Residential and commercial buildings typically are provided with fuel oil pumps for pumping fuel oil to necessary machinery, such as boilers or generators. There exists an important need for fuel oil pumps that can operate in flooded conditions,
as can be experienced during severe storms, such as hurricanes and the like, particularly in low-lying areas that are prone to flooding. Prior solutions have included placing such machinery in upper levels of such structures, or encasing such machinery in water-tight enclosures. There are, however, significant drawbacks and disadvantages to these solutions. For example, placing such machinery in upper levels of structures is very expensive and may not be feasible for existing structures to be retrofitted in this manner. Alternatively, encasing the machinery in water-tight enclosures makes access to the machinery for maintenance and repair very difficult, and water-tight enclosures are buoyant when submerged, and buoyancy forces can adversely affect the structural integrity of the machinery.
Accordingly, there is a need for fuel oil pumps that can operate in flooded conditions without having to be located in the upper levels of a building or contained in a water-tight enclosure.
The present invention is directed to fully submersible fuel oil pump machinery that avoids the above-described shortcomings, and is designed to provide an uninterrupted fuel oil supply to critical equipment such as generators, boilers and the like, in residential buildings and in facilities that provide essential services, such as hospitals, communication/data centers, law enforcement, and financial institutions, during times of severe flooding. It is designed for installations below grade level, or in areas predisposed to environmental, historical, or manmade flooding, and is designed as a “true” submersible unit, utilizing Best-in-Class, ABB-Baldor continuous-in-air duty submersible motors, allowing the unit to continuously operate in either normal/dry conditions or submerged up to 160 feet under water. Its heavy weight, non-buoyant and open design allows the operator full access to all unit's components to perform visual inspections, maintenance, and repairs. It has a heavy-duty construction built with robust components and two coats of COROTHANE® I Black Coal Tar are applied, to all steel and iron components, for lasting protection against rust and corrosion.
The present invention can cover a wide operating range from 114 GPH to 2,500 GPH at 150 PSI discharge pressure, and can be customized to meet a customer's specific requirements of design ratings, special materials, and/or accessories.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a submersible fuel oil apparatus includes a base; at least one platform supported above the base and having a top surface, an underside surface and an aperture therethrough; a submersible motor supported by one of the top surface and the underside surface of the platform and having a vertically oriented motor shaft; a fuel oil pump supported by the platform on a side of the platform opposite the motor and having a vertically oriented pump shaft, a pump inlet into which fuel oil is adapted to be delivered, and a pump outlet from which fuel oil is adapted to be pumped, the pump and motor positioned such that the motor shaft and the pump shaft are aligned, one of the motor shaft and pump shaft extending through the aperture in the platform; a coupler connecting the motor shaft and pump shaft to each other; inlet piping connected to the pump inlet; and outlet piping connected to the pump outlet.
Preferably, the submersible fuel oil apparatus further includes support brackets securely connecting the outlet piping to the base, and a mounting bracket having an upper connection surface, a lower connection surface, and an interior space, wherein the upper connection surface of the mounting bracket is connected to the underside surface of the platform, wherein one of the pump and motor is positioned underneath and connected to the lower connection surface of the mounting bracket, and wherein the coupler is positioned within the interior space of the mounting bracket. Preferably, the mounting bracket is generally u-shaped, and at least one coupling guard is removably mounted on the mounting bracket to isolate the coupler. The platform is preferably supported above the base by a plurality of legs attached to the base.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, submersible fuel oil apparatus includes a base; at least one platform supported above the base and having a top surface, an underside surface and an aperture therethrough; a submersible motor mounted on the top surface of the platform and having a motor shaft extending vertically downward through the aperture in the platform; a fuel oil pump supported underneath the platform and having a pump shaft extending vertically upward, a pump inlet into which fuel oil is adapted to be delivered, and a pump outlet from which fuel oil is adapted to be pumped, the pump positioned such that the motor shaft and the pump shaft are aligned; a coupler connecting the motor shaft and pump shaft to each other; inlet piping connected to the pump inlet; and outlet piping connected to the pump outlet. Preferably, the apparatus includes support brackets securely connecting the outlet piping to the base, the fuel oil pump is supported from the platform by a mounting bracket having an upper connection surface, a lower connection surface, and an interior space, wherein the upper connection surface of the mounting bracket is connected to the underside surface of the platform, wherein the pump is positioned underneath and connected to the lower connection surface of the mounting bracket, and wherein the coupler is positioned within the interior space of the mounting bracket. Preferably. the mounting bracket is generally u-shaped, and further includes at least one coupling guard removably mounted on the mounting bracket to isolate the coupler. The platform preferably is supported above the base by a plurality of legs attached to the base.