JP7414572B2 - Drainage device for piping, drainage system and snow removal method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a water draining device for piping, a water draining system, and a snow removal method.

Traditionally, in areas with heavy snowfall or in cold regions, water is sprinkled on railway tracks, roads, parking lots, and other road surfaces to melt snow and control the amount of water sprinkled. It has been proposed to provide an automatic opening/closing valve that can close the watering pipe when not in use (Patent Document 1). In a snow-melting pipe having such an automatic opening/closing valve, when water is not to be sprinkled, the valve can be closed in advance to prevent the inside of the pipe from freezing. In addition, in order to prevent freezing, a heater is provided outside the pipe to heat the pipe itself.

Special Publication No. 3-19324

However, with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, an automatic on-off valve controlled by a control device must be attached to the piping at the time of installation, and a control device for controlling the automatic on-off valve must be constantly operated during operation. There is a need. Control wiring also needs to be prepared. Therefore, installation is time consuming and the initial cost is also high. Furthermore, even after installation, it is necessary to operate the control device during operation, which increases running costs. Similarly, the method of installing a heater on the outside of the piping requires a separate heater to be prepared and installed around the outside of the piping during installation, and electricity for the heater is also required when operating it after installation. Initial costs are rising and running costs are also unavoidable.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and eliminates the need for the above-mentioned control device or control valve controlled by the control device, and also prevents freezing in the pipes without using a heater or the like. The aim is to reduce initial costs and eliminate running costs.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a water draining device for piping that discharges water remaining in the supply piping through a water drainage piping provided in the middle of the supply piping leading from the pump side to the supply outlet. The valve body includes a valve body and a valve body housed in the valve body, and the valve body has a first opening communicating with the drain pipe and a first opening communicating with the discharge pipe communicating with the discharge outlet. 2 openings, and the valve body has a shape that does not allow it to pass through the first opening, is larger than the second opening, and has a shape that can close the opening. The valve body has a shape and size that accommodates the valve body with a gap between the inside of the valve body and the valve body, and allows the valve body to move within the valve body.
When the pump is in operation, the pressure applied within the drain pipe due to the operation of the pump causes the valve body to move toward the second opening within the valve body. is closed, and when the pump is stopped, the valve element moves within the valve body in a direction away from the second opening, opening the second opening .
The first opening is an upper opening provided on the upper side of the valve body, the second opening is a lower opening provided on the lower side of the valve body, and the movement is , is realized by the buoyancy of the valve body .

According to the present invention, when the pump is operated, pressure (hydraulic pressure) is applied by the pump in the supply pipe and the water drain pipe, but this causes the valve body in the valve body of the water drain device to lower . It moves toward the side opening, and the lower opening on the discharge pipe side is closed. Therefore, the water pumped by the pump does not flow from the drainage pipe to the discharge pipe, and can be discharged from the supply outlet of the supply pipe to the area to be supplied.
On the other hand, when the pump is stopped, the valve body moves away from the lower opening within the valve body, and the lower opening on the discharge pipe side of the valve body is opened, allowing the supply piping and water Residual water in the drain pipe is drained from the discharge pipe to the discharge outlet. Therefore, when the pump is stopped, the water remaining in the supply pipe and the drain pipe can be discharged out of the pipe. Therefore, it is possible to prevent piping from freezing due to residual water and problems caused by residual water in piping (for example, the growth of algae).
As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need for a control device or a control valve controlled by the control device, and it is possible to prevent freezing in the pipes without using a heater or the like, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent inconveniences caused by residual water. Can be done.

When the pump is stopped, the pressure (hydraulic pressure) that moved the valve body toward the lower opening when the pump was activated disappears, and only the water pressure (hydrostatic pressure) due to the water remaining in the piping remains. Therefore, by utilizing this, movement of the valve body is realized by the buoyancy of the valve body.

A water drainage system using the water drainage device for piping described above includes, for example, a pump for supplying water, a supply pipe for supplying water from a supply outlet to a supply target area by the pump, and A connection part between the supply pipe and the water drain pipe, the pipe having a water drain pipe connected in the middle, and a discharge pipe connected to the water drain pipe via the pipe water drain device. Toward this end, a water drainage system can be proposed, characterized in that the upstream and downstream sides of the connection part in the supply pipe are inclined downward.
Even in this type of water drainage system, there is no need for a control device or a control valve controlled by the control device, and freezing in the pipes can be prevented without using a heater, etc., so the initial cost when constructing the system is reduced. and running costs can be kept lower than before.
Note that in the present invention, water is a concept that also includes hot water.

