APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR USE IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF FLUIDS AND PARTICULATE MATTER

Abstract: An apparatus (1) for transporting fluid or particulate matter in a container (40) is provided, comprising an outer body (20) installable in use within the container (40) and a liner (10) fittable within the outer body (20). The liner (10) is provided with a valve (11) for loading and unloading the fluid or particulate matter and the outer body (20) is provided with one or more expandable chambers (21, 35) for reducing the volume of internal void space between the outer body (20) and the liner (10).

Description: APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR USE IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF FLUIDS AND PARTICULATE MATTER This invention relates to an apparatus and method for use in the transportation of liquids or particulate matter in containers such as mobile containers, tankers, trailers, rigid van bodies or the like. In particular, but not exclusively, the apparatus and method may be used for the transportation of liquids or particulate matter in ISO containers . It is known to transport liquids and particulate matter in tankers. Loads are often required to be transported in only one direction. At other times, different liquids or particulate matter may be required to be transported in successive journeys. As a result, the tanker is either not utilised efficiently or must be cleaned out after each journey in order to avoid contamination of the load, with a consequent decrease in the efficiency of utilisation of the tanker. A major problem with the transportation of liquids or particulate matter is that large dynamic forces can be set up within the tanker or container by movement of the liquid during transportation. U.S. 5,824,995 discloses one attempted solution to this problem by providing apparatus for use in the transportation of fluid materials or particulate matter in a container for use with container handling equipment. The apparatus comprises a liner removably fittable in such a container to define a volume for containing a fluid material or particulate matter. The liner comprises a base portion and opposed end walls and opposed side walls extending upwardly from the base portion. Adjustable straps are provided to allow the volume of the liner to be varied to a limited extent to accommodate the relative differences in the densities of liquids to be transported. In order to avoid unacceptable dynamic forces being set up within the container, it is necessary to fully fill the liner to prevent the liquid moving around dynamically. There are a number of problems with this type of apparatus. The adjustable straps only allow adjustment of the volume within the liner to a limited extent. As a result, it is necessary for the liner to be substantially fully filled by liquid or particulate matter to prevent dynamic forces being set up during transportation. The liner is thus unsuitable for use in transporting smaller volumes of liquid in a relatively large container, such as a half-full load, whilst preventing unacceptable dynamic forces . Another problem is that operation of the adjustable straps is awkward and involves considerable manual effort to achieve. Consequently, the use of the apparatus is rendered inefficient and labour intensive . According to the present invention, there is provided apparatus for transporting fluids or particulate matter in a container, comprising an outer body installable in use within the container and a liner fittable within the outer body, the liner being provided with a valve for loading and unloading the fluid or particulate matter, and the outer body being provided with one or more expandable chambers for reducing the volume of an internal void space between the outer body and the liner. The outer body comprises opposed basal and upper walls, opposed side walls and opposed end walls, the upper wall being provided with an opening through which the liner is insertable, the opening being closable in use by an attachable cover. Preferably the one or more expandable chambers are located in an upper portion of the outer body above the location of the liner when fitted within the outer body. Preferably the outer body comprises an expandable chamber extending along an upper edge of each opposed side wall. Preferably the outer body comprises an expandable chamber extending along an upper edge of at least one of the opposed end walls. Optionally the attachable cover comprises an expandable chamber. Preferably the at least one expandable chamber is/are an air bag provided with a valve for inflation by pump means. In one embodiment the at least one air chamber comprises a pressure release valve. The outer body is polyvinyl chloride or a blend of polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane. The liner is polyethylene or similar material. Preferably the liner is provided with a moisture and/or oxygen barrier layer. In another embodiment the apparatus further comprises one or more expandable chambers locatable in use between the outer body and the container. The present invention also provides a method of transporting fluids or particulate matter in a container, comprising the steps of installing an outer body in the container, fitting a liner within the outer body, filling the liner with the fluid or particulate matter through a valve in the liner, and expanding one or more expandable chambers to reduce the volume of an internal void space between the outer body and the liner. Preferably the void space is substantially reduced to zero. Preferably the expandable chambers are inflated by compressed air. In another embodiment the method further comprises the steps of locating one or more expandable chambers between the outer body and the container Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :- Figure 1 is a perspective schematic view of one embodiment of apparatus according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective schematic view of a cover portion for use with the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective schematic view of the apparatus of Figure 1 and Figure 2 being prepared for filling; Figure 4 is a perspective schematic view of the apparatus of Figure 1 and Figure 2 as fitted in an ISO container; and Figure 5 is a side elevation schematic view of another embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus 