Patent Application
20210262471
The present invention generally relates to turbine pumps, more particular to a power take-off (PTO) driven articulated trailered turbine pump that can be used in irrigation, flood control and various other uses where a high volume of material (such as water, slurry) needs to be moved/pumped from a source (such as canals, ditches, rivers, ponds) to another desired location.
Portable irrigation and water pump devices or mobile pumps have been used in the past that are adaptable to trucks and tractors and connectable to a power take-off of the trucks and tractors. Mobile pump systems are well known and used for pumping water from one location to another. These systems usually include an internal combustion engine mounted on a suitable carriage. These systems generally include an elongated conduit or discharge tube with a pump or motor mounted within the tube. In order to be capable of operation at various water levels, prior art mobile pump systems have used complex winch and pulley systems to adjust the angle at which the discharge tube is placed in the water. Examples of typical prior art mobile pump systems which use these complex pulley and winch systems include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,008,422 and 4,070,135.
Many other designs for trailer turbine/centrifugal pumps have been visualized by inventors in the past: U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,916 discloses about a portable trailer pump of the centrifugal type. The trailer pump can be towed behind a tractor and backed into and submerged or partially submerged in the material being pumped with an impeller of the pump being driven from the tractor power take-off. This patent discloses a steep-angle hitch comprising three longitudinally extending frame members which are in the form of hollow tubular members and oriented to define a triangular cross-sectional arrangement. Each of these frame members includes a rearward portion and a forward portion. The rearward portions of the two side frame members are angulated with respect to the their forward portions with a juncture there between being located in a position above the remote ends of the side frame members so that the included angle between the rearward portions and the forward portions of the two side members is an obtuse angle generally conforming the frame members with the ground surface, the ditch bank or wall and the edge thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,233 discloses about an improved irrigation pump that includes an elongated frame that can have trailer wheels at one end portion, and a trailer tongue at the opposite end portion for connection to a tractor. The wheeled end portion includes a housing having an impeller driven by rotary power from the tractor, and wherein an improved configuration of the housing and impeller provide increased efficiency (80-90%).
CN203750075 discloses about a trailer type pump system that can be towed by a truck. The patent in particular discloses about a portable fire water pumping equipment that directly absorb water from open water supply and then delivers to desired area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,303 discloses an easily transportable agitator and pump assembly which can be easily maneuvered by a conventional farm tractor and can be transported over roads by being trailed behind a light vehicle. The pump assembly includes pump housing at the end of an elongated frame supported on a wheeled sub-frame. The wheeled sub-frame is pivotally connected near one end to a midpoint of the elongated frame. The pump housing includes a rotating bladed impeller having an axis of rotation which is at an acute angle to the elongated frame, and a screw pump extends above the housing for thrusting the material downwardly through the housing upon rotation thereof.
VENERONIR ATS (https://www.veneroni.it/) is another mobile pump in the same space. ATS pump is a tractor driven centrifugal pump with hydraulic rotation. ATS pumps are hoisted off ground via tractor's 3-point hydraulic hitch system. This mobile pump grants high modulability when pumping and great flexibility of use. The hydraulically adjustable delivery pipe with a hydraulic telescopic pipe extensible grants the best adaptability, suiting with precision to the different working configurations. Veneroni's ATS pumps are hoisted via 3-point hitch for transportation instead of being pulled on wheels. This may be disadvantageous on two fronts: 1) it increase turning radius of tractor and the hoisted pump as it is constrained horizontally at 3-point hitch connection and adds to total solid length of moving machine and equipment, and 2) the length and weight of the hoisted pump act as a loaded lever at rear and reduces traction of tractor's front steering wheels during transport.
Despite the existence of aforementioned and many other mobile pumps power take-off driven trailered turbine pump, one or more problems in these mobile pumps or water pump devices still exist. For example, existed mobile pumps require complex rigging and doesn't provide the precise degree of control and easy operability that is desired, some of these power take-off driven trailered turbine pumps doesn't provide proper impeller efficiency, lack proper angular flexibility over embankments and river bed slopes for submersing the pump housing into the sumps, ponds, rivers or other sources from where the fluid needs to be pumped out and so on.
