Patent Application
20220243449
Not applicable.
The field of the disclosure is feed pad storage areas and more specifically systems and methods of collecting clean water runoff and reducing leachate discharge (e.g., silage, haylage) from the feed pad storage area.
Typically, feed storage areas include large concrete slabs with piles of feed stored on the slabs. Rainwater that then hits the piles of feed, or the pad, is labeled as leachate. Previously, the leachate would runoff or be directed to a vegetated treatment area. Recently, the Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency have implemented that 100% of the rainwater (or snowmelt) that falls on a feed storage pad must be collected and treated as leachate. This rainwater is traditionally collected into a tank or a manure pit, which then must be pumped out. The costs associated with pumping out the tank can be upwards of $0.02/gal. Annually, even on a modest feed storage pad, that can cost upwards of $60,000. For large scale farms, the annual cost to the farmer can exceed $250,000.
Some feed storage areas include plastic to cover the piles of feed. However, as noted above, the rainwater that sheds off the plastic sheets must also be collected as it inevitably will come into contact with the feed to become leachate, or into contact with leachate sitting on the feed pad. For example, leachate leaks out from under the plastic cover, and is then able to mix with rainwater shedding off the top of the plastic cover. Further, as the feed piles are utilized, the rainwater on the concrete that remains must also be collected as it too will inevitably come into contact with the feed, or leachate on the feed pad.
What is needed is a simple and effective solution for preventing rainwater from coming in contact with the feed and becoming leachate.
Provided herein is a feed storage area configured to prevent rain water, snowmelt, and water runoff from becoming leachate. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a feed storage area is provided. The feed storage area includes at least one feed pad configured to support a feed pile, at least one leachate channel arranged adjacent to the feed pad, a feed barrier configured to cover a feed pile on top of the feed pad. An edge of the feed barrier is configured to be positioned on top of the leachate channel and extend past the leachate channel on a side of the leachate channel opposite the feed pile.
In at least some cases embodiments include a feed storage arrangement for use with a sheet like feed barrier, the storage arrangement comprising at least one elongated leachate channel having an outlet end, and at least a first feed pad section extending along at least a portion of a length dimension of the leachate channel, the first pad section including first and second lateral edges and upper and lower edges wherein the first lateral edge is located proximate the leachate channel, the second edge is spaced apart from the first edge, the upper edge is proximate the outlet end of the leachate channel, and the lower edge is opposite and spaced from the upper edge, the first pad section sloped downward starting at the second edge and toward the first edge, wherein, with feed supported on the first pad section adjacent the leachate channel, the feed barrier is positionable on top of the feed with an edge portion extending over the leachate channel to a side of the leachate channel opposite the first pad section.
Some embodiments further include a clean water channel arranged on a side of the leachate channel opposite the first pad section, wherein the water channel is configured to receive water runoff from on top of the feed barrier. In some cases the slope from the second edge toward the first edge is at least 1/2 degree.
In some cases the slope of the first pad section between the second and first edges is substantially uniform. The feed storage arrangement of claim 2 further including a clean water drain near the first edge on a side of the leachate channel opposite the clean water channel, the drain opening downward and extending laterally past the leachate channel and into the clean water channel, the arrangement further including a solid drain cover removably positionable within the drain to close the drain and to be removed to open the drain. The feed storage arrangement of claim 5 further including a sloped portion between the leachate channel and the drain that is sloped downward from the leachate channel toward the drain.
In some cases the first pad section slopes from the lower edge toward the upper edge. In some cases wherein the drain is located adjacent the upper edge of the first pad section. Some embodiments further include at least a second pad section having first and second lateral edges and upper and lower edges wherein the first lateral edge of the second pad section is located proximate the leachate channel, the second edge of the second pad section is spaced apart from the first edge, the upper edge of the second pad section is proximate the lower edge of the first pad section and the lower edge of the second pad section is opposite and spaced from the upper edge of the second pad section, the second pad section sloped downward starting at the second edge of the second pad section and toward the first edge of the second pad section and sloped downward starting at the lower edge of the second pad section and toward the upper edge of the second pad section, the arrangement further including a second clean water drain proximate the leachate channel and the upper edge of the second pad section that opens downward and extends laterally past the leachate channel to open into the clean water channel, the arrangement further including a second solid drain cover removably positionable within the second drain opening to close the second drain and to be removed to open the second drain.