The upstream and downstream sides of the connection part of the supply pipe are configured to be inclined downward toward the connection part between the supply pipe and the water drain pipe . All of the remaining water in the pipes flows into the drainage pipe when the pump is stopped, so it is possible to drain all the residual water in the pipes when the pump is stopped.

If the water discharged from the discharge pipe is collected and returned to the supply pipe, it can be reused, so it is possible to save water to be supplied to the supply target area.

Furthermore, if the water drainage system described above is used, for example, the pump will stop operating each time after clearing and melting the snow in the snow removal target area, and the water drainage device will then drain the snow removal pipes. A snow removal method that removes snow can be realized.

As an example of the snow-melting method described above, when a railway vehicle enters the railway tracks at a station, the pump is operated to supply snow-melting water from the supply outlet to the railway vehicle or the track, and the railway vehicle is When the train leaves the station, the operation of the pump is stopped, and the water in the snow removal pipe is drained by the water removal device, so that a snow removal method can be proposed.
With this snow removal method, for example, in areas with heavy snowfall or in cold regions, it is now possible to easily remove snow from the bogies of railway cars when the train stops at a station, which previously had to be done by hand. Since it also prevents water from remaining in the pipes and freezing, no special maintenance is required.

According to the present invention, there is no need for a control device or a control valve controlled by the control device, and freezing in the pipes can be prevented without using a heater or the like, thereby reducing initial costs and eliminating running costs. be able to.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a snow removal system having a water draining device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of a water draining device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the water draining device according to the embodiment when the pump is in operation. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the water draining device according to the embodiment when the pump is stopped. FIG. 2 is an explanatory plan view showing how the snow removal system according to the embodiment performs snow removal work on a bogie when a railway vehicle enters the railroad tracks at a station. It is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the water removal device concerning other embodiments. FIG. 7 is an explanatory cross-sectional view of a water draining device according to another embodiment when the pump is in operation. It is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the water draining device concerning other embodiments when a pump is stopped.

Hereinafter, a water draining device according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to the drawings. Note that, in this specification, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are designated by the same reference numerals and redundant explanation will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a snow removal system 1 according to an embodiment. This snow removal system includes a pump 10 for supplying water for snow removal, and a supply pipe 12 for supplying water for snow removal from a nozzle 11 serving as a supply outlet to an area to be removed by the pump 10. , and a drainage pipe 13 connected to the middle of the supply pipe 12. The draining pipe 13 is connected via a draining device 20 to a discharge pipe 14 communicating with a discharge outlet (not shown).

The pump 10 pumps snow melting water from the snow melting water supply source 2 through the supply pipe 12 and discharges it from the nozzle 11. Further, in the present embodiment, the upstream side pipe 12a and the downstream side pipe 12b of the connection part 15 in the supply pipe 12 are sloped downward toward the connection part 15 between the supply pipe 12 and the drain pipe 13. is inclined to. That is, the angle θ1 that the upstream pipe 12a makes with the horizontal line in FIG. 1 and the angle θ2 that the downstream pipe 12b makes with the horizontal line are both greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees.

In order to encourage water to flow from the downstream pipe 12b to the drain pipe 13, it is desirable that the water drain pipe 13 is connected to the lower side of the supply pipe 12. Moreover, in order to ensure the flow of water from the downstream pipe 12b to the drainage pipe 13, it is preferable to configure the pipe line so as to obstruct the flow between the upstream pipe 12a and the downstream pipe 12b. For example, an elbow portion may be provided in the middle of the supply pipe 12, and the drain pipe 13 may be connected to the elbow portion. Alternatively, a curved portion that obstructs the flow may be set in the straight supply piping 12 closer to the supply destination, and the water draining piping 13 may be connected to the pump 13 side of the bent portion.

As shown in FIG. 2, the water draining device 20 has a cylindrical valve box 21 that is a valve body, and a ball float 22 that is a valve body housed in the valve box 21. An upper opening 23, which is a first opening, is formed at the upper end of the valve box 21, and a lower opening 24, which is a second opening, is formed at the lower end of the valve box 21. A flange 21a is provided at the upper end of the valve box 21, and is watertightly connected to a flange 13a formed at the lower end of the drain pipe 13. Further, a flange 21b is provided at the lower end of the valve box 21, and is watertightly connected to a flange 14a formed at the upper end of the discharge pipe 14.

