WATER GUN

Abstract

A repeatable water gun device for projecting jets of water into ambient surrounding water for the purpose of causing cavitations in the water which when the produced cavities collapse due to ambient water pressure a loud sharp report is caused when the cavities collapse upon themselves. The sharp reports may be used for scaring fish away from the intakes of water pipe lines, for cleaning water wells, and for the removal of zebra mussels or other sea life infestation from water pipes.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to a repeatable water gun that is pressurized at pressures up to 10,000 psi gas spring pressure and capable of being fired for enhanced cleaning of unwanted materials within water and oil wells, water pipes and other conduits. The water gun projects jets of water at high velocity into a well, pipe or conduit for an improved method in the removal of invasive species such as zebra mussels or unwanted flora from within structures and pipes where current systems have limited capability against these infestations. The high pressure jets may also be projected into ambient surrounding water for the purpose of causing cavitations in the water which due to ambient water pressure produces a loud sharp report when the cavities collapse upon themselves. The sharp reports may prove effective in combating the spread of invasive species such as Asian carp that has devastating effects on a number of ecological environments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Asian carp refers to a number of different species of carp that are highly detrimental to the environment in parts of the United States. In July 2007, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared that all silver carp and largescale silver carp to be invasive species and in July 2012 the “Stop Invasive Species Act” requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up implementation of strategies to prevent the Asian carp from entering the Great Lake. Strategies include electric barriers placed at rivers that flow into the Great Lakes or using toxins that are deadly for fish, but not harmful to humans. These strategies have not been all together successful where as an example a fish kill in Illinois that cost $3 million resulted in 90 tons of dead fish, but only one carp was found among these fish.

Zebra mussels are another invasive species that are very disruptive and damaging to harbors, waterways, ships, water treatment facilities and power plants. Particularly, water intakes bring the microscopic free-swimming larvae directly into water treatment facilities where the zebra mussels grow and cling onto water pipes and clog them. Removal of these mussels and other infestations from water conduits and wells has proved challenging especially where toxic chemicals that would contaminate the water supply and environment cannot be used. What is needed for the removal of these invasive species is a targeted, effective approach that minimizes detrimental effects on the environment.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The water gun of the present invention is capable of repeated firing of water jets at pressures up to 10,000 psi gas spring pressure for enhanced cleaning of unwanted materials within oil wells, pipes and other conduits and for the removal of zebra mussels or other sea life infestation from the pipes. The high pressure jets may also be projected into ambient surrounding water for the purpose of causing cavitations in the water which due to ambient water pressure produces a loud sharp report when the cavities collapse upon themselves. The sharp reports may be used for scaring fish such as Asian carp away from traveling to previously non-invaded areas.

The water gun should be suspended and submerged with the ejector ports in at least 30 cm (12 in) of water depth with hydraulic and air lines from an external hydraulic pump and compressed air supply extending from the shore or deck of a boat in the area for cleaning, removal and/or to be used as a deterrent for invasive species. The air or gas spring chamber may in a first embodiment be pressurized to within a range of 200 psi to 3000 psi and for instance to 1000 psi and the air supply port is then closed. For the safety of personnel and the equipment, the water gun should never be pressurized when it is out of the water. Persons should also not be above or near the pressurized water gun or be in the water within a safe distance of the water gun. After pressurization of the air spring chamber, hydraulic fluid is directed to an extension and retraction hydraulic cylinder to move a reset piston into position to prepare a free piston or ejector piston for firing. The hydraulic fluid is preferably a vegetable based hydraulic to prevent pollution in the case of accidental spillage of hydraulic fluid. It is advised that for all hydraulic connections hydraulic non-drip quick disconnects should be used to further prevent spillage of fluid into the body of water. The hydraulic pump, fluid lines, and other equipment must all be rated for the pressures the water gun system shall operate at. In further embodiments, the housing and components of the water gun may accommodate higher pressures within the range of 3000 psi to 10000 dependent upon the requirements for cleaning or invasive species removal. The water gun may further be operated using a water pump in place of the hydraulic pump.

