Device for cleaning pipes of the drinking water circuit of an aircraft

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for cleaning the pipes of the drinking water circuit of an aircraft, in which the device is independent of the aircraft and is connected to the circuit intermittently and supplied with liquid. The device is characterized in that it comprises a mobile chassis supporting a plurality of functional sub-assemblies required to produce a hot liquid, including a closed-furnace gas condensing boiler. The invention can be used to clean the pipes of aircraft.

Claims

1. Device (D) for cleaning a drinking-water system (R) of an aircraft (A), said device (D) being independent of said aircraft (A) and being connected to the drinking-water system (R) for cleaning the drinking-water system and being supplied with liquid, the device comprising: a mobile chassis (C); a condensing gas boiler comprising a sealed combustion chamber (110), said condensing gas boiler being supported by said mobile chassis; gas bottles (210, 220) for supplying gas to said condensing gas boiler to supply energy for the production of heat in said condensing gas boiler, said gas bottles being accommodated by said mobile chassis; a primary circuit (130) containing a liquid, said liquid of said primary circuit being heated by said condensing gas boiler; an exchange subassembly (400); and a discharge subassembly (500) capable of being connected to the drinking-water system during the cleaning of the drinking-water system, wherein said exchange subassembly and said discharge subassembly contain a treatment liquid for cleaning the drinking-water system, and wherein said treatment liquid is heated for cleaning the drinking-water system by exchanging heat with said liquid of said primary circuit in said exchange subassembly.

2. Device (D) according to claim 1, further comprising: an intermediate gas reservoir (240); and pressure-reducing valves (230) associated with said gas bottles, wherein said intermediate gas reservoir (240) is positioned between said condensing gas boiler (110) and the pressure-reducing valves (230) associated with said gas bottles, to receive and allow the gas to be expanded before the gas is supplied to said condensing gas boiler (110).

3. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein the exchange subassembly (400) comprises a vessel (410) having at least a portion of said treatment liquid situated therein, wherein said condensing gas boiler (110) heats said liquid of said primary circuit (130), and wherein said liquid of said primary circuit heats said treatment liquid in said vessel (410) through exchanging heat with said treatment liquid in said vessel (410).

4. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein the exchange subassembly (400) comprises a secondary circuit (420) and an exchanger (430), said treatment liquid being conducted in said secondary circuit, wherein said condensing gas boiler (110) heats said liquid of said primary circuit (130) that exchanges heat with said secondary circuit (420) in said exchanger (430) to thereby heat said treatment liquid.

5. Device (D) according to claim 4, wherein said treatment liquid in said secondary circuit (420) is preheated by means of said liquid of said primary circuit (130) emerging from said exchanger (430).

6. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein said condensing gas boiler (110) is equipped with a dual-flow discharge flue (111).

7. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein the treatment liquid leaving said exchange subassembly is a heated treatment liquid, and wherein the device further comprises a module (800) for connection to the drinking-water system of the aircraft (A) equipped with a valve (810), selecting the position of which makes it possible: to drain liquid present in the system (R) of the aircraft (A), to stop the injection of the heated treatment liquid without creating an air vacuum, and to drain the treatment liquid present in the device (D).

8. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein the device further comprises a mobile chassis (C) equipped with damped wheels (711).

9. Device (D) according to claim 1, wherein the device (D) is supplied by a source (S), and wherein the device further comprises a module (900) for accelerating the water issuing from the source (S) in order to increase the filling speed of the system (R) of the aircraft (A).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing of a device coming to be connected to the drinking-water network of an aircraft;

(2) FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of a first embodiment;

(3) FIG. 3 is a functional diagram of a second embodiment;

(4) FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of a third embodiment;

(5) FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing of a rear perspective view of the second embodiment of the device without its cladding walls;

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a front perspective view of the device of FIG. 5;

(7) FIG. 7 is a schematic drawing of an external front view of the intermediate reservoir;

(8) FIG. 8 is a functional diagram of the connection module.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(9) As illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 1, the device D of the invention is a device for producing hot water for the purpose of treating the system R of drinking-water pipes of an aircraft A. This device D, independent of said aircraft A, comprises a mobile chassis for being moved in a workshop and comes to be connected to the system R occasionally, that is to say during the maintenance operation on the aircraft A that comprises the treatment of said system. This device D is supplied with water by the domestic system S available in the workshop. In addition, it is connected to the electrical system E.

(10) Such a device must provide a production of hot water on the basis of a flow rate of 1000 liters per hour. Depending on the size of the aircraft A and the number of phases in the treatment method, the flow rate, the number of thousands of liters of water and the number of hours of the operation may vary.

(11) The following description of the device is common to the various embodiments illustrated.

(12) The device D comprises, on the same mobile chassis C (cf. FIG. 5), a plurality of functional subassemblies necessary for the rapid production of hot water in large volumes.

(13) To do this, the device comprises a heating subassembly 100 comprising a condensing gas boiler with sealed combustion chamber 110. This boiler 110 is supplied via a conduit 120 by a gas-supply subassembly 200.

(14) This gas-supply subassembly 200 accommodates two gas bottles 210 and 220 each associated with a valve 211 and 221 bringing the gas to a pressure-reducing valve 230.