The diameter of the ball float 22 is larger than the diameter of the upper opening 23, so that the ball float 22 cannot pass through the upper opening 23. Further, the diameter of the lower opening 24 is smaller than the diameter of the ball float 22, and as shown in FIG. 2, the lower opening 24 is closed by pushing down the ball float 22.

The ball float 22 is housed in the valve box 21, and the inner diameter of the valve box 21 is set to be larger than the diameter of the ball float 22, for example by about 1 mm to 20 mm. can be moved up and down. That is, the gap d of 1 mm to 20 mm is secured between the outer peripheral surface of the ball float 22 and the inside of the valve box 21. The size of this gap d is determined within a range that allows the ball float 22 to rise inside the valve box 21 due to the buoyant force B of the ball float 22 in the state shown in FIG. 4, which will be described later, and does not hinder water drainage.

In this embodiment, the ball float 22 has a specific gravity of less than 1, and rises in water due to buoyancy.

The snow removal system 1 according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and in order to discharge snow removal water to the snow removal target area, the pump 10 is operated to supply snow removal water from the supply source 2. Water is pumped through supply piping 12.

At this time, since the supply pipe 12 is connected to the water drain pipe 13 at the connection part 15, the water pumped by the pump 10 also flows to the water drain pipe 13. However, as shown in FIG. 3, the water draining pipe 13 is provided with a water draining device 20, and this water draining device 20 has a ball float 22 in a valve box 21. Therefore, when the pump 10 is in operation, the ball float 22 is pushed down by the pump operating pressure (hydraulic pressure DP) that is greater than the buoyant force B of the ball float 22, as shown in the figure. Lower opening 24 is closed. Therefore, the water in the drainage pipe 13 will not flow out to the discharge pipe 14. That is, the water pumped by the pump 10 does not flow out from the discharge pipe 14, but is directly pumped from the supply pipe 12 to the nozzle 11, and can be discharged from the nozzle 11.

On the other hand, when the pump 10 is stopped after snow removal work is finished, the pressure (hydraulic pressure DP) during pump operation that was pushing down the ball float 22 disappears, and the water inside the supply pipe 12 and drain pipe 13 disappears. Only the pressure of the remaining water (hydrostatic pressure) remains. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the ball float 22 rises due to the buoyant force B possessed by the ball float 22 itself. As a result, the lower opening 24 of the water draining device 20 is opened, and the water remaining in the supply pipe 12 passes through the water draining pipe 13 together with the water remaining in the water draining pipe 13. As indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 4, it flows from the gap d between the inside of the valve box 21 and the ball float 22 through the lower opening 24 to the discharge pipe 14 due to its own weight. Therefore, the water remaining in the supply pipe 12 can be drained, and the residual water in the supply pipe 12 can be eliminated to prevent the supply pipe 12 from freezing.

Further, in the present embodiment, the upstream side pipe 12a and the downstream side pipe 12b of the connection part 15 in the supply pipe 12 are sloped downward toward the connection part 15 between the supply pipe 12 and the drain pipe 13. Since the water supply pipe 12 is inclined at a tilt angle, the residual water in the supply pipe 12 can flow from the connection part 15 to the drain pipe 13 when the pump is stopped, so that all the residual water in the supply pipe 12 can be discharged. Therefore, there is no fear that the supply pipe 12 and the drain pipe 13 will freeze.

Thus, according to the snow removal system 1 according to the embodiment, water can be drained from the pipes without using an automatic valve that is electrically controlled by a conventional control device, and the supply pipe 12 It is possible to prevent freezing inside. Moreover, the water draining device 20 for realizing this has a simple structure and the initial cost is low. Furthermore, since the ball float 22 is automatically pushed down or raised depending on when the pump 10 is activated or stopped, no special control or control device is required during operation. Therefore, there are no running costs.

Such a snow removal system 1 can be applied, for example, to the tracks of a railway station 31 and to railway vehicles, as shown in FIG. That is, at this station 31, tracks 33 and 34 are laid with a platform 32 in between. A railway vehicle 35 is parked on the track 34.

By applying the snow removal system 1 to the stopped railway vehicle 35, for example, by directing the nozzle 11 of the snow removal system 1 to the bogie part of the stopped railway vehicle 35, It is possible to remove snow that has adhered to the ground without the help of workers.

More specifically, when the railway vehicle 35 enters the station track 34 and stops, by activating the pump 10, snow-melting water is discharged onto the bogie of the railway vehicle 35, and the water that adheres to the bogie is discharged. It can melt and melt snow. Therefore, the troublesome snow removal work that has traditionally been done manually can now be carried out quickly without mobilizing workers. The snow removal systems 1 are preferably arranged side by side on both sides of the railway vehicle 35, and on the platform 32 side, they may be installed below the platform 32, and on the opposite side of the platform 32, they may be placed outside the tracks 34. Bye.

