GB2285932A

GB2285932A - Liquid storage apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2285932A
Application number: GB9401576A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mustofa Hasan Alkaff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-01-27
Filing date: 1994-01-27
Publication date: 1995-08-02
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-27
Also published as: GB9401576D0; GB2285932B

Abstract

Liquid storage apparatus comprising tank means having liquid input means and liquid output means, and filter means located in the pathway between the input and output means. Preferably the liquid storage apparatus comprises two tank chambers (8, 19) each of which includes a frusto-conical member (1, 14) serving to separate each chamber (8, 9) into a plurality of sub-chambers (23, 25) and wherein the apparatus comprises a liquid inlet (21) associated with one chamber and a liquid outlet (22) associated with another chamber (19). Each of the frusto-conical members (1, 14) includes filter means (2, 16) so that, in passing between said inlet (21) and said outlet (22), the liquid passes through said sub-chambers (23, 25) and said filter means. <IMAGE>

Description

LIOUID STORAGE APPARATUS The present invention relates to liquid storage apparatus and, in particular, but not exclusively, to a water storage tank.

The traditional way of providing water for washing, bathing and drinking is by fetching it from a water source where the water is still in its natural state. For example, water is commonly retrieved from a river, a pond or a well, which might be relatively shallow. In cities, some of the inhabitants can obtain piped water from a drinking-water supply company.

The quality of water obtained in such a way is sometimes not satisfactory in the sense that it contains sediments of mud, moss, algae, animal manure and metals.

Also, it can have an unpleasant smell.

Many efforts have been made to improve the quality of water, such as by using chemical materials, channelling the water through a flocculation gate, or generally filtering the water by way of a filter device.

There are also many specially manufactured filters on sale. Many water tanks are also used to retain water. As such, the water tanks can be filled by way of a water pump, and the water is then recovered as and when needed from an outlet pipe.

In rural areas and villages, raw water is often collected and stored in a tank and a filter, made of used cloth, is then attached at the outlet pipe. In cities and other urban areas, similar filters are used at water faucets because the quality of the water acquired from the pipes does not meet the demand for cleanliness.

The above-mentioned arrangements are disadvantageous since they only produce partial results because part of the manure/sediments and other contaminants still pass through to the end user.

Further, the construction of a tank and a filter separated from each other is not practical.

According to the present invention there is provided fluid storage apparatus comprising tank means having liquid input and liquid output means, and filter means located in the pathway between said input and said output means.

Preferably, said filter means comprises at least two filters, wherein one filter is associated with an input region of said tank means and a second filter is associated with an output region of said tank means.

In particular, said filter means may be arranged to remove sewage particles, or impurities in general, from the fluid. In addition, or alternatively, said filter means may be arranged to remove unpleasant odours from said liquid.

According to a particular advantageous embodiment, said filter means may comprise odour-removal means which are located down-stream of said first filter means and up-stream of said second filter means.

Further, said storage apparatus can be divided into a plurality of tank chambers. As such, one tank chamber can be associated with the liquid input, and the other tank chamber can be associated with the liquid output.

Communication between the two chambers can of course occur as, and when, required so as to allow for passage of the liquid entering the input, through the apparatus, and on towards the output.

Preferably, at least one of said plurality of tank chambers is itself sub-divided into at least two chambers.

Each sub-divided tank chamber being arranged such that when the liquid in one part of the chamber rises to a predetermined level, it is arranged to overflow through an overflow port into the other part of the sub-divided chamber.

This is particularly advantageous in allowing for the sedimentation of the fluid delivered by way of the input before it passes through the overflow port.

Preferably, the apparatus is arranged such that, in use, the different tanks and chambers are spaced in a vertical manner.

In particular, the means for sub-dividing each tank into a plurality of chambers may comprise a frusto-conical member. As such, when a first tank is located vertically above a second tank, each tank may also include a frustoconical member for sub-dividing each respective tank.

Further, the two frusto-conical members can then be disposed so that the wider ends of each frusto-conical member are located adjacent each other. As such, one frusto-conical member points in an upward direction, and the other in a downward direction. Preferably the frustoconical member that points downwardly is located in the lower of the chambers.

It can be particularly advantageous to incorporate sediment-collection means into the downwardly-facing frusto-conical member. The sediment-collection means may comprise a plurality of coaxial cylindrical walls or weirs.

Also, means for filtering-out any unpleasant odours in the liquid may be associated with one, and in particular the upwardly facing, frusto-conical member.

To improve the overall construction of the apparatus of the present invention, separating means can be provided between said frusto-conical members so as to achieve the appropriate relative location thereof.

Also, the narrowing portion of each frusto-conical member can be arranged to communicate with a cylindrical member. According to a particularly advantageous embodiment, filter means can be associated with said cylindrical members and, further, an overflow port may be provided at any required height in the walls of the cylinder so as to allow for overflow of the liquid into, or away from, said frusto-conical means.

As such, it should be appreciated that the means for sub-dividing each tank can be separated, and located, so as to substantially provide a mirror-image of each other Advantageously, the present invention can provide for a water tank which, apart from being useful for storing water, also carries out chemical processes and at the same time filters the sediments as well as eliminates the bad smell contained in the water. Such a tank can be referred to as an integrated water tank.

In such an integrated water tank, the function of the tank for storage of water ready for use, may be advantageously integrated with two filters, i.e. a gate filter and a storage filter. In order to lighten the burden of the gate filter, the water is first given the opportunity to settle down in a sedimentation vessel. The process of sedimentation is accelerated with the help of an agglomeration material. In order to improve the quality of water, any bad smell is absorbed by a smell eliminating medium which is stored in the storage space of the medium at the separating tray.

