阅读说明：本技术 用于对飞行器的水系统进行消毒的方法 (Method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft ) 是由 塞巴斯蒂安·弗拉斯哈尔 米夏埃尔·伦珀 阿克塞尔·施赖纳 于 2019-05-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于对飞行器的水系统进行消毒的方法,其包括：由第一地勤单元在所述水系统的入口处使热水进入；使所述热水从所述入口通过所述水系统的水管冲洗至所述水系统的出口；以及由所述第一地勤单元或第二地勤单元在所述出口处放出所述热水；所述热水在预定消毒周期内冲入所述入口并从所述出口冲出；并且所述热水在所述入口处经由所述第一地勤单元的连续流加热器被提供。(A method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft, comprising: admitting hot water at an inlet of the water system by a first ground service unit; flushing the hot water from the inlet through a water pipe of the water system to an outlet of the water system; and emitting the hot water at the outlet by the first or second ground service unit; said hot water rushes into said inlet and out of said outlet for a predetermined disinfection period; and the hot water is provided at the inlet via a continuous flow heater of the first ground service unit.)

1. Method for disinfecting a water system (10), in particular a drinking water system, of an aircraft (100), comprising:

-entering (M1) hot water (20) at an inlet (2) of the water system (10) by a first ground service unit (11);

Flushing (M2) the hot water (20) from the inlet (2) through a water pipe (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) of the water system (10) to an outlet (3) of the water system (10); and

Emitting (M3) the hot water (20) at the outlet (3) by the first (11) or second (12) ground service unit;

Said hot water (20) being flushed into said inlet (2) and out of said outlet (3) during a predetermined disinfection cycle; and is

The hot water (20) is provided at the inlet (2) via a continuous flow heater (13) of the first ground service unit (11).

2. The method (M) according to claim 1, said hot water (20) having a water temperature between 60 ℃ and 80 ℃.

3. Method (M) according to claim 1 or 2, the tapping (M3) of the hot water (20) at the outlet (3) being controlled by a pressure maintenance device (14) of the first (11) and/or second (12) ground service unit.

4. A method (M) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the water pipes (1a, 1b, 1c, 1d) comprising at least one of a water inlet pipe (1a), a distribution pipe (1b), a water outlet pipe (1c) and a consumption pipe (1 d).

5. The method (M) according to any of claims 1 to 4, applying pressure to a tank portion (9a) of the water system (10) during the flushing (M2) of the hot water (20) to keep the hot water (20) away from the tank portion (9 a).

6. A method (M) according to claim 5, providing compressed air (21) via a compressed air supply (15) of the first and/or second ground service units (11, 12) to apply compressed air to the tank portion (9 a).

7. A method (M) according to claim 5 or 6, compressed air (21) being admitted into the tank section (9a) via a tank outlet (4) of the tank section (9 a).

8. a method (M) according to any of claims 1 to 4, forming a hot water circuit (16) from the inlet (2) through a tank portion (9a) to the outlet (3) and back to the inlet (2).

9. Method (M) according to claim 8, closing the hot water circuit (16) between the outlet (3) and the inlet (2) by means of a circulation pump (17) of the first ground service unit (11).

10. A method (M) according to claim 8 or 9, the tank outlet (4) of the tank section (9a) being used as the outlet (3).

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft.

Background

The (drinking) water system of modern passenger aircraft typically comprises a wide network of water pipes extending from inlets and outlets outside the fuselage to consumers in the passenger cabin, e.g. on-board kitchens, sanitary installations, etc., via distribution pipes running through the fuselage. In addition, the passenger aircraft usually has at least one water tank for a water supply system, which may for example have a capacity of approximately 1000 liters.

The german gas and water engineering society (DVGW) document "reiniging und desinfection von trinkwasher-instalationin" on the worksheet W557, 10 months 2012 describes the actual implementation of cleaning, disinfection and preventive measures for preventing contamination of drinking water installations. One possibility for the described disinfection is thermal disinfection, in which the entire drinking water installation is flushed with hot water. Another possibility of disinfection mentioned for use in many cases in the aviation industry is chemical disinfection, in which disinfection chemicals such as sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide are used in specific application concentrations to condition drinking water installations. Sterilization using a hot stream of boiling water temperature (e.g., 100 ℃ at 1 atm) has also been occasionally proposed, particularly in medical and industrial applications.

