Abstract:
An effluent container may have multiple sheets of material attached together to form a generally rectangular shape, having a front sheet, a back sheet, two side sheets, and a bottom sheet; a securing system attached to a free end of at least one of the sheets and configured to attach the effluent container to a support structure; and a drain located on one of the sheets, proximate to the bottom sheet, the drain configured to provide selective fluid communication between the interior of the container and an outside of the container. A method of forming an effluent container may also be provided.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to an effluent container for cleaning heat exchangers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a trough shaped container for containing cleaning fluid used for cleaning heat exchangers and fin fan coolers at the operator end. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Heat exchangers and coolers such as fin fan coolers, are in need of cleaning. One way of cleaning heat exchangers and fin fan coolers is to flow cleaning fluid (which is often water) through the heat exchanger or cooler. As the cleaning fluid moves through the cooler or heat exchanger, the cleaning fluid may pick up contaminants from the heat exchanger or cooler. The contaminants may have leaked from the heat exchanger or cooler or may be present due to other sources. One tool that may be used in the cleaning process is a hydroblaster. The hydroblaster may discharge cleaning fluid through a cooler or heat exchanger causing the cleaning fluid to flow through the cooler heat exchanger and out the other side. 
     In view of current environmental concerns, it may be desirable to recapture the cleaning fluid once it has flowed through a cooler or heat exchanger. This may be because the cleaning fluid itself may need proper disposal or that the cleaning fluid, once it has been contaminated by being flushed through the cooler or heat exchanger becomes an effluent that now has contaminants that need to be properly disposed of. 
     Further, it is possible that a cooler or heat exchanger may leak causing effluent to flow out of the cooler or heat exchanger. 
     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an apparatus that allows an effluent flowing out of a structure such as a cooler or heat exchanger to be captured for proper disposal. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing needs are met, to a great extent, by the present invention, wherein in one aspect embodiment an apparatus is provided that allows an effluent flowing out of a structure such as a cooler or heat exchanger to be captured for proper disposal. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an effluent container may be provided. The effluent container may have multiple sheets of material attached together to form a generally rectangular shape, having a front sheet, a back sheet, two side sheets, and a bottom sheet; a securing system attached to a free end of at least one of the sheets and configured to attach the effluent container to a support structure; and a drain located on one of the sheets, proximate to the bottom sheet, the drain configured to provide selective fluid communication between the interior of the container and an outside of the container. 
     In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method of forming an effluent container may be provided. The method may include: attaching multiple sheets of material together to form a generally rectangular shape, having a front sheet, a back sheet, two side sheets, and a bottom sheet; installing a first closure system on a first side sheet and configuring it to selectively open and close and form a slit in a first side sheet when the first closure system is in an open position; attaching a securing system to a free end of at least one of the sheets; configuring the securing system to attach the effluent container to a support structure; locating a drain on one of the sheets, proximate to the bottom sheet; and configuring the drain to provide selective fluid communication between the interior of the container and an outside of the container. 
     In accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention, an effluent container may be provided. The fluid container may include multiple sheets of material attached together to form a generally rectangular shape, having front sheet, a back sheet, two side sheets, and a bottom sheet; means for closing a slit located on a first side sheet and configured to selectively open and close and form a slit in a first side sheet when the means for closing is in an open position; means for securing the container to a structure attached to a free end of at least one of the sheets; and means for draining the container located on one of the sheets, proximate to the bottom sheet, the means for draining configured to provide selective fluid communication between the interior of the container and an outside of the container. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, certain embodiments of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof herein may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional embodiments of the invention that will be described below and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of embodiments in addition to those described and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a container according to an embodiment in accordance with the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a top view of a sample fabric that may be used in accordance with the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear, perspective view of a container attached to an external structure in accordance with the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a front, perspective view of the container in accordance with the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of one example of a latched buckle that may be used in accordance with this disclosure. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of a non-latched buckle that may be used in accordance with this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The illustrated embodiment will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. An embodiment in accordance with the present invention provides a generally trough shaped container that may be attached to an external structure and placed proximate to a heat exchanger, cooler, or any other device that may generate an effluent. The generally trough shaped container is positioned proximate to the device to capture effluent coming from the device. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a side perspective view of the container  10 . The container  10  is attached to an external structure  12  that supports and opens the container  10 . The container  10  is located near a source  14  of an effluent. The source  14  may be a heat exchanger, a cooler, such as a fin fan cooler, or any other potential source of an effluent. 