(15) One particularly advantageous feature of the invention lies in the presence of an intermediate gas reservoir 240 supplied by the gas passing through the pressure-reducing valve 230 and supplying the boiler 110 by means of a flow-rate regulator 250. By being positioned between the boiler 110 and the pressure-reducing valve 230 associated with the bottles 210 and 220, this reservoir 240 serves as a buffer reservoir guaranteeing a good mixing of the gas and a volume of gas constantly available for the boiler 110 whatever its output. As illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 7, the reservoir 240 is in a substantially cylindrical form having a bottom outlet orifice 241 and a top inlet orifice 242 for the gas. It also has an orifice 243 for decanting the condensation water droplets present in the reservoir 240. To assume this function, said reservoir 240 is positioned vertically as illustrated in the drawing in FIG. 5. Furthermore, according to another particularly advantageous feature, this reservoir 240 is up against a hot-water pipe increasing the temperature difference leading to condensation.

(16) The boiler 110 heats water circulating in a so-called primary circuit 130 by means of a pump 131. The pressure is monitored by a gauge 132 and the temperature is monitored by a sensor 133. This primary circuit 130 further comprises a compensation vessel 134, a drain 135 and a safety valve 136. This primary circuit 130 will exchange its heat in order to provide the heating of the water to be injected into the circuit R of the aircraft A.

(17) The water in this primary circuit 130 and also the water to be heated come from the same source S and pass through a water supply subassembly 300. This subassembly is connected to the system S and comprises an inlet valve 310 allowing or not passage of water from the system S through a filter 320. The volume of water emerging from the filter 320 is measured by a meter 330. A valve 340 controls the supply to the primary circuit 130. A valve 350 controls the supply of water to be heated.

(18) This water to be heated exchanges with the primary water circuit 130 in the exchange subassembly 400.

(19) The treatment water thus heated emerges in a discharge subassembly 500 that comprises an inlet valve 510 allowing or not the passage of the treatment water through a meter 520. The temperature of the water is monitored by a gauge 530. Between the meter 520 and the gauge 530, a module 540 for injecting treatment product alters the heated water for the purpose of optimisation of the treatment. The latter is controlled with the meter 520.

(20) A last valve 550 controls the discharge of treatment water before it is injected into the circuit R.

(21) A control subassembly 600 manages the output of the boiler and the injection of the treatment product according to the requirements and information issuing from the various sensors and gauges. Great flexibility in the management of said output is made possible because of the presence of the buffer reservoir 240 described above.

(22) The heat exchange technology between the primary circuit 130 and the treatment water may differ according to the embodiments illustrated by the drawings in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

(23) According to the embodiment illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 2, the exchange subassembly 400 consists of a water vessel 410 in which the primary circuit circulates by means of a coil. A temperature sensor 411 monitors the temperature reached. A safety pressure valve 412 equips the vessel.

(24) According to the embodiment illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 3, the boiler 100 heats a liquid in a primary circuit 130, which exchanges with a secondary circuit 420 in an exchanger 430.

(25) According to the embodiment illustrated by the drawing in FIG. 4, the secondary water circuit 420 is preheated by means of the water in the primary circuit emerging from the exchanger 430 before returning to the boiler 110 at another exchanger 440.

(26) The various functional subassemblies or the majority of their constituent elements are seen on the drawings of FIGS. 5 and 6, which nevertheless illustrate more particularly the second embodiment. The drawings in these figures illustrate the compactness of the device D. They illustrate in particular the compactness of the flue 111 equipping the boiler 110 and which is a dual-flow discharge flue. The chassis C consists of a set of profiled members 700 forming a parallelepiped comprising two horizontal frames 710 and 720 connected by uprights 730. The bottom frame 710 accommodates, on its bottom face, wheels 711 in contact with the ground. This set of profiled members 700 defines an internal space accommodating the various functional subassemblies of the device D. These vertical faces are protected by cladding walls, not illustrated. The frames 710 and 720 are each protected by a protective tube 712 and 721 preventing any direct impact on the chassis C.

(27) As illustrated solely by the drawings in FIGS. 1 and 8, a connection module 800 is interposed between the device D and the drinking-water system R of the aircraft A. This device is among other things equipped with a valve 810, selecting the position of which makes it possible to: drain the water already present in the system, stop the injection of hot water without creating an air vacuum, drain the water already present in the device.

(28) This connection module also comprises inlet 820 and outlet 830 valves as well as a temperature gauge 840 and a pressure gauge 850.

(29) As illustrated solely by the drawings in FIGS. 1 and 2, an auxiliary unit comprising a means for accelerating (for example a pump equipped with a booster) the flow rate of the water issuing from the domestic system S provides upstream a supply to the device D enabling it to achieve accelerated filling of the drinking-water system R of the aircraft.

(30) The water-pressurisation means equipping the aircraft, once the reservoir of the aircraft is filled, themselves provide passage of the hot water into the various pipes for cleaning purposes.

(31) It will be understood that the device that has just been described above and depicted, was described and depicted with a view to disclosure rather than limitation. Naturally various arrangements, modifications and improvements can be made to the above example without departing from the scope of the invention.