 has reached the predetermined threshold value _LH .

When the water level in the upper tank chamber BL1 reaches a predetermined threshold value _LH (NO in operation 204), the valve controller 100 closes the control valve _VL1 and opens the control valve _VL2 (operation 205). Closing the control valve _VL1 separates the lower tank chamber BL2 from the upper tank chamber BL1, and opening the control valve _VL2 connects the lower tank chamber BL2 to the outside and increases the pressure to atmospheric pressure. This causes the on-off valve _SV2 to open naturally, and the muddy water stored in the lower tank chamber BL2 is discharged into the water tank W (FIG. 4(C)).

The valve controller 100 monitors whether the water level in the lower tank chamber BL2 detected by the level sensor S2 has reached zero, i.e., whether the discharge is complete (operation 206). Note that the determination of whether the discharge is complete may also be made by monitoring the elapsed time using a timer.

If the draining is complete (YES in operation 206), the valve controller 100 closes the control valves _VL1 and _VL2 (FIG. 4(D)). If the control is not complete (NO in operation 208), the above-described operations 202 to 208 can be repeated to repeatedly execute the suction/drain cycle shown in FIGS. 4(A) to 4(D).

As shown in Figure 5, the upper tank chamber BL1 continues its suction operation throughout Figures 4(A) to 4(D), while the lower tank chamber BL2 stores muddy water in Figures 4(A) to 4(B) and discharges it in Figures 4(C) to 4(D). Of one cycle from time t1 to t3, the discharge process is from time t2 to t3, and the time required for the discharge process (discharge process time) is shorter than the time required for the suction process (suction process time); for example, the suction process time = 50 seconds and the discharge process time = 5 seconds.

As described above, the recovery tank system 12 of this embodiment enables efficient continuous operation by sequentially operating the suction/discharge cycles of multiple mud recovery tanks T1-Tn at predetermined timings, as described below.

2. Examples 2.1) First Example As illustrated in FIG. 6, a recovery tank system 12a according to a first example of the present invention comprises a pair of mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 arranged in parallel, each of which has the structure shown in FIG. 2 and operates in the suction/discharge cycle shown in FIGS. 3 to 5.

To avoid repetition, the following reference numerals will be used in Figure 6. The upper tank chamber BL1, lower tank chamber BL2, on-off valve SV1, on-off valve _SV2 , control valve _VL1 , and control valve _VL2 of mud recovery tank T shown in Figure 2 correspond to the upper tank chamber BL1x, lower tank chamber _BL2x , on-off valve SV1x, on-off valve _SV2x , control valve _VL1x , and control valve _VL2x of mud recovery tank Tx (x = ₁ or 2), respectively. For example, control valve _VL11 of mud recovery tank T1 and control valve _VL11 of mud recovery tank T2 in Figure 6 correspond to control valve _VL11 of mud recovery tank T1, respectively. Since the configurations and functions of these corresponding components are basically similar, detailed descriptions of their structures will be omitted.

Although level sensors S1 and S2 are not shown in Fig. 6, they are provided in the same manner as in Fig. 2. Therefore, the valve controller 100 monitors the water levels in the upper and lower tank chambers of each of the mud recovery tanks T1 and T2, while controlling the opening and closing of control valves _VL11 and _VL21 of mud recovery tank T1 and control valves _VL12 and _VL22 of mud recovery tank T2, and performs suction/discharge control of mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 at the timing described below.

As illustrated in Figure 7, the valve controller 100 controls the suction/discharge operations of mud recovery tanks T1 and T2, starting a mud suction/discharge cycle similar to that shown in Figure 5 for mud recovery tank T1 at time t1, and starting a similar mud suction/discharge cycle for mud recovery tank T2 at time t2, a predetermined time td after time t1. This delay time td is set to be longer than the discharge process time of the mud recovery tank (t3 to t4 or t5 to t6). In this way, the valve controller 100 can continuously operate mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 so that the timing of the discharge processes is temporally different.

For example, as shown in Figure 6, the suction/discharge cycle can be set so that when mud recovery tank T1 is in the suction state shown in Figure 4(A), mud recovery tank T2 is in the discharge process shown in Figure 4(C).

As described above, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, when a pair of mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 are operated continuously, the suction/discharge processes of one recovery tank can be delayed by a predetermined time from the other, allowing the suction/discharge processes of the mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 to be carried out continuously in parallel, thereby making sediment recovery more efficient.

2.2) Second Example The present invention is not limited to the continuous operation of the pair of recovery tanks T1 and T2 described above, but is similarly applicable to continuous operation using multiple (three or more) recovery tanks. Hereinafter, as a second example of the present invention, continuous operation of three recovery tanks T1 to T3 will be described. However, components having the same functions as those in the first example will be assigned the same reference numerals or symbols, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

To avoid repetition of explanation, the following reference numerals will be used in Fig. 8. As in Fig. 6, the upper tank chamber BL1, lower tank chamber BL2, on-off valves _SV1 , _SV2 , control valves VL1, and _VL2 of the mud recovery tank T shown in Fig. 2 correspond to the upper tank chamber BL1x, lower tank chamber BL2x, on-off valves SV1x, _SV2x , control valves _VL1x , and control valves _VL2x of the mud recovery tank Tx (x = ₁ , 2, or ₃ ), respectively.

