Mag Aerospace Industries, Inc.

Monogram Sanitation, a Division of Mag Aerospace Industries, Inc.

Mike M Rozenblatt

Andrew L Volpe

Robert G Ratliff

A waste disposal system quietly and effectively evacuates solid, liquid, and slurry food waste from a galley sink via a vacuum action created when a normally closed flush valve momentarily opens and eliminates the differential pressure between the sink and the drain line. The system is automatically disabled when a clogged condition is sensed. The sink bowl is equipped with a sealable cover that cuts down the noise associated with vacuum pressure evacuation systems to an acceptable level. The system also has a rinse subsystem including a rinse valve for introducing rinse water into the sink just before a flush operation commences. The sink bowl includes an air inlet port in communication with an air inlet duct that extends outside of and above the cart for providing cabin pressure air to the sink. A controller controls the timing and operation of the flush and rinse operations. The flush control assembly is activated by depressing a flush switch above the assembly which itself is operational only when a vacuum condition is present in the drain line and when a proximity sensor indicates that the sink cover is closed and sealed. An elbow-shaped pipe that prevents rigid, elongate objects from becoming lodged in the drain line connects the sink's disposal outlet to the flush valve assembly.

Galley waste disposal system and method

A light weight gate valve and method for a aircraft vacuum toilet system. The valve resists jamming due to scale buildup, thereby reducing maintenance costs associated with repair or cleaning. The gate valve is intended for mounting between two portions of a sewer pipe connected between a waste receiving bowl and a waste reservoir. More particularly, the gate valve includes a housing having an internal valve chamber with an inlet opening opposing an outlet opening. A slice-of-pie shaped rotary gate is mounted within the chamber of the housing for rotation about a predetermined axis to selectively allow fluid communication between the inlet and outlet of the housing for flushing of the toilet. The gate has opposing side surfaces, each of which opposes an associated sidewall of the chamber enclosing the gate. The distance between each the side surface of the gate and its associated sidewall of the chamber is from 0.050 inch to 0.120 inch. While this separation is small enough to prevent most foreign objects from becoming wedges between the disk and the housing, this separation is sufficient to significantly reduce valve maintenance due to scale build-up on the sides of the gate. Other detailed features offer associated advantages.

Long life rotary gate valve for aircraft vacuum toilet system

A system and method for reducing water consumption in a vacuum toilet on an aircraft. The system and method includes a weight sensing device that is mounted to an aircraft toilet and is responsive to weight applied to the bowl of the toilet. The weight sensing device detects that a toilet user is seated upon the toilet seat when it measures a weight applied to the toilet bowl. On the other hand, the weight sensing device detects that a toilet user is standing when the weight sensing device does not measure a weight applied to the toilet bowl. A flush control unit is connected to the weight sensing device and controls the amount of water utilized in the flushing of the toilet. When the toilet is flushed and the weight sensing device has detected that a toilet user has sat upon the toilet seat, the flush control unit commands that a standard amount of water be used to remove the solid waste of the toilet user. On the other hand, when the toilet is flushed and the weight sensing device has detected that the toilet user has stood, the flush control unit commands that a small amount of water be used thereby saving water.

System and method for a reduced water consumption vacuum toilet

Galley waste disposal system

An aircraft waste storage system and method intended to avoid leakage of liquid waste from an aircraft waste holding tank through the tank outlet tube during flight. The system uses a valve movable from a position at a predetermined depth within the outlet tube to form a liquid-tight circumferential seal with the outlet tube interior surface during flight to an open position during ground servicing in which the valve is withdrawn into the tank to allow the waste to discharge. The waste system uses an electric motor and drive screw to move the valve, which is controlled from the aircraft. It incorporates an alarm to provide a warning if the valve has failed to reach the predetermined depth within the outlet relied upon to prevent leakage.

System and method for preventing leakage of liquid waste from an

A drain valve is provided for connection to a water supply line for draining water in a vacuum flush aircraft sanitation system. The valve comprises a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The housing also includes a pressure chamber with a diaphragm that is normally biased to a first position by a spring when the chamber is depressurized. This allows water to flow from the fluid inlet to the drain outlet and ultimately to a drain mast of the aircraft. When the chamber is pressurized, however, the diaphragm moves to a second position which operates a linkage mechanism that moves a plug against a seat in the drain outlet to close the drain outlet so that rinse water does not drain from the valve's fluid inlet. A sanitation system also is disclosed, in which grey water from the aircraft lavatory sink is collected and transferred under pressure through a rinse line to flush a toilet bowl when the drain valve is closed. The pressurized lines of the aircraft's potable water supply are used to actuate the diaphragm in the drain valve. Importantly, the drain valve always keeps the pressurized potable water separate from the grey water to prevent unwanted contamination of the aircraft's potable water supply. Moreover, draining of the grey water is automatic upon depressurization of the potable water supply lines.

Drain valve

A flow control valve is provided for connection to a water supply line for ontrolling the flow of water between a water tank and a toilet bowl in an aircraft. The valve comprises a valve housing having an axial bore therethrough. A cylindrical valve member axially slidable within the bore is moved between a normally closed position against a valve seat and an open position spaced from the seat. The valve member also has an axial bore therethrough. When the supply line is pressurized, a float in the bore of the valve member moves against a seat in the valve member to completely stop flow through the valve when the valve member is normally closed. When the supply line is depressurized, the float moves away from the valve member seat by the force of gravity to permit draining of the supply line. In operation, with the supply line pressurized, the valve member is temporarily moved to the open position by a solenoid to permit a predetermined amount of water to flow through the supply line to the toilet for flushing purposes.

Flow control valve

A drain valve is provided for connection to a water supply line for draining water in a vacuum flush aircraft sanitation system. The valve comprises a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. The housing also includes a pressure chamber with a diaphragm that is normally biased to a first position by a spring when the chamber is depressurized. This allows water to flow from the fluid inlet to the drain outlet and ultimately to drain mast of the aircraft. When the chamber is pressurized, however, the diaphragm moves to a second position which operates a linkage mechanism that moves a plug against a seat in the drain outlet to close the drain outlet so that rinse water does not drain from the valve's fluid inlet. A sanitation system also is disclosed, in which grey water from the aircraft lavatory sink is collected and transferred under pressure through a rinse line to flush a toilet bowl when the drain valve is closed. The pressurized lines of the aircraft's potable water supply are used to actuate the diaphragm in the drain valve. Importantly, the drain valve always keeps the pressurized potable water separate from the grey water to prevent unwanted contamination of the aircraft's potable water supply. Moreover, draining of the grey water is automatic upon depressurization of the potable water supply lines.

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Manhattan Beach, CA, United States of America

Mike M Rozenblatt