FR2510425A1 - Mixer for medically dosed drinking water for sick animals - delivers dosing liq. into mixing chamber from bladder under pressure of carrier water - Google Patents

Abstract

Proportioning mixer for a carrier liq. and a dosing liq. which contains solids in soln. or in suspension. The mixer comprises an enclosed vessel with inlet and outlet for carrier liq. the vessel contains an elastically collapsible bladder which has an inlet for dosing liq. passing through a seal in the wall of the vessel. The bladder has an outlet via a valve and a calibrated orifice to a mixing chamber into which the vessel outlet is also connected via a valve. The vessel is pref. of vertical cylindrical form. The bottom of the bladder if open-mouthed, the edge of the mouth being compression sealed around the edge of a circular panel removably fitted in the base of the vessel. Mounted within the bladder, on the inner face of the panel, there is pref. a rotary, motorised agitator. The carrier liq. can be water into which a predetermined dose of medicine is continuously mixed from the bladder. Precise proportioning of carrier liq. and dosing liq. is achieved entirely automatically and on a continuous basis. The pressure of dosing liq. into the metering orifice is always the same as the pressure of carrier liq. because the two liqs. in the vessel are sepd. only by the flexible, pressure transmitting wall of the bladder.

Description

 The present invention relates to an apparatus for mixing and dispensing a liquid-liquid or liquid-solid metered mixture and, more particularly such an apparatus where the liquid carrying the mixture is water from the general distribution network.

 In industrial farms, to treat animals, powdered medicines have long been mixed with solid food distributed to animals. Unfortunately, the animals to be treated, not all of which have the same appetite, on the contrary the sick people eat less than the others, so that the distribution of the drugs varies in inverse ratio to the disease state. On the other hand, we know that sick animals, generally feverish, are more thirsty than the others. It was therefore natural to look for means to ensure the distribution of medicines in the animal's drinking water, the most practical source of which is the general distribution network. An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus meeting this need. However, it should be understood that the applications of the apparatus according to the invention is not limited to this use.

 According to a characteristic of the invention, the apparatus comprises an enclosure comprising an inlet tubing to be connected to a source of carrier liquid and an outlet tubing, a bladder being mounted in the enclosure, the bladder containing a solution or a liquid containing suspended solids and having an outlet channel connected to a calibrated orifice device, a mixing chamber with two inlets, one connected to the outlet tubing and the other to the outlet of the calibrated orifice device , and an output connected to the user network.

 According to another characteristic, the bladder has an inlet channel and the wall of the enclosure has an opening at the edge of which the wall of the inlet channel of the bladder is connected by a tight seal.

 According to another characteristic, the outlet pipe and the calibrated orifice device are respectively provided with shut-off valves.

 According to another characteristic, the enclosure has a flat bottom formed by an annular flange in which a disc is inscribed, the bladder having the shape of a bag whose edge is wedged, in a sealed manner, between the disc and the flange, the disc being pierced with a hole forming an outlet channel of the bladder and connected to the device with calibrated orifice.

 According to another characteristic, the disc carries, inside the bladder, a circular motion agitator and drive means are mounted on the disc to drive the agitator.

 The characteristics of the invention mentioned above, as well as others, will appear more clearly on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment, said description being made in relation to the drawing of the attached single figure.

 In the example of embodiment shown, the enclosure 1 is a cylinder 2 made of sheet steel, with a vertical axis, closed, at the top, by a cap 3, also in a tiller welded to the upper edge of the cylinder 2 and, at the bottom , by an annular flange 4 at the periphery of which the lower free edge of the cylinder 2 is welded. The enclosure 1 is carried, above the ground, by a certain number of feet 5.

 In the cylinder 2 is drilled a hole at the edge of which is welded an inlet pipe 6, which comprises the means, not shown, for connection to the general water distribution network or to another source, if one does not have not from the general network. The flange 4 has a tapped hole 7, with a vertical axis, into which one end of a stop valve 8 is screwed, the control handle of which is shown diagrammatically at 9, and a tapped hole 10 into which a drain plug 11.

 In the enclosure 1, a bladder 12, for example made of rubber or flexible plastic, is mounted, which has the shape of a bag having a large opening at the bottom, the edge 13 of which is wedged between the internal edge of the flange 4 and the periphery of a disc 14 which fits into the central opening of the flange 4. In practice, as shown in the single figure, the disc 14 has a larger diameter than the central opening of the flange 4 and a thickness greater than this. The edge of the disc 14 is machined so as to reduce, over part of its thickness, its diameter to that of the opening of 4. In the shoulder 15 which remains, holes are drilled for the screw passages 16 making it possible to fix the disc 14 to the flange 4, once the edge 13 of the bladder 12 has passed between 4 and 14.

 The bladder bag 12 is also open at the top, but with a smaller opening diameter. The edge 17 of this opening is wedged between the flange 18 of a section of tube 19 which has passed through a corresponding hole made in the top of the cap 2, and the edge of this hole. The outside of the tube 19 is threaded and a washer 20 is screwed onto the tube 19 to keep the flange tight against the edge 17 wedged against the cap 2.