When the snow removal work is completed, by stopping the operation of the pump 10, the residual water in the supply pipe 12 is automatically drained, as described above, so that it does not remain in the pipe and freeze. There is no need for special maintenance.

When snow is removed from the railway vehicle 35 that has stopped at the station 31 in this way, when the railway vehicle 35 enters the track 34 of the station 31 as described above, the pump 10 is operated and the snow removal is carried out from the nozzle 11. Water is discharged to the railway vehicle 35 and the track 34, and when the railway vehicle 35 departs from the station 31, the operation of the pump 10 is stopped and water is drained from the supply pipe 12 by the water draining device 20. can be proposed. In such a case, the pump 10 may be operated using the entry of the railway vehicle 35 into the station 31 as a trigger, and the pump 10 may be controlled to be stopped when the railway vehicle 35 departs. As a result, the snow adhering to the railway vehicle 35 can be automatically removed, and the water used therein can be prevented from freezing in the pipes.
Moreover, if the water discharged from the discharge pipe 14 is recovered and returned to the supply pipe 12, water can also be saved.

Of course, the arrangement may be such that snow-melting water is discharged not only to the railway vehicle 35 but also to the tracks 33 and 34 themselves or to turnouts provided on the tracks.

In addition, if it is necessary to remove snow not only from the track at station 31 but also from the track between stations, the nozzle 11 is arranged so that water for snow removal is discharged from the nozzle 11 toward the track. Therefore, the snow removal system 1 may be installed near the railroad tracks.

Furthermore, the snow removal system 1 according to the embodiment can be applied to remove snow from the roofs of houses in areas with heavy snowfall or in cold regions. It can also be applied to melting snow on roads. In this case, since the snow melting itself on the road is automatically sprinkled with water based on snowfall sensors, road surface temperature, etc., the snow melting system 1 according to the embodiment may be applied as is, or the water draining device 20 may be used as a supply pipe for watering. By using this method, there is no need for electrical or mechanical (including automatic control) operations to prevent supply piping from freezing. Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to supply pipes in irrigation equipment and sprinkler equipment, spring water pump pipes that may freeze, and water supply pipes in underground parking lots. In addition, the snow removal system 1 according to the embodiment can also be applied to water pipes in houses such as villas where people are absent depending on the season. In this case, even if the purpose is not to clear snow or melt snow, the present invention is useful when it is desired to prevent water from remaining in the water supply pipe for a long period of time.

In the embodiment described above, the ball float 22 has the buoyancy B, but in view of such a function, the material of the ball float 22 may be made of synthetic resin, for example, to further secure the buoyancy B. For this reason, it is better to have a hollow shape. However, when the ball float 22 is pushed down during operation of the pump 10 and closes the lower opening 24, if the pressure at that time (hydraulic pressure DP) is very large, the outer circumferential surface of the ball float 22 may close the lower opening 24. It is not impossible that the buoyant force B alone does not increase when the pump 10 is press-fitted into the section 24 and deformed, and when the pressure (hydraulic pressure DP) disappears when the pump 10 is stopped and only the hydrostatic pressure remains.

In view of this, for example, if at least the surface of the ball float 22 is made of a hard material with high hardness or the surface of the ball float 22 is coated with a hard film, the ball float 22 can be moved by the hydraulic pressure DP during pump operation. Even if it is pushed down, it is prevented from deforming when the lower opening 24 is closed, and it is possible to prevent such a situation and raise it by the buoyant force B.

In order to more reliably realize the rise of the ball float 22 when the pump is stopped due to the press-fitting of the ball float 22 into the lower opening 24 by the hydraulic pressure DP during pump operation, for example, as shown in FIG. A water removal device 20 can be proposed.

This water draining device 20 has a structure in which an annular pedestal 41 is provided on the inner wall of the lower opening 24 of the valve box 21, and a coil spring 42 is attached to the pedestal 41. The upper end of the coil spring 42 is fixed to the lower end of a ball valve 43 serving as a valve body. A flow opening 44 is formed in the center of the pedestal 41 . The specific gravity of the ball valve 43 itself may be smaller than 1 or larger than 1. If the specific gravity of the ball valve 43 itself is greater than 1, it must be able to maintain the raised state within the valve box 21 only by the biasing force E of the coil spring 42 in the hydrostatic pressure environment when the pump is stopped. . Further, the elasticity of the coil spring 42 needs to be such that it can be pushed downward and close the lower opening 24 by the hydrodynamic pressure DP during pump operation.

