Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ANTI-FLOODING BYPASS FOR AN ELECTRICAL CABINET
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B~CKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an anti-flooding
bypass for an electrical cabinet and particularly but not
exclusively to an electrical cabinet of the type for generating
ozone within air withdrawn from the cabinet for communication
to a water purifying system.
Water purifying systems using ozone generators
are becoming more and more popular in view of the advantageous
properties of the ozone as a purifying agent. Devices of this
type can be used in various arrangements for example swimming
pools, hot tubs, and containers of water for food processing
systems.
In general the ozone generator comprises a
cabinet which contains various electrical equipment
particularly including an ultra violet source which causes the
generation of the ozone molecules within the air supply
provided within the cabinet. Generally air laden with the
ozone is drawn from the cabinet through a vacuum line with
replacement air entering the cabinet through relatively small
opening. This of course confines the ozone to ensure that it
is properly drawn only along the vacuum line for supply to the
system to be purified.
; One problem which can occur with arrangements
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of this type is that in the event of a malfunction for example
blockage or other mistreatment of the equipment, water can back
up along the vacuum line under pressure from the equipment and
can enter the cabinet with the consequent problems of potential
damage and danger from electric shock.
Generally this problem is limited by
electrical codes which require the location of the cabinet at a
height well above the system to limit the possibility of the
water backing up against gravity to the cabinet. However this
remains an unsolved problem within the industry.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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According to the invention, therefore, there
is provided a system for use in ozonating water comprising a
container for the water, an ozone generator including a
cabinet, an air inlet into the cabinet, electrical components
within the cabinet for generating ozone, a vacuum line having
an inlet end for extracting ozone laden air from the cabinet
and an outlet end, means for injectin~ the ozone laden air from
the outlet end of the vacuum line into the container, and
flooding bypass means connected to the vacuum line including a
discharge outlet for discharging water, introduced into the
outlet end of the ~acuum line due to a malfunction of the
system, said discharge outlet being arranged such that the
water is discharged outside of said cabinet.
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According to a second aspec~ of the invention,
therefore, there is provided an electrical apparatus comprising
a cabinet, at least one electrical component mounted within the
cabinet, a duct, a first opening means provided in the duct and
connecting the duct to the interior of the cabinet, a second
opening means in the duct positioned below the first opening
means and extending from the duct to an exterior location of
the cabinet, valve means in the duct normally closing the
second opening means and responsive to the presence of liquid
through the second opening means within the duct to release the
liquid to the exterior of the cabinet and a third opening means
communicating from the duct for connection to a vacuum line.
With the foregoing in view, and other
advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art
to which this invention relates as thi~; specification proceeds,
the invention is herein described by reference to the
accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a
description of the best mode known to the applicant and of the
preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present
invention, in which:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic illu~tration of a
purifying system for a hot tub using an ozone generator and
including the anti-flooding bypass of the present invention.
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Figure 2 is a cross sectional view through the
cabinet and the anti flooding bypass of the present inventionO
In the drawings like characters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.
Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of a
modified system for a hot tub using an anti-flooding bypass
according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A container of water is indicated at 10 in
this example comprising a hot tub system including a drain
opening 11, a pump 12, a heater 13, an air inlet venturi 14 and
a return jet 15.
The venturi 14 is arranged to draw air into
the water driven by the pump 12 and passing through the line 16
to the return jet 15. An air inlet is indicated at 17 and in
addition the same air line is connected to an ozone generator
18 of conventional construction. The venturi 14 thus forms a
vacuum line 19 which acts to extract ozone within the ozone
generator through an opening 20 into a duct 21 so that the
ozone can be withdrawn from the cabinet and injected into the
circulating water to act as a purifying agent. Replacement air
enters the cabinet through a single opening 22 sized to release
into the cabinet the required amount of air to replace that
withdrawn through the vacuum line 19. Schematically the
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electrical components for controlling and generating the ozone
are indicated at 23 and these are of conventional construction
and accordingly will not be described in detail.
Turning now to Figure 2 the cabinet 13
includes an upper wall 25, side wall 26 and a base wall 27
together with further walls (not shown) forming a substantially
enclosed housing containing electrical equipment (not shown in
Figure 2).
The anti-flooding bypass generally indicated
at 21 includes a duct 28 which commences at a hose coupling 29
on the top wall 25 of the housing and extends through the
housing to a valve arrangement 30 supported underneath the
housing. Between those two exterior couplings is provided a
continuous duct having an outer sleeve 31 and an inner tube 32
arranged coaxially alony the interior of the outer tube or
sleeve 31. The interior of the tube 32 communicates with the
hollow interior of the coupling 29 so that air can be drawn b~
a vacuum line connected to the coupling 29 through the hollow
interior of the tube 32. At the lower end of the tube 32 is
arranged a venturi generally indicated at 33 having an outer
venturi section 3~ mounted on an inside surface of the tube 31.
The inlet to the venturi is mounted on the lower end of the
tube 32 and air can enter into the venturi between the inlet 35
on the lower end of the tube 32 and the outer venturi section
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34. This air is thus drawn from the area surrounding the tube
32 that is the space between the tube 32 and the tube 31.
