Patent Grant
11585058
This application claims priority to GB Patent Application Number 2013575.2, filed on 28 Aug. 2020, to Applicant Peter Andrew Hodgson, which is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a flood defense system in which a water height differential between water drainage, such as a river, and incoming water, such as a stream, which may be reversed under flood conditions, is overcome so as to continue placing incoming water into drainage.
Flood defenses are required to not impede normal drainage and are preferably passive under normal conditions, therefore not requiring maintenance. Under flood conditions they should be enable excess water to be channeled and drained away but this may not be possible if the height differential between incoming and drained water is not present.
A known problem is that surface water drainage from upland areas can give rise to swollen rivers downstream which may need to be contained by a flood defense barrier. The problem then arises that incoming water streams also downstream cannot effectively drain into the river since the river can be at a higher level than the surrounding area. As a result, localised flooding downstream can occur not necessarily because of undue excess local water, although this may also be a problem, but simply because the height differential between the tributaries coming into a drain or river do not have a, or have a negative, height differential. This can give rise to one of the significant problems in flood situations in which floodwater stops soil drainage from occurring and hence soil effluent becomes mixed with floodwater and gives rise to significant property damage through spoilage.
Tributary water can be pumped into a drain so as to actively overcome a water height differential and permanent installations to achieve this are conventional but are relatively expensive and the installation of suitable power to installations in remote areas add significantly to cost and complexity. There is therefore a need for a pumping means to drain a tributary into a drain when a suitable water height differential to allow incoming water to fall is not present under flood conditions but where it is not normally required. A simple, robust and cost-effective solution is required with low management requirements and suitable for automatic occasional use.
A preferred form of flood defense is a barrier which incorporates pumping means to take water from a tributary to a drain and more preferably is capable of transferring water from a tributary to a drain without pumping when not under flood conditions.
It is also preferable that pumping is energy efficient both to reduce maintenance and the reduce its environmental impact.
The present invention provides: a flood barrier having pumping means, the flood barrier comprising a wall and a pump for drawing water across the barrier from a first side to a second side, the wall configured to provide a barrier preventing movement of water from the first, drain, side to the second, tributary, side, of that wall, the barrier further comprising a pipe traversing the wall for transferring water between the two sides of the wall the pipe being terminated in the first side of the wall at a venturi effect pump, the pump being feedable with water from the drain through a conduit inlet so as to create suction in the pipe for drawing water through the pipe from the second side of the wall to drain water from the second to the first side of the wall.
As will be appreciated, the flow of water in the drain acts to provide a suction effect on the pipe thus drawing water from the tributary to the drain and since a suction effect is present then the height of the water in the drain can be higher than that in the tributary to the extent that the rate of flow provides sufficient suction. The flood barrier is configured on installation to provide the required level of suction in comparison to the flow rate of the drain and the high differential.
The present invention will now be illustrated with reference to the following figures, showing the invention in its various embodiments in schematic form at, and in which:
Like numerals refer to like features in the figures. These include:
In a preferred installation the inlet conduit of the pump is fed from the drain such that the inlet only becomes accessible underfoot conditions when flow rates are relatively high and thus the suction effect achieved becomes significant. For example, a flow rate of 1 m/s in a river can provide, say 30 cm of water (the pressure required to raise a column of water by 30 cm) of suction pressure even in a relatively inefficient venturi effect pump.
In the present invention, preferably (either together or independently): the pipe traversing the wall, the inlet conduit to the pump, which is larger than the pipe, and the outlet conduit from the pump, which is larger than the inlet conduit, preferably do not have any constrictions. Preferably there is no constriction within the pump between the inlet and the outlet of the conduit.
When the venturi effect pump is outside the flood barrier first wall, which is useful when fitting to an existing flood defense wall or similar drain wall, the outlet of the outlet conduit may be reduce in size but to no less than the outlet of the inlet conduit. This facilitates creating suction in the venture effect pump but still enables the largest accessible debris to exit. The inlet and the outlet preferably carry a screen to reduce the ingress of debris. Preferably the inlet to the overall conduit is preferably angled, this arrangement gives a degree of self-cleaning to the screen, such as a grille or mesh, since the water passes over it obliquely. Whilst superficially this is less efficient than an aperture perpendicular the flow in the drain (e.g. river) the volume of water in flood conditions and the self-cleaning of the screen more than offset this. An angle of the inlet to the main axis of the pump is preferably in the range 5 to 30°, preferably from 10 to 20° for optimal inlet efficiency and self-cleaning, in this configuration the angle does not reduce the efficiency of water ingress but does make the inlet more open to damage from collision with debris.