In general, for the thermal and chemical disinfection of passenger aircraft water tanks, ground service units (ground service equipment GSE), for example tank trucks with sufficiently large tanks, are used to provide a corresponding amount of hot water supply or a corresponding amount of disinfection mixture so that the water tanks, the feed and drain pipes and the pipe network of the aircraft can be filled with liquid. This requires supplying and heating (if appropriate) large quantities of liquid. Also, several operations of flushing the water tank and/or the water line may be necessary, with the result that sterilization and occasionally performed discharge operations, etc. may take up an entire day.

disclosure of Invention

Against this background, the present invention is based on the object of finding a simpler, faster and more cost-effective solution for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1.

A method for disinfecting a water system, in particular a drinking water system, of an aircraft is thus provided. The method comprises the following steps: admitting hot water at an inlet of the water system by a first ground service unit; the hot water is flushed from the inlet through a water pipe of the water system to an outlet of the water system; and emitting the hot water at the outlet by the first or second ground service unit; said hot water rushes into said inlet and out of said outlet for a predetermined disinfection period; and the hot water is provided at the inlet via a continuous flow heater of the first ground service unit.

The idea on which the invention is based is to avoid the use of chemicals and storage tanks by generating hot water directly in situ by a ground service unit (GSE) by means of a continuous flow heater and introducing the hot water into the pipe to be disinfected. For this purpose, the GSE only needs to be connected to a water supply source without the need for a large liquid tank, let alone consume a lot of energy to heat it. In this way, the GSE may have a compact flexible design, and as a result may selectively use the disinfection process in selected critical (tube) areas in a time, cost and energy saving manner. Moreover, (mobile) deployment in an aviation-specific operating environment can be facilitated or economically feasible due to the compact design and only small (electrical) power consumption of the GSE. For example, a standard commercial electrically powered continuous flow heater can be used, which may be characterized by compact size and low power consumption. For example, a continuous flow heater having an electrical power rating of, for example, 20kW or less may be used.

Advantageous designs and improvements will become apparent from the further dependent claims and the description with reference to the drawings.

According to a refinement, the hot water may have a water temperature of 60 ℃ to 80 ℃. In one aspect, the faster the disinfection process, the higher the water temperature. On the other hand, aircraft parts of modern light aircraft often have only limited heat resistance, excluding water temperatures of 80 ℃ or more, in particular boiling water. In this refinement, an advantageous balance is thus found between as short a disinfection cycle as possible and the least possible damage to the affected aircraft structure (e.g. the tubes and the surrounding area). In this case, it can be ensured in particular that the hot water has a temperature of at least 60 ℃ in the entire flushing region of the water line. For example, hot water may be provided at a temperature of approximately 70 ℃ and flush the water pipes.

In the present case, it is necessary to distinguish between sterilization and disinfection. Disinfection within the meaning of the present invention means that the action on the water supply system or media, such as drinking water, brings them into a state in which they can no longer cause infection. In this sense the disinfection of drinking water devices can be performed at temperatures much lower than the boiling point of water, in particular at temperatures as low as approximately 60 ℃. Thus, sterilization means not only a sufficient reduction or elimination of bacteria and germs, but also a virtually complete removal or elimination of all microorganisms of each stage of development, including the resting stage (e.g., spores). Therefore, sterilization is typically performed at very high temperatures, e.g. 121 ℃, in order to, inter alia, keep the required process duration as short as possible (e.g. 3 minutes at 121 ℃).

According to an improvement, the discharge of hot water at the outlet may be controlled by pressure maintenance means of the first and/or second ground service units. In particular, pressure maintenance devices, such as pressure maintaining valves, can be used to release the hot water under controlled pressure to ensure that the liquid flow is as uniform and well-defined as possible through the pipes to be disinfected and the water release points connected in the aircraft.

According to a refinement, the water lines may comprise water inlet lines, distribution lines, water supply lines, water outlet lines and/or consumer lines. Also, the water pipe may include a water discharge point, etc. For example, not only the water inlet and outlet pipes, respectively, which adjoin the inlet or outlet, but also the water supply pipes or distribution pipes which adjoin them and which, for example, run under the cabin floor which can be traversed, are flushed. In addition, it is possible to likewise sterilize the consumption pipes of the consumers in the passenger cabin, the cockpit and/or the cargo space, for example, in the galley, sanitary installations, etc., which are connected to the water supply pipe.

