JP7807779B2 - High viscosity oil-water separator - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil-water separator that separates at least water from water-mixed oil.

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an oil purifier that removes water, impurities, and the like from oil has been known (see Patent Document 1).
This oil purifier is a live-line oil purifier that sends the insulating oil in the changeover switch chamber that houses the changeover switch via an oil pump and a sheath heater to an adsorption filtration tank, where it is purified using an adsorbent and filter and then returned to the changeover switch chamber.A two-contact pressure gauge with contacts is attached to the adsorption filtration tank, and the first-stage contact, which turns on at a set pressure lower than the allowable pressure, is incorporated into the excitation circuit of the heater electromagnetic contactor together with contact A of the motor electromagnetic contactor, and the second-stage contact, which turns on at the allowable pressure, is incorporated into the protection alarm circuit, so that the first-stage contact determines whether or not power is applied to the heater, and the second-stage contact performs protection operation.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-236368

However, the oil purifier described in Patent Document 1 includes devices such as a heater for heating the oil, a thermometer for detecting the oil temperature, and a thermostat, and also has a function for detecting abnormalities in the changeover switch based on the relationship between the number of times the changeover switch switches and pressure rises through calculations performed on a computer or the like, resulting in a complex structure and high costs.

In light of these issues, the present invention aims to provide an oil-water separator that achieves "structural simplification" and "cost reduction" by separating water from water-mixed oil by flowing the water-mixed oil roughly along the surface of a lower extension member within a chamber.

The oil-water separator (1) of the present invention is an oil-water separator that separates at least water (W) from water-mixed oil (M), and comprises: a separation section (2) having a chamber (3) that separates the water (W ) from the water-mixed oil (M); an inlet pipe (5) for introducing the water-mixed oil (M) from an external hydraulic device (Y); an oil inlet (41) communicating with the inlet pipe (5); a hydraulic circuit (40) having a pump (6) and an oil outlet (48) for supplying the water-mixed oil (M) to the chamber (3); a vacuum pump (34) for discharging gas from the chamber (3); and a base (8) supporting the separation section (2), the hydraulic circuit (40), the inlet pipe (5), the pump (6), and the vacuum pump (34) . The separation section (2) comprises a lower extension member (4) that is suspended within the chamber (3) and includes a chain-like object. The separation section (2) has a first feature that the water-mixed oil (M) flows approximately along the surface of the chain-like object within the chamber (3), thereby separating the water (W) from the water-mixed oil (M) and vaporizing it .

The second feature of the oil-water separator 1 of the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature described above, the chamber (3) has a shape having a longitudinal direction and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is approximately along the vertical direction.

A third feature of the oil-water separator 1 of the present invention is that, in addition to the first or second feature described above, the hydraulic circuit (40) further includes a first solenoid valve (43) that switches between connecting and blocking communication between the oil inlet (41) and the pump (6), and a second solenoid valve (44) that switches between a first position that connects the pump (6) and the chamber (3) and a second position that connects the pump (6) and the oil outlet (48) .

The fourth feature of the oil-water separator 1 of the present invention is that, in addition to the third feature described above, the chamber 3 is provided with an outlet 3b on the lower side for discharging the separated oil M' after the water W has been separated from the water-mixed oil M, and further with a third solenoid valve 45 for switching between connecting and blocking the communication between the pump 6 and the outlet of the chamber 3 .

A fifth feature of the oil-water separator 1 of the present invention is that, in addition to the above-mentioned first to fourth features , the base portion 8 is provided with wheels 9 for moving the oil-water separator.

Due to these features, by flowing the water-mixed oil M approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4 within the chamber 3 and separating the water W from the water-mixed oil M, the surface area of the flowing water-mixed oil M increases, making it easier for the water W in the water-mixed oil M to be exposed as air bubbles, and the water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M into the chamber 3.Therefore, unlike Patent Document 1, there is no need for heaters, thermostats, thermometers, or functions such as performing calculations on a computer or the like to detect abnormal conditions in the switching switch, thereby simplifying the structure of the oil-water separator 1 ("simplification of structure") and reducing costs ("cost reduction").
Furthermore, in the oil-water separator 1, the increase in the surface area of the flowing water-mixed oil M is the same for high-viscosity water-mixed oil M, so the oil-water separator 1 can also be said to be an ``oil-water separator that can handle high viscosity oils.''

Furthermore, by making the downward extension member 4 a chain-like object suspended from the upper inner surface of the chamber 3, whose longitudinal direction is roughly aligned with the vertical direction, the hanging direction of the chain-like object becomes roughly parallel to the longitudinal direction of the chamber 3. This maximizes the time that the water-mixed oil M flows roughly along the surface of the chain-like object, thereby further increasing the surface area of the flowing water-mixed oil M, further improving the oil-water separation function of the oil-water separator 1 and achieving a simplified structure and reduced costs.