To fire the water gun a hydraulic control valve delivers fluid to move a reset piston downwardly. When the reset piston reaches the bottom of its travel there will be a spike in hydraulic pressure which indicates that the reset piston has latched into the top of the ejector piston. At this point the control valve should be reversed which will cause the reset piston to draw up the ejector piston. When the reset piston and ejector piston reach the top of travel the water gun will trigger and fire. By repeating this control sequence the water gun can be fired repeatably as rapidly as every 3 to 4 seconds or faster depending on the size of the water gun and as well as the operating pressures and control system.

The reset piston retains the ejector piston using a latching seal assembly. The latching seal assembly includes a sealing ring that seals against the inner edges of a cup formed in the top of the ejector piston. The latching seal assembly also includes an outlet passage and check valve seated within a piston flange at the base of the reset piston. The piston flange plugs into the upper cup shaped surface of the top of the ejector piston within the cup forcing air out through the outlet passage opening the check valve and creating a vacuum seal between the reset and ejector pistons. The vacuum is broken at the top of travel of the pistons when an outer edge of the ejector piston cup is stopped by a shoulder formed in the chamber housing allowing for the reset piston to pull out of the cup and the air pressure within the chamber to rapidly accelerate the ejector piston forcing water out through the ejector ports. The water jets from these ports cause cavitations in the water which due to ambient water pressure produces a loud sharp report when the cavities collapse upon themselves which may be effective to deter invasive species such as Asian carp from entering an area.

The water gun may be of any dimension and volume to accommodate the requirements necessary for cleaning and removal of a species from an underwater location. The water gun may also operate at acceptable pressures with ranges in low pressure designs ranging from 200 psi to 3000 psi or in high pressure designs in a range of 3000 psi to 10000 psi being supplied to the air spring chamber to create higher velocities of water ejecting from the water gun.

The water gun of the present invention comprises a hydraulic cylinder supplied by a hydraulic pump; a reset piston movable using the hydraulic cylinder; an ejector piston within an air chamber adjacent the hydraulic cylinder, the ejector piston having an air bypass flange; a water ejection chamber having at least one ejection port; and wherein the water gun is submerged and the ejector piston is accelerated by air pressure through the air chamber and water ejection chamber forcing water through the at least one ejection port and into ambient surrounding water for the purpose of causing cavitations in the water which due to ambient water pressure produces a loud sharp report when the cavities collapse upon themselves.

The water gun further operates with air pressure in the air chamber in a range of pressures from 200 psi to 3,000 psi or at air pressure in the air chamber in a range of pressures from 3,000 psi to 10,000 psi. The ejector piston of the water gun is a hollow cylinder having a cup shaped top welded or brazed to close the hollow cylinder. The air bypass flange of the ejector piston further comprises a ring bearing installed around the outer diameter of the flange. The ejector piston may have a plastic sleeve of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. The ejector piston body is further of a consistent finish and diameter to ride within a bearing and seal that is retained at the lower end of the air chamber and the upper end of the water ejection chamber through which the ejector piston reciprocates. The water ejection chamber of the water gun may have more than four ports and a sleeve bearing liner. The water ejection chamber may also be removable to provide various nozzle configurations.

The reset piston of the water further comprises a latching seal assembly to reset the ejector piston for firing. The latching seal assembly comprises a latching seal surrounding a flange, the flange having an inlet passage and check valve to evacuate air from a cup formed in the upper portion of the ejector piston and latch the reset piston and ejector piston. The water gun may further have the hydraulic cylinder supplied by a water pump. The water ejection chamber of the water gun further comprises a dashpot. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber further comprising vents to release any trapped air.

The present invention is related to an apparatus for the removal of invasive species comprising a hydraulic cylinder supplied by a hydraulic pump; a reset piston movable using the hydraulic cylinder; an ejector piston having an air bypass flange within an air chamber adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder; a water ejection chamber in communication with the free piston; and wherein the water gun is submerged and the free piston is accelerated by air pressure through the air chamber and water ejection chamber forcing water out and into ambient surrounding water producing a loud report to kill invasive species within or deter invasive species from entering an area.

