DE19509837A1 - Device to fill or refill pressure containers - Google Patents

Abstract

Device to fill or refill pressure containers has a non-gaseous fluid and a pressurising gas. Has a pressure cylinder (2) to receive fluid and a piston (3) operating by the pressurised gas against a spring (31). A changeable double valve arrangement (4) controls the feed of the gas into the device (1). A non-return valve (5) selectively opens or shuts the fluid and gas lines, and a common output valve (6) for pressurised gas and fluid fits the feed valve of a pressurised container. Also claimed is the use of the above device to fill containers with liqs., solns., dispersion, emulsions or pastes as the non gaseous liq., and compressed air or nitrogen as the pressurising gas. The pressurised cylinder is closed by a lid (7) having a gas outlet (71) and a central borehole (72) with a guide (73) for a piston stem (32) on the piston which slides in an axial direction. The spring (31) lies around the stem, and is supported against a nut (36) screwed to the free end of the stem and a doll (37) formed on the lid. The double valve arrangement (4) consists of two 3/2 way valves (41, 42) linked separately to at least one external pressurised gas line, and can be independently operated by a control lever (8).

Description

The invention relates to a device for filling or Refill pressure tanks with a non-gas pump moderate fluid, d. H. a liquid, pasty or solid, but under pressure flowable medium, and with a pressure gas, preferably compressed air or inert gas.

Many everyday products are in today Pressure vessels such. B. spray cans to commercial customers and sold to end users. These products include cosmetic products of all kinds, e.g. B. hair sprays, however also foods such as B. whipped cream. Other products such as B. toothpaste, mustard, ketchup etc. are in dosing offered to donors who are also pressure container acts; here the products are not sprayed, but strand-like through a suitable nozzle pressed. But there are also more and more commercial-techni dispensed cal products in pressure containers, for. B. Lubricant all kinds of materials, adhesives, plastics, foams, Insulating and sealing compounds, paints, varnishes, washing, cleaning  and polishing agents u. The like .. While ur as a propellant originally mainly fluorine-chlorine-hydrocarbons (CFC) are used almost exclusively today compatible, non-toxic gases such as compressed air or stick substance used as compressed gases for such containers. Out Economic reasons and for reasons of waste management avoidance is also increasingly used instead of disposable containers that generate problem waste fillable pressure vessels to use, either over the Dispensing valve or filled via an additional filling valve, can be refilled or refilled.

For this purpose, devices are known from which on the one hand the filling material, a non-gaseous fluid, preferably in the form of a liquid or pasty Form, and a pressurized gas from appropriate storage containers, e.g. B. barrels and gas bottles or compressed air generating Compressors, placed in the pressure tanks to be filled will. These filling devices are not for large-scale technical systems such as those of the manufacturers of the corresponding products are used, but around relatively small handy devices for the needs of the verar manufacturing, especially for craft businesses, automotive Workshops u. Like ..

The previously known filling devices gave ent neither only the flowable product, but not the compressed gas ab, or the product and compressed gas were from the same Device, but dispensed via two separate dispensing valves give. These devices are disadvantageous for the user because he has either two spaces to fill the pressure vessel Lich separate delivery points must or but within the same dispenser adapters two different dispensing valves with the The valve of the pressure vessel to be filled must connect, it is almost impossible that the compressed gas Dispensing valve should not be filled with the first one product is contaminated. Since the ge  often called industrial-technical products tough sticky, oily or hardening products this is the functionality of the valves to the full Restrict uselessness.

The main disadvantage of the previously known devices of type mentioned above, however, is that after filling each other via separate valves Pressure vessel with the non-gaseous fluid and the Compressed gas does not guarantee exact dosing of the filling quantities. This means that in one and the same pressure vessel or in several identical pressure vessels with several refills lungs a little more and sometimes a little less product and because of the resulting different filling volume mina more or less compressed gas can be filled, from which there are in turn different pressures within the pressure container can result in what when using the rebe filled pressure vessel to uneven delivery of the fill can lead good. With spray cans, for example the layer thickness or film thickness of one on a surface sprayed film change in an undesirable manner.

The invention is therefore based on the object, a front to create direction of the type mentioned, with which the let the disadvantages described largely avoided and with which it succeeds in a reproducible way to achieve exact filling volumes, each coordinated are the type and size of the pressure vessel to be filled Product and the compressed gas to be used.

This object is achieved by a device for filling or refilling pressure vessels with a non-gaseous fluid and dissolved with a compressed gas, the

• - A pressure cylinder holding the fluid with a through the compressed gas can be actuated against the action of a compression spring  Piston;
• - A switchable double valve arrangement for the control the inflow of pressurized gas into the device;
• - A check valve assembly for selective opening and Closing the flow paths for compressed gas and fluid as well
• - A common discharge valve for compressed gas and fluid, the to the filling valve of a pressure vessel to be filled is adapted

having.