1 of the present invention as shown in Figure * 1 comprises a liner 10 for containing the liquid or particulate matter to be transported, and an outer body 20, surrounding the liner 10. The apparatus 1 is installed in a container 40, such as an ISO container, as shown in Figure 40. The liner 10 is of generally parallelepiped form comprising a base 12, top wall 15, opposed end walls 13 and opposed side walls 14. The liner 10 is made of polyethylene or a similar material which is flexible and impermeable to the liquid to be transported. Optionally, the liner 10 may comprise an oxygen and/or moisture barrier on either its inner or outer surface. Different liners 10 may be utilised depending on the maximum volume of liquid or particulate matter that is likely to be required to be transported and the volume of the container in which the apparatus 1 is to be transported. The maximum volume of the liner 10 typically ranges from 1000 litres to 27000 litres. (According to the present invention it is not necessary to match exactly the maximum volume of the liner 10 with the volume of liquid or particulate matter to be transported, as will be explained below) . A valve 11 is provided in the liner 10 to allow filling and emptying of liquid or particulate matter into or out of the liner 10. In one embodiment, the valve 11 is situated in the top wall 15 of the liner 10 as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the valve 11 is situated at an upper, centre, or lower end of one of the end walls 13, as shown in Figure 4, so as to be easily accessible when the container end door 41 is opened. The liner 10 may be provided with a pressure relief valve (not shown) coupled to a manual drain tap by means of piping. The pressure relief valve acts to prevent a dangerous pressure build up within the liner 10, depending on the nature of the liquid transported. The outer body 20 is also of a generally parallelepiped form having a base wall 31, opposed end walls 32 and opposed side walls 33. The outer body 20 is made from a material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or a blend of PVC and polyurethane or similar material. An upper horizontal wall 35 of the outer body 20 opposed to the base 31 comprises a plurality of expandable air chambers 21. The air chambers are formed integrally with the material of the side walls 33. The air chambers 21 may comprise one or more replaceable or removable bladders in a lining. Advantageously, the use of bladders allows for easy and quick repair of any puncture in the air chambers 21. An opening 34 is defined between the air chambers 21 which is closed in use by a cover 23, as shown in Figure 4. One edge of the cover 23 is attached to one of the air chambers by means of a sewn seam 29. The other edges of the cover 23 are attachable to the remaining air chambers 21 by closure means 22. In one embodiment the closure means 22 is a zip closure. In another embodiment the closure means 22 comprises hoops attached to the material of the air chambers 21 and eyelets formed in the material of the cover 23. One or more cords, threaded through the hook and eyelet formations, are utilised to close the opening 34. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 the upper horizontal wall comprises two air chambers 21 which extend substantially along the entire length of the side walls 33 and one air chamber 21 which extends along one of the end walls 32. The cover 23 comprises a further air chamber 35 which extends along its length. When the cover 23 is closed the air chambers 21 integral with the side walls 33 and the air chamber 35 in the cover 23 cover substantially the entire upper horizontal wall of the outer body 20. The presence'Of the cover 23 gives greater structural integrity to the apparatus 1 when closed and protects the top wall 15 of the liner 10. The cover 23 may be designed to cover valve 11 when closed or alternatively be provided with an opening through which the valve 11 projects so as to be accessible when the cover 23 is closed. The outer body 20 may be provided with a series of hooks mounted on its outer face along each side wall 33. Each of the air chambers 21, 35 comprises an inflation valve 28. The air chambers 21, 35 and/or outer body 20 may be provided with reinforcing straps 27, 30 made from polypropylene and/or nylon if the nature of the load carried requires extra reinforcing of the apparatus 1. As shown in Figure 3, an outer surface of the outer body 20 is provided with a series of support hooks 24 integrally mounted along each side wall 33. In use, the outer body 20 is installed in the container 40 as shown in Figure 4, such as an ISO container. The outer body 20 is supported and held in position by means of elastic support cords 25, one end of which is attached to the support hooks 24 of the outer body 20 and the other end of which is attached to suitable anchor points in container 40. The closure means 22 is opened and the cover 23 of the outer body 20 is rolled back, as shown in Figure 3 to allow access to the inside of the outer body 20. The liner 10 is then placed into the outer body 20. Liquid or particulate matter is then loaded through valve 11 by known means. Once filling has been completed, the cover 23 of the outer body 20 is rolled back into position and the closure means 22 closed. Dependant on the quantity of liquid or particulate matter loaded into liner 10 and the size of the outer body 20, there may exist a void space inside the apparatus 1 between the liner 10 and the outer body 20. The air chambers 21, 35 are inflated using the inflation valves 28 to reduce the void space. The air chambers 21, 35 are inflated to a pressure in the range 1 to 50 psi gauge. Inflation causes the air chambers 21, 35 to expand to take up any excess volume between the liner 10 and the outer body 20. Preferably the void space is substantially reduced to zero. The air chambers 21 may be inflated with any suitable gas, vapour-liquid mixture or liquid. Preferably the air chambers 21, 35 are inflated with air. Inflation may be by manual action or preferably by the use of one or more automatic pumps. Where the apparatus 1 is used with an articulated vehicle the inflation may advantageously be achieved by using the vehicles compressed air supply. An over-pressure may be applied to the liner 10 by the air chambers 21, 35 to apply an additional damping force to the liquid or particulate matter stored therein and to increase the general