The present invention is also related to a method of operating a water gun, comprising the steps of supplying a water gun with pressurized high pressure fluid through a first high pressure hose line to move a reset piston in a first direction to capture an ejector piston while returning fluid through a second high pressure hose line; reversing the fluid flow direction so that the second hose will move said reset piston in a second direction while returning fluid through said first hose; and storing energy within said water gun and firing water gun in the same motion. The present invention is further related to a method of removal of invasive species from an area, comprising the steps of forming a cylindrical housing having a piston chamber, a pressurized chamber and a water ejection chamber; submerging the cylindrical housing to fill the water ejection chamber; moving a reset piston within the piston chamber to draw an ejector piston having an air bypass flange within the pressurized chamber to a ready to fire position; accelerating the ejector piston through the air chamber and water ejection chamber to generate a loud report.

This method of removal of invasive species from an area further comprises the step of affixing a latching seal assembly to the reset piston; extending a latching seal assembly out of the piston chamber and into the pressurized chamber; plugging the latching seal assembly into a cup formed in an upper portion of the ejector piston; evacuating air from the cup to form a vacuum and draw the ejector piston to a ready to fire position; halting travel of the ejector piston and pulling the latching seal assembly from the cup thereby breaking the vacuum; providing airflow through the air bypass flange to accelerate the ejector piston through the pressurized chamber and water ejection chamber to generate a loud report. The method may further comprise the steps of forming a dashpot in the water ejection chamber and forming the ejector piston with a protective sleeve. The method of removal of invasive species may further comprise the step of pressurizing the pressurized chamber to a range of pressures from 200 psi to 3000 psi or to a range of pressures from 3,000 psi to 10,000 psi. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 20 further comprising the step of forming a dashpot in the water ejection chamber. The method of removal of invasive species from an area may further comprise the step of replacing the water ejection chamber with another water ejection chamber having a different nozzle configuration. The method further comprising the step of moving the reset piston using a water pump.

These and other features, advantages and improvements according to this invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a top view of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention showing a hydraulic cylinder cap;

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the hydraulic cylinder cap of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view the base of the hydraulic cylinder chamber in the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the base of the hydraulic cylinder chamber showing the reset piston flange and latching seal assembly in the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a top view of an ejector piston in the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the ejector piston the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the reset piston latching seal assembly of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a an exploded cross-sectional view of the attachment of the latching seal to the reset piston latching seal assembly of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of a check valve of the reset piston latching seal assembly of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the high pressure gas seal assembly at the base of the air spring chamber of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the water ejection chamber of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the lower portion of the water ejection chamber of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIGS. 8A-8I are cross-sectional views of a firing and reset sequence of the first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the ejector piston showing metal erosion due to implosion in a first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a further embodiment of the ejector piston having a composite implosion shield;

FIG. 11A is a first embodiment of the ejector piston in a first embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 11B is a further embodiment of the ejector piston having a composite implosion shield in a further embodiment of the water gun of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a further embodiment of the water gun of the present invention capable of high pressures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1, a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of the compressed air actuated hydraulically cocked water gun 10 of the present invention is shown. The water gun 10 is constructed by attaching a hydraulic cylinder section 15 to a first end of an air or gas spring chamber 30 and the second end of the air spring chamber section 30 to a water ejection chamber section 45. The hydraulic cylinder 15 houses a reset piston assembly 13 that has a piston 48 that divides the cylinder 15 into two chambers, an upper extension chamber 18 and a lower retraction chamber 20. An hydraulic cylinder head 12 encloses the extension chamber 18 using a series of bolt circle 11 circumferential spaced from a center point of the hydraulic cylinder 15, as shown in FIG. 2A. A circular O-ring 19 prevents leakage between the hydraulic cylinder head 12 and hydraulic cylinder housing 33. The hydraulic cylinder head 12 provides external ports for the connection of hydraulic and air supply lines. The lines are attached vertically in alignment at the top or first end of the hydraulic cylinder 15 to prevent entanglement of the lines as the water gun 10 is fired. The vertical attachment also provides for the insertion of the water gun into the opening of a water pipe or well for cleaning and the removal of invasive species.