By combining these features, the invention achieved that the pressure vessel over in a single place a single common delivery valve for pressurized gas and fluid can be filled and that the volume of dispensed Fluid quantity and thus that for the compressed gas Available residual volume and thus again the loading driving pressure of the refilled pressure vessels remains constant and reproducible for every container type and size and for each type of product can be set very precisely via a simple but sophisticated valve arrangement for the control of the inflow of compressed gas into the Device with which the piston stroke of the Fluid receiving pressure cylinder controlled and limited is combined with a corresponding check valve arrangement and with a spring-loaded mechani return of the piston with which a defined fluid volume is sucked out of a storage container.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention direction result from the features of the subclaims in conjunction with the detailed description below exercise and drawing.  

In the drawing is

Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a section through the device according to FIG. 1 along line II-II, including a section through the dispensing valve of the device which is independent of this;

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the device after removal of the hood, partly in section.

Figure 4 is a section through the foot of the device, along line IV-IV in Fig. 2. and

Fig. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the flow paths of fluid and compressed gas in the apparatus according to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The device 1 ( Fig. 1) has a substantially zy-cylindrical shape and consists of a pressure cylinder 2 , which is covered with a hood 9 . In the hood 9 there is an opening 10 through which a shift lever 8 is guided, the lungs between a rest position 0 and the working positions 1 and 2 , in which the pressure gas valves 41 , 42 of a double valve arrangement 4 ( FIG. 3) are actuated manually can be pivoted. A guide sleeve 60 is arranged on the underside of the device and covers a dispensing valve 6 ( FIG. 2). The guide sleeve 60 facilitates the "docking" of a pressure vessel to be filled onto the dispensing valve 6 and at the same time protects the dispensing valve against contamination and damage.

The fluid-receiving pressure cylinder 2 is pressure-tightly closed with a cover 7 ( FIG. 2), the cover 7 being screwed by eight screws 74 onto a collar formed in the upper end face of the cylinder 2 and an O-ring 75 for sealing opposite the cylinder wall.

In the cylinder 2 there is an axially movable piston 3 with a centrally arranged internal thread 33 , into which a piston rod 32 is screwed with a correspondingly designed external thread. In the cover 7 there is a central bore 72 , above which a guide in the form of a bushing 73 rises on the outside of the cover 7 for the piston rod 32 which is slidably mounted in the axial direction. The slide bearing of the piston rod 32 thus formed is sealed in a manner known per se by a lip ring seal 76 and a packing 77 .

The gas passage 71 in the cover 7 of the cylinder 2 is connected via a compressed gas line (not shown) to the 3/2-way valve 41 , which can be actuated by the shift lever 8 .

The piston 3 is sealed off from the cylinder 2 in a known manner by lip ring seals 34 .

Around the piston rod 32 is loosely placed a pressure spring 31 having against the thread 35 at the free end of the piston rod 32 screwed special nut 36 and against an image formed on the cover 7 abutment 37, the operation example in this from the shape of a cylindrical recess is supported. By deeper or less deep screwing the special nut 36 into the thread 35 , the compression spring 31 can be more or less preloaded, which changes the pressure required for depressing the piston 3 by acting on the compressed gas via the gas passage 71 , but also the force and thus changes the speed at which the piston 3 gas supply is returned to its original position after switching off the pressure.

The hood 9 is fastened with short countersunk screws 91 on the outer outer surface of the cylinder 2 . The switching lever 8 is pivotally mounted with a cylinder screw 81 in a sleeve 82 and fixed in the cover 7 .

The screwed into the bottom of the device 1 common discharge valve 6 for pressurized gas and fluid is simultaneously designed as an adapter for connection to the filling valve of a pressure vessel to be filled and has a bolt 61 which, when the filling valve is placed on a pressure vessel to be filled, against the action of a Compression spring 62 opens the common flow path for fluid and compressed gas. A ring seal 63 serves as a stop for the bolt 61 and ensures the sealing of the valve 6 in the closed state, but also for the sealing against the filling valve of a container during the filling process.