Before the present systems and methods, enablement are described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a portable PTO driven turbine or centrifugal trailer pump which can be operated in deep ditches, sumps, concrete canals, ponds or the like sources and be used in irrigation, flood control, reclamation, aquaculture, sewage treatment and various other uses where a high volume pumping can be effectively utilized.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine or centrifugal trailer pump that is portable, partially or fully submersible in the source of material to be pumped out.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an easily transportable trailer pump. The trailer pump can be easily engaged to or disengaged from a conventional farm tractor.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a portable trailer pump that can be carried on by some light vehicles, if required.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump that uses a mixed flow impeller with a vaned diffuser. The mixed flow impeller with a vaned diffuser provides a wider range of flow rates and pressures for the fluid passing there-through.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump with a hydraulically or manually controlled articulated mid joint (i.e. universal joint) configured on a drive shaft connecting impeller and the power take-off unit on the tractor to allow angular flexibility for varying embankments and river beds and for partially or fully submersing the pump housing into the sumps, ponds or other sources from where the fluid needs to be pumped out.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump with an articulated delivery pipe/tube for multi-directional discharge of the fluid. This is facilitated by a stabilizer arm with adjustable length that can be hydraulically or manually controlled in order to swing the delivery pipe in multi-direction and push or pull the discharge pipe away or closer to the frame, respectively.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump with an adjustable hitch tongue that can be selectively adjusted based on the angle at angulated frame or drive shaft. The adjustment of the hitch tongue may be helpful while the trailer pump maneuver embankments/river beds or the trailer pump is connected to the tractor for transportation. The operator (operator of the pump or the driver of the tractor) can choose to keep angular adjustments at the articulated mid joint (i.e. universal joint) configured on the drive shaft and the hitch tongue if such setting is repetitively used.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump with a dual function jack stand and chock. The jack stand is usually used to keep the pump or trailer at definite height above ground when the trailer is parked and for easy coupling of tractor's hitch to the adjustable hitch tongue of the pump. Additionally, unlike the existing systems, the chock of the proposed trailer pump assists in resisting backward motion or rolling of the tractor and pump due to embankments sloping backwards or net downward pull forces of the pump. The chock according to an embodiment can be hydraulically deployed and will attempt to sink into ground on a backward motion hence resisting rolling.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a PTO driven trailer turbine pump with a wheeled chassis connected to the frame. The adjustable wheel axle of the wheeled chassis can be adjusted for ground clearance during transport for rough, tracked (when wheel paths are sunken below normal ground level) or uneven terrain and for kneeling for increased submergence in lower water levels. The wheel axle may be adjustable hydraulically or manually.
Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.
The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The best mode and other alternative modes for carrying out the present disclosure is presented in terms of the embodiments herein. The embodiments described herein comprise detail used for illustrative purposes and are subject to many variations. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary. It is understood that various omissions and substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient, but are intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Further, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.
Further, the words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The subject invention is directed to a power take-off driven trailered turbine pump that can be used in irrigation, flood control and various other uses where a high volume of material (such as water, slurry) needs to be moved from a source (such as canals, ditches, rivers, ponds) to another desired location. The same would be described in the description to follow.