This form of venturi effect pump is unconventional as the venturi effect is best exemplified where there is a constriction in the conduit. However, for the purposes of the present invention provided that the outlet conduit is larger than the inlet conduit and the changing diameter of the conduit provides sufficient suction to draw water from the pipe so as to provide suction. The significant advantages are that when there is no constriction in the pipe or the conduit part or parts the likelihood of blockage by debris is low. This is significant as in the present application of flood defense there is a high likelihood of debris, soil and other detritus in the water and any constriction is rapidly blocked. Most preferably one or more of and preferably all of, the pipe, the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit (which may themselves be in the form of pipes) taper outward from their inlet to the outlet ends, thus further reducing the potential for blockage. As will be appreciated that such a taper must also fulfil the requirement that at the outlet end of the inlet conduit the inlet end of the outlet conduit and the outlet end of the pipe the above ratio of sizes is present. The outward taper is preferably present, for the inlet conduit between its inlet and the venturi pump, but not within the pump. The outward taper is preferably present along the whole length of the outlet conduit. These features maintain better pump efficiency. The taper is preferably in the range 2 to 10%, larger tapers reduce water flow efficiency and do not significantly reduce blockage further.
In referring to the size of the pipe and the conduit this is a reference to the cross-sectional area of the pipe/conduit perpendicular to its principal axis. For example, if the pipe his cylindrical then the size of the pipe is the area of the circle defined across the cylinder. The pipe is preferably cylindrical, or at least predominantly cylindrical. The inlet conduit and the outlet conduit are preferably cylindrical. A 2% taper means a 2% increase in cross-sectional area over a given length. The conduits and the tubes are preferably tapered and circular in cross section to avoid blockage and build-up of residue.
In a preferred embodiment, the first side and the second side of the flood barrier are separated by an internal area; and the first side of the wall defines at least one pair of ports, an upstream port and a downstream port. An overall conduit extends between each of the at least one pair of ports; the inlet conduit having its inlet at the (as installed) upstream port and the outlet conduit having its outlet at the (as installed) downstream port, with the two conduits making up the overall conduit, their respective other ends being terminated in the venturi pump. In this arrangement the inlet to the overall conduit is preferably angled outward of the first wall to facilitate water ingress. The inlet and the outlet preferably carry a screen to reduce the ingress of debris, this arrangement gives a degree of self-cleaning to the screen, such as a grille or mesh, since the water passes over it obliquely. Whilst superficially this is less efficient than an aperture perpendicular the flow in the drain (e.g. river) the volume of water in flood conditions and the self-cleaning of the screen more than offset this. An angle of the inlet to the first wall is preferably in the range 5 to 45°, preferably from 10 to 30° for optimal inlet efficiency and self-cleaning.
In an alternative embodiment the venturi pump is affixed to the external; first side (face) of the wall and is in line with the main axis of flow of the drain (e.g. pointing up and down river) with the entrance of the entrance conduit facing perpendicular to that axis.
Wherein the conduit is housed within the internal area the venturi pump is also housed therein. This protects both pump and conduit.
The pipe having an inlet on the second side and an outlet on the first side may be configured to arch up between those ends to prevent water transfer under gravity. However, siphonage is still possible and so as to utilise this the inlet is preferably higher than the outlet, therefore siphonage into the pump is possible and aids transfer when the pump is operational and can also facilitate transfer from the tributary to the drain even when the pump is not operational (low drain water level). However, the reverse prevented by providing the top of the pipe being placed in use above the highest expected drain water level. Alternatively, a non-return valve may be used.
In the present invention the pump is referred to as venturi effect pump. Should it be deemed that the pumping effect in any given embodiment is not caused by the venturi effect then this is not to be taken as limiting. As can be seen, a significant advantage of the present invention is that it requires no moving parts and therefore provides low maintenance and durability during potentially long terms of passivity between flood events.