In the event of a flow of liquid or air
therefore down the inner tube 32, this liquid or air is
injected through the outer venturi section to generate a vacuum
within the space between the tubes thus drawing air through the
opening 20 communicating from the interior of the cabinet to
the space between the tubes.
At the lower end of the tube 31 is mounted the
valve arrangement 30 which is of the back check valve type
including a frusto-conical seat 40 which receives a ball 41 or
ceiling member which is spring biased upwardly into contact
with the seat 40 by a spring 42 so as l:o maintain the lower end
of l:he duct normally closed~ In the event that liquid from the
duct comes to rest upon the ceiling member 41, the weight of a
liquid will cause the ceiling member to open against a spring
bias allowing the liquid to escape. The spring is arranged so
that a relatively small quantity of liguid opens the valve and
ensures that it remains open while any liquid is present to be
discharged.
In normal operation, the vacuum line connected
to the coupling 29 causes flow of air along the inner tube 32
in the upward direction and this draws air and ozone through
the opening 20 into the space and then basically in the reverse
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direction through the venturi which is designed with sufficient
orifice to allow the ozone laden air to be transported through
that opening and into the vacuum line.
As soon as there is a back up of liquid,
however, the li~uid flows down the tube 32 in the direction
reverse to the normal direction causing the venturi to act to
generate a suction at the opening 20 to prevent any possibility
of liquid bac~ing up into the space and then exiting through
the opening 20. All liquid thus passing down the tube 32
passes through the venturi into the lower part of the duct and
escapes past the valve 30.
For convenience of mechanical construction,
the tube 31 is formed in three parts including an upper cap
section 45 having a surrounding flange with the upper cap
section ~5 being coupled to the centre section of the tube by a
screw threaded sleeve 46. The opening through which the duct
passes in the upper wall 25 can be closed by the clamping
action of the upper face of the sleeve 46 against the underside
of the flange 45. Similarly the centre section of ~he tube 31
is coupled to a lower section 47 which in turn is formed as
part of or is coupled to the valve 30. The valve 30 also
includes a cap section 4~ and a sleeve section 49 which can be
used to clamp the valve to the opening in the lower wall 27 of
the cabinet.
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Turning now to Figure 3, a slightly modified
arrangement is shown for use with a hot tub. In this
embodiment the hot tub is illustrated at 50 and includes an
inlet jet 51 and an outlet drain opening 52. A pump 53 is
arranged to pump water in a circuit from the outlet drain 52
through a filter schematically indicated at 54 to the jet 51 in
conventional manner. In this embodiment the jet includes a
pipe 55 which can communicate with other jets of the same type
at different locations on the periphery of the tub. The jet
further includes a venturi 56 which draws air into the jet from
an air supply pipe 57. The air supply pipe 57 is connected to
a manually operable air inlet valve 58 mounted in a lip 59 of
the tub. The air inlet valve 58 is of a conventional type
including a mounting plate 60 and a rotatable cap 61 which is
screw threaded into the mounting plate 60 90 that it can be
raised and lowered by rotation of the cap 61. The cap includes
holes which are exposed when the cap is screwed outwardly from
the mounting plate 60 to allow air to enter at that point to
pass along the tube 57 to the jet to introduce air into the jet
if required by the occupants of the tub. This arrangement is
conventional and is illustrated only schematically for this
reason.
A present embodiment further includes a vacuum
line 62 drawing air from an ozone generator 63 to be introduced
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into the water through the tube 57 and the venturi 56.
The vacuum line 62 passes through a sealed
opening in the tube 57 and extends therefrom upwardly through
the tube 57 to a position closely adjacent or within the valve
58. At the end of the line 62 is provided a back check valve
64. With the valve 58 closed, therefore, vacuum generated in
the tube 57 by the venturi 56 is communicated to the vacuum
line 62 through the back check valve 64 so that air is drawn
from the ozone generator into the tub. The backcheck valve 64
is located above the level of the water within the tub so that
it is generally protected from water reaching the backcheck
valve except in the event of a blockage in the jet system so
that pump pressure is applied along the tube 57 in the reverse
direction. The backcheck valve is of a type to prevent water
from entering into the vacuum line 62 by preventing reverse
flow in the preisence of pressure downstream of the backcheck
valve exceeding khe pressure within the vacuum line 62.
The vacuum line 62 communicates with a bypass
device 65 of the same construction as that illustrated in
Figure 2.
Thus the bypass device 65 includes a duct 66
having a first opening 67 communicating through a tube 68 to
the ozone generator 63. The duct 66 further includes a second
opening 69 controlled by a bowl valve 70 of the type previously
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described. The duct further includes a venturi 71 of the type
also shown in Figure 2. The outlet from the duct connects to
the inlet end of the vacuum line 62.
In this embodiment most of the electrical
control elements for the ozone generator are provided in a
separate unit 73 so that the bypass duct is separate from the
ozone generator which is in turn separate from the control
unit. This provides yet further safety in the event of water
pressure causing water to flow back toward the ozone generator
and in addition allows more flexibility in the location of the
parts in the relatively constricted area around the tub beneath
the lip 59.
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Since various modifications can be made in rny
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`~` invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely
different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope
,l of the claims without departing from such spirit and scope, it
~d is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
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specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not
in a limiting sense.
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