Some embodiments further include a sloped portion between the portion of the leachate channel adjacent the second pad section and the second drain that is sloped downward toward the second drain. Some embodiments further include a barrier between the first and second pad sections that inhibits liquid from passing from the second pad section to the first pad section. In some cases the barrier forms a surface that extends upward from the second pad section adjacent the upper edge of the second pad section. In some cases the first pad section extends from an upper edge of the surface formed by the barrier toward the upper edge of the first pad section. In some cases the pad and leachate channel are formed out of concrete.
In some cases the leachate channel is a first leachate channel, the arrangement further including a second leachate channel and a second feed pad section, the second leachate channel extending along the clean water channel on a side of the clean water channel opposite the first leachate channel, the second pad section including first and second lateral edges and upper and lower edges wherein the first lateral edge is located along the second leachate channel, the second edge is spaced apart from the first edge and forms a pad width dimension, the upper edge is near the outlet end of the second leachate channel, and the lower edge is opposite and spaced from the upper edge and forms a pad section length dimension of the second pad section, the second pad section sloped downward starting at the second edge of the second pad section and toward the first edge of the second pad section along at least a substantial portion of the width dimension of the second pad section.
The feed storage arrangement of claim 15 further including a first clean water drain near the first edge of the first pad section on a side of the first leachate channel opposite the clean water channel, the first drain opening downward and extending past the first leachate channel and into the clean water channel, the arrangement further including a first solid drain cover removably positionable within the drain to close the drain and to be removed to open the drain, the arrangement further including a second clean water drain near the first edge of the second pad section on a side of the second leachate channel opposite the clean water channel, the second drain opening downward and extending past the second leachate channel and into the clean water channel, the arrangement further including a second solid drain cover removably positionable within the drain to close the drain and to be removed to open the drain.
In some cases each of the first and second pad sections angles downward from the lower edge toward the upper edge of the pad section.
In some cases the feed pad includes a clean water drain that opens downward and extends laterally past the leachate channel and off the pad wherein all portions of the upper surface of the pad section angle toward the clean water drain.
Other embodiments include a feed storage arrangement for use with a sheet like feed barrier, the storage arrangement comprising at least one leachate channel having an opening and an outlet that leads to a leachate basin, a clean water drain that forms an upward opening and defines a passageway that has a clean water drain outlet, a feed pad section that forms an upper surface that is adjacent one side of the leachate channel, the upper surface formed about the upward opening of the clean water drain where the upward opening is proximate the leachate channel, the upper surface of the pad section sloped toward the upward opening so that water on all portions of the upper surface flows toward the upward opening and an impervious or solid cover positionable in the upward opening to close off that opening and removable from the upward opening to open the upward opening for water to pass from the pad surface through the passageway formed by the drain and out the drain outlet, wherein, with feed supported on the pad section adjacent the leachate channel, the feed barrier is positionable on top of the feed with an edge portion extending over the leachate channel to a side of the leachate channel opposite the first pad section.
Still other embodiments include a feed storage arrangement for use with a sheet like feed barrier, the storage arrangement comprising an elongated clean water channel that extends from a first end downward along a slope to an outlet end, a first elongated leachate channel extending a long a first side of the clean water channel from a first end downward along a slope to an outlet end, a first feed pad located along a side of the first leachate channel opposite the clean water channel, the first feed pad forming an upper surface that includes a first plurality of substantially rectangular pad sections wherein each pad section includes an upper edge, a lower edge and first and second lateral edges, with the first lateral edges located adjacent the first leachate channel, each pad section sloped downward from its lower edge toward its upper edge and sloped downward from its second lateral edge toward its first lateral edge, a separate incongruity between adjacent ones of the first plurality of pad sections that restricts liquid flow between pad sections on opposite sides of the incongruity, a separate clean water drain adjacent the upper edge and first lateral edge of each one of the pad sections in the first plurality of pad sections wherein each drain includes an upward opening and forms a passageway from the upward opening past the first leachate channel and into the clean water channel, an impervious cover receivable within and removable from the upward opening to close off the clean water drain when installed in the upward opening and open the clean water drain when removed from the upward opening, wherein, with feed supported on any set of the pad sections adjacent the leachate channel, the feed barrier is positionable on top of the feed with an edge portion extending over the leachate channel to a side of the leachate channel opposite the first pad section.