Furthermore, because there is no heater, thermostat, or thermometer, Patent Document 1 had problems such as the oil purification automatically stopping even if the time switch was set to purify the oil overnight due to devices such as the heater, or a function that uses calculations on a computer or the like based on these devices to detect abnormalities in the changeover switch. However, since the oil-water separator 1 does not have the unnecessary devices and functions mentioned above, there is no problem such as the oil-water separation automatically stopping, and it also allows for a "simplified structure" and "reduced costs."

Furthermore, by having an inlet hose 5 that can be attached and detached to the hydraulic equipment Y, a pump 6 that sucks water-mixed oil M from the hydraulic equipment Y, and an outlet hose 7 that can be attached and detached to the hydraulic equipment Y, the oil-water separator 1, unlike the oil purifier of Patent Document 1, requires a switching switch and is therefore exclusive to transformers that have a switching switch, can be said to be usable with any hydraulic equipment Y, regardless of whether it is a transformer or not.
Furthermore, wheels 9 may be provided on the base part 8 that supports the separation part 2, and unlike Patent Document 1, it can be said that the oil-water separator 1 can be moved near any hydraulic equipment Y and used in conjunction with that hydraulic equipment Y.

The oil-water separator of the present invention allows water-mixed oil to flow roughly along the surface of the lower extension member within the chamber, separating the water from the water-mixed oil, thereby achieving "simplification of structure" and "cost reduction."

1 is a schematic diagram showing a separation section of an oil-water separator according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the oil-water separator. FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the oil-water separator. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the oil-water separator. FIG. 2 is a hydraulic circuit diagram of the oil-water separator. 10 is a photograph in place of a drawing showing a front view of a modified oil-water separator. 10 is a photograph in place of a drawing showing a perspective view of a separation section in a modified example of an oil-water separator. 1 is a photograph in lieu of a drawing showing an inlet hose and an outlet hose in an oil-water separator.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<Overall configuration of oil-water separator 1>
1 to 8 show an oil-water separator 1 according to the present invention.
This oil-water separator 1 is a device that separates at least water W from water-mixed oil M, which will be described later.
The oil-water separator 1 has a separation section 2, which will be described later.

The oil-water separator 1 does not need to have a heater, thermostat, or thermometer, which can be said to make it lighter, and a lifting member 1a such as a ring or hook may be provided to lift the entire oil-water separator 1 (see Figures 3 and 7).
The oil-water separator 1 may have an inlet hose 5, a pump 6, an outlet hose 7, which will be described later, and a base portion 8, which will be described later.
In addition, the oil-water separator 1 may have a housing (also called a casing or outer casing) 11, a control panel 12, etc.

The size of the oil-water separator 1 is not particularly limited, but for example, the overall height (total vertical length including the protruding length of the chamber 3 described later) may be 900 mm or more and 2100 mm or less, preferably 1100 mm or more and 1900 mm or less, and more preferably 1300 mm or more and 1700 mm or less (e.g., 1515 mm), the overall width (total left-right length) may be 450 mm or more and 1350 mm or less, preferably 600 mm or more and 1200 mm or less, and more preferably 750 mm or more and 1050 mm or less (e.g., 900 mm), and the overall depth (total front-to-back length) may be 350 mm or more and 950 mm or less, preferably 450 mm or more and 850 mm or less, and more preferably 550 mm or more and 750 mm or less (e.g., 650 mm).
Furthermore, when the oil-water separator 1 has a housing 11 and the housing 11 is approximately rectangular, the size of the housing 11 is not particularly limited, but for example, the height (vertical length) may be 700 mm or more and 1450 mm or less, preferably 800 mm or more and 1300 mm or less, and more preferably 900 mm or more and 1150 mm or less (e.g., 1007 mm), the width (left-right length) may be 450 mm or more and 1350 mm or less, preferably 600 mm or more and 1200 mm or less, and more preferably 750 mm or more and 1050 mm or less (e.g., 900 mm), and the depth (front-to-back length) may be 350 mm or more and 950 mm or less, preferably 450 mm or more and 850 mm or less, and more preferably 550 mm or more and 750 mm or less (e.g., 650 mm).

