Universal sanitary trap
AssigneeAlfa-Laval AB
InventorWarren E. Herr
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trap chamber is formed by a cylindrical container and a head sealed to and closing the upper end of the container, which is releasable from the head by actuating a detent. Air and entrained liquid from a milk receiver are sucked into the head through a tangential inlet from which air discharges through a top outlet to a vacuum pump while separated liquid spirals down along the chamber wall to a valved drain outlet. Liquid accumulating in the chamber eventually raises a floating ball valve against a seat to close the air outlet and break the vacuum so that the chamber is drained through the bottom outlet. The ball valve is then released from its seat by an element operable to break the vacuum in the air outlet. Vacuum in the chamber draws the container upward to compress a sealing gasket against the head and thus prevent leakage.
Claims10
A sanitary trap for milking systems, which comprises means forming a generally cylindrical trap chamber having at its upper end part an air and liquid inlet adapted for connection to a milk receiver, the chamber also having at said upper end part an air outlet adapted for connection to a vacuum pump, a valve seat defining an entrance to said air outlet, said chamber also having a bottom outlet for draining trapped liquid from the chamber, a valve member normally opening said bottom outlet but movable to close the same in response to creation of a vacuum in said chamber, a float in the chamber coacting with said valve seat and floatable to a raised position to close said air outlet in response to accumulation of liquid in the chamber, thereby breaking said vacuum and draining the chamber through said bottom outlet while the float is held in its raised position by a vacuum in said air outlet, and an element operable to break the vacuum in said air outlet, thereby releasing said float from its raised position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.