According to a further improvement, pressure may be applied to the tank portion of the water system during a hot water flush to keep the hot water away from the tank portion. This improvement provides the advantage that only selected areas of the water system, which are independent of the tank part and thus in particular of the at least one tank to which it is connected, can be disinfected. In particular, it is therefore not necessary in this development to fill the tanks of the aircraft, which typically exceed 1000 liters, with hot water. The method can thus be performed in a particularly time-efficient and cost-efficient manner. Due to the utilization of the flow-through or flushing principle, the sought temperature range of the hot water can be reached very quickly in the water pipe, so that the disinfection time period can be kept very short, for example less than 1 hour (such as 30 minutes).

According to a refinement, compressed air may be provided via a compressed air supply source of the first and/or second ground service unit to apply compressed air to the tank portion. For example, the corresponding ground service unit may comprise a pressure maintenance device via which a certain static air pressure may be ensured in the tank part, i.e. in particular in the tank, to divert the water flow into the pipe system remote from the tank.

According to a refinement, the compressed air can be brought into the tank section via a tank outlet of the tank section. For example, an overflow drain or overflow outlet of the tank section may be used for this purpose.

according to a refinement, the hot water circuit may be formed from the inlet through the tank section to the outlet and back to the inlet. This improvement is particularly suited for the sterilization of the tank section and at least one tank connected therein, which is as efficient, fast and cost effective as possible. In which case at least one of the tanks may be rinsed thoroughly with hot water, or filled. For this purpose, the GSE, with a compact continuous flow heater and corresponding means for water circulation, is able to continuously flush the tank section with water to raise the water in the entire tank section to a desired temperature between 60 ℃ and 80 ℃, e.g. 70 ℃. The hot water may be circulated in the hot water circuit for a predetermined disinfection period. Thus in this modification, a large outer tank (e.g. 1000 litres or more) is not required to provide the necessary fill volume of hot water. Thus, this improvement can be achieved in a particularly effective and practical manner by moving the GSE. In this way, even very large tanks of 1500 litres or more can be sterilised for several hours, based only on a continuous flow heater with a low power rating (for example with a power consumption of 20 kW), the use in particular in aviation-specific working environments being facilitated or economically feasible.

According to a refinement, the hot water circuit can be closed between the outlet and the inlet by a circulation pump of the first ground service unit. The circulation pump, which can be easily implemented in a small compact mobile ground service unit, represents a possible technical means for implementing the hot water circuit explained above.

According to a refinement, the tank outlet of the tank section may be used as the outlet. Furthermore, an inlet of the aircraft, such as a tank outlet, which is given as a standard in any case, for example, can be used as the inlet. Thus, no special provisions need to be made on the aircraft to implement the hot water circuit.

The above designs and improvements may be combined with each other in any manner as appropriate. Further possible designs, improvements and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention not explicitly set forth before or below described with regard to the exemplary embodiments. In particular, those skilled in the art will also add separate aspects as modifications or additions to the respective basic forms of the invention.

Drawings

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments which are illustrated in the schematic drawings. As follows:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of an aircraft with a water system before performing a method for disinfection according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of the aircraft of FIG. 1 during performance of the method;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of an aircraft with a water system during execution of a method for disinfection according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of an aircraft having a water system during execution of a method for disinfection according to a further embodiment of the invention; and

fig. 5 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method for disinfecting a water system of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the invention.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention. Which are presented to illustrate embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the advantages set forth are apparent in connection with the accompanying drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other.

In the various figures of the drawings, like elements, features and components have like functions and operate in like manner (unless otherwise noted), and are referred to by like reference numerals in each case.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show a schematic side view of an aircraft 100 with a water system 10 during execution of a method M for disinfection according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 5 shows a schematic flow diagram of method M.

