EP1351859B1 - Method and installation for emptying casks - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns an installation for emptying casks (1) equipped with an external bag (11) and an internal bag (12) containing powdery products. It comprises a glove box (12) consisting of a bell made of a transparent material. It is provided, on its upper part, with an opening for the passage of a suction rod (3, 31, 32) equipped with sealing means between said pipe and the bell. The lower part of the bell is provided with means adapted to be urged in sealed position on the upper part of a cask (1). The bell (2) is suspended to a frame (5, 15) for its vertical displacement.

Description

The present invention relates to an installation of emptying of barrels fitted with an internal double bag including an outer bag and an inner bag containing powdery products and a method of use of said installation.

For the chemical industry and more particularly pharmaceutical, product containment has always was a fundamental problem. The last ten years, products used by this industry including powdery products, have seen a steady increase of their toxicity and their reactivity. In addition to the standards of production in terms of quality make the containment of such products is essential.

Containment is also a necessity for reasons both ecological and to protect health operators and in addition to prevent the product from coming into contact with the ambient atmosphere and is contaminated. The operators have so far been protected by clothing and gas masks or similar devices. However, this solution is not satisfactory because it makes handling difficult and unpleasant. On the other hand, this solution does not protect the products nor the environment, so you have to use systems more sophisticated. We often have, in such systems, uses complex ventilation systems and filtration. We used facilities including glove boxes. A glove box is an enclosure closed with openings leading to the interior gloves through which operators try to handle the products in a booth, for example example by taking a barrel, draining it into a other device for manufacturing a product or to have it transferred using a facility adequate to a specific location. This type of installation is extremely expensive and the handling of barrels quite difficult through glove installations which, of course, allow containment satisfactory. This type of installation called an isolator is not necessarily the best solution especially when the powder is to be loaded into a equipment such as a reactor, a dryer, etc. whose accessibility is reduced and it is difficult to place such an insulator above device or machine.

The object of the present invention is to provide a installation combining the advantages of a gloves and a powder transfer system for carry out such operations while ensuring the product containment and also the protection of operator and the environment.

The invention also relates to a method of use of this installation.

The barrel emptying installation according to the invention is characterized by the characterizing clause of the claim 1.

A glove box arranged above an equipped barrel a double internal bag used for filling of the bag is described in US-A-5,791,123.

The advantage of the installation according to the invention is the on the one hand, it is easy to have a glove box, which has already proven itself, on a drum fitted with two internal bags, one of which is located outside of each other, use a cane of suction to suck up the product and thereafter, always handling through the glove box, put another keg in place of the first one and use this in a very flexible way.

According to an alternative embodiment, the lower part of the bell comprises a flat surface provided on its face bottom of a flat seal allowing, when positioning of the glove box on the barrel, sealing between the two, said surface plane being provided with an annular opening formed a retaining ring provided with means for retaining the upper part of the bags.

The method according to the invention is defined in claim 8.

The invention will be described in more detail using the attached drawings.

Figures 1 is a schematic side view of the installation according to the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the bell placed on a barrel.

Figures 3-13 are partial views of the installation illustrating the steps of the process.

Figure 14 is a plan view of the bell.

Figure 15 is a sectional view of two filters.

Figure 16 is a schematic view of the device cleaning.

In Figure 1, there is a barrel containing the product powder to drain. Bell 2, cane 3 and a support frame 5.

The barrel 1 has inside two bags 11 and 12 basically made of plastic each independently closed, bag 11 will be called outer bag and bag 12 bag interior. These two bags ensure the confinement of the powdered product even after the opening of the barrel, that is to say after removing its lid. Glove box 2 is fixed on a support 51 of the chassis 5 which is movable in the direction vertical. The suction rod 3 is suspended by a flexible link 52 and a pulley 53 to the chassis 5 for allow the cane to be removed or put in place during the various stages of the process. Chassis 5 has a flat surface with rollers 54 facilitating the movement of the barrels and in particular their positioning under the glove box 2.