According to the water draining device 20 having the above configuration, as in the previous embodiment, when the pump is activated, as shown in FIG. The ball valve 43 is pushed down by this pressure (hydraulic pressure DP), and the lower opening of the valve box 21 is closed.

When the pump is stopped, the hydraulic pressure DP disappears as shown in FIG. 8, and accordingly, the ball valve 43 is raised by the urging force E of the coil spring 42, and the lower opening 24 is opened. As a result, the water in the pipe falls under its own weight, flows out from the gap d between the outer periphery of the ball valve 43 and the inside of the valve box 21, and flows from the flow opening 44 to the discharge pipe 14.

Further, since the ball valve 43 is urged upward by the urging force E of the coil spring 42, the ball valve 43 is pressed into the lower opening 24 by the hydraulic pressure when the pump is operated, and the ball valve 43 is pressed into the lower opening 24 when the pump is stopped. It is possible to reliably achieve an increase in If the specific gravity of the ball valve 43 is less than 1, it can be raised by buoyancy, but if the ball valve 43 is pressed down and deformed as described above, it may be difficult to raise it by buoyancy alone. Therefore, it is sufficient that the coil spring 42 has a buoyant force B and a biasing force E sufficient to separate the ball valve 43 from the lower opening 24.

Of course, even in such a case, the surface of the ball valve 43 may be coated with a hard material to increase its hardness. This makes it possible to suppress the press-fitting deformation of the ball valve 43 itself.

Although the ball float 22 and the ball valve 43 described above are both spherical, the valve body does not necessarily have to be spherical. Further, any shape may be used as long as it does not prevent water from falling due to its own weight when the pump is stopped.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is useful for the piping which supplies water for snow removal by a pump.

1 Snow removal system 2 Supply source 10 Pump 11 Nozzle 12 Supply piping 13 Drainage piping 13a Flange 14 Discharge pipe 14a Flange 15 Connection part 12a Upstream piping 12b Downstream piping 20 Water removal device 21 Valve box 21a, 21b Flange 22 Ball Float 23 Upper opening 24 Lower opening 31 Station 32 Platform 33, 34 Track 35 Railway vehicle 41 Pedestal 42 Coil spring 43 Ball valve 44 Flow opening

Claims (5)

A water drainage device for piping that discharges water remaining in the supply piping through a water drainage piping provided in the middle of the supply piping leading from the pump side to the supply outlet,
comprising a valve body and a valve body housed within the valve body,
The valve body has a first opening that communicates with the drain pipe and a second opening that communicates with a discharge pipe that communicates with the discharge outlet,
The valve body has a shape that cannot pass through the first opening, is larger than the second opening, and has a shape that can close the second opening,
The valve body accommodates the valve body with a gap between the inside of the valve body and the valve body, and has a shape and size that allows the valve body to move within the valve body,
When the pump is in operation, the pressure applied in the drain pipe due to the operation of the pump moves the valve body within the valve body toward the second opening, and the second opening is opened. blocked,
When the pump is stopped, the valve body moves within the valve body in a direction away from the second opening so that the second opening is opened;
The first opening is an upper opening provided on the upper side of the valve body, and the second opening is a lower opening provided on the lower side of the valve body,
A water draining device for piping, characterized in that the movement is realized by the buoyancy of the valve body . A water drainage system using the water drainage device for piping according to claim 1,
a pump for supplying water;
supply piping for supplying water from the supply outlet to the supply target area by the pump;
a drainage pipe connected to the middle of the supply pipe;
a discharge pipe connected to the water drainage pipe via the water drainage device;
has
A water drainage system, wherein an upstream side and a downstream side of the connection part of the supply pipe are inclined downward toward a connection part between the supply pipe and the water drainage pipe. The water drainage system according to claim 2, wherein the water discharged from the discharge pipe is recovered and returned to the supply pipe. A snow removal method using the water drainage system according to claim 2 or 3,
The snow removal method is characterized in that the pump stops operating each time after melting snow in the snow removal target area, and thereby water is drained from the inside of the supply pipe by the pipe drainage device. When a railway vehicle enters a railway track at a station, the pump is operated to supply snow-melting water from the supply outlet to the railway vehicle or the railway track;
5. The snow removal method according to claim 4, wherein when the railway vehicle departs from the station, operation of the pump is stopped and water is drained from the supply pipe by the pipe water draining device. .

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