Similarly, level sensors S1 and S2 are provided in each of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T3. Therefore, the valve controller 100 monitors the water levels in the upper and lower tank chambers of each of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T3, controls the opening and closing of the control valves _VL1x and _VL2x of each mud recovery tank Tx, and executes suction/discharge control of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T3 at the timing described below.

As shown in Figure 9, the valve controller 100 controls the suction/discharge operations of the mud recovery tanks T1-T3, starting a mud suction/discharge cycle similar to that shown in Figure 5 for mud recovery tank T1 at time t1, a similar mud suction/discharge cycle for mud recovery tank T2 at time t1+td, a predetermined time td after time t1, and a similar mud suction/discharge cycle for mud recovery tank T3 at time t1+2td, a further predetermined time td later. The valve controller 100 sets this delay time td to be longer than the mud recovery tank discharge process time (t3-t4), and controls the discharge process timing of the mud recovery tanks T1-T3 so that they are time-varying.

For example, as shown in Figure 9, when mud recovery tank T1 is in the storage process, mud recovery tanks T2 and T3 are set to enter the discharge process at different times.

As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when three mud recovery tanks T1 to T3 are operated continuously, the suction/discharge processes of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T3 can be performed continuously in parallel by delaying each other's suction/discharge processes by a predetermined time, thereby making sediment recovery more efficient.

2.3) Third embodiment Hereinafter, as a third embodiment of the present invention, the continuous operation of two pairs of recovery tanks T1 and T2 and T3 and T4 will be described. However, the same reference numerals or symbols are used for members having the same functions as those in the first and second embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

To avoid duplication of explanation, the following reference numerals will be used in Fig. 10. As in Fig. 6, the upper tank chamber BL1, lower tank chamber BL2, on-off valve _SV1 , on-off valve _SV2 , control valve _VL1 , and control valve _VL2 of the mud recovery tank T shown in Fig. 2 correspond to the upper tank chamber BL1x, lower tank chamber BL2x, on-off valve _SV1x , on-off valve _SV2x , control valve VL1x, and control valve _VL2x of the mud recovery tank _Tx (x = 1, 2, 3, or 4), respectively. Level sensors S1 and S2 are also similarly provided in each of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T4.

10, the suction pipe 121 connected to the vacuum suction pipe 23 branches into four, with the first branch connected to the suction port _I1 of the mud recovery tank T1 via control valve _VL10 , the second branch connected to the suction port _I2 of the mud recovery tank T2 via control valve _VL20 , the third branch connected to the suction port _I3 of the mud recovery tank T3 via control valve _VL30 , and the fourth branch connected to the suction port _I4 of the mud recovery tank T4 via control valve _VL40 . The exhaust port _E1 of the mud recovery tank T1 is connected to an exhaust pipe 122 connected to the vacuum suction device 14, and similarly, the exhaust ports _E2 to _E4 of the mud recovery tanks T2 to T4 are also connected to the exhaust pipe 122.

Although not shown in Figure 10, the recovery tank system 12c is provided with a valve controller 100 similar to that shown in Figure 2, which monitors the water levels in the upper and lower tank chambers of each of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T4 and controls the opening and closing of the control valves _VL11 , _VL21 , _VL12 and _VL22 of the mud recovery tanks T1 and T2 and the control valves _VL13 , _VL23 , _VL14 and _VL24 of the mud recovery tanks T3 and T4, thereby performing suction/discharge control of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T4 at the same timing as in Figure 9.

For example, the valve controller 100 controls the suction/discharge operations of the mud recovery tanks T1-T4, delaying the mud suction/discharge cycle of the mud recovery tanks T1-T4 by a predetermined time td while continuously operating the mud recovery tanks T1-T4 so that the timing of the discharge process differs over time. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, the suction/discharge cycle can be set so that when the mud recovery tanks T1/T3 are in the suction state shown in Figure 4(A), the mud recovery tanks T2/T4 are in the discharge process shown in Figure 4(C), and when the mud recovery tanks T1/T3 are in the suction state shown in Figure 4(A), the suction/discharge cycle can be set so that the mud recovery tanks T2/T4 are in the discharge process shown in Figure 4(C).

Furthermore, the valve controller 100 can determine which combination of mud recovery tanks is to be operated continuously by independently controlling the opening and closing of the control valves VL ₁₀ , VL ₂₀ , VL ₃₀ and VL ₄₀ .

According to the third embodiment of the present invention, when two pairs of mud recovery tanks T1 and T2, and T3 and T4 are operated continuously, the suction/discharge processes of the mud recovery tanks T1 to T4 can be performed continuously in parallel by delaying each other's suction/discharge processes by a predetermined time, thereby making sediment recovery more efficient.