The extension chamber 18 is fed through a high pressure non-drip hydraulic quick disconnect line that is attached to the top threaded port 14 that is positioned in the center of the hydraulic cylinder head 12. A second high pressure non-drip hydraulic quick disconnect line is attached to the top threaded port 16 to feed the retraction chamber 20 and is positioned at a distance from the bolt circle of high strength cap screws 11 that secure the outer diameter of the hydraulic cylinder head 12. A perpendicularly drilled passage 17 provides for hydraulic fluid to be fed from port 16 to an opening 23 vertically drilled in the base 25 of the outer cylindrical flange 27 of the hydraulic cylinder head 12. A brazed in plug 29 seals the perpendicularly drilled passage 17. A high-pressure hose feeds the top threaded port 21 for the air supply is similarly positioned at a distance from the bolt circle of high strength cap screws 11 with a perpendicular passage 26 extending to an opening 28 extending vertically from the base 25 of the outer flange 27. Threaded holes 31 in the top surface 33 of the hydraulic cylinder head 12 provide for the attachment of eyebolts to drag or suspend the water gun 10 from the deck of a vessel or from a fixture along the shore, or fixture within a body of water. While references are made to upper, lower, vertical and horizontal, these terms are used merely to describe the relationship of components and not to limit the operation of the present invention to any one orientation.

The outer circular flange 27 of the hydraulic cylinder head 12 has a larger diameter OD1 than the diameter OD2 of the hydraulic cylinder housing 33 as shown in FIG. 2B. This difference in diameter provides space for tubing 37 and 38 to extend between flanges F1 and F2 along the outside of the hydraulic cylinder 15 and provides access to the vertical openings 23 and 28, and a flat surface for the heads of bolt circle. An O-ring face seal 35 is placed in a recessed formed at opening 23 and the hydraulic fluid passage tubing 37 for the retraction chamber 20 and is welded or brazed to the outer circular flange 27. Similarly, an O-ring face seal 35 is placed in a recessed formed at opening 28 and the air or gas passage tubing 38 is also welded or brazed to the outer circular flange 27. The tubing is stainless steel or of another non-rusting material of a dimension and specification acceptable at the water gun 10 operational pressures and environment of use.

The threaded end 42 of the reset piston rod 44 may extend into a cut out area 43 in the hydraulic cylinder head 12 at the upper end of the extension chamber 18. A retaining nut 46 secures the reset piston 48 to the reset piston rod 44. Along the outer cylindrical diameter of the reset piston assembly piston 48, a bearing sleeve 52 provides for the reset piston assembly piston 48 to easily slide along the surface of the inner walls 53 of the hydraulic chamber housing 33 a sliding seal 49 is employed on the outside diameter of the piston 48 to prevent pressurized hydraulic fluid from leaking past the OD of the piston 48. The hydraulic tubing 37 and air tubing 38 extend along the hydraulic cylinder 15 to a flange 55 extending around the outer diameter of the bulkhead 54 that forms base of the hydraulic cylinder housing 33. The outer diameter OD3 of the bulkhead flange 55 is the same dimension as the outer diameter OD1 of the hydraulic cylinder head 12 and includes a bolt circle of high-strength cap screws 11 as shown in cross-section A-A of FIG. 3A for the attachment of the hydraulic cylinder 15 to the air spring chamber 30.

The hydraulic tubing 37 and air passage tubing 38 are welded or brazed to the upper surface 51 of the flange 55. At the end of the hydraulic tubing 37 a perpendicular passage 56 and vertical opening 58 extend to the hydraulic cylinder retraction chamber 20. For the air passage tubing 38, a perpendicular passage 57 extends to a vertical passage 59 that opens at the lower exterior of the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54 to have high pressure air or gas flow into the air spring chamber 30 attached to the hydraulic cylinder chamber 15 as shown in FIG. 3B. The piston rod 44 extends through an opening in the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54 and the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 is affixed to a flange 50 extending out from the end of the piston rod 44. A seal gland and bearing assembly 62 is installed at the opening of the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54 using retaining screws 64. The seal gland and bearing assembly 62 includes a cylindrical bearing 66, a shaft seal 67 and a backup ring 68 positioned to prevent the shaft seal 67 from extrusion.