The control panel 12 attached to such a housing 11 is a panel that controls the oil-water separator 1, and may operate each solenoid valve 43 to 45 in the hydraulic circuit 40 described later, or control the level switch 33 in the separation section 2 described later and the pressure in the chamber 3.
The size of this control panel 12 is not particularly limited, but for example, the height (vertical length) may be 250 mm or more and 700 mm or less, preferably 300 mm or more and 600 mm or less, and more preferably 350 mm or more and 500 mm or less (e.g., 411 mm), the width (horizontal length) may be 250 mm or more and 700 mm or less, preferably 300 mm or more and 600 mm or less, and more preferably 350 mm or more and 500 mm or less (e.g., 389 mm), and the depth (front-to-back length) may be 110 mm or more and 300 mm or less, preferably 140 mm or more and 270 mm or less, and more preferably 170 mm or more and 240 mm or less (e.g., 203 mm).
Next, the water-mixed oil M, etc., which is the target of oil-water separation by the oil-water separator 1 described above, will be described.

<Water mixed oil M, water W, separated oil M'>
Water-mixed oil M is oil that has at least water (water W described below) mixed in (contains water), and it may or may not contain any foreign matter other than water.
The water-mixed oil M naturally contains oil (it can be said that it is mostly oil), but the type of oil is not particularly limited, and it may be, for example, the hydraulic oil (hydraulic oil) of the hydraulic equipment Y described below, or other machine oils such as lubricating oil, cylinder oil, and heat treatment oil.

There are no particular restrictions on the foreign matter mixed into the water-mixed oil M, but it may be, for example, in addition to water, air, abrasive particles, sludge, oxidation products, foreign oil, scale (dust), paint chips, rubber-like particles, fiber debris, etc.
The water W is water that was mixed in the water-mixed oil M described above, and is separated from the water-mixed oil M by the separation section 2 described later.

The separated oil M' is the oil obtained after the water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M in the separation section 2 described below. The separated oil M' may not contain any water, but it may contain a small amount of water.
In addition, the separated oil M' may contain foreign matter other than water, or may not contain foreign matter other than water.
Next, the separation unit 2 will be described below.

<Separation section 2>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the separation section 2 is a section that separates water W from the water-mixed oil M described above.
The separation section 2 includes a chamber 3 (to be described later) and a downward extension member 4 (to be described later).

The separation section 2 separates the water W from the water-mixed oil M by causing the water-mixed oil M to flow substantially along the surface of the lower extension member 4 within the chamber 3 .
In addition, the separation section 2 may be configured to make the water-mixed oil M, which has flowed approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4 at least once, flow approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4 again.
The chamber 3 and the lower extension member 4 will be described below.

<Chamber 3>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the chamber 3 is a tank (container, room) having an internal space (cavity), in which water W is separated from water-mixed oil M.
A lower extension member 4, which will be described later, is provided on the inner upper surface (inner upper surface) of the chamber 3.

The configuration of the chamber 3 is not particularly limited, but for example, the chamber 3 may be configured so that the water-mixed oil M flows into the chamber 3 from the upper surface side so that the water-mixed oil M flows roughly along the surface of the lower extension member 4 inside the chamber 3. In this case, it can be said that an inlet 3a is provided on the upper surface side of the chamber 3.
The chamber 3 may be equipped with an air breather 31 and a chamber stop valve 32 .

The air breather 31 is a device that releases water (separated and evaporated water vapor) W that has separated from the water-mixed oil M in the chamber 3, and other gases such as air inside the chamber 3, to the outside of the chamber 3, and prevents foreign matter such as dust from entering the inside of the chamber 3 from the outside.
The chamber stop valve 32 is a valve that is provided in the piping between the air breather 31 and the chamber 3 and opens and closes the piping (in other words, it "opens" and "closes"), and the block may or may not be integrated with the stop valve 47 described below.

On the other hand, the lower part of the chamber 3 may be configured to accumulate separated oil M' after it has flowed roughly along the surface of the lower extension member 4 (water W has been separated from the water-mixed oil M), and in this case, a level switch (oil level (liquid level) sensor) 33 may be provided to detect the amount of accumulated separated oil M'.
The level switch 33 is a sensor that detects the level (height) of the separated oil M' in the chamber 3, and in particular, can be said to detect whether the oil level of the separated oil M' in the chamber 3 has reached a predetermined upper limit (or a predetermined lower limit), and can be of any type, such as a float type, tuning fork type, or capacitance type.

The accumulated separated oil M' may be drained from the lower side of the chamber 3 (or may be allowed to flow out of the chamber 3). In this case, it can be said that an outlet 3b is provided on the lower side of the chamber 3.
The shape of such a chamber 3 is not particularly limited, and may be a shape having a longitudinal direction, such as a generally cylindrical shape (also called a generally cylindrical shape) whose longitudinal direction (axial direction) is longer than the diameter and has a bottom (having an upper and lower bottom), or a generally prismatic shape (also called a generally rectangular tube shape, with a cross-sectional shape such as a generally square, rectangular, or triangular shape) whose longitudinal direction is longer than each side of the cross-sectional shape and has a bottom, or a generally rectangular shape or a generally ellipsoid shape having a longitudinal direction.