The foregoing and other aspects and advantages of the disclosure will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred configuration of the disclosure. Such configuration does not necessarily represent the full scope of the disclosure, however, and reference is made therefore to the claims and herein for interpreting the scope of the disclosure.
The invention will be better understood and features, aspects and advantages other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such detailed description makes reference to the following drawings.
Before any aspect of the present disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other configurations and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.
The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use aspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to the illustrated configurations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other configurations and applications without departing from aspects of the present disclosure. Thus, aspects of the present disclosure are not intended to be limited to configurations shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, some of the drawings may be simplified for clarity. Thus, the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given apparatus (e.g., device) or method. Skilled artisans will recognize the non-limiting examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not limit the quantity or order of those elements, unless such limitation is explicitly stated. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements may be employed there or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a set of elements may comprise one or more elements.
In some embodiments the feed pad 12 may define a grade in at least one direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the feed pad 12 is pitched towards the leachate channel 14. For example, the feed pad 12 can define a grade that is sloped from the second lateral edge 18 towards the first lateral edge 16 such that liquids on the top surface of the pad drain towards the first lateral edge 16. As will be described herein, the feed pad 12 can define a grade in multiple directions. For example, the feed pad 12 can define a first grade in a first direction (e.g., a lateral direction generally between edges 16 and 18) and a second grade in a second direction (e.g., a lengthwise direction between the first end 20 and the second end 22, or in other words, in a direction define by the leachate channel 14). In this case, in at least some embodiments the grades would angle toward leachate channel 14 and upper edge 22 as illustrated.
The feed storage area 10 can also include one or more pad barriers 24 configured to prevent leachate from leaking from one portion of the feed pad 12 to an adjacent portion of the feed pad 12 on an opposite side of the barrier 24. The pad barriers 24 can define a height between about 2 inches and about 15 inches. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the pad barriers can define a height between about 3 inches and about 6 inches. The pad barriers 24 can be substantially parallel to each other in some embodiments. In other embodiments the pad barriers may form slight acute angles so that all the barriers form angles within a 15 to 35 degree range of perpendicular to leachate channel 14. Each of the pad barriers 24 can be separated by a distance between about 35 ft to about 150 ft. In a particularly preferred embodiment, each of the pad barriers 24 can be separated by a distance between about 50 ft to about 100 ft.
In some cases pad barriers 24 may be substantially straight and in other embodiments the barriers may be curved (see curved barrier 24′ in
The barriers 24 may have different cross sectional shapes. To this end, see for instance barrier 24a in
The pad barriers 24 can be movable or stationary. In the illustrated embodiment, the pad barriers 24 are stationary and can be integrally formed into the concrete of the feed pad 12, sort of like a roadway speed bump. In other cases a single moveable barrier 24 may be provided instead of the stationary barriers where the moveable barrier includes a mechanical subassembly that is moveable to be positioned at different locations on pad 12 to operate as a water/liquid barrier. For instance, in some cases a moveable barrier may include a rubber, somewhat flexible blocking member that that be manually moved via a front end loader or the like to traverse between pad edges 16 and 18 at different locations between ends 20 and 22 as needed. In some cases there may be more than one moveable barrier.
In the illustrated embodiment, the feed storage area 10 includes a plurality of pad barriers 24. The plurality of pad barriers 24 can divide the feed pad 12 into a plurality of feed pad sections 26 where each section has an upper edge, a lower edge opposite the upper edge, and first and second lateral edges that extend between the upper and lower edges. As will be described in further detail, the leachate channel 14 can be configured to collect leachate draining from the feed storage area 10 and divert the leachate to a leachate tank 30.
Turning now to
According to some embodiments, the feed barrier 34 can be a plastic sheeting laid over the top of the feed pile 32. According to other embodiments, the feed barrier 34 can include multiple layers. For example, the feed barrier 34 can include a first layer (e.g., an oxygen barrier) and a second layer (e.g., a rain barrier). The first barrier can be a porous or breathable plastic layer. The second layer can be a non-porous waterproof plastic layer. According to some embodiments, the first layer and the second layer can define a different thickness. For example, the first layer can define a thickness that is less than the thickness of the second layer. According to some embodiments, weights (e.g., tires) can be placed on top of the feed barrier 34 to maintain the positioning of the feed barrier 34 relative to the feed pile 32.
