LIQUID TRANSPORT SYSTEM AND A LINER BAG AND A METHOD OF USING THE SAME

Abstract

A liquid transport system, a liner bag and a method of using the same are disclosed. The liquid transport system includes a intermediate bulk container and a liner bag, wherein the intermediate bulk container includes a base and a side wall mounted to the base, the base is provided with a valve port, and the liner bag includes a liner bag body and a discharge port. The liner bag body is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, and the discharge port is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and the distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is set to a minimum. The liner bag is placed in the intermediate bulk container and the discharge port of the liner bag is installed in the valve port.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A liner bag comprising a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof; and a discharge port, wherein the discharge port is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0L20 cm or 0L0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels.

17. The liner bag according to claim 16, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are rectangular flexible sheets.

18. The liner bag according to claim 16, wherein a minimum distance S between the discharge port and a corner of the liner bag body is greater than 20 cm.

19. The liner bag according to claim 16, wherein a primary weld line is formed around the liner bag body and an secondary weld line is also formed between the at least two primary weld lines, and is connected to the two primary weld lines.

20. The liner bag according to claim 16, wherein at least one side of the liner bag body includes at least two sections of weld lines which are connected to each other at an angle.

21. The liner bag according to claim 20, wherein the discharge port is located at a bottom of a corner formed by the intersection of the two sections of weld lines which are connected to each other at an angle.

22. The liner bag according to claim 20, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of the rectangular sheet.

23. The liner bag according to claim 20, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of the rectangular sheet, and the two cut lines formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other.

24. A liquid transport system comprising an intermediate bulk container and a liner bag, wherein the intermediate bulk container comprises a base and a side wall mounted to the base, the base is provided with a valve port, and the liner bag comprises a liner bag body and a discharge port, characterized in that: the liner bag body is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof, the discharge port is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and a minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and an weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0L20 cm, or 0L0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels; the liner bag is disposed in the intermediate bulk container and the discharge port of the liner bag is installed in the valve port; and the liner bag is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line is located is perpendicular to the base.

25. The liquid transport system according to claim 24, wherein the liner bag is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld line.

26. The liquid transport system according to claim 24, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of a rectangular sheet; or the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of a rectangular sheet, and the two cut lines formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other.

27. A method for using a liner bag, characterized in that: providing a liner bag comprising a liner bag body, which is formed by hermetically welding a front panel and a rear panel along the periphery thereof; and a discharge port, which is hermetically connected to the liner bag body, and the minimum distance between an edge of the discharge port and a weld line of the liner bag body is L, wherein 0L20 cm, or 0L0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels; placing the liner bag in an intermediate bulk container, wherein the intermediate bulk container comprises a base and a side wall mounted to the base, the base is provided with a valve port where the discharge port of the liner bag is installed; arranging the liner bag in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line is located is perpendicular to the base.

28. The method of using a liner bag according to claim 27, wherein the liner bag is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld line.

29. The method of using a liner bag according to claim 27, wherein the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off at least one corner of a rectangular sheet; or the front panel and the rear panel are both formed by cutting off two adjacent corners of a rectangular sheet, and the two cut lines formed by cutting off the two corners intersect with each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of a prior liner bag.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a view showing a state of the liner bag shown in FIG. 1 when it is filled with liquids.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the structure of another prior liner bag.

[0051] FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the structure of a liner bag in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the liner bag of FIG. 4 taken along section line I-I.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows a front view of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the structure of the liner bag of FIG. 4 in an intermediate bulk container and filled with liquids.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the liner bag of FIG. 4 filled with liquids and deployed.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a view showing the structure of a first variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0057] FIG. 10 is a view showing the structure of a second variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a view showing the structure of a third variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0059] FIG. 12 is a view showing the structure of a fourth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0060] FIG. 13 is a view showing the structure of a fifth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0061] FIG. 14 is a view showing the structure of a sixth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0062] FIG. 15 is a view showing the structure of still another variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4.

[0063] FIG. 16 is a view showing a state after the filling of the liner bag of FIG. 15 is completed.

THE DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0064] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that the purposes, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and is only used for illustrating the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.