When the chamber 3 has a shape having a longitudinal direction, it may be arranged so that its longitudinal direction is approximately along the vertical direction, and may, for example, be the above-mentioned approximately cylindrical shape with a bottom or approximately rectangular column shape whose longitudinal direction is approximately along the vertical direction.
Alternatively, the shape of the chamber 3 may be an approximately cubic or spherical shape without a longitudinal direction, or an approximately cylindrical, rectangular, rectangular, or ellipsoid shape with a bottom that has a longitudinal direction, even if the longitudinal direction does not substantially align with the vertical direction.

Hereinafter, the shape of the chamber 3 will be described as being a shape whose longitudinal direction is approximately along the vertical direction (particularly, a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom).
The chamber 3, whose longitudinal direction is substantially aligned with the vertical direction, may be arranged so that its upper side protrudes upward from the upper surface of the housing 11 described above.

When the upper side of the chamber 3 is arranged so as to protrude upward from the housing 11, the length of the protruding portion of the chamber 3 (protruding length) is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50 mm or more and 650 mm or less, preferably 150 mm or more and 550 mm or less, and more preferably 250 mm or more and 450 mm or less (e.g., 350 mm).
The diameter of the chamber 3, which is approximately cylindrical and has a bottom, is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 50 mm or more and 350 mm or less, preferably 100 mm or more and 300 mm or less, and more preferably 150 mm or more and 250 mm or less (e.g., 205 mm).

The chamber 3 may be a vacuum chamber regardless of its shape.
Hereinafter, the chamber 3 will be mainly described as a vacuum chamber.
The chamber 3, which is a vacuum chamber, may also be equipped with a vacuum pump 34, a pressure gauge (so-called vacuum gauge) 35, and the like, which will be described later.

The vacuum pump 34 is a pump that exhausts gases such as air and water (separated and evaporated water vapor) W that has separated from the water-mixed oil M within the chamber 3 from the inside of the chamber 3, which is a vacuum chamber, and creates a vacuum inside the chamber 3 (which, as specified in JIS-Z-8126-1:1999, is also referred to as "a state of space filled with gas at a pressure lower than normal atmospheric pressure").
The vacuum pump 34 is not particularly limited in its configuration, but may be, for example, a dry pump such as a rotary vane vacuum pump, a gas transport type such as an oil rotary vacuum pump, or a gas storage type.

The output and degree of vacuum (pressure) of the vacuum pump 34 are not particularly limited, and the output may be, for example, 0.5 kW to 1.5 kW, preferably 0.6 kW to 1.2 kW, and more preferably 0.7 kW to 0.9 kW (e.g., 0.8 kW or 0.75 kW). The degree of vacuum may be, for example, 0.1 mbar (millibar, hPa (hectopascal)) to 5.0 mbar, preferably 0.5 mbar to 4.0 mbar, and more preferably 1.0 mbar to 3.0 mbar (e.g., 2.0 mbar), or may be a low vacuum, medium vacuum, high vacuum, or ultra-high vacuum as specified in JIS-Z-8126-1:1999.
The pressure gauge 35 is an instrument for measuring the pressure inside the chamber 3, which is a vacuum chamber.

<Lower extension member 4>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the downward extension member 4 is a member that extends substantially downward from the upper surface of the inside of the chamber 3 described above.
The water-mixed oil M flows substantially along the surface of the lower extension member 4 , and the water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M within the chamber 3 .

The configuration of the lower extension member 4 is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be suspended from the upper surface of the inside of the chamber 3 described above, and the upper end of the lower extension member 4 may be attached near the inlet 3a of the chamber 3.
When the lower extension member 4 is suspended from the upper surface inside the chamber 3, the lower extension member 4 may be a chain-like object, which is a chain or a chain-like object consisting of a series of ring-shaped objects, such as an approximately elliptical shape.

The lower extension member 4 may be a rod-shaped object extending approximately downward from the upper surface inside the chamber 3 described above, and if the lower extension member 4 is a rod-shaped object, the upper end of the rod-shaped object may be suspended so as to be able to swing (or rotate) freely relative to the upper surface inside the chamber 3.
In addition, the downward extension member 4 may be a string-like, tape-like, spring-like, etc., and if the downward extension member 4 is a string-like, tape-like, spring-like, etc., a weight or the like may be attached to the lower end of the string-like, tape-like, spring-like, etc.