An aircraft 100, for example a passenger aircraft, comprises a water system 10, in particular a drinking water system, the water system 10 having a network of water pipes 1a-d and a tank 8, the tank 8 being located in a tank part 9a of the water system 10. Purely by way of example, the aircraft 100 comprises a front end water connection 5 at the front and a rear end water connection 6 at the rear, which in principle can both be used as an inlet and/or outlet. From the water connections 5, 6, the different water lines 1a-d, including the water inlet line 1a, the distribution or supply line 1b, the water outlet line 1c and the consumer line 1d, pass in a network through the fuselage of the tank section 9a and the adjoining distribution section 9b of the aircraft 100. In this case, the consumption tube 1d may lead to a consumer, for example in a passenger cabin, cab or cargo compartment or the like, for example to an onboard kitchen, to a sanitary installation such as a shower, toilet or the like. The distribution or supply pipe 1b may, for example, run under the cabin floor, along the cabin floor (not shown), and is connected to an inlet pipe 1a and an outlet pipe 1c, which inlet pipe 1a and outlet pipe 1c in turn lead to the water connections 5, 6. Furthermore, the tank part 9a of the water system 10 is likewise connected to the water pipes 1a-d of the distribution part 9b of the water system 10. In addition, the tank section 9a has a separate tank drain 4, the tank drain 4 being realized as an overflow or drain connection of the tank 8. The tank 8 may have a capacity of, for example, 1000 liters or more. In principle, it has to be pointed out that the water connections 5, 6, or the tank drain 4, the water pipes 1a-d and the tank 8, which are given specifically in this exemplary embodiment, are to be understood as purely exemplary. Any of those skilled in the art will appreciate that the specific configuration of these components may be designed differently in alternative embodiments based on the current teachings. For example, more than two water connections 5, 6 may be provided, the routes of the water pipes 1a-d or their connection points may be different, or more than one tank 8 may be installed, etc. Furthermore, the tank 8, or the tank section 9, may be located at different positions within the aircraft 100.

Figure 1 also shows a first ground service unit 11, for example a ground vehicle, and a second ground service unit 12, for example another ground vehicle. The first ground service unit 11 comprises a continuous-flow heater 13, which continuous-flow heater 13 is supplied with electrical energy via the electrical power supply 7. The continuous flow heater 13 is connected to a water supply 19 and heats water delivered from the water supply 19 to a temperature between 60 ℃ and 80 ℃, for example 70 ℃. The first ground service unit 11 may fill the water system 10 of the aircraft 100 with hot water 20 (see fig. 2). The first ground service unit 11 is also designed to provide compressed air 21 from a compressed air supply 15. The compressed air 21 can optionally be switched in or out by means of a shut-off valve 18. The first ground service unit 11 also has pressure maintenance means 14 by which the air pressure can be adjusted or can be set to a fixed value. The second ground service unit 12 likewise comprises a pressure maintenance device 14 via which pressure maintenance device 14 hot water can be discharged out of the aircraft 100 in a controlled manner, as explained below with reference to fig. 2.

In fig. 2, the first ground service unit 11 is connected to the backend water connection 6 for leading hot water 20 and to the tank outlet 4 for leading compressed air 21. The rear water connection 6 is thus used in this case as an inlet 2 for hot water 20. In addition, in fig. 2 the second ground service unit 12 is connected to the head water connection 5 for emitting hot water 20, the hot water 20 flowing from the inlet 2 to the head water connection 5 via the water pipes 1 a-d. Thus, the front water connection 5 serves as an outlet 3 in this example.

In the example of fig. 1 and 2, the water system 10 of the aircraft 100 is disinfected by letting in hot water 20 at the inlet 2 by the first ground service unit 11 based on M1, then letting in hot water 20 from the inlet 2 through the water pipes 1a, 1b, 1d of the distribution part 9b to the outlet 3, and letting out hot water 20 again at the outlet 3 by the second ground service unit 12 (in this case, clearly, some hot water 20 may be flushed out at the consumption pipe 1d, for example). The flow of hot water 20 is indicated by the thick dashed line in fig. 2. This flushing operation is performed during a predetermined disinfection cycle. At the same time, compressed air is applied by the first ground service unit 11 via the tank outlet 4 and the outlet pipe 1c to the tank section 9a including the tank 8 to keep the hot water 20 away from the tank section 9a (see fig. 2, this thick dashed line does not lead to the tank section 9 a).

As a result, a practical disinfection method for disinfecting the water pipes 1a, 1b, 1d of the distribution portion 9b of the water system 10 is provided, which is fast, cost-effective and energy-efficient. This is achieved in particular by avoiding filling the tank 8 with hot water 20. Due to the flow-through principle used, depending on the size of the aircraft 100, a sufficiently high temperature of at least 60 ℃ can be reached in the water pipes 1a, 1b, 1d very quickly, for example in 10 to 30 minutes. Thus, the sterilization cycle can be much shorter than conventional sterilization methods, e.g., significantly less than 1 hour. In many applications, such selective disinfection of the water pipes 1a, 1b, 1d outside the tank section 9a may already be sufficient to achieve a hygienically acceptable state of the entire water system 10, for example if the tank 8 is new and/or in a sufficiently clean state. In principle, the explained method can likewise be used for local areas of the aircraft 100, for example, individual onboard galleys and/or individual sanitary installations, provided that corresponding connections and water lines are present to allow a dedicated flushing.