The construction of the present invention is so easy to overhaul so that it makes it easy to clean. Its capacity can be variable. Its usage is very practical because of its characteristic of integration.

Consequently a water tank embodying the present invention has particularly advantageous features so that it can help overcome the problem of improving the quality of water which will meet the hygienic requirements.

The invention is described further hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompany drawing which is a cross-section through storage means embodying the present invention.

The drawing shows a water tank that consists of two cylinder tanks 8,19 which are fastened together with a binding spring 28, tied up to a tethering ring at each tank 8,19.

Two cut-off, or frusto-conical, cones 1,14 are fixed within the tanks 8,19 with a filter 2,16 fixed at the top of each cone 1,14. The two cut-off cones 1,14 are fixed symmetrically and a separating tray 11 is fixed inbetween the two cones. The separating tray 11 can be provided with an odour-eliminating medium 26 at least one of the cones.

Raw water is delivered into the tank 8 through an inlet pipe 21 and water ready for use is released from the tank 19 through an outlet pipe 22.

The raw water to be stored can enter through the inlet pipe 21, by using a water pump or by just flowing in under the influence of gravity. The raw water aradually fills a space 25 in the processor tank 8, then after passing the height of the terminal base of the gate filter 2, the raw water flows through the filter 2 which is fixed there and flows further to an odour-elimination space 23 in which the odour-elimination medium 26 is located.

The water then flows from the space 23 past the ring of sediment collection reservoirs 15 and then fills the space of a cylinder reservoir 18.

When the cylinder 18 becomes full, the water flows through a filter which is fixed at the filter terminal 16, and enters the storage tank 19. The water in the storage tank 19 is water which is ready for use and which therefore can be released through the outlet pipe 22.

A more detailed description of the illustrated embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

The cut-off cone 1 which is widened at the bottom with a connecting ring 24, is equipped at the top with a cylinder which is part of the filter terminal of gate 2.

The upper part of this cylinder is fastened together with a pipe ventilator 3. The pipe 3 is put into a casing 4 where, on its outside part, a supporting spring 5 is fixed which is supported by a base 7. The pipe 3 is also provided with an insulator 6 to prevent leakage.

The cut-off cone 1 together with the cylinder and filter terminal serves to divide the space in the processing tank 8 into two parts, i.e. a sedimentation space 25 and a smell, or odour, elimination space 23.

The separating tray 11 which is fixed between the cone 1 and the cone 14, is equipped with a smell, or odour, eliminating cone 10 in which the smell eliminating medium is stored in storage space 26.

Part of the inner surface of the cut-off cone 14 is equipped with the sediment collecting ring 15. The wider opening part of the cone 14 engages a connecting ring 27.

The part of the cone 11 is remote from the above-mentioned wider opening equipped with an extension cylinder 28 which constitutes part of the storage filter terminal 16, while on the outside part of the extension cylinder 18 a supporting ring 17 is installed.

The top of the extension cylinder 18 which is actually shown upside down in the drawing is located on a base 20 which in turn is located on a base part within the storage tank 19.

The processing tank 8, cone 1, the separating tray 11, cone 14 and the storage tank 19 are arranged such that there is an insulating ring 12 between them.

The processing tank 8, having a supporting ring 9 and the storage tank 19, having a supporting ring 13 are tied together with a binding spring 28.

As mentioned above, raw water is introduced into the processing tank 8 through the inlet pipe 21 and water which is ready for use is released from the storage tank 19 through the outlet pipe 22.

A water tank, or so-called integrated water tank, of the present invention has superior features over known tanks. Apart from being a water storage tank, it also has the ability to clean and filter water which is going to be stored therein. This is made possible because of a filter installed inside it. In addition, it also enables a process of cleaning impurities from the water and of eliminating unpleasant smells.

In this way the water obtained from a pond, or well, which is of a poor quality and not suitable for consumption (which is perhaps turbid and smelly) can be retained in a storage tank for future safe consumption.

It will be appreciated that modifications and variations to the invention as described above may be made within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. Liquid storage apparatus comprising tank means having liquid input means and liquid output means, and filter means located in the pathway between said input and said output means.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said filter means comprises at least two filters, wherein one filter is associated with an input region of said tank means and another filter is associated with an output region of said tank means.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said filter means comprises odour-removal means located down-stream of said first filter means and up-stream of said second filter means.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said storage apparatus is divided into a plurality of tank chambers and one tank chamber is associated with the liquid input, and another tank chamber is associated with the liquid output.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of said plurality of tank chambers is sub-divided into at least two sub-chambers.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one sub-chamber is arranged such that when the liquid in said at least one sub-chamber rises to a predetermined level, it is arranged to overflow through an overflow port into another sub-chamber.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein means for sub-dividing each tank into a plurality of chambers comprises a frusto-conical member.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein there is provided an upwardly facing frusto-conical member and a downwardly facing frusto-conical member and wherein sediment-collection means is incorporated into the downwardly-facing frusto-conical member.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein said sediment-collection means comprises a plurality of coaxial cylindrical weirs.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, and including means associated with one frusto-conical member for filtering-out unpleasant odours in the liquid.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, 8, 9 or 10, wherein the narrowing portion of each frusto-conical member can be arranged to communicate with a cylindrical member having filter means associated therewith.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein an overflow port is provided in the walls of the cylindrical member so as to allow for overflow of the liquid into, or away from said frusto-conical member.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein first and second frusto-conical means are arranged so as to represent a mirror image of each other.

14. Apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 12, and arranged so that, in use, the tank chambers are spaced in a vertical direction.

15. Liquid storage apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.