The flood barrier of the invention may incorporate multiple pumps but is described in relation to a single pump. Multiple pumps can be placed in a staggered arrangement at multiple heights so as to take effects at increasing levels of flooding. Higher place pumps will require a lower loop in the pipe for drawing in water from a tributary and are therefore more efficient at high flood levels where high flow is most required.
The pump is configured by the junction of the inlet conduit with the outlet conduit, the inlet conduit being smaller than the outlet conduit and therefore there is a reduction in pressure in water traversing from one to another, in this region the outlet of the pipe Is placed so that the reduction pressure can be alleviated by fluid entering from the pipe into the outlet conduit in which the outlet of the pipe needs. In a first configuration (
In a second configuration (
In a further configuration, (
The flood barrier may be configured such that it is portable so that it may be erected only during times of flooding. For example, as an insertable section in a flood wall whether permanent or itself made of portable sections. This letter combination is preferred as drain can be formed in situ as is convention in ad hoc flood defenses and the unpowered (i.e. not externally powered) pumping of the present invention means that it can be placed optimally at points of higher flow without regard to the availability of a power supply. Similarly, ad hoc defenses are often imperfect and require so degree of pumping to properly contain water from a drain.
The one or more pumps are configured to move water from the protected area to the flooded area (from the second to the first side). This provides the benefit that the flood barrier can make up for any leaks elsewhere in the barrier and prevent localised low-level flooding. Further the pump may rectify the fact that the flood barrier may have been erected at a time at which flood water has already reached the protected area. The one or more pumps therefore allow the flood barrier to be erected closer to the source of the flood water than a flood barrier that does not have a pump could be. The flood barrier may be erected in an area of low-level flooding and any flood water on the second side of the flood barrier will be pumped to the other side of the barrier. The present invention therefore allows for the area protected from flooding to be increased compared to flood barriers without pumps.
The pump derives power from the water flow, such as of floodwater, in the drain. This provides no environmental impact, particularly carbon emissions. This also provides the benefit that the pump of the flood barrier are self-powered by means that are integrated within the barrier itself. This removes the need for any external power supply for the pumps. This is particularly useful as power supplies, particularly electrical power distribution may be disrupted by flooding or for internal combustion engines where fuel delivery disrupted. Further, the power generated by is environmentally friendly as it is drawn from the flow of water.
In the present invention the concepts of drain and tributary are used. The tributary can simply be an area of water outside the drain and is not necessarily an identifiable tributary. However, placements will be optimal if cited at the location of a tributary. Similarly, the drain may simply be a flooded area bounded so as to be an area for drainage.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings:
A variation on this embodiment is shown in side view in
In the various embodiment the longitudinal axis of the overall conduit may be horizontal. Similarly, the inlet 24 and outlet 32 apertures may both be positioned at the same height from the base of the flood barrier.
In the
When water ballast is used inlets 140, 142 may be provided and 142, the lower being, an outlet for emptying for transportation after use. 142 may be a one-way valve to allow self-filling up to a level of surrounding water so speeding filling. The internal area may be configured to act as a portion of pipe 40 to enable further filling when 140 and 142 (140 only when 142 is a one-way valve) are sealed.
As explained, a flood barrier for protecting the environment can have a venturi type effect pumping means not requiring external power, the flood barrier comprising a wall and a pump for drawing water across the barrier from a first side to a second side. The wall configured to provide a barrier preventing movement of water from the first, drain, side to the second, tributary, side, of that wall. A suitable drain is a river or other water course with flowing water. The barrier further comprising a pipe traversing the wall for transferring water between the two sides of the wall the pipe being terminated in the first side of the wall at a venturi effect pump, the pump being feedable with water from the drain through a conduit inlet so as to create suction in the pipe for drawing water through the pipe from the second side of the wall to drain water from the second to the first side of the wall.
It will be appreciated that many of the features of the invention may be combinable even if not explicitly described in combination. For example, a hollow ballasted wall with tapered conduits.
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| 20220064887 A1 | Mar 2022 | US |