The check valve arrangement 5 ( FIG. 4) consists of three check valves 51 , 52 , 53 , which are integrated in a connected system of communicating tubes R1, R2, R3 arranged in the bottom of the device 1 . In this tube system four lines L1, L2, L3, L4, namely a suction line L1 from or to an external reservoir V ( Fig. 5) for the fluid, for example to an oil drum containing drilling oil or cutting oil, a suction and Pressure line L2 from or to the fluid chamber 26 of the pressure cylinder 2 , a pressure line L3 from or to the discharge valve 6 and a pressure line L4 from or to the 3/2-way valve 42 for the compressed gas. The tubes R1, R2, R3 and at least some of the lines L1, L2, L3, L4 are holes 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 in the solid bottom of the metal cylinder 2 , the openings of which to the outer lateral surface of the cylinder in the illustrated embodiment Ver plug 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 closed in a conventional manner and sealed by O-rings 16 , 17 .

The tubes and lines can be used with other designs men of the invention also in whole or in part by pressure pipes made of metal or plastic or pressure hoses his.

The arrangement of the three check valves 51 , 52 , 53 is in the illustrated embodiment such that the first check valve 51 is integrated into the tube R1 between the mouth of the suction line L1 and the mouth of the suction and pressure line L2 in the tube system, that the second check valve 52 is integrated into the tube R2 between the mouth of the suction and pressure line L2 and the mouth of the pressure line L3 in the tube system and is installed "vice versa" so that it has a flow direction opposite to the first check valve 51 , and that the third check valve 53 is integrated into the tube R3 between the mouth of the pressure line L3 and the mouth of the pressure line L4 in the tube system and is again installed "twisted" so that it has a flow direction opposite to the second check valve 52 .

The operation of the device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the preferred embodiment shown:
Before the device is started up for the first time, there is still air in the fluid space 26 of the cylinder 2 . To now the fluid located in an external reservoir, for. B. drilling oil to introduce into the fluid chamber 26 , there must be a negative pressure generated. For this purpose, the Druckbe container to be filled, for. B. an empty spray can, with his or her filling valve pressed against the bolt 61 of the dispensing valve 6 , so that a game arises between the sealing ring 63 and the bolt 61 . The shift lever 8 is brought into position "1", whereby the 3/2-way valve 41 is actuated. As a result, compressed gas, preferably compressed air or nitrogen, flows from the valve 41 to the gas passage 71 in the cover 7 , acts on the piston 3 , which counteracts the action of the compression spring 31 , which is compressed, while enlarging the gas space 27 and reducing the fluid space 26 downwards ( Fig. 2) slides. The piston 3 thus displaces the air originally contained in the fluid space 26 , which esventil 6 escapes through the Abga.

The shift lever 8 is then returned to the "0" position and the compressed gas supply is shut off via the valve 41 . The piston 3 is moved back into its original position by the expanding compression spring 31 , the gas contained in the gas space 27 of the cylinder 2 escaping through the gas passage 71 and a vent valve in the 3/2-way valve 41 and at the same time a negative pressure in the fluid space 26 arises, whereby fluid is sucked from the external reservoir V through the line L1 into the tube R1, through the check valve 51 and through the line L2 until the fluid space 26 is filled with the fluid. At the same time, the created negative pressure and the spring of the return check valve ensure that the check valve 52 in the tube R2 is closed.

Now the empty pressure vessel to be filled, which can also be vented beforehand using the device according to the invention, is pressed with its filling valve tightly onto the dispensing valve 6 of the device 1 and the switching lever 8 is brought into position "1", whereby the valve 41 is actuated again is and compressed gas hits the piston 3 be through the gas passage 71 . The fluid is thus pressed out of the fluid space 26 through the line L2 into the tube R2, through the check valve 52 into the pressure line L3 and from there to the dispensing valve 6 and thus into the container to be filled. The check valves 51 and 53 are closed at the same time. The filling volume delivered is defined and limited by the piston stroke. The piston stroke is controlled by the valve 41 at a given preload of the compression spring 31 and a given gas pressure, thereby ensuring that the desired defined fluid volume is always delivered into the pressure vessel to be filled.

Then shift lever 8 is brought back into position "0". The pressure built up in the gas space 27 of the cylinder 2 is reduced via the ventilation already described, so that the piston 3 returns to its initial position under the action of the compression spring 31 and fluid is sucked out of the external reservoir into the fluid space 26 again.

Finally, the shift lever 8 is brought into position "2", whereby the second 3/2-way valve 42 is actuated. Characterized pressurized gas passes bypassing the pressure cylinder 2 through the line L4 in the tube R3 and through the Rückschlagven valve 53 in the line L3, and thus to the discharge valve 6 and in the pressure vessel to be filled. At the same time, the check valve 52 is closed. The pressure vessel is thus filled with both fluid and compressed gas and is removed from the discharge valve 6 . The shift lever 8 is brought into position "0".

