Patent Grant
10604927
This disclosure relates in general to basins used in the bottom of sump pits or wet wells to pump fluids therefrom. In particular, this disclosure relates to a prerotation basin that is structured to provide improved solids entrainment into the fluid being pumped, while maintaining fluid rotation capabilities.
Sump pits or wet wells are known and used in many industries to collect fluids at a site. A pump inlet is conventionally placed at the bottom of the sump pit or wet well to pump the fluids out of the sump pit or wet well. Many arrangements have been devised for facilitating the accumulation of fluids in a sump or wet well, and for pumping the fluids out of the sump or wet well.
Some arrangements comprise a tank into which a pump is lowered to pump fluids from the bottom of the tank. Other arrangements, which are particularly relevant to this disclosure, comprise the use or formation of a prerotation basin within a sump pit or wet well.
Prerotation basins are essentially comprised of a basin having an upper edge, which provides a weir, an internal bowl-like configuration into which a pump inlet is positioned, and a vertically-oriented entry slot formed generally along the side of the basin, at a tangential angle typically, to direct fluid into the internal bowl-like configuration. Fluid entering the bowl-like configuration through the slot is directed at an angle which causes the fluid to “prerotate” in the direction of rotation of the pump impeller, thus facilitating efficient fluid uptake.
The fundamental principle by which prerotation basins function is the establishment of an elevation difference between the liquid within the prerotation basin and liquid outside the prerotation basin. This is achieved by configuring the basin arrangement so that the entrance to the slot from the sump or wet well is at a higher elevation than the bottom of the bowl-like interior of the basin. That is, the entry point of the slot is placed at a higher elevation than the bottom of the interior of the prerotation basin to provide a downwardly sloping channel, which causes increased energy to be imparted to the fluid entering into the basin, thereby creating rotation of the fluid.
Notably, in conventional prerotation basin arrangements, the elevation differential is further achieved by the installation of the prerotation basin in the sump pit or wet well. That is, prerotation basins are provided in the bottom of the sump or wet well either by positioning a suitably shaped mold in the sump or wet well and pouring concrete about the mold to form the basin or, more typically, by placing a pre-cast three-dimensional basin form into the bottom of the sump or wet well and pouring concrete about the pre-cast form to complete the installation. In either case, concrete is poured into the sump pit or wet well to the level of the entry point of the slot. The required depth to which the prerotation basin must be set into place with concrete represents a very significant aspect of the cost of prerotation basin installation due to the amount of concrete required. Further, the addition of concrete to the sump pit or wet well also reduces the volume of water that the sump pit is capable of holding, which in turn requires more frequent on and off cycling of the pump that is installed in the sump pit.
In many industries, the fluid that is being pumped out of the sump pit or wet well contains solids, some of which tend to float to the top of the fluid, and others which are neutral and/or sinking. It is important that the solids be pumped out of the pit because solids that are not entrained in the fluid accumulate over time and eventually clog the basin, and may result in pumping inefficiencies or pump stoppage. Accumulated solids begin to become malodorous and may be toxic. Consequently, when solids accumulate to an unacceptable level, it is necessary to pull the pump from the basin and send workers into the basin to manually clean the solids from the basin. The manual removal of solids is costly and can be dangerous to the workers.
In one aspect of the disclosure, embodiments are disclosed of a prerotation basin for use in a wet well, the prerotation basin including a basin body having a top edge and a base edge; an upstanding exterior wall extending between the top edge and base edge of the basin body; an interior concavity formed in the basin body, the interior concavity having a bottom surface and an interior wall that is continuous with the bottom surface of the interior concavity; and a fluid entry channel formed in the basin body defined by a discontinuity in the upstanding exterior wall of the basin body, the fluid entry channel extending from the top edge of the basin body to a channel floor, the channel floor beginning at a threshold point positioned at the upstanding exterior wall proximate the base edge and extending to the bottom surface of the interior concavity, wherein the threshold point of the channel floor is positioned at an elevation, relative to the base edge of the basin body, that is lower than the elevation of the bottom surface of the interior concavity relative to the base edge.
In certain embodiments, the channel floor of the fluid entry channel lies in a plane that is angled, relative to a plane defined by the base edge of the basin body, at between zero degrees and twenty degrees.