The downward extension member 4 may have unevenness formed on its surface, and may also be provided with branch members or the like that have a predetermined angle with respect to the downward extension direction (hanging direction) of the downward extension member 4 (for example, extending downward from the horizontal direction).
The length of the downward extension member 4 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, shorter than, approximately the same as, or longer than the longitudinal length (or vertical length) of the chamber 3.

The water-mixed oil M that flows roughly along the surface of the extension member 4 (in other words, drips down the extension member 4) accumulates as separated oil M' at the bottom of the chamber 3. However, the oil level (liquid level) of the separated oil M' when it first begins to accumulate does not yet reach the bottom end of the extension member 4 (the oil level indicated by the solid line in Figure 1). Therefore, oil-water separation occurs along the entire length of the extension member 4 (from the top to the bottom of the extension member 4 if the length of the extension member 4 is shorter than (or roughly the same as) the longitudinal length of the chamber 3; and from the top to the point where the extension member 4 contacts the bottom surface of the chamber 3 if the length of the extension member 4 is longer than (or roughly the same as) the longitudinal length of the chamber 3). (The water-mixed oil M flows roughly along the surface, and water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M.)

As oil-water separation progresses further and the amount of accumulated separated oil M' increases, the lower part of the lower extension member 4 becomes immersed in the separated oil M' (oil level indicated by the dotted line in Figure 1), but it can also be said that the separated oil M' accumulates in the lower part of the chamber 3 before oil-water separation occurs along the entire length of the lower extension member 4.In this case, the oil level is detected appropriately using the level switch 33 described above, and when the oil level of the separated oil M' exceeds a predetermined upper limit (i.e., when the accumulated separated oil M' exceeds a predetermined amount), the third solenoid valve 45, etc. described below, causes the separated oil M' to flow out of the chamber 3 from the outlet 3b at the bottom of the chamber 3, thereby allowing oil-water separation to be performed again along the entire length of the lower extension member 4.
Next, the inflow hose 5, outflow hose 7, etc. will be described, but before that, the hydraulic equipment Y to which these hoses 5, 7 are attached will be described below.

<Hydraulic equipment Y>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the hydraulic equipment Y is a device that is driven by hydraulic pressure, and uses oil such as hydraulic oil or lubricating oil.
The hydraulic equipment Y is not particularly limited, but may include a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic motor, a hydraulic cylinder, various control valves, an accumulator, a filter, an oil tank, and the like.

The hydraulic equipment Y may be, for example, a hydraulic equipment in a jack device, or a hydraulic equipment in a lifter device, a press device, a crusher device, or a cutting device.
The oil used in such hydraulic equipment Y may be high viscosity oil depending on the temperature environment of the hydraulic equipment Y (such as a wide temperature range).

<Inflow hose 5>
As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the inflow hose 5 is detachable from the hydraulic equipment Y (i.e., retrofittable), and is a hose that allows oil (i.e., water-mixed oil M) in the hydraulic equipment Y to flow in from the hydraulic equipment Y.
The inlet hose 5 may be detachably attached to any location in the hydraulic equipment Y described above, but for example, the inlet hose 5 may be detachably attached to a valve attached to the oil tank so that oil in the oil tank in the hydraulic equipment Y (which becomes the water-mixed oil M that is the target of oil-water separation) can be introduced.

The inlet hose 5 does not have to be constantly attached to the oil-water separator 1 (it may be detachable from the oil-water separator 1), but may be attached to the oil-water separator 1 only when oil (water-mixed oil M) is being introduced from the hydraulic equipment Y, or may be detached from the oil-water separator 1 and the hydraulic equipment Y while the water-mixed oil M is being separated into oil and water within the oil-water separator 1.
The thickness and connection port of the inlet hose 5 are not particularly limited, but for example, it may be thicker than the outlet hose 7 described later (see Figure 7), and the connection port may be, for example, a tapered male thread R1 or the like.

<Pump 6>
1 to 7, the pump 6 at least sucks the water-mixed oil M from the hydraulic equipment Y via the inlet hose 5. Therefore, the pump 6 can also be said to be a suction pump.
Furthermore, as will be described later in relation to the hydraulic circuit 40, the pump 6 may discharge, in addition to the water-mixed oil M from the hydraulic equipment Y, separated oil M' obtained by oil-water separation in the separation section 2, via an outflow hose 7 described later to the same hydraulic equipment Y that sucked in the water-mixed oil M. In this case, the pump 6 can also be said to be a discharge pump.
When the same pump 6 both sucks the water-mixed oil M from the hydraulic equipment Y and discharges the separated oil M' to the hydraulic equipment Y, the pump 6 can also be said to be an intake/discharge pump.