Fig. 5 illustrates the flow paths of the compressed gas: In position "0" of the shift lever 8 (see FIG. 1), both 3/2-way valves 41 , 42 are closed. In position "1", the valve 41 is opened so that gas from the gas supply source P via the flow path A acts on the piston 3 . In position "2", the valve 42 is opened, whereby the gas flows from the source P via the flow path B to the discharge valve 6 .

While the actuation of the switchable Doppelventilan arrangement 4 is actuated in the described embodiment by manual adjustment of the shift lever 8 , this actuation in other embodiments of the invention can also be carried out by pneumatic, electrical and preferably microelectronic controls of a known type in a semi-and fully automatic manner .

The device according to the invention is preferably used for Filling, refilling or refilling of pressure vessels with liquids, solutions, dispersions, emulsions or Pastes as non-gaseous fluids and with compressed air or Nitrogen used as compressed gas. In certain cases, especially in the food sector, nitrous oxide is also used  (Nitrous oxide) used as compressed gas.

The device according to the invention can be used for filling or Refilling not only spray cans or spray bottles, but also of dosing bottles and dispensers of all kinds be used. Suitable as pressure vessels to be filled especially those that have a filling valve in the bottom or on Foot and in addition an ordinary dispensing valve in the lid or have on the head.

Claims (11)

1. Device ( 1 ) for filling or refilling pressure vessels with a non-gaseous fluid and with a compressed gas, characterized by

• - A fluid-receiving pressure cylinder ( 2 ) with a piston ( 3 ) which can be actuated by the compressed gas against the action of a compression spring ( 31 );
• - A switchable double valve arrangement ( 4 ) for controlling the inflow of compressed gas into the device ( 1 );
• - A check valve arrangement ( 5 ) for the selective opening and closing of the flow paths for compressed gas and fluid and
• - A common dispensing valve ( 6 ) for compressed gas and fluid, which is adapted to the filling valve of a pressure vessel to be filled.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure cylinder ( 2 ) is closed with a cover ( 7 ) which has a gas passage ( 71 ) and a central bore ( 72 ) with a guide ( 73 ) for a slidably mounted in the axial direction, on the piston ( 3 ) attached piston rod ( 32 ). 3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the compression spring ( 31 ) is placed around the piston rod ( 32 ) and against a screwed onto the free end of the piston rod ( 32 ) nut ( 36 ) and against one on the cover ( 7 ) formed abutment ( 37 ) is supported. 4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the double valve arrangement ( 4 ) consists of two 3/2-way valves ( 41 , 42 ) which are connected separately from one another with at least one external compressed gas supply line and with the aid of a Switch lever ( 8 ) can be operated separately from each other. 5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that a first flow path leading from the one 3/2-way valve ( 41 ) to the gas passage ( 71 ) in the cylinder cover ( 7 ), and a second flow path is formed for the compressed gas which leads from the other 3/2-way valve ( 42 ) bypassing the pressure cylinder ( 2 ) to the dispensing valve ( 6 ). 6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the check valve arrangement ( 5 ) consists of three check valves ( 51 , 52 , 53 ) which are integrated in a coherent system of communicating tubes (R1, R2, R3) in which system leads four lines (L1, L2, L3, L4), namely the suction line (L1) from or to an external storage container for the fluid, the suction and pressure line (L2) from or to the pressure cylinder ( 2 ), the pressure line (L3) from or to the discharge valve ( 6 ) and the pressure line (L4) from or to the 3/2-way valve ( 42 ) for the compressed gas. 7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that the tubes (R1, R2, R3) and lines (L1, L2, L3, L4) all or partial pressure pipes made of metal or plastic, pressure  hoses or bores in solid parts are made of metal. 8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the first check valve ( 51 ) in the tube (R1) between the mouth of the suction line (L1) and the mouth of the suction and pressure line (L2) integrated into the tube system is that the second check valve ( 52 ) in the tube (R2) between the confluence of the suction and Drucklei device (L2) and the confluence of the pressure line (L3) is integrated into the tube system and one opposite to the first check valve ( 51 ) reversed Flow direction and that the third check valve ( 53 ) is integrated into the tube (R3) between the mouth of the pressure line (L3) and the mouth of the pressure line (L4) in the tube system and has a flow direction opposite to the second check valve ( 52 ) . 9. Use of the device according to one of claims 1 to 8 for filling or refilling pressure vessels with liquids, solutions, dispersions, emulsions or Pastes as a non-gaseous fluid and with compressed air or Nitrogen as a compressed gas. 10. Use according to claim 9, characterized in that the pressure containers spray cans or bottles, dosing bottles or donors. 11. Use according to claim 10, characterized in that the pressure vessel a filling valve in the floor or at the foot and have a dispensing valve in the lid or on the head.