Vacuum toilet with centrifugal separator

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum toilet, comprising a toilet bowl with a bowl outlet opening, an intermediate tank with an inner wall surface enclosing an interior of the intermediate tank, an inlet opening formed on the intermediate tank, an outlet opening formed on the intermediate tank for connecting the interior of the intermediate tank to a wastewater container, a vacuum generator in fluidic communication with the interior of the intermediate tank for generating underpressure in said interior of the intermediate tank, a wastewater feed line which connects the bowl outlet opening to inlet opening and a wastewater tank which is in fluidic communication with the interior of the intermediate tank via the outlet opening. According to the invention, the inner wall of the intermediate tank, in at least one surface section, is formed in a rotationally symmetrical manner about an axis, and the inlet opening is arranged in said at least one surface section and has an orientation which defines an in-flow direction having a directional component tangential to said axis.

1 . A vacuum toilet, comprising:
 a toilet bowl with a bowl outlet opening,   an intermediate tank with an inner wall surface enclosing an interior of the intermediate tank,   an inlet opening formed on the intermediate tank, an outlet opening formed on the intermediate tank for connecting the interior of the intermediate tank to a wastewater container,   a vacuum generator in fluidic communication with the interior of the intermediate tank for generating underpressure in said interior of the intermediate tank   a wastewater feed line which connects the bowl outlet opening to inlet opening,   a wastewater tank which is in fluidic communication with the interior of the intermediate tank via the outlet opening,   
       characterised in that the inner wall surface of the intermediate tank, in at least one surface section, is formed in a rotationally symmetrical manner about an axis, and the inlet opening is arranged in said at least one surface section and has an orientation which defines an in-flow direction having a directional component tangential to said axis. 
     
     
         2 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the wastewater feed line opens into an inlet passage arranged upstream and/or downstream from the inlet opening in the direction of flow and which defines a direction of flow into the interior of the intermediate tank, said direction defining a directional component tangential to the axis.   
     
     
         3 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised by a controllable closure valve in the wastewater feed line.   
     
     
         4 . A wastewater facility for a vacuum toilet, comprising:
 an intermediate tank with a wall enclosing an interior of the intermediate tank, an inlet opening formed on the intermediate tank, for connecting the interior of the intermediate tank to a wastewater feed line   an inlet opening formed on the intermediate tank, for connecting the interior of the intermediate tank to a wastewater tank,   a vacuum generator in fluidic communication with the interior of the intermediate tank for generating underpressure in said interior of the intermediate tank   
       characterised in that the inner wall surface of the intermediate tank, in at least one surface section, is formed in a rotationally symmetrical manner about an axis, and the inlet opening is arranged in said at least one surface section and has an orientation which defines an in-flow direction having a directional component tangential to said axis. 
     
     
         5 . The wastewater facility according to  claim 4 ,
 characterised by an inlet passage arranged upstream and/or downstream from the inlet opening in the direction of flow and which defines a direction of flow into the interior of the intermediate tank, said direction defining a directional component tangential to the axis.   
     
     
         6 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 2 ,
 characterised in that the inlet passage defines a tangential flow direction defined, in particular in that the inlet passage runs in a tangential direction.   
     
     
         7 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that, when the intermediate tank is installed, the axis extends in a direction with a vertical directional component, and is preferably vertical in orientation.   
     
     
         8 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the inlet opening defines a tangential flow direction, in particular that the inlet opening has a cross-sectional area whose surface normal is tangential to the axis.   
     
     
         9 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the outlet opening has a gravity-actuated closure flap which is moved under the influence of gravity into a closed position, held in said closed position by underpressure when an underpressure in applied to the intermediate tank, and is moved into the open position by the weight force of the wastewater when wastewater lies on a surface of the closure flap facing towards the interior of the intermediate tank.   
     
     
         10 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 9 ,
 characterised in that the gravity-actuated closure flap is mounted pivotably about a closure flap axis and has a sealing surface and a weight which presses said sealing surface under the influence of gravity against a sealing face arranged around the outlet opening, or in that the closure flap operated by spring force is pivotably mounted about a closure flap axis and has a sealing surface and a spring element which presses said sealing surface under the force of a spring against sealing surface arranged around the outlet opening.   
     
     
         11 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 9 ,
 characterised in that the closure flap is arranged downstream in the direction of flow from an outlet channel having a cross-sectional area which is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the intermediate tank in the region of the inlet opening.   
     
     
         12 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 9 ,
 characterised in that the closure flap has a surface which faces in the closed position towards the interior of the intermediate tank and has a surface normal with a vertical directional component and which is preferably vertical.   
     
     
         13 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the interior of the intermediate tank has a rotationally symmetric outer cross-section in the region of the surface section where the inner wall of the intermediate tank is rotationally symmetric.   
     
     
         14 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 13 ,
 characterised in that the diameter of the outer cross-section in the rotationally symmetric region of the inner wall surface of the intermediate tank decreases in the direction of gravity, the inlet opening preferably being arranged at the upper end of the rotationally symmetric inner wall surface of the intermediate tank, viewed in the direction of gravity.   
     
     
         15 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the entire intermediate tank is rotationally symmetric.   
     
     
         16 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the vacuum generator is connected to the interior of the intermediate tank by means of an ejector orifice and said ejector orifice is arranged in the region of the intermediate tank axis and preferably coaxially with the intermediate tank axis.   
     
     
         17 . The vacuum toilet according to  claim 1 ,
 characterised in that the rotationally symmetric wall section is formed at an insert member and the intermediate tank has an external wall which surrounds said insert member.   
     
     
         18 . A method for controlling a vacuum toilet, comprising the steps of:
 generating an underpressure in the interior of an intermediate tank by means of a vacuum generator,   opening an outlet valve in a wastewater feed line which connects a toilet bowl to the interior of the intermediate tank,   feeding an amount of wastewater out of the toilet bowl via the wastewater feed line into the interior of the intermediate tank,   
       characterised in that the interior of the intermediate tank is enclosed by an inner wall surface which is arranged rotationally symmetrically about an axis, and the wastewater is fed into the interior of the intermediate tank with a tangential directional component and preferably in the tangential direction in relation to said axis. 
     
     
         19 . The method according to  claim 18 ,
 characterised in that the wastewater from the interior of the intermediate tank flows in front of an outlet opening and accumulates in front of said outlet opening, and that the outlet opening is sealed by a closure element which is moved from a closed position into an open position when the weight force of the wastewater exceeds a predetermined value.   
     
     
         20 . The method according to  claim 19 ,
 characterised in that the closure element is a pivotably mounted flap which is moved into the closed position by a counterweight.