The feed barrier 34 can be configured to prevent rainwater from getting into the feed pile 32 and prevent water 36 from running off into the leachate channel 14. In the illustrated embodiment, the feed barrier extends over the feed pile 32 and the leachate channel 14, thereby providing a barrier between the runoff water 36 and the leachate channel 14. The feed barrier 34 can include an edge 38, which can be configured to extend a distance past the leachate channel 14. According to some embodiments, the edge 38 of the feed barrier 34 can extend at least one foot past an edge of the leachate channel 14 that is opposite the feed pile 32. In other embodiments barrier 34 may extend 2 to 10 feet past the channel 14.
Referring still to
In the illustrated embodiment, the pad barriers 24 can also aid in control of the leachate 40. For example, the pad barriers 24 can guide the leachate 40 along the pad barriers 24 until the leachate 40 is drained into the leachate channel 14. Additionally, the pad barriers 24 can be configured to prevent leachate from one feed pad section 26 from entering an adjacent feed pad section 26. For example, as the feed pile 32 is being utilized from one end (e.g., 20) to the other (e.g., 22 in
Referring now to
As illustrated in
Turning to
After the feed pile has been removed and a feed pad section 26 is clear, the associated water drain 60 is opened (e.g., by removing a manhole cover or by installing a grate) so that rainwater that contacts the clean pad section 26 drains into the water drain 60 and is directed off of the feed storage area 10 without reaching the leachate channel 14. For instance, when the feed pile covers at least a portion of a pad section 26, a solid, impervious manhole cover may cover and seal off a manhole associated with that section so that leachate generated above that pad section can run over the cover and into the leachate channel 14. Then, once the pad section is clean, the impervious or solid manhole cover can be removed and replaced with a grate type cover so that clean water on the pad section can be captured and does not reach the leachate channel 14.
As will be described in greater detail below, water drains 60 are constructed to drain into an underground water collection system 58 which directs the water drained from the feed pad sections 26 off feed storage area 10 (see
The feed storage area 10 can also include a leachate collection system 70. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the leachate channels 14 can be in fluid communication with a leachate collection pipe 72. The leachate collection pipe 72 can be configured to direct leachate flowing from the leachate channels 14 into a common pipe, outflow, or drain in fluid communication with the leachate tank 30 (see
Referring again to
Referring to
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, the clean water channel 50 may define a v-shaped trench, a U-shaped trench, or some other trench shape. The clean water channel can be defined by opposing sloped surfaces, where each of the sloped surfaces can define a grade between about 0.5% and about 20%. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the each of the opposing sloped surfaces can define a grade between about 10% to about 20%. In at least some embodiments each of the sloped surfaces that together form the channel 50 will have a width dimension between 2 and 15 feet and, in particularly advantageous cases, the width will be between 3 and 10 feet so that the distance between adjacent edges of two leachate channels 14 will be between approximately 2 and 20 feet. In some cases the clean water channel may be 6 inches deep, one foot deep, three feet deep, etc. In some cases the clean water channel will be graded from lower end 22 in
Referring now to
An example of how an exemplary feed pad is used is instructive. To this end, an example will be described in the context of
When a famer needs feed, the farmer may start at the bottom end of one of the piles 32, peel back the barrier 34 to expose the face of the pile, and then use a frontend loader to pick up feed to deliver to livestock. Here, once a part of the barrier 34 is peeled back, some rain water that hits an exposed portion of a pad section 26 adjacent the feed face and that contacts the feed generates leachate which, based on the angled surfaces of the pad, flows under the force of gravity toward a lateral leachate channel 14 where the leachate is captured and delivered to a holding tank for processing.
Eventually an entire pad section 26 is exposed and “clean”. At this point, the farmer can remove a manhole cover from the drain 60 associated with the clean pad section 26 and, in some cases, replace it with an apertured manhole cover to allow drainage therethrough. Now, feed is taken off a face of the pile over the next pad section on the opposite side of a barrier 24. At this point any rain or other liquid that lands on the clean pad section flows under gravitational force, down slope, toward the apertured cover/drain 60 (see also
As additional pad sections 26 are cleared and rendered “clean”, the trench, barrier 24 and drain 60 associated with each newly cleared section operate to collect and direct rain water on that section to the clean water piping.