A cylindrical shoulder 72 extends from the lower surface 74 of the bulkhead 54 at a distance from the outer diameter OD3 to a point that is of a minimally smaller dimension than the outer diameter of the air spring chamber OD4 minus the wall thickness t of the air spring chamber housing 80. The top surface 82 of the air spring chamber housing 80 has a series of threaded bolt holes and mates with the lower surface 79 of the bulkhead flange 55 to attach the hydraulic cylinder 15 to the air spring chamber 30. The outer surface 76 of the shoulder 72 has a ring seal 78 that mates with the inner surface 84 of the air chamber housing 80 to seal the upper portion of the air spring chamber 30. The shoulder 72 extends inward to a dimension that is minimally larger than the diameter of the latching seal assembly flange 50 creating a recess for the flange 50. To prevent the flange 50 from bottoming out against the bulkhead 54 which may damage the latching seal assembly 60, the reset piston 48 instead bottoms out against the hydraulic cylinder head 12 at the top of the retraction stroke.

Within the air spring chamber 30, the ejector piston 90 is installed. The ejector piston 90 is formed as an enclosed cylindrical housing 91 with an opening on one end and having a bypass air flange 92 that has a series of air bypass holes 94 circumferentially spaced around the outer diameter of the flange 92 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The multiple bypass holes 94 extend entirely around the bypass flange 92 providing for the water gun 10 to be compact and efficient. When the water gun 10 is triggered most of the air within the chamber 30 is below the ejector piston bypass flange 92. The bypass air flange 92 of the ejector piston 90 provides for high pressure air to travel from the bottom of the air spring chamber 30 through the bypass holes 94 to the top, accelerating the ejector piston 90 down and forcing water out of the water ejection chamber 45. The ejector piston flange 92 has an outer diameter OD5 that is minimally smaller than the inner diameter ID4 of the air spring chamber housing 80. A recess 96 is formed within the outer cylindrical surface of the flange 92 to provide for the installation of a rider ring bearing 98 to tightly fit the ejector piston 90 within the air spring chamber 80 housing and provide for the piston 90 to slide freely along the inner cylindrical wall 84 of the housing 80. The ejector piston 90 has a hollow interior 93 to reduce weight and the upper end cap 102 formed with a rim 104 is inserted into the upper air bypass flange 92 and is seated on a first inner ledge 106 and welded or brazed into place. An opening 91 is drilled at the base of the piston during manufacturing to relieve pressure during brazing and is then plugged. The substantially flat surface 108 of the end cap 102 is below the upper most surface 112 of the flange 92 forming a cup 110 that has an inner diameter ID5 that is slightly larger than the outer diameter OD6 of the latching seal assembly flange 50 of the reset piston assembly 13. The upper most surface 112 may have a radius along the inner rim 114 of the cup 110 to provide for seating the latching seal assembly flange 50 within the cup 110 to form a vacuum to reset the water gun 10 for firing and to fire the water gun 10 by releasing the vacuum.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the latching seal assembly 60 has a latching seal 120 held in place within a hook shaped retainer recess 121 formed in the outer diameter of the reset piston assembly flange 50. Using a circle of flat head screws 124, a seal retainer ring 122 is installed within a recessed diameter 125 along either the bottom surface 126 or the top surface 128 of the flange 50. The outer edge 123 of the seal retainer ring 122 is similarly formed in a hook shaped to clamp and squeeze the latching seal 120 forcing the outer surface 127 to extend slightly out from the outer diameter OD6 of the latching seal assembly flange 50. Within the central area of the flange 50 a check valve 132 is installed within a threaded bore hole 131 drilled from the lower surface 126 of the flange 50 and up into the piston rod 44. The outer surface of the check valve 132 has threads 139 and is installed using a spanner tool that is inserted into spanner holes 138 to twist and secure the check valve 132 in the bore hole 131. A central opening 130 provides for air or gas flow through an inlet passage 133 to the check valve 132. A compression spring 135 maintains the poppet 136 of the check valve 132 in a normally closed position as shown in FIG. 5C. An O-ring 137 surrounds the poppet 136 to seal the check valve 132.