The suction rod essentially comprises a hose 31 connected to a suction device allowing transfer the product from the keg to another tank or directly in the reactor or device in which the product should be used. The pipe 31 is surrounded a flexible cuff 32 closed on its part superior and coming to connect in a tight way on the upper part of the glove box 2, as we will see it later, also ensuring the watertightness of the installation.

We now refer to Figure 2 to describe in detail the glove box. The glove box includes a bell-shaped part 21 made of a material transparent for example acrylic glass through which the operator can see and follow the operations drain. We can also have a steel bell stainless provided with a part made of a material transparent to allow you to see inside the bell when in use. Two openings 22 placed on the side surface of the bell allow putting on tightly fitted gloves in these openings which allow the manipulation of different elements inside the bell. The upper part of the bell is provided with a opening 26 through which the rod passes 3 and in particular the pipe 31 while the flexible sleeve 32 is tightly fixed on the upper part of the opening 26. We can provide optionally this opening of a valve 27 to be able to close it when the cane and especially the hose 31 are in the separated position for example like that of figure 1 or 2. The lower part of the glove box has a retaining ring in stainless steel 24 forming an annular opening on the lower part 23 of the bell which is planar. The flat surface 23 is provided with a flat seal through which it comes to rest on the upper part of the barrel. The radial width of this flat surface makes it possible to adapt the glove box on drums whose diameter can be different, the main thing being that the bell can rest on the upper edge of the barrel by the flat seal thus ensuring sealing. The ring 24 is provided with a or two retaining rings 25 which will be used for maintain, as will be explained below, the two bags 11, 12 located inside the barrel 1. The glove box is fitted with a fixing device 28 by which this glove box is linked to the device vertical movement 51 of the chassis 5.

Using figures 3 to 13, we will now describe the process for using this facility. The operator begins by removing the cover of the barrel 1, open the outer bag 11 and slide to inside a disposable sealing ring 6 (fig. 4). The sealing ring 6 is positioned inside the retaining ring 24 and the outer bag is opened 11 (fig. 5) by removing the flexible link. Until this step, no contact with the product being the inside of the barrel is not possible since the know interior 12 is always closed. Then we bring glove box 2 down onto the barrel, as shown in Figure 6, and the operator passes his hands in gloves in the glove box to remove the upper part of the bag 11 'remained during the emptying the previous drum and throwing it through a opening 29 of the bell in a bag. For the rest, the upper edge of the outer bag 11 is fixed to the retaining ring 24 by means of the Oring 25 (fig 2). Then he opens the second bag 12 (fig. 7) and he throw the flexible link through the opening 29 and make keep the upper part also on the ring 24 with the same O ring or a second. AT from this moment the product can be vacuumed which is carried out by lowering the suction rod (fig. 8) and by guiding it inside the barrel to be able suck the product up to the smallest corner finding it inside. The operator, during this phase, manipulates the suction rod without being in contact with the product which is confined inside glove box installation - drum and without wearing special clothing or equipment.

When the barrel is completely empty (fig. 9), we raises the rod 3 and the operator introduces his hands in the glove box (fig. 10) and releases the part upper of the inner bag 12 which falls at the interior of the outer bag 11, as well as disposable ring 6. Then lift the rod assembly and glove box (fig. 11) up to certain height allowing access to the part upper of the outer bag 11. By means of two fasteners (fig. 12), attach the upper part of know 11 at two distant places in the direction vertical, then we cut the bag between the two links (fig. 12 and 13), which allows the part bottom of bag 11 which is closed from falling to the inside of the barrel empty while the upper part of bag 11, also closed and isolated, remains on ring 24. No leakage of the product can contaminate either the operator or the environment of installation.

Thereafter, the empty barrel is removed and a new barrel and we start again (fig. 2 and following), the same operations as before.

When the product to be transferred contains solvent or it can react in contact with air or humidity can put the installation under a nitrogen atmosphere.