In some embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between one degree and nineteen degrees.
In other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between two degrees and eighteen degrees.
In yet other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between three degrees and seventeen degrees.
In still other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between four degrees and sixteen degrees.
In some embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between five degrees and fifteen degrees.
In other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between six degrees and fourteen degrees.
In yet other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between seven degrees and thirteen degrees.
In still other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between eight degrees and twelve degrees.
In still other embodiments, the plane of the channel floor is angled at between nine degrees and eleven degrees.
In some embodiments, the fluid entry channel is oriented tangentially to the interior wall of the interior concavity.
In certain other embodiments, the fluid entry channel further comprises two opposing upstanding walls each of which extends from the top edge of the basin body to the channel floor.
In yet another example, the one of the opposing upstanding walls of the fluid entry channel extends in length from a front face of the basin body to a terminal point located at and as part of the interior wall of the interior concavity, and wherein the length of the one opposing upstanding wall defines the length of the channel floor, as measured from the threshold point to the bottom surface of the interior concavity.
In certain embodiments, the length of the channel floor is between fourteen inches and twenty-six inches.
In some embodiments, the width of the fluid entry channel, measured as the distance between the two opposing upstanding walls at a point adjacent the interior concavity, is smaller than the width of the fluid entry channel between the two opposing upstanding walls as measured at the upstanding exterior wall of the basin body.
In other embodiments, the opposing upstanding wall of the fluid entry channel that extends in length from a front face of the basin body to a terminal point located at and as part of the interior wall of the interior concavity is parallel to the opposing upstanding wall of the fluid entry channel.
In still other embodiments, the width of the fluid entry channel, as measured between the two opposing upstanding walls at a point adjacent the threshold point, is equal to or smaller than the width of the fluid entry channel between the two opposing upstanding walls as measured at a point adjacent the top edge of the basin body.
In some embodiments, the width of the fluid entry channel, as measured between the two opposing upstanding walls at a point adjacent the threshold point, is greater than the width of the fluid entry channel measured between the two opposing upstanding walls at a point adjacent the top edge of the basin body.
In yet other embodiments, the threshold point of the fluid entry channel extends above the base edge of the basin body a distance of between zero inches and 4.5 inches.
In certain other embodiments, the bottom surface of the interior concavity extends above a plane defined by the base edge of the basin body between four inches and four and one half inches.
In some embodiments, the basin body includes a crenelated notch formed in the basin body that extends downwardly from the top edge and provides a shoulder surface for use in attaching thereto a part of a fast out arrangement.
In still other embodiments, the crenelated notch is oriented generally opposite the fluid entry channel.
Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the various embodiments disclosed.
The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments, in which:
A fluid entry channel 30 is formed in the basin body 12 and is defined by a discontinuity in the surrounding upstanding exterior wall 18 of the basin body 12 to provide an open slot 32. The open slot 32 of the fluid entry channel 30, in accordance with the disclosure, extends from the top edge 14 of the basin body 12, where the slot 32 is open, to a channel floor 36. The channel floor 36 begins at a threshold point 38 positioned at the upstanding exterior wall 18 proximate the base edge 16, and extends inwardly toward the interior concavity 20 to conjoin with the bottom surface 24 of the interior concavity 20.
The threshold point 38 of the channel floor 36 is positioned at an elevation 40, relative to the base edge 16 of the basin body 10, which is lower than the elevation 44 of the bottom surface 24 of the interior concavity 20, relative to the base edge 16, as shown in
As seen in
A comprehensive entrainment of solids into the fluid is achieved by lowering the threshold point 38 of the fluid entry channel 30 to an elevation at or below the bottom surface 24 of the interior concavity 20, which is counterintuitive to conventional prerotation basins in which the conventional concept is to raise the entry point of the fluid channel well above the elevation of the bottom surface of the basin in order to produce as much energy as possible in the entering fluid, thereby initiating robust fluid rotation and entrainment of solids into the fluid.
However, reducing the elevation of the threshold point 38 of the fluid entry channel 30 not only produces excellent solids entrainment, but does not sacrifice the ability of the basin body design to facilitate prerotation of the entering fluid. The low elevation threshold point 38 and upward sloping channel, or level channel, enable the prerotation basin 10 of the disclosure to operate in a manner comparable to conventional prerotation basin designs.