The pump 6 is not particularly limited in its configuration, and may be, for example, a dry pump such as a rotary vane vacuum pump, a gas transport type such as an oil rotary vacuum pump, or a gas storage type.
The output and discharge rate of the pump 6 are not particularly limited, but the output may be, for example, 0.5 kW to 1.5 kW, preferably 0.6 kW to 1.2 kW, and more preferably 0.7 kW to 0.9 kW (e.g., 0.75 kW), and the discharge rate may be, for example, 6 L (liters)/min to 20 L/min, preferably 8 L/min to 18 L/min, and more preferably 10 L/min to 15 L/min (e.g., 12 L/min).

The pump 6 may be provided with a relief valve 6a and a check valve 6b (see FIG. 5). Of these, the relief valve 6a is a valve that prevents the oil pressure on the discharge port side of the pump 6 from rising above a predetermined value, and the check valve 6b is a valve that prevents water-mixed oil M and the like from flowing back to the discharge port side of the pump 6.
Furthermore, the pump 6 may be for 60 Hz or 50 Hz.

<Outlet hose 7>
1 to 8, the outflow hose 7 is detachable from the hydraulic equipment Y (i.e., retrofittable), and is a hose that allows the separated oil M', obtained after the water W is separated from the water-containing oil M in the separation section 2, to flow out to the hydraulic equipment Y. The outflowed separated oil M' becomes the oil used in the hydraulic equipment Y.
The outflow hose 7 may also be detachable to any location in the hydraulic equipment Y described above, but may also be detachable so that the separated oil M' flows into an oil tank in the hydraulic equipment Y, for example.

The outflow hose 7 does not have to be constantly attached to the oil-water separator 1 (it may be detachable from the oil-water separator 1), but may be attached to the oil-water separator 1 only when oil (separated oil M') is being discharged to the hydraulic equipment Y, or may be detached from the oil-water separator 1 and the hydraulic equipment Y while the water-mixed oil M is being separated into oil and water within the oil-water separator 1.
The thickness and connection port of the outflow hose 7 are not particularly limited, but for example, it may be thinner than the inflow hose 5 described above (see Figure 7), and the connection port may be, for example, a tapered male thread R3/8 or the like.

<Base portion 8>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the base portion 8 is a portion that supports the separation portion 2.
The configuration of the base portion 8 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a plate-like body, in which case the base portion 8 can also be said to be a base plate.
The shape of the base portion 8 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, substantially rectangular or substantially square in plan view.

In addition to supporting the separation unit 2, the base unit 8 may also support other equipment, such as the pump 6, vacuum pump 34, and housing 11 described above, or may support the entire hydraulic circuit 40 described below.
The base portion 8 may have wheels 9, which will be described later. Next, the wheels 9 will be described.

<Wheel 9>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, the wheels 9 are provided on the base portion 8 and are used to move the oil-water separator 1.
The number of wheels 9 is not particularly limited, but for example, there may be one or more wheels per base portion 8, and in particular, if the base portion 8 is approximately rectangular in plan view, one wheel may be attached to the underside of each corner (a total of four wheels).

There are no particular limitations on the configuration of the wheels 9, but for example, they may be casters rotatably attached to the underside of the base portion 8, and the wheels 9 may also be equipped with stoppers that restrict or allow the rotation of the wheels 9.
When the wheel 9 is a caster, its vertical length is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 mm or more and 220 mm or less, preferably 120 mm or more and 200 mm or less, and more preferably 140 mm or more and 180 mm or less (e.g., 159 mm).

<Hydraulic circuit 40 in oil-water separator 1>
As shown in FIG. 5, the oil-water separator 1 described above has a hydraulic circuit 40 for separating water W from water-mixed oil M.
In addition to the above-mentioned equipment, the hydraulic circuit 40 has an oil inlet 41, a filter 42, a first solenoid valve 43, the above-mentioned pump 6, a second solenoid valve 44, the above-mentioned separation section 2, a third solenoid valve 45, a relay block 46, a stop valve 47, an oil outlet 48, etc.