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a submersible fuel oil apparatus includes a base; a pair of platforms supported above the base, each of the platforms and having a top surface, an underside surface and an aperture therethrough; a pair of submersible motors, each of the motors being mounted on an upper surface of a respective one of the platforms and having a motor shaft extending vertically downward through the aperture in the respective platform; a pair of fuel oil pumps each supported underneath a respective one of the platforms and each having a pump shaft extending vertically upward, a pump inlet into which fuel oil is adapted to be delivered, and a pump outlet from which fuel oil is adapted to be pumped, each of the pumps positioned such that respective ones of the motor shafts and the pump shafts are aligned; a pair of couplers connecting respective ones of the motor shafts and pump shafts to each other; inlet piping connected to each of the pump inlets; outlet piping connected to each of the pump outlets; and support brackets securely connecting the outlet piping to the base. Preferably, the inlet piping includes a common inlet port adapted to deliver fuel oil to each of the pumps, and the outlet piping includes a common discharge port from which fuel oil is adapted to be pumped from the pair of pumps. Each of the fuel oil pumps is preferably supported from its respective platform by a mounting bracket having an upper connection surface, a lower connection surface, and an interior space, wherein the upper connection surface of the mounting bracket is connected to the underside surface of its respective platform, wherein each of the pumps is positioned underneath and connected to the lower connection surface of its respective mounting bracket, and wherein each of the couplers is positioned within the interior space of its respective mounting bracket. Each of the mounting brackets is generally u-shaped, and further include at least one coupling guard removably mounted on each of the mounting brackets to isolate the coupler. Each of the platforms is preferably supported above the base by a plurality of legs, the plurality of legs attached to the base.
These and other aspects, details and objects of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawing figures of which:
As best shown in
Each motor 12 is mounted on the top of its respective pedestal 16, as shown in
Preferably, the pump mounting brackets 18 are generally u-shaped, defining an interior space, and comprised of heavy-duty fabricated carbon steel, engineered to support each pump rigidly and independently, while allowing for easy pump-motor alignment. Each of the pumps 10 is mounted to the underside of its respective pump-to-pedestal mounting bracket 18, with the pump shaft extending vertically upward through a central aperture 23,
In addition to the mounting of the pumps and motors, as described above, the piping, fittings, inlet and discharge ports, moisture detectors, pressure gauges, strainer, relief valves, check valves, isolation ball valves, fasteners, basin leak switch assembly, flow switch assembly, local power disconnects, and control panel are supported on the main base by supporting brackets, as shown in the drawings. Fuel oil is supplied via inlet port 24,
A discharge piping support system, including six support brackets, is preferably provided and used in conjunction with the pedestals 16 to offset, counterbalance and counterweight torsional forces and pipe stresses, especially in the common discharge manifold 38. Specifically, and as shown in the drawings, brackets 44 are provided for securing respective lower horizontal piping 34, brackets 46 are provided for securing respective vertical piping 36, and brackets 48 are provided for securing respective arms of the common discharge manifold 38. The six brackets are preferably supported by 11-Gauge Carbon Steel square tubing (one example of which, 56, is shown in
Additionally, the following system components are employed, in accordance with the preferred embodiments, although various changes and substitutions may be available as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art:
Moisture Detectors
Couplings
Piping & Fittings
Pressure Gauge
Differential Pressure Gauge
Duplex Strainer
External Pressure Relief Valves
Check Valves
Isolation Ball Valves
Fasteners
Coating
Basin Leak Assembly
Flow Switch Assembly
Local Disconnects
Control Panel
Thus, by providing the structures and components as described, the present invention provides fully submersible operation without compromising structural integrity and allowing full access to the machinery for maintenance and repair.
While the foregoing is directed to preferred embodiments of the present invention, further changes, objects, aspects and embodiments of the present invention will be appreciated by those in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention, which will be defined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/062,881 for SUBMERSIBLE FUEL OIL SET, filed on Aug. 7, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63062881 | Aug 2020 | US |