An outlet passage 134 is drilled through the piston rod 44 to provide for air flow out of the check valve 132 when the latching seal 120 has plugged into the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90 to purge the air from between the lower surface 126 of the flange 50 and the interior surface 108 of the cup 110. The vacuum seal allows the reset piston assembly 13 to draw the ejector piston 90 up and into a ready to fire position. The reset piston assembly 13 draws the ejector piston 90 to the uppermost position within the air spring chamber 30. At this point, the shoulder 72 that extends out from the surface 74 of the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54 contacts the upper surface 112 of the ejector piston flange 92 to stop movement of the ejector piston 90 while movement of the reset piston assembly 13 continues and pulls the reset piston assembly 13 out of the cup shaped top of the ejector piston 90 to the point where the latching seal 120 reaches the radius formed in the rim 114 of the cup 110 letting air flow past the latching seal 120 and firing the ejector piston 90.

As shown in FIG. 6, the base 81 of the air spring chamber 30 is formed with an opening that the ejector piston 90 accelerates through when fired into the water ejection chamber 45 to propel water out through a series of ejection ports 150 as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The bottom surface 83 of the air spring chamber housing 80 has circumferentially spaced threaded bolt holes 85 to attach the water ejection chamber cylinder cap 142 to the air spring chamber 30 using high strength cap screws 11. A shoulder 87 may be formed in the base 81 of the air spring chamber housing 80 and rim 144 in the cylinder cap 142 to align and mate the air spring chamber 30 and ejection chamber 45. A combination bearing and gas seal assembly 146 including a seal 147, a seal gland and bearing 148 around the ejector piston 90 seals the air spring chamber 30 and allows the bottom 95 of the ejector piston 90 to slide freely through the opening in the base 81 of the air spring chamber 30. A stationary seal 149 on the outside diameter of the bearing 148 prevents the high pressure air or gas from leaking out around the outside diameter of the bearing. The ejector piston sleeve bearing 152 is installed along the inner wall surface 154 and vent holes 158 are formed through the base of the 95 of the ejector piston 90 and the sides of the water ejection chamber housing 156. A radius 99 is also formed in the base 95 of the ejector piston 90 to provide for water in the bottom dashpot area of the water ejection chamber 45 to act as a cushion and prevent the ejector piston 90 from striking bare metal of the water ejection chamber housing 156 as it comes to the end of its ejection stroke. As shown in FIG. 7A and in the cross-sectional view of section B-B in FIG. 7B, any number of ejection ports 150 to direct the flow of water out perpendicularly from the water gun 10 may be used based on the requirements for cleaning or invasive species removal. The water ejection chamber 45 may further be interchangeable so that different configurations of ejector ports 150 may be used in various applications, multiple ports for pipe or well cleaning or two to four single nozzles 151 for example to target areas of invasive species such as fish or zebra mussels. Any number of nozzles 151 may be employed to narrow and more specifically direct the flow of water from the water gun 10. Alternatively, the water ejection chamber 45 may have an opening at the bottom to propel water directly from base of the water gun 10.