The various features and embodiments of a power take-off driven trailered turbine or centrifugal pump will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying figures, namely
Referring to accompanying figures and in particular to
The trailer pump 100 further includes an elongated frame 110 embodying a drive shaft 113. The drive shaft 113 includes a first portion 115 and a second portion 116. The pump housing 101 is disposed at one end of the frame 110. The other end of the frame 110 is provided with an adjustable hitch tongue 114. The elongated frame 110 includes a first section 111 and a second section 112. The first section 111 includes a first end 111a and a second end 111b. The second section 112 includes a first end 112a and a second end 112b. The first section 111 of the frame 110 embodies the first portion 115 of the drive shaft 113. The second section 112 of the frame 110 embodies the second portion 116 of the drive shaft 113. The second end 111b of the first section 111 of the frame 110 is connected or coupled to the first end 112a of the second section 112 of the frame 110 such as to allow rotatory motion in relation to each other. The connection may preferably be a pivotal connection designated by ‘P’ (as shown in
The first portion 115 of the drive shaft 113 includes a first end 115a and a second end 115b. The second portion 116 of the drive shaft 113 includes a first end 116a and a second end 116b. The first end 115a of the first portion 115 of the drive shaft 113 is mechanically connected to a power take-off unit (not seen) of a tractor 200. Typically the mechanical connection is a PTO spline connection. The first end 115a is identical to spline type found on the PTO output of the tractor 200. The mechanical power derived from the PTO unit of the tractor 200 rotate the drive shaft 113 which in turn rotate the impeller 105. The second end 115b of the first portion 115 of the drive shaft 113 is mechanically coupled to the first end 116a of the second portion 116 of the drive shaft 113. According to the embodiment, this mechanical coupling is achieved by using a universal joint 140. The universal joint 140 enables an articulated joint connection between the second end of the 115b of the first portion 115 of the drive shaft 113 and the first end 116a of the second portion 116 of the drive shaft 113. The rotatory motion between the first portion 115 and the second portion 116 at the universal joint 140 can be manually controlled (using human effort) or automatically controlled. The drive shaft 113 has constant rotary motion via the universal join 140. By adjusting the articulated joint “P” (seen in
The power take-off driven trailer pump 100 is further provided with a chassis 118 and a pair of wheels 119. The wheels 119 are preferably inflatable tires. As seen, each of the wheels 119 is connected at two ends of the chassis 118. For the sake of brevity and as well known in the art, the way the wheels 119 would be connected to the chassis 118 (such as using axle) is not described herein. The wheeled chassis 118 is then connected to the frame 110 (at the second section 112 of the frame) using suitable coupling techniques known in the art such as but not limited to welding. According to the embodiment, the wheeled chassis 118 is preferably a hydraulically (using hydraulic cylinder 118a seen in
According to the embodiment, the power take-off driven trailer pump 100 further includes one or more delivery pipes/tubes 108, 109 connected to the outlet 104 of the pump housing 101 using a flexible rubber joint 107, and a movable joining arm 117. The flexible rubber joint 107 may comprise a flexible pipe of substantially same dimension as that of the outlet 104 and the discharge pipe 108, 109. The joining arm 117 and flexible rubber joint 107 are configured to allow multi-directional discharge of the fluid through the delivery pipes 108, 109. Although, two discharge pipes 108, 109 are shown interconnected and then connected to the outlet 104 using the flexible rubber joint 107, it should be understood that any number of discharge pipes can be connected to the outlet 104. The discharge pipes 108, 109 are preferably of the same dimension as that of the outlet 104. Connecting one or more discharge pipes 108, 109 increases overall length of the outlet 104 and guide the fluid coming out of the outlet 104 to the desired direction.
The multi-directional movement of the discharge pipe is shown in
Particularly,
Next,
Referring to
Referring to
During use, the operator (operator of the pump 100 or the driver of the tractor 200) powers the drive shaft 113 with the power take-off unit of tractor 200. For this, the end 115a of drive shaft 113 would be mechanically connected to PTO unit of the tractor 200 via a CARDAN drive shaft known in the art. Although, the present invention is designed to work using power from the power take-off unit of the tractor 200, it should be understood that the pump 100 may be self-driven with power source and related controls mounted on the trailer pump 100.
Once the operator powers the drive shaft 113, the drive shaft 113 rotates. The rotation of the drive shaft 113 results in a rotation of impeller 105. Centrifugal rotation of the impeller 105 result in water to get into the pump body 102 through one the inlet 103 of the pump 101 and then emerge out through an outlet 104. The water emerging or being pumped out through the outlet 104 then passes through the flexible rubber joint 107 and one or more delivery pipes 108, 109. Water coming out of the outlet 104 or the delivery pipe 108, 109 can either be directly used or routed to any other desired location (distant location) using an extended pipe 127 varying in length. The user can connect this extended pipe 127 of desired length to the delivery pipe 108, 109 for routing the pumped water from the pond 300 to the fields for irrigation.
Although the above embodiments described considering the frame 110 to have two sections 111, 112 and the drive shaft 113 to have two portions 115,116, it should be noted that the frame 110 may include three sections 111, 112 and 160 (as shown in
It should be understood according to the preceding description of the present invention is susceptible to changes, modifications and adaptations, and that the said changes, modifications and adaptations fall within scope of the appended claims.