At the upper end of the tube section 19, a tap 21 with a large opening diameter is screwed. The tap 21 allows, in the open position, to fill the bladder, from above, with liquid or pulverulent product and water of dissolution.

 The disc 14 is pierced with a vertical hole 22 and carries, opposite the hole 22, a hollow sleeve 23 at the end of which is screwed a plug 24. In its lower part, above the plug 24, the sleeve 23 has a tapped hole 25 with horizontal axis into which one end of a stop valve 26 is screwed, the control handle of which is schematically represented at 27.

 On the other threaded end of the valve 8, a flange 28 is screwed while, on the other end of the valve 26, a flange 29 is screwed. A mixing chamber 30 is carried by the flange 28 and applied against the flange 29. In practice, the mixing chamber 30 is a block comprising two cross bores, one of the branches of which is vertical, aligned with the axis of the valve 8 and the other branch of which is horizontal, aligned with the valve axis 26. The flange 28 is fixed to the adjacent rectified surface of the body 30 by screws, not shown, an O-ring 31 ensuring the seal between the two parts. Likewise, the flange 29 is fixed to the adjacent flat surface of the body 30 by screws, not shown, an O-ring 32 ensuring sealing. The ends of the horizontal bore in the body 30 are tapped to receive, on the side of the flange 29, a threaded hollow core or nozzle 33 and, on the outside, a plug 34.

 In the center of the disc 14 passes an axis 35 for driving a rotary agitator or a paddle wheel 36. The axis 35 is driven by an electric motor 37 mounted under the disc 14. Above the wheel 36 and from the hole 22, a strainer 38 is provided, the edge of which is fixed to the disc.

 Finally, handles 39 can be provided on the enclosure 1 for transporting it.

 Initially, before the appliance is put into service, the valve 26 is closed and the valve 8 is opened. Then the valve 21 is opened with a large opening and a quantity of water is poured inside the bladder, through the conduit 19. active liquid or active solid powder corresponding to the concentration of liquid or solid, which is desired, depending on the maximum capacity of the bladder, then water is added until the bladder is filled. The valve 8 being open, the bladder 12 is not subjected to any external stress and can reach complete expansion. The initial operation being completed, the valve 8 can be closed and the tubing 6 connected to the general water distribution network, on which there is preferably a shut-off valve.

 To use the device, thus ready to operate, the motor 37 is started, which actuates the agitator 36 which ensures good and rapid mixing in the bladder. We wait a few moments to obtain good homogeneity of the liquid in the bladder, particularly when it is a solid active powder. Then we open the stop valve of the general network, then the valves 8 and 26 by acting on the controls 9 and 27. On the two sides of the bladder 12, we obviously have the same pressure, which is that of water of the network.

So the mains water and the bladder liquid mix in a perfectly defined way in the mixing chamber. The proportions of the mixture are defined by the diameter of the nozzle 33 which creates a well defined pressure drop. As the bladder 12 empties, the proportions of the mixture remain constant since the driving water and the liquid in the bladder are always at the same pressure. It should even be noted that the proportions of the mixture are practically independent of the pressure of the mains water.

 A well-defined mixture is thus obtained at the outlet of the chamber 30, both by the concentration of the products poured into the bladder and by the diameter of the nozzle 33. Of course, it is not necessary to empty the bladder in an operation, but on the contrary a prepared mixture can serve several days in a row, which is very practical in the case of the treatment of a group of sick animals.

 By removing the plug 24, the interior of the bladder can be completely emptied, which may be necessary in the event of a change in the mixture. By removing the plug 34, there is access to the nozzle 33 which can be exchanged. The strainer 38 avoids clogging of the hole 22 when the mixture comprises solid particles.

 Of course, if the use of the device in the distribution of liquids to animals has been considered more particularly above, other applications of the device are also possible.

Claims (5)

 1) apparatus for mixing and dispensing a liquid-liquid or liquid-solid metered mixture, characterized in that it comprises an enclosure (1) comprising an inlet pipe (6) to be connected to a source of carrier liquid and an outlet tube (7), a bladder (12) being mounted in the enclosure (1), the bladder (12) containing a solution or a liquid containing suspended solids and having an outlet channel (22) connected a calibrated orifice device (33), a mixing chamber (30) with two inlets, one connected to the outlet pipe (7) and the other to the outlet of the calibrated orifice device (33), and an output connected to the user network.  2) Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the bladder (12) has an inlet channel (19) and the wall of the enclosure (1) has an opening at the edge of which the wall of the inlet channel (19) of the bladder (12) is connected by a tight seal.  3) Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the outlet pipe (7) and the calibrated orifice device (33) are respectively provided with shut-off valves (8, 26).  4) Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the enclosure (1) comprises a flat bottom formed by an annular flange (4) in which is inscribed a disc (14), the bladder ( 12) having the form of a bag, the edge (33) of which is wedged in a leaktight manner between the disc (14) and the flange (4), the disc (14) being pierced with a hole (22 ) forming the bladder outlet channel (12) and connected to the calibrated orifice device (33).  5) Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the disc (14) carries, inside the bladder (12), an agitator (36) with circular movement, drive means ( 37) being mounted on the disc (14) to drive the agitator (36).