[0065] As shown in FIGS. 4-6, the liner bag 10 includes a liner bag body and a discharge port 104. The liner bag body is formed by hermetically welding a front panel 101 and a rear panel 102 along the periphery thereof. A primary weld line 103 is formed around the liner bag body. Preferably, the front panel 101 and the rear panel 102 are rectangular flexible sheets. The discharge port 104 is hermetically connected to the liner bag body. Specifically, the discharge port 104 is welded to one of the front panel 101 and the rear panel 102. In the drawings, the discharge port 104 is welded to the front panel 101.

[0066] The discharge port 104 is arranged close to the weld line 103. In principle, the closer the edge of the discharge port 104 is to the weld line, the better the effect is. In an embodiment, it is assumed that the minimum distance between the edge of the discharge port 104 and the weld line 103 of the liner bag body is L, then 0L20 cm. Preferably, 0L10 cm. More preferably, 0L5 cm. Alternatively, 0L0.1*D, where D is the minimum length C or width W of the front or rear panel. Preferably, 0L0.05*D. More preferably, 0L0.025*D.

[0067] In order to prevent the four corners of the liner bag 10 from blocking the discharge ports during discharging, the discharge port 104 should have a distance from the corner of the liner bag body. Preferably, the minimum distance S between the discharge port 104 and the corner of the liner bag body should be greater than 20 cm. More preferably, S should be greater than 40 cm. It would be appreciated that the above minimum distance S is defined to be primarily applicable to the case where the liner bag is housed in a container having one base and four side walls mounted to the base. When the container is cylindrical or the container has more than four side walls, for example six side walls, the discharge port can also be located directly at the corner of the liner bag body, i.e., there is no limit for the minimum distance between the discharge port and the corner of the liner bag.

[0068] Herein, the sizes (i.e., volume) of the liner bag are typically 2501, 10001, and 12001. Correspondingly, the front panel and the rear panel are approximately 0.95 m*1.55 m, 2.1 m*2.25 m, and 2.1 m*2.45 m.

[0069] FIG. 7 illustrates the use of the above described liner bag 10 in an intermediate bulk container 20, which forms a liquid transport system with the intermediate bulk container. As shown in FIG. 7, the intermediate bulk container 20 includes a base 201 and a side wall 202 mounted to the base 201. The base 201 is provided with a valve port (not shown). The liner bag 10 is placed in the intermediate bulk container 20 and the discharge port 104 of the liner bag 10 is installed in the valve port. The liner bag 10 is arranged in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line 103 is located is perpendicular to the base 1, as shown in FIG. 8. Further, the liner bag is also arranged in such a manner that when the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetrical about the weld line 103. Thereby, when liquids, especially viscous liquids is being discharged, the liner bag can be clamped at the weld line by the extruding device, and the extruding force is applied to the liner bag while moving downward along the liner bag, thereby the liquid adhered to the inner surface of the liner bag is scraped off downward to reduce the residual liquid.

[0070] Specifically, by arranging the liner bag 10 in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, a plane where the weld line 103 is located is perpendicular to the base 1, it can facilitate extruding downward along the weld line with the extruding device. In contrast, in the prior art, since the weld line of the liner bag is substantially parallel to the base after the filling is completed, the extruding device is blocked by the weld line and is difficult to complete the extruding when moving to the weld line, thereby it is difficult to remove the adhered liquid on the inner surface of the liner bag. By disposing the discharge port near the weld line and arranging the liner bag in such a manner that after the liner bag is filled, the liner bag body is bilaterally symmetric about the weld line, so that the liner bag is substantially axially symmetric about the discharge port, thus during the liquid discharging, the liquid can be relatively thoroughly discharged from the liner bag through the discharge port.