fig. 3 shows an alternative exemplary variant of the method M, the aircraft 100 and its water system 10 being implemented in the same way as in fig. 1 and 2. Unlike the embodiment in fig. 1 and 2, the first ground service unit 11 is connected to the front water connection 5, whereby the front water connection 5 now serves as the inlet 2. On the other hand, the second ground service unit 12 is connected to the backend water connection 6, i.e. the backend water connection 6 serves as the outlet 3. In this example, due to the modified basic arrangement, the second ground service unit 12 is now connected on the one hand to the compressed air supply 15 and on the other hand to the tank outlet 4. In this example, the compressed air supply of the tank 8 can optionally be dispensed with, for example because only the tank outlet 4 is closed by a lid or the like. Apart from these differences, method M is the same as fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 shows a further alternative exemplary variant of the disinfection method M, the aircraft 100 and its water system 10 being implemented in the same way as in fig. 1 and 2. In this exemplary embodiment, only the first ground service unit 11 is used. The first ground service unit 11 is connected to a backend water connection 6, which serves as the inlet 2, and a tank outlet 4, which serves as the outlet 3. In addition to the continuous flow heater 13, the first ground service unit 11 comprises a circulation pump 17, the circulation pump 17 being connected to the outlet 3 via an interposed bleed valve 22. The first ground service unit 11 heats water from a water supply 19, which is fed at the inlet 2 to the water pipe 1a and the tank 8 of the tank part 9a of the water system 10, the water again emerging at the outlet 3 via the water pipe 1 c. The hot water 20 is returned again to the continuous flow heater 13 by the circulation pump 17, as a result of which the tank section 9a and the first ground service unit 11 establish a hot water circuit 16. Here, the flow of hot water 20 is indicated by a thick dashed line in a similar manner to fig. 2 and 3.

In this example, a sterilization method is provided which particularly sterilizes the tank section 9a, its water lines 1a, 1c and the tank 8, which is fast, cost-effective and energy-efficient. In this case, unlike the example of fig. 1 to 3, the tank 8 is filled with hot water 20, with the result that the method M is not as fast as the previous methods. However, method M is more cost effective and energy efficient than conventional thermal methods for sterilizing the tank 8. This is achieved in particular by the tank 8 and the tank section 9a establishing a water circuit, wherein the water can be gradually heated in an energy-saving manner by the continuous-flow heater 13 to a temperature between 60 ℃ and 80 ℃, for example 70 ℃. Thus, like the previous method M, a large heating outer tank is avoided, which in the case of the conventional method must have a capacity corresponding to the capacity of the tank 8 of the aircraft 100. Furthermore, the first ground service unit 11 may have a compact mobile design, since no external liquid tank or powerful heating means is required. The larger the tank 8 of the aircraft 100, the more this advantage manifests itself.

In the foregoing detailed description, various features are combined in one or more examples to achieve a more concise description. It is to be understood, however, that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. It covers all alternatives, modifications and equivalents of the various features and exemplary embodiments. Many examples will become immediately apparent to those skilled in the art based on their expertise by considering the above description.

For example, the number of connections used, the direction of the hot water flow and the routing of the water pipes may be adapted to the existing configuration of the aircraft to be disinfected.

The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles underlying the invention and their practical application possibilities. Accordingly, those skilled in the art can optionally modify and use the invention and its various exemplary embodiments with respect to intended applications. In the claims and specification, the terms "comprising" and "having" are used as neutral expressions for the respective terms "comprising". Furthermore, the use of the terms "a" and "an" are not intended to exclude a plurality of features and elements described in this way at all.

REFERENCE LIST

1a-d water pipe

1a water inlet pipe

1b distribution pipe

1c water outlet pipe

1d consumption tube

2 inlet

3 outlet port

4 tank outlet

5 front end water connecting piece

6 rear water connecting piece

7 Power supply source

8 pot

9a Can part/rear part

9b distribution part

10 Water System

11 first ground service unit

12 second ground service unit

13 continuous flow heater

14 pressure maintaining device

15 compressed air supply source

16 hot water circuit

17 circulating pump

18 stop valve

19 Water supply

20 hot water

21 compressed air

22 relief valve

100 aircraft

M method

Method step of M1

Method step of M2

Method step of M3