Here, the oil inlet 41 is detachably connected to the inlet hose 5, and the connection port may be, for example, a tapered female screw Rc1 or the like.
The filter 42 is a filter (suction filter) attached to the intake side of the pump 6 described above, and prevents foreign matter and the like mixed in the water-mixed oil M from entering the pump 6.
The first solenoid valve 43 is a valve that allows (i.e., "opens") or stops (i.e., "closes") the flow of the water-mixed oil M from the filter 42 to the suction port side of the pump 6, and can be said to be controlled by the control panel 12. The first solenoid valve 43 may or may not be integrated into a block with the third solenoid valve 45 described later.
The second solenoid valve 44 is a valve that directs the water-mixed oil M and separated oil M' from the discharge port side of the pump 6 to the inlet 3a of the chamber 3 (the "chamber 3 side," so to speak) or to the relay block 46 described below (the "outlet side," so to speak) (in other words, a valve that switches between separating the water-mixed oil M into oil and water or directing the separated oil M' to flow out), and can be said to be controlled by the control panel 12 described above.
The third solenoid valve 45 is a valve that allows (i.e., "opens") or stops (i.e., "closes") the separated oil M' and water-mixed oil M from the outlet 3b of the chamber 3 to flow toward the suction port side of the pump 6, and can be said to be controlled by the control panel 12. The third solenoid valve 45 may or may not be integrated into the block of the first solenoid valve 43.
The relay block 46 is a manifold block having an oil passage formed inside a roughly rectangular parallelepiped metal or the like, and is a block that routes (relays) the separated oil M' from the second solenoid valve 44 to the oil outlet 48 described later, and routes a portion of the separated oil M' from the second solenoid valve 44 to the inlet 3a of the chamber 3 when the stop valve 47 described later opens.
The stop valve 47 is provided in the piping between the relay block 46 and the oil passage from the second solenoid valve 44 to the chamber 3, and is a valve for opening and closing the piping (i.e., "opening" and "closing" so to speak), and may or may not be integrated with the chamber stop valve 32. Note that the stop valve 47 is opened in order to allow part of the separated oil M' to escape to the inlet 3a of the chamber 3 when there is too much separated oil M' from the discharge port side of the pump 6 because the outflow hose 7 is thinner than the inflow hose 5 (the amount of oil that can flow out is smaller) even though the same pump 6 is used.
The oil outlet 48 is detachably connected to the outflow hose 7, and the connection port may be, for example, a tapered female screw Rc3/8.

Next, the movements of the water-mixed oil M, water W, and separated oil M' in the hydraulic circuit 40 will be described below.
<1> Movement of water-mixed oil M When water-mixed oil M enters the oil-water separator 1 from the hydraulic equipment H via the inlet hose 5 and the oil inlet 41, foreign matter etc. is first removed by the filter 42. Then, if the first solenoid valve 43 is set to "open" and the third solenoid valve 45 is set to "closed", the water-mixed oil M is sucked into the pump 6, enters the pump 6 from the suction port side, and is discharged from the discharge port to the second solenoid valve 44.
At this time, if the second solenoid valve 44 is on the "chamber 3" side and the stop valve 47 is "closed", the water-mixed oil M enters the interior of chamber 3 from the inlet 3a of chamber 3 in the separation section 2, and the water-mixed oil M flows roughly along the surface of the lower extension member 4, thereby separating the water W from the water-mixed oil M.

<2> Movement of water W As described above, when the water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M in the chamber 3, it can be said that it becomes water vapor. If the separation section 2 is equipped with an air breather 31, and the above-mentioned chamber stop valve 32 is "open," the water W passes through the chamber stop valve 32 and is released from the air breather 31 to the outside of the chamber 3.
Furthermore, if the chamber 3 is a vacuum chamber and is equipped with a vacuum pump 34 and a pressure gauge 35, the water W is discharged from the vacuum pump 34 to the outside of the chamber 3 together with the air when the vacuum pump 34 discharges the air and other substances from the chamber 3 to the outside of the chamber 3.

<3> Movement of Separated Oil M' After the water W is separated from the water-mixed oil M in the chamber 3 of the separation section 2, the separated oil M' accumulates in the lower part of the chamber 3. When the level switch 33 detects that the amount of this accumulated separated oil M' exceeds a predetermined value (the oil level of the separated oil M' exceeds a predetermined height), the third solenoid valve 45 is opened and the first solenoid valve 43 is closed, and the separated oil M' is then sucked into the pump 6, enters the pump 6 from the suction port side, and is discharged from the discharge port to the second solenoid valve 44.
At this time, if the second solenoid valve 44 is set to the "outlet side" and the stop valve 47 is set to "closed", the entire amount of separated oil M' discharged by the pump 6 will flow out to the hydraulic equipment Y via the relay block 46, the oil outlet 48 and the outflow hose 7.
Furthermore, although the second solenoid valve 44 is on the "outlet side," if the stop valve 47 is "open," it can be said that a portion of the total amount of separated oil M' discharged by the pump 6 will flow into the chamber 3.
On the other hand, if the second solenoid valve 44 is on the "chamber 3" side and the stop valve 47 is "closed," the separated oil M' will again enter the interior of chamber 3 from the inlet 3a of chamber 3 in the separation section 2, and as the separated oil M' flows approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4, further water W will be separated (in other words, re-separated) from the separated oil M', and the amount of water W in the separated oil M' will be further reduced.