[0071] FIG. 9 is a view showing the structure of a first variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag shown in FIG. 9 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, in the liner bag shown in FIG. 8, the discharge port is also used as a filling port, and in the liner bag 30 shown in FIG. 9, the discharge port 301 and the filling port 302 are provided separately, the discharge port 301 is close to the bottom edge of the liner bag, and the filling port 302 is close to the top edge of the liner bag. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0072] FIG. 10 is a view showing the structure of a second variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag 40 shown in FIG. 10 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, in the liner bag 40 shown in FIG. 10, on the outer side of the weld line 401 on one side, that is, the weld line 401 farthest from the discharge port, a portion of the bag body 402 is also extended beyond there. The primary function of this portion of the bag body is to facilitate the gripping by the extruding device (which is used to extrude the liquid in the liner bag to reduce liquid residue). The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0073] FIG. 11 is a view showing the structure of a third variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag 50 shown in FIG. 11 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, an secondary weld line 504 is formed between two adjacent primary weld lines 502 and 503, and a secondary weld line 505 is also formed between two adjacent primary weld lines 501 and 502. The secondary weld lines 504 and 505 are both connected to the primary weld line and are inclined downward. The secondary weld lines 504 and 505 intersect with each other to form a corner, a discharge port 506 is located at the bottom of the corner. Here, the minimum distance L between the discharge port 506 and the secondary weld line is also as small as possible. Preferably, 0L20 cm; or 0L0.1*D, where D is the minimum of lengths and widths of the front and rear panels. More preferably, 0L10 cm, or 0L0.05*D. Most preferably, 0L5 cm, or 0L0.025*D. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0074] It would be appreciated that the primary purpose of the secondary weld line is to form a flow guiding structure to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The arrangement of the secondary weld lines can be variously modified, for example, only one secondary weld line can be provided, for example, only one of the secondary weld lines 504 and 505 is provided. Alternatively, more secondary weld lines can be provided. The secondary weld lines do not have to intersect each other.

[0075] FIG. 12 is a view showing the structure of a fourth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag 60 shown in FIG. 12 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, the liner bag of FIG. 4 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of FIG. 12 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with one corner 601 cut off along the periphery thereof. Here, the position relationship between the discharge port 602 and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of FIG. 4, and will not be described in detail herein. After the completion of the welding, the cut off corner can form a flow guiding structure, which is favorable for the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0076] FIG. 13 is a view showing the structure of a fifth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag 70 shown in FIG. 13 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, the liner bag of FIG. 4 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of FIG. 13 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with two corners 701 and 702 cut off along the periphery thereof. The cut lines of the two cut off corners intersect with each other. Here, the position relationship between the discharge port 703 and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of FIG. 4, and will not be described in detail herein. After the welding of two cut off corners are completed, a flow guiding structure can be formed to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0077] FIG. 14 is a view showing the structure of a sixth variant of the liner bag of FIG. 4. The liner bag 80 shown in FIG. 14 is mainly different from the liner bag shown in FIG. 4 in that, the liner bag of FIG. 4 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets along the periphery thereof, and the liner bag of FIG. 14 is formed by welding two rectangular sheets with two corners 801 and 802 cut off along the periphery thereof. The cut lines of the two cut off corners don't intersect with each other (although their extension lines intersect with each other). Here, the position relationship between the discharge port 803 and the weld line is the same as that of the liner bag of FIG. 4, and will not be described in detail herein. After the welding of two cut off corners are completed, a flow guiding structure can be formed to facilitate the discharge of liquids. The rest are the same and will not be described in detail here.

[0078] It would be appreciated that in each of the above embodiments, the filling port may be separately provided, or the discharge port may be also used as the filling port. In the case of providing a filling port, the filling port is usually located at the top of the liner bag after the liner bag is filled with liquids. In each of the above embodiments, the discharge port is usually adjacent to a weld line on the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids. However, the discharge port may also be disposed adjacent to the weld line perpendicular to the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids and close to the base. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the discharge port 901 on the liner bag 90 is disposed adjacent to a weld line 903, wherein a weld line 902 is placed on the base when the liner bag is filled with liquids, and the weld line 903 is substantially perpendicular to the base. It would be appreciated that the discharge port 901 can also be disposed adjacent to a weld line 904.

[0079] The liner bag of the invention has simple welding structure, less residual amount after discharging, good manufacturing process, simple operation and cost saving, and is especially suitable for the containing and transport of viscous liquids.

[0080] Preferable embodiments of the invention have been described in detail as above. It should be understood that, after reading the above teaching of the invention, various changes or modifications of the invention can be made by those skilled in the art. All of the equivalents fall in the protection scope defined by the attached claims.