To assemble the water gun 10, the seal gland and bearing assembly 62 are first installed in a recess at the opening in the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54. The latching seal 120, retainer ring 122 and check valve 132 are installed on the flange 50 and the reset piston rod 44 is inserted from the lower exterior 74 of the bulkhead 54 through the opening. The piston rod 44 extends to a point where the latching seal assembly flange 50 bottoms out within the recess formed by the bulkhead shoulder 72. The bearing sleeve 52 and sliding seal 49 is installed around the outer cylindrical diameter of the reset piston assembly piston 48 and a recessed seal 63 is installed within a center opening in the reset piston assembly piston 48 forming a seal to separate the extension chamber 18 and retraction chamber 20. The reset piston assembly piston 48 is aligned on the piston rod 44 within the bore 53 of the hydraulic cylinder section 15 and is retained to the rod 44 using the retaining nut 46. The hydraulic cylinder head 12 is then held in place and secured to the hydraulic cylinder housing 33 using high-strength cap screws 11. The high pressure gas seal assembly 146 is installed in the base 81 of the air spring chamber 30. The rider ring bearing 98 is installed around the upper flange 92 of the ejector piston 90 and the ejector piston 90 is inserted through the opening in the top of the air spring chamber and then through the inside diameter of the bearing and seal gland assembly 146 within base 81. The seal 78 is installed in a recess formed in the outer surface 76 of shoulder 72 formed in the hydraulic cylinder bulkhead 54 and the hydraulic cylinder section 15 is inserted into and attached to the air spring chamber housing 80 and secured with bolt circle 11. The water ejection chamber 45 with the desired ejection port 150 and/or nozzle configuration is attached to the base 81 of the air spring chamber 30 with the ejector piston 90 extending through the opening in the chamber 30.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 8A-8I, the water gun is submerged in ambient water where water flows through the ejection ports 150 filling the water ejection chamber. High pressure air within the range of 200 psi to 3000 psi and for instance 1000 psi is supplied to an air spring chamber 30 from a high pressure compressed air supply 8 through the air pressure regulator 7 and a regulated air supply hose and an air supply port 21. A pressure relief valve 9 may be installed on the air supply hose. The air supply port 21 may be closed at the source of air pressure to retain pressure the air spring chamber 30. The system controller 2 may be either under manual control or electronically programmed and has hydraulic flow controls to control valves that direct hydraulic fluid to the extension or retraction chambers 18 and 20 to move the reset piston assembly 13 down to extend the latching seal assembly 60 to the ejector piston 90 or up to retract the ejector piston 90 into a ready to fire position. Using these manual control valves or an electronic system controller 2, an electric motor 4 or other power supply is used to run a hydraulic pump 6 and direct high pressure hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder 15 of the water gun 10. In further embodiments, the water gun may be operated using a water pump (not shown) to replace the hydraulic pump and pump water from the body of water instead of hydraulic fluid. Operation of the water gun 10 would be the same with either pumping system. A first hydraulic line 3 directly feeds the upper extension chamber 18 through the delivery port 14 of the hydraulic actuator cylinder 15. A second hydraulic line 5 returns hydraulic fluid from the lower retraction chamber 20 as fluid flows into the extension chamber 18. As shown in FIG. 8A, the ejector piston 90 at the upward end of the system stroke where the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 is about to separate from the top of the ejector piston 90 as the upper surface 112 of the ejector piston flange 92 strikes the shoulder 74 of the bulkhead 54. As shown in FIG. 8B, the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 is separated from the ejector piston 90 where the high pressure air or gas is by-passing the latching seal 120 at the moment of triggering. As shown in FIG. 8C, the ejector piston 90 is accelerating downwardly under the force of the gas pressure in the air chamber 30 after release from the reset piston latching seal assembly 60, while ejecting water from the ports 150. As shown in FIG. 8D the ejector piston 90 is at about its fastest speed as it ejects water from the ports 150. As shown in FIG. 8E, the ejector piston 90 bottoms out at the end of its stroke, but the water slugs are still moving out of and away from the ports 150 forming the cavities which will collapse after the ambient water stops the momentum. At the exact moment when the cavities collapse (implode) to zero volume the pressure at the points of zero volume may reach hundreds of thousands of pounds of pressure and the implosion of the surrounding water to zero volume out of the ports and back into the ports 150 generates the high energy pulse. Also shown in FIG. 8E, the bottom surface 157 of the ejector piston has come to a stop or has very slow movement at the bottom of its stroke after it has ejected water from beneath it out through the ejector ports, shown in FIG. 7A. A trapped volume (dashpot) of water 163 cushions the ejector piston to a soft stop before the bottom of the piston 90 strikes the bottom 159 of the water ejection chamber 45 to prevent the damaging high speed impact of metal upon metal.