     The container  10  is comprised of several sheets of material  15 . The container  10  may be fixed to the structure  12  by securing straps  16  located in securing loops  18 . The securing loops  18  may be attached to sidewalls  20 , a front wall  22 , and a back wall  24 . The sidewalls  20 , the front wall  22 , and the back wall  24  may be made of material  15  and generally form a rectangular-shaped container  10  as shown. However, in other embodiments, other shapes may also be used. The rectangular-shaped container  10  may define an opening  25 . The opening  25  is oriented to allow the container  10  to receive an effluent coming from the source  14 . 
     It will be understood that terms used herein to describe relative relationships such as, but not limited to, top, bottom, side, etc. are used with reference to the orientation shown in the drawings. These terms are helpful to describe where objects are relative to each other. It is to be understood that if a container  10  is oriented to a position different than what is shown in the drawings, then such a container  10  will have the same features as those features described in relative terms. One of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing this disclosure will understand what the features of a container  10  described herein are, even if the orientation of a container  10  is changed. 
     In some embodiments, effluent coming from the source  14  may be flowing toward the opening  25  in the container  10 . In embodiments where a hydroblaster or other pressurized cleaning system is used, the effluent may be moving at a relatively high velocity from the source  14  toward the container  10 . In such instances, the effluent may strike an extended part  26  of the back wall  24 . This extended part  26  of the back wall  24  is raised above the sidewalls  20  and may assist in catching effluent and directing it into the container  10 . 
     The container  10  may include a closing mechanism  28  located in the sidewalls  20  as illustrated. The closing mechanism  28  may selectively open and close a slit  30  in the sidewall  20 . In some embodiments, the purpose of the slit  30  is to permit access to the interior of the container  10 . Access to the container  10  may be useful while setting up or securing the container  10  to the structure  12 . Once it is no longer useful to have the slit  30 , the slit  30  may be closed by using the closing mechanism  28 . In some embodiments, the closing mechanism  28  may include a hook  32  and loop  34  system such as, for example, but not limited to, Velcro. In other embodiments, the closing mechanism  28  may include straps, a zipper, a cord or any suitable mechanism for closing. 
     The various sheets or walls  20 ,  22 ,  24  and the closing mechanism  28  may be attached to each other by seams. For example, a corner seam  36  attaches the sidewall  20  to the back wall  24  and another corner seam  36  attaches the sidewall  20  the front wall  22  as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Other seams  36  may provide a means for attaching as needed. A closing mechanism seam  38  attaching the closing mechanism  28  to the sidewall  20  is also shown. The extended part  26  of the back wall  24  may be attached by an extension seam  40  to a lower portion of the back wall  24  as shown. Other seams may also be present throughout the container  10  as needed. In some embodiments, the seams may be formed by one or more of the following methods: sewing, heat welding, sonic welding, impulse welding, epoxies, adhesives or any other suitable way of attaching sheets of material  15  together. 
       FIG. 2  is an enlarged partial view of the material  15  used in some embodiments to form the container  10 . In some embodiments, the material  15  may include a low density polyethylene (LDEP)  42  and may be reinforced with fibers  44 ,  46  such as, for example, but not limited to, nylon fibers. The fibers  44  may run horizontally and the fibers  46  may run vertically. The combination of these fibers  44  and  46  may form a grid-like structure. In some embodiments, the longitudinal fibers  44  may be interwoven with the latitudinal fibers  46 . The nylon fibers  44  and  46  may be embedded in the low density polyethylene  42 . 
     In some embodiments, the fabric  15  may be translucent or even transparent. These features will allow a user to monitor the amount of effluent contained within the container  10 . In some embodiments, symbols, logos, trademarks or other writing such as instructions or other useful information may be printed on the material  15 . In some embodiments, the material  15  made of multiple plies. In some embodiments the material  15  may withstand temperatures up to 172° F. 
     The container  10  may be constructed of material  15  configured to withstand fluid pressure up to 40,000 PSI. Fluids at such pressure may originate from a hydroblaster. The container  10  may come in a variety of sizes such as 2 foot to 20 foot lengths. For example, standard sized containers  10  may include 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 16, 18, and 20 foot lengths. Other sizes larger, smaller and in between those mentioned may also be used. 
       FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of the container  10  attached to structure  12 . As shown, the container  10  is located near an effluent source  14  and oriented to catch effluent emanating from the source  14 . The securing straps  16  secure the back wall  24  of the container  10  to the structure  12 . The securing straps  16  may also be attached to some of the other walls. The drain  50  is shown extending from the bottom of the sidewall  20 . The drain  50  includes a removable drain cap  52 . In some embodiments the drain  52  is threadably attached to the drain  50  for removal and securing as desired. In some embodiments, the threads on the drain  50  may also be configured to attach to a conduit such as a hose for draining effluent pooled within the container  10 . 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a container  10  in accordance with the present disclosure. The back wall  24  and the extended part  26  of the back wall  24  are shown. Securing loops  18  are attached via securing loops seams  48  to the sidewall  20 , front wall  22 , and back wall  24 . Corner seams  36  are also shown attaching the various walls  20 ,  22 , and  24 . The bottom seam  54  attaches the various sidewalls  20 , front wall  22 , and/or back wall  24  to the bottom sheet  58 . The container  10  is in a generally rectangular shape having an opening  25 . The closing mechanism  28  is shown attached to the sidewalls  20  by closing mechanism seams  38 . 
     The drain  50  and drain cap  52  are also shown. The location of the drain  50  is meant to be an example only. In other embodiments, the drain  50  may be located at various locations including the sidewall  20  as shown, the front wall  22 , or back wall  24 . In some embodiments, the drain may be a 2 inch NPT fitting for allowing easy connection to a non-collapsible hose for the convenient routing of wastewater and or other effluent. In some embodiments, a 3 inch drain  50  may be provided. Other embodiments may include different sized drains  50 . 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the container  10  taken along the line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 4 . The securing straps  16  are located within the interior  56  of the securing loops  18 . The extended part  26  of the back wall  24  is shown extending above both the top of the sidewalls  20  back wall  24  has an extending seam  40  which connects various portions of the back wall  24 . In some embodiments, the material  15  which forms the back wall  24  may be of sufficient length to not require an extending seam  40  in the front wall  22 . 
     While the illustrated embodiment shows that the back wall  24  is taller than the sidewalls  20  and the front wall  22 , and the front wall  22  is taller than the sidewalls  20 , various different embodiments are not limited to this geometry. In other embodiments, the sidewalls  20 , the front wall  22 , and the back wall  24  may be of different relative heights to each other. In some embodiments, the sidewalls  20  may be about 3.5 feet high. The back wall  24  may be about 6 feet high and the front wall may be about 4 feet high. These or other dimensions may be used. 
     One of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing this disclosure will understand what height of the various walls are suitable for its specific application. It will be understood that the anticipated direction and velocity of the effluent flowing out of the structure  12  will be taken into account when selecting walls of various heights. As discussed above, is desirable to have the effluent be contained by the container  10  as much as possible to minimize splash or spill out of the container  10  into the surrounding environment. 
     The bottom sheet  58  is shown attached via bottom seams  54  to the front wall  22  and the back wall  24 . The drain  50  is also shown. While not shown in  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 4  illustrates an additional bottom seam  54  attaching the bottom sheet  58  to the side walls  20 . In some embodiments, the bottom sheet  58  may have multiple plies. In a two-ply embodiment, the bottom sheet  58  may be comprised of a first ply  60  and a second ply  62  the two plies  60  and  62  may be connected to each other at the bottom seams  54  as indicated. In other embodiments, the first ply  60  second ply  62  may be attached other suitable locations. Any of the walls may also have multiple plies. 
     In some embodiments, the container  10  is attached to the structure  12  by securing straps  16 . The securing straps  16  may be equipped with buckles  64  which allow a simple and easy way to secure the securing straps  16  to the structure  12 . 
       FIG. 6  is a top view of a buckle  64  in a closed position in accordance with an embodiment.  FIG. 7  is a top view of the buckle  64  in an open position. With reference to both  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the straps  16  are shown attached to the buckle  64  and the strap ends  66  are shown. In some embodiments, the strap  16  may be tightened by pulling on the strap ends  66 . The buckle  64  may be a common snapping type buckle  64 . The buckle  64  may include an interior buckle  68  that fits with an exterior buckle  70  to snap in place. The interior buckle may include flexing fingers  72  that are compressed together when entering the compression end of the exterior buckle  70 . 
     Once the flex fingers  72  have moved beyond the compressing end  74  to the locking cutouts  76 , the flex fingers  72  may move outwardly thereby locking the interior buckle  68  to the exterior buckle  70 . To unlock and remove the interior buckle  68  from the exterior buckle  70 , a user may compress the flex fingers  72  towards each other, and then simply slide the interior buckle  68  out of the exterior buckle  70  as shown in  FIG. 7 . The particular buckles  64  shown are meant to be examples only. Other types of buckles or fasteners may be used in accordance with this disclosure. 
     The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.