In order to ensure work inside installation with a slight depression, bell 2 (fig 14) has two openings on the surface side with two smooth tubes 7, 8. Each tube is provided with a filter 71, 72 mounted in leaktight manner. By means of a ventilation circuit, a air circulation (or nitrogen if necessary) between two filters to create a slight depression at inside the installation and avoid any leakage product in case of handling error or other problem. These filters 71, 72 are cartridges standard push-through filters, that is to say just push the new cartridge on the old one to put it in place, the old one falling in the glove box to be evacuated through opening 29. Figure 15 partially illustrates the passage of air (or nitrogen) through filters 71, 72.

Finally in fig. 16 is a diagrammatic representation of a system cleaning device, i.e. bell and cane. We have an 8 barrel fitted an inlet 81 for the cleaning liquid followed by a flexible 82 whose end carries a gun 83. The barrel 8 includes a drain opening 84. The bell on barrel 8, we seal the conduits with two filters and spray cleaning. For the rod 3 the cleaning liquid is run between the sheath 32 and the tube 31. After cleaning, we empty the liquid to a suitable pit or container.

The installation described is very flexible because it can be moved and used with different equipment. In addition, it is possible to install it on a weighing device allowing to control the amount of product aspirated.

The glove box can be easily adapted to different diameters or even geometries of barrels in changing the face 23.

Depending on the product to be transferred, we can perform transfer under an inert atmosphere.

Claims (9)

1. An installation for emptying casks (1) equipped with a double internal bag consisting of an outer bag (11) and an inner bag (12) containing powdery products, characterized in that it comprises a glove box consisting of a bell (2) at least partially made of a transparent material provided on its upper part with an opening (26) for the passage of a suction rod (3) equipped with means ensuring the sealing between said rod (3) and the bell (2), and wherein the lower part of the bell is provided with means (23, 24) for it to be placed on the upper part of a cask (1) in a sealed manner and means (25) making it possible to hold the upper parts of two bags, after they have been opened, against the lower part of said bell.
2. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower part of said bell comprises a flat surface provided with a flat seal fitted to the lower face in order to ensure sealing with the cask to be emptied, said flat surface is provided with an annular opening formed from a holding ring provided with means for holding the upper part of the bags.
3. The installation as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glove box (2) and the suction rod (3) are mounted on a chassis (5) designed to be able to raise and lower the glove box and suction rod assembly above a cask (1) to be emptied.
4. The installation as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the glove box is provided with a filtering device making it possible to keep the installation under a depression.
5. The installation as claimed in claim 4, wherein the filtering device consists of two openings on the side surface of the bell provided with two smooth tubes (7, 8) in which a filter (71, 72) is fitted in a sealed manner and the two tubes are connected to an air circulation system.
6. The installation as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein it comprises a system for cleaning the bell consisting of a cask provided on its upper part with an inlet (81) for the cleaning liquid into a hose fitted with a spray gun (83).
7. The installation as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glove box is provided with an opening (29) for removing the waste of the bags when changing the cask.
8. A method of using the installation as claimed in one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: the cask to be emptied is opened by removing its lid and it is placed under the glove box, a disposable sealing ring is inserted in the upper part of the outer bag and it is inserted in the ring of the bell, the outer bag is opened, the glove box is lowered onto the cask until it is in sealed contact with the cask, using the gloves the outer bag is fixed to the holding ring by means of the sealing ring, the inner bag is opened and it is also fixed to the holding ring, the hands are withdrawn from the gloves and the cask is emptied using the suction rod, when the cask is empty the gloves are used to detach the inner bag and it is allowed to drop inside the cask with the sealing ring, the glove box is raised over a predetermined height while keeping the outer bag on the holding ring and the bag is closed at two axially separated places using two ties, the bag is cut between these two places, the lower part of the bag is dropped into the cask with the upper part remaining on the glove box, the empty cask is removed, a new cask is brought into position and the same method is started again except that, before fixing the outer bag on the holding ring, the remaining part of the preceding bag is removed through the opening of the glove box.
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transfer is carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere.

Images