In use, a pump is positioned with the pump outlet oriented toward the bottom surface 24 of the basin. When the pump is shutting down, the fluid in the discharge pipe and pump casing will flow backward through the prerotation basin, exiting through the fluid entry channel 30. The motion of the fluid flowing backward through the fluid entry channel 30 down the negative or level slope of the plane 46 will flush and drain the prerotation basin, further enhancing the self-cleaning capability of the prerotation basin.
The ability of the prerotation basin 10 of the present disclosure to improve solids entrainment while still facilitating prerotation of the entering fluid is further achieved through particular design of the fluid entry channel 30. The fluid entry channel 30 of the disclosure is oriented tangentially to the interior wall 26 of the interior concavity 20. However, the open fluid entry channel 30 is designed differently from conventional prerotation basins.
In accordance with the disclosure, the open fluid entry channel 30 comprises two opposing upstanding walls 50, 52, that face each other, each of which extends from the top edge 14 of the basin body 12 to the channel floor 36, as shown in
The shape and dimensions of the fluid entry channel 30 play a further role in the unexpected operability of the prerotation basin 10 of the disclosure. The width 60 of the fluid entry channel 30, measured as the distance between the two opposing upstanding walls 50, 52 at a point adjacent the interior concavity 20, is smaller than the width 62 of the fluid entry channel 30 between the two opposing upstanding walls 50, 52, as measured at the upstanding exterior wall 18 of the basin body 12. The widths 60, 62 will vary depending on the size of the prerotation basin. In some embodiments, the ratio of the width 60 to the width 62 is generally between 1:2 and 1:4 or, in other embodiments, between 1:2 and 1:3.
In some embodiments, the one opposing upstanding wall 52 of the fluid entry channel 30 that extends in length from the front face 56 of the basin body 12 to the terminal point 58 located at the interior wall 26 of the interior concavity 20 is parallel to the opposing upstanding wall 50 of the fluid entry channel 30, as depicted in
In some embodiments, the width of the fluid entry channel 30 as measured between the two opposing upstanding walls 50, 52 at a point adjacent the threshold point 38 is equal to or smaller than the width of the fluid entry channel 30 measured between the two opposing upstanding walls 50, 52 at a point adjacent the top edge 14 of the basin body 12. As shown in
In an alternative embodiment shown in
In another example shown in
Additional structural features of the prerotation basin 10 include, as seen in
An additional feature of the prerotation basin 10 of the disclosure comes with the fact that the threshold point 38 is at a low elevation 40 relative to the base edge 16, and once the prerotation basin 10 is positioned in the sump or wet well, only a small amount of concrete is required to be poured into the sump or wet well to anchor the prerotation basin 10 in place. That is, only a few inches of concrete need to be poured into the sump or wet well around the basin body 12 to bring the level of concrete up to the level of the threshold point 38, as compared to several inches or feet of concrete that are required to be poured with conventional prerotation basins in order to bring the level of concrete up to the elevated level of the entry point in downwardly sloping fluid channels. In some installations of the prerotation basin 10 of the disclosure, pouring concrete into the sump pit or wet well may not be necessary. Consequently, the design of the prerotation basin 10 of the disclosure provides significant cost savings in the installation over conventional prerotation basins because of the reduced or eliminated need for concrete.
The prerotation basin 10 further includes a crenelated notch 90 formed in the basin body 12 that extends downwardly from the top edge 14 of the basin body 12 and provides a shoulder surface 92 for use in attaching a part of a fast out arrangement thereto, as is known in the industry. In
In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose. Terms such as “left,” “right,” “front,” “rear,” “above” and “below,” and the like, are used as words of convenience to provide reference points and are not to be construed as limiting terms.
In this specification, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its “open” sense; that is, in the sense of “including” and, thus, not limited to its “closed” sense, that is, in the sense of “consisting only of.” A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words “comprise,” “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.
In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments, and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes that can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.
Furthermore, embodiments have been described in connection with the disclosure and it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not to be limited to that described herein; but to the contrary, are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the what is described herein. Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one example may be combined with aspects of another example to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional example.
This is a non-provisional application which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/542,752, filed Aug. 8, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
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