<Others>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The individual components or the overall structure, shape, dimensions, etc. of the oil-water separator 1 etc. can be appropriately changed in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.
The oil-water separator 1 may be attached to the hydraulic equipment Y from the beginning, in which case the inlet hose 5 and outlet hose 7 may be fixed to the hydraulic equipment Y and the oil-water separator 1 rather than being detachable.
The power supply voltage of the oil-water separator 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 200V or 100V.
The oil-water separator 1 (hydraulic circuit 40) does not need to have the filter 42.
The oil-water separator 1 does not have to have a housing 11 (see Figures 6 to 8).

The re-separation of the separated oil M' in the chamber 3 of the separation unit 2 may be performed only once, or may be performed multiple times. In this case, it can also be said that the oil flowing approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4 in the chamber 3 is the separated oil M' (that is, the oil flowing approximately along the surface of the lower extension member 4 in the chamber 3 is the water-mixed oil M or the separated oil M', and since it can also be said that the separated oil M' that is re-separated contains water, the separated oil M' can also be said to be the water-mixed oil M).
If the chamber 3 is a vacuum chamber, the separation unit 2 does not need to be equipped with the air breather 31 .
The upper side of the chamber 3 does not have to be disposed so as to protrude upward from the upper surface of the housing 11 .
The chamber 3 does not have to be a vacuum chamber, and does not have to be equipped with the vacuum pump 34 or the pressure gauge 35 .
When the downward extension member 4 is a rod-shaped object, the upper end of the rod-shaped object may be fixed to the upper surface inside the chamber 3, and the fixing angle may be approximately 90° or less than approximately 90° with respect to the upper surface inside the chamber 3. In this case, if the chamber 3 has a shape having a longitudinal direction, it can be said that the longitudinal direction of the rod-shaped object is not approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the chamber 3.
The first to third solenoid valves 43 to 45 may be replaced with switching valves that do not switch electromagnetically but are switched manually, as long as they can be switched between "open" and "closed,""chamber 3 side" and "outlet side," respectively.

The oil-water separator of the present invention can be used for any oil contaminated with water or foreign matter, such as hydraulic oil for hydraulic equipment, or machine oils such as lubricating oil, cylinder oil, and heat treatment oil. It can also be used for any hydraulic equipment that uses such oil, such as hydraulic equipment in jacks, lifters, presses, crushers, and cutting equipment.

1 Oil-water separator 2 Separation section 3 Chamber 4 Lower extension member 5 Inlet hose 6 Pump 7 Outlet hose 8 Base section 9 Wheel M Water-mixed oil W Water H Hydraulic equipment M' Separated oil

Claims (5)

An oil-water separator that separates at least water (W) from water-mixed oil (M),
a separation unit (2) having a chamber (3) for separating water (W) from the water-containing oil (M) ;
an inlet pipe (5) for introducing water-mixed oil (M) from an external hydraulic device (Y);
a hydraulic circuit (40) having an oil inlet (41) communicating with the inlet pipe (5), a pump (6) for supplying the water-mixed oil (M) to the chamber (3), and an oil outlet (48);
a vacuum pump (34) for discharging gas from the chamber (3);
a base portion (8) that supports the separation portion (2), the hydraulic circuit (40), the inlet pipe (5), the pump (6), and the vacuum pump (34) ,
The separating section (2) comprises a lower extending member (4) including a chain-like object suspended within the chamber (3) ;
The separation section (2) is an oil-water separator characterized in that the water-mixed oil (M) flows approximately along the surface of the chain-like object within the chamber (3), causing water (W) to separate from the water-mixed oil (M) and evaporate . 2. The oil-water separator according to claim 1, wherein the chamber (3) has a shape having a longitudinal direction, and is disposed so that the longitudinal direction is substantially along the vertical direction. The hydraulic circuit (40) includes a first solenoid valve (43) that switches between communication and cut-off between the oil inlet (41) and the pump (6);
The oil-water separator of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a second solenoid valve (44) that switches between a first position that connects the pump (6) to the chamber (3) and a second position that connects the pump (6) to the oil outlet (48) . The chamber (3) has an outlet (3b) at its lower side for discharging the separated oil (M') obtained after the water (W) has been separated from the water-containing oil (M),
The oil-water separator according to claim 3 , further comprising a third solenoid valve (45) for switching between communication and blocking between the pump (6) and the outlet of the chamber (3) . An oil-water separator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the base portion (8) is provided with wheels (9) for moving the oil-water separator.