Thus, the feed barrier 34 operates to direct rain water to the clean water channel 50 prior to removal of feed thereunder. Other configuration components operate to direct rain water that contacts clean pad sections to clean water piping. Any rain water that contacts feed or a pad section that includes feed is directed to the leachate channel 14 to be processed according to regulatory requirements.
Within this specification embodiments have been described in a way which enables a clear and concise specification to be written, but it is intended and will be appreciated that embodiments may be variously combined or separated without parting from the invention. For example, it will be appreciated that all preferred features described herein are applicable to all aspects of the invention described herein. As another example, in at least some cases other structure may be provided that cooperates with the arrangements described above to direct water in optimal ways. For instance, in at least some cases concrete or other mechanical wall structures may be provided along ends of the feed pads to restrict any leachate from flowing off those ends. To this end, see the exemplary walls at 100 and 102 along pad ends 20 and 22 shown in phantom in
As another example, while the embodiments described above include one drain per pad section 26, in other embodiments there may be two or more drains per pad section. For instance, in some cases there may be four drains 60 per pad section that are spaced along the edge of the leachate channel 14. In other cases there may be two, three, four, etc., drains 60 that are spaced along an edge of each of the barriers 24. In this regard see exemplary drains 60′ shown on pad section 26K in
As another example, while the embodiments described above include one or more pad barriers 24, in other embodiments there may be no pad barriers. For instance, in some cases the feed pad 12 can be graded in such a way that the central portions of each feed pad section 26 is a “low point” and each of the areas where there are barriers 24 in the previous embodiments would instead be a “high point,” resulting in a grade that alternates between high and low as you travel from one end 20 to the other end 22. In such an embodiment, as previously described herein, the feed pad may be graded such that water is directed towards a drain 60, 60′. For example, a lateral edge 14 along with the area between pad section (denoted at 24) can be a “high point” and the pad can be graded from that high point to one or more of the drains 60, 60′. In that way, the feed pad 12 may be graded such that no physical pad barriers 24 separate the pad section 26. Instead, the grading of the feed pad can define the pad sections.
While the embodiments described above are described as being used from one end toward the other, in at least some cases it is contemplated that a pad may be alternately used in different directions. For instance, in
While feed may be alternately used in opposite directions in some cases, in other cases feed may only be used in one direction (e.g., bottom end 20 to top end 22 in
In still other embodiments it is contemplated that the leachate channels may be replaced by leachate pipes or other covered channel structures where drains along pad edges open into the leachate pipes and are covered once pad sections are cleared so that clean water on clean pad sections then passes over the drain covers into a single clean water channel. To this end, see for instance
In operation, with all of the drains 170 and 174 open (e.g., uncovered), a feed pile covering all the pad sections and spaced from the drains 170 and 174 and a feed barrier (e.g., akin to 34 described above) over the pile and extending over the drain openings, rain water falling on the feed barrier runs off as clean water into the clean water channel 50. At this point, any water that hits the feed pile runs toward one of the drains and enters the leachate pipe 152 as leachate. Assuming a farmer works the pile from the lower end 20 toward the upper end 22, eventually the lower pad section 26K is cleaned off up to the first lateral barrier 24. At this point, the farmer can install cover 180 over the drain 170 associated with pad section 26K and continue to take feed off the pile within the next pad section. Here, with cover 180 installed, rain water that contacts clean pad section 26K flows toward the opening 160 in the central wall 156 and therethrough toward and into the clean water channel 50. The farmer continues in this case to work the pile cleaning off pad sections and installing covers 180 in each drain corresponding to a clean section until the pile is gone.
When the farmer works the pile on pad 12A, the process is similar from the farmer's perspective. The only operational difference in the case of pad 12A is that leachate passing through drains 174 pass through the feed pipes 172, under the clean water channel 50 and into the leachate drain pipe 152. While not shown in the
One advantage of the
In some of the embodiments above, the arrangements include channels and some include pipes for passing leachate and/or clean water. Here, the term “channel” generally means an open top passageway while the term “pipe” would include a member that has a continuous top and bottom structure. In cases where an embodiment is described as having a channel, unless indicated otherwise, the channel may be replaced with a pipe where there are drains that open into the pipe to receive flowing liquid. In cases described as including a pipe, unless indicated otherwise, those pipes may be replaced via channels that are open at the upper end. The term “conduit” will be used in this specification and the claims to refer to either a channel or a pipe in a general sense.