rigidity of the apparatus 1. The apparatus 1 is then transported to its destination. The absence of a void space between the liner 10 and the outer body 20 together with the pressure applied to the liner 10 by the air chambers 21, 35 prevents excessive dynamic forces being set up within the container 40. In order to unload the liquid or particulate matter, if necessary the closure means 22 is opened and the cover 23 rolled back to reveal the valve 11 of the liner 10. The liquid or particulate matter may then be pumped out by known means. Where the cover 23 comprises an opening for the valve 11, the liner 10 may be unloaded without first opening the closure means 22. The ^apparatus 1 may now be used to transport another load on the next journey of the container. If the same liquid or particulate matter is to be transported, then the same liner 10 may be used without any further action or a new liner 10 fitted. If a different liquid or particulate matter is to be transported, then either a new liner 10 may be used or the present liner 10 may be cleaned, either in situ within the outer body 20 or after removal from the outer body 20. In either case it is not necessary to remove the outer body 20 from the container. Consequently, less time is required before the next load may be transported. In another embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 5, the apparatus 1 further comprises additional air chambers 50, in the form of inflatable bags, which are externally mounted on top of the cover 23 of the outer body 20 and optionally on the outer surface of the side walls 33. The air bags 50 may be permanently attached to the outer body 20 or removably attached by means of straps, hooks or similar means. The air bags 50 may be made from the same material as the outer body 20. This embodiment of the present invention may be used for the transportation of liquids or particulate matter in over-sized or unusually shaped containers such as rail freight containers. Rail freight containers are typically higher than road-going ISO containers. The additional air bags 50 are used to take up the additional space between the cover 23 of the outer body 20 and the roof of the freight container. The air bags 50 may be positioned only at each end of the freight container as shown in Figure 5 or may be positioned equi-spaced along the length of the freight container. The air bags 50 are inflated to a safe initial pressure in the range 2 to 50 psi gauge. Air 'bags may also be used mounted on the side walls 33 of the outer body 20 where the apparatus 1 is transported in a container of significantly greater width than the outer body 20. Optionally, the outer body 20 may be provided with a support frame made of steel, plastic, carbon fibre or aluminium. The support frame may be utilised for aiding the installation of the outer body 20 in the container 40. The support frame may be collapsible when the apparatus 1 is not in use.

Claims: Claims : 1. Apparatus (1) for transporting fluids or particulate matter in a container (40), comprising an outer body (20) installable in use within the container (40) and a liner (10) fittable within the outer body (20), the liner (10) being provided with a valve (11) for loading and unloading the fluid or particulate matter, and the outer body (20) being provided with one or more expandable chambers (21,35) for reducing the volume of an internal void .space between the outer body (20) and the liner (10) . 2. Apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer body (20) comprises opposed basal (31) and upper walls, opposed side walls (33) and opposed end walls (32), the upper wall being provided with an opening (34) through which the liner (10) is insertable, the opening (34) being closable in use by an attachable cover (23 ) . 3. Apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein τlhe one or more expandable chambers (21, 35) are located in an upper portion of the outer body (20) above the location of the liner (10) when fitted within the outer body (20) . 4. Apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 3 wherein the outer body (20) comprises an expandable chamber (21) extending along an upper edge of each opposed side wall (33) . 5. Apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the outer body (20) comprises an expandable chamber (21) extending along an upper edge of at least one of the opposed end walls (32) . 6. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the attachable cover (23) comprises an expandable chamber (35) . 7. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the at least one expandable chamber (21, 35) is/are an air bag provided with a valve (28) for inflation by pump means. 8. Apparatus (1) as claimed in claim 7 wherein the at least one air chamber (21, 35) comprises .a pressure release valve. 9. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the outer body (20) is polyvinyl chloride or a blend of polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane. 10. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the liner (10) is polyethylene. 11. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the liner (10) is provided with a moisture and/or oxygen barrier layer. 12. Apparatus (1) as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising one or more expandable chambers (50) locatable in use between the outer body (20) and the container (40) . 13. A method of transporting fluids or particulate matter in a container (40) , comprising the steps of installing an outer body (20) in the container (40), fitting a liner (10) within the outer body (20), filling the liner (10) with the fluid or particulate matter through a valve (11) in the liner (10) , and expanding one or more expandable chambers (21, 35) to reduce the volume of an internal void space between the outer body (20) and the liner (10) . 14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the void space is substantially reduced to zero. 15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14 wherein the expandable chambers (21, 35) are inflated by compressed air. 16. A method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15 further comprising the steps of locating one or more expandable chambers (50) between the outer body (20) and the container (10) .

Inventors: MCKENNA BRENDAN, MCKENNA, BRENDAN
Applicants: MCKENNA BRENDAN, MCKENNA, BRENDAN
Application year: 2000
Main classification: B65D90
IPC codes: B65D90, C08L27, C08L75