3. Effects As described above, according to the embodiments and examples of the present invention, by arranging multiple recovery tanks (any number) with the configuration shown in Figure 2 in parallel and delaying the absorption/discharge timing of each recovery tank by a predetermined time td as illustrated in Figures 7 and 9, the suction/discharge processes of multiple recovery tanks T1 to Tn can be performed continuously in parallel without overlapping the discharge processes of the multiple recovery tanks, thereby improving the efficiency of sediment recovery. In particular, by setting different timings for the discharge processes of the multiple recovery tanks, the capacity of the high-concentration transport pump that discharges muddy water can be reduced, making it possible to improve the efficiency of mud recovery and accommodate large-volume suction while avoiding high costs.

10 Barge 11 Gate-type equipment 12 Recovery tank system 13 Filter 14 Vacuum suction device 15 High-concentration transport pump 16 Wire rope 20 Sediment 21 Mixing high-concentration pump 22 Auger-equipped suction machine 23 Vacuum suction pipe 24 Pumping transport pipe 121 Suction pipe 122 Exhaust pipe 100 Valve controller T1, T2, T3, T4 Recovery tank BL1, BL11-BL14 Upper tank chamber BL2, BL21-BL24 Lower tank chamber S1, S2 Level sensors _VL1 to _VL2 , _VL11 to _VL14 , _VL21 to _VL24 Control valves _SV1 , _SV2 , _SV11 - _SV14 , _SV21 - _SV24 Opening and closing valves

Claims (6)

A recovery tank system that sucks up and discharges muddy water containing sediment at the bottom of the water,
a plurality of collection tanks connected in parallel;
a controller for controlling the operation of each recovery tank;
Equipped with
Each of the plurality of recovery tanks comprises a first tank chamber that sucks in the muddy water by creating a negative pressure inside, and a second tank chamber that is connected to the bottom of the first tank chamber through a first opening/closing valve and has a second opening/closing valve at the bottom for discharging the muddy water,
the controller controls the opening and closing of the first and second opening/closing valves by changing the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber of each recovery tank, and sequentially executes the suction/discharge processes of the plurality of recovery tanks in parallel while delaying the timing of the absorption/discharge processes of each recovery tank by a predetermined time ;
The discharge processes of the plurality of collection tanks are set at different times, and the predetermined delay time is set longer than the discharge process time of each of the plurality of collection tanks .
A recovery tank system. Each of the plurality of recovery tanks
a first control valve for connecting or separating the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber;
a second control valve for connecting or isolating the second tank chamber from the outside;
and
2. The recovery tank system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the opening and closing of the first and second control valves to change the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber. The controller:
a) opening the first opening/closing valve to allow the muddy water sucked into and stored in the first tank chamber to fall into the second tank chamber and be stored in the second tank chamber;
b) closing the first opening/closing valve to store the sucked muddy water in the first tank chamber;
c) opening the second opening/closing valve to discharge the muddy water stored in the second tank chamber;
d) closing the second on-off valve;
3. The recovery tank system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of recovery tanks are continuously operated by repeating steps a) to d). A method for operating a recovery tank system that includes a plurality of recovery tanks connected in parallel and a controller that controls the operation of each recovery tank, and that sucks and discharges muddy water containing sediment from the bottom of the water, comprising:
Each of the plurality of recovery tanks comprises a first tank chamber that sucks in the muddy water by creating a negative pressure inside, and a second tank chamber that is connected to the bottom of the first tank chamber through a first opening/closing valve and has a second opening/closing valve at the bottom for discharging the muddy water,
The controller:
controlling the opening and closing of the first and second opening and closing valves by changing the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber of each collection tank;
The suction/discharge steps of the plurality of recovery tanks are continuously performed in parallel while delaying the timing of the absorption/discharge steps of the plurality of recovery tanks by a predetermined time ,
The discharge processes of the plurality of collection tanks are set at different times, and the predetermined delay time is set longer than the discharge process time of each of the plurality of collection tanks .
A method for operating a recovery tank system. each of the plurality of recovery tanks further includes a first control valve for connecting or separating the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber, and a second control valve for connecting or separating the second tank chamber and the outside;
5. The method for operating a recovery tank system according to claim 4 , wherein the controller changes the air pressure in the first tank chamber and the second tank chamber by controlling the opening and closing of the first and second control valves, respectively. The controller:
a) opening the first opening/closing valve to allow the muddy water sucked into and stored in the first tank chamber to fall into the second tank chamber and be stored in the second tank chamber;
b) closing the first opening/closing valve to store the sucked muddy water in the first tank chamber;
c) opening the second opening/closing valve to discharge the muddy water stored in the second tank chamber;
d) closing the second on-off valve;
The method for operating a recovery tank system according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein the steps a) to d) are repeated to perform continuous operation of the plurality of recovery tanks.