Thus, while the invention has been described in connection with particular embodiments and examples, the invention is not necessarily so limited, and that numerous other embodiments, examples, uses, modifications and departures from the embodiments, examples and uses are intended to be encompassed by the claims attached hereto. The entire disclosure of each patent and publication cited herein is incorporated by reference, as if each such patent or publication were individually incorporated by reference herein.
In some cases it is contemplated that a leachate pipe or channel may become clogged with debris and in that case leachate could back up out of the channel and enter the clean water channel (see again 50 in
While the clean water channel or pipe typically carries relatively clean water. In some cases some debris can wash into or blow into that channel or pipe and can cause blockage which would result in clean water backing up and entering the leachate channel(s) or pipe. For this reason, in at least some embodiments a separate grinding assembly 202 (see again
To be clear, instead of providing permanent barriers 24 of some type, in some cases moveable barriers 24 may be used to separate clean and unclean portions of the feed pad. In this case, as a feed pile is worked back, that moveable barrier can be moved along the clean pad portion leaving only a minimal width space between the barrier and the pile for movement of a tractor or the like for scraping off the next section of the pile. In other embodiments combinations of permanent and moveable barriers 24 are contemplated.
In still other cases there may be one or both of leachate and clean water level sensors located within the leachate channel/pipe and the clean water channel/pipe that can be used to identify high or dangerous water levels where a computer or the like generates an alarm signal indicating high levels within the channels/pipes so that a person charged with maintaining the system can assess and deal with any blockage issues.
While various grading angles with horizontal are described above that are suitable for use with the current invention to flow rain water and other liquid (e.g., leachate) in desirable directions, it should be appreciated that the angles may be anywhere within a range between 0.5% and as much as 8%. For instance, referring again to
In at least some cases it is contemplated that the bottom to top or outside to inside grade angles with horizontal of a subset or of each of the pad sections may change over the pad section dimension. Thus, for instance, pad section 24K may have a 4% angle from bottom toward top near bottom pad edge 20 and a 2% angle near pad barrier 24 at the upper edge of pad section 24K and may have a 3.5% angle from outer to inner edges and a 1.5% angle near the inner pad edge.
While 1/2 degree grades are enough to cause water and other liquids to flow in intended directions, it has been recognized that creating a constant 1/2% grade over large pad areas is very difficult and that, even when a grade of that angle is initially set, settling can cause pad sections to diverge from that original grade over time. For this reason, in at least some cases it is preferred that the grade angles with horizontal be initially set at at least two degrees and in other cases the grade angle should be at least 3.5%. To minimize settling and diverging grade angles over time, the concrete pad should be at least 4 inches in thickness and, in some cases may be 12 inches thick and re-enforced with rebar or other metal structure.
In some cases the pad sections may only slope from outer edges toward inner edges without any slope from bottom toward top limits of the section. In some embodiments, instead of having one clean water channel, the arrangement may include, effectively, three clean water channels, a first clean water channel between the two leachate channels, a second clean water channel or pipe that connects the clean water drains on one side of the leachate channels and that drains into a basin or the like that the first clean water channel drains into, and a third clean water channel or pipe that connects the clean water drains on the other side of the leachate channels and that drains into a basin or the like that the first clean water channel drains into.
In at least some cases removable grates may be provided at outflow ends of the clean water channel and the leachate channels or pipes which can be removed to unclog any degree from the outflow channel ends of those constructs.
For the purposes of the claims and this specification, the term “channel” should be considered a general term meaning any mechanical structure that forms a passageway for directing liquid, water, leachate, etc. Thus, the term “channel” may include an upwardly open elongated guiding structure, a pipe that includes end openings or any other passageway forming mechanical structure. In addition, the term “incongruity”, when applied to a pad surface, should be construed as a change in angle or slope from one flat portion of the surface to an adjacent portion. Thus, for instance, where one flat portion of a surface has a 3% downward slope and an adjacent portion has a 75% upward slope (see
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/145,677 which was filed on Feb. 11, 2021 and which is titled “Feed Pad Water Collection System and Method” which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63145677 | Feb 2021 | US |