As shown in FIG. 8F, after firing the reset piston assembly 13 moves downwardly in its stroke to mate with the ejector piston 90. As shown in FIG. 8G, the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 plugs into the cup 110 at the top of the ejector piston 90 near the end of its downward stroke during which, gas is being pushed out of the space between the bottom face 126 of the latching seal assembly flange 50 and the interior surface 108 of the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90, through the check valve 132 and out through the small horizontal hole 134 in the reset piston rod 44 communicating with the top portion of the air spring chamber 30. As shown in FIG. 8H, the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 is all the way down and latched into the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90 with the bottom face 126 of the latching seal assembly flange 50 touching the interior surface 108 of the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90. As shown in FIG. 8I the reset piston assembly 13 draws the ejector piston 90 upwardly while drawing water in through the ports 150 and at the same time compressing the gas within the air spring chamber 30 as the ejector piston 90 progressively takes up volume within the air spring chamber 30. When the reset piston assembly 13 reaches the top of its upward stroke it will be in the configuration as shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B at the moment of triggering in the ready to fire position.

When the flat bottom surface 126 of the flange 50 of the reset piston latching seal assembly 60 plugs into the cup 110 formed in the top of the ejector piston 90, the latching seal 120 traps a volume of the high pressure air within the space as defined by the separation of the flat bottom surface 126 of the reset piston flange 50 and the flat interior surface 108 in the bottom of the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90. As the bottom surface 126 of the reset piston assembly 13 plugs into the cup 110 of the ejector piston 90 the trapped air within that space is purged out through a passage 130 opening a check valve 132 to release the air through an outlet 134 into the air spring chamber 30 forming the vacuum when the reset piston assembly 13 starts to move upwardly that provides for the reset piston assembly 13 to move the ejector piston 90 into the ready to fire position.

This vacuum has significant clamping force where as an example if the sealing diameter at the inside diameter ID5 of the cup of the ejector piston is 8.9 cm (3.5 inches) and the outer diameter OD7 of the portion of the ejector piston 90 beneath the cup is 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) then the difference in effective cross sectional area is 6.5 cm² (2.56 square inches). Therefore, if the assumption is that there was little air left between the flat surfaces and the pressure within the air spring chamber is 6.86 MPa (1000 psi) then as the reset piston assembly flange moves upward compressing the air within the air spring chamber, the 6.5 cm² (2.56 square inch) difference in area produces a clamping force approaching 11.3 kN (2560 pounds of force) between the flat surfaces of the latching seal flange and interior surface of the cup.

As shown in FIG. 9, repeated firing of a water gun 10 and the collapse of the water cavities at the completion of implosion causes metal to be removed creating pits and abrasions in the outer surface 170 of the ejector piston 90. To reduce or prevent this issue the ejector piston 90 as shown in FIG. 10 may have a plastic sleeve 180 of a ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) or other plastic that is resistant to the effects of cavitation that effects metals may be installed using high strength cap screws 182 to surround the piston 90 and protect it from this cavitation damage. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B either the ejector piston sleeve bearing 152 may be installed along the inner wall surface 154 of the water ejection chamber 45 or alternatively, the UHMWPE plastic sleeve may be installed around the cylindrical body 97 of the ejector piston 90.

A still further embodiment of the water gun 200 with a series of ejector ports 350 for using the water gun for well and pipe cleaning is shown in FIG. 12. The high pressure assembly has an increased wall thickness T_HP enclosing the air spring chamber 230. The air spring chamber 230 is secured using a series of high strength cap screws 211. An important feature of this embodiment is that the air intake port 221 and hydraulic ports 214 and 216, are situated on the top of the hydraulic cylinder 212 and within a smaller diameter than the total diameter of the water gun 200 to provide for the device to be slid up and down within a well without interfering with the sides of the well. The high pressure gas seal assembly 346 includes high pressure gas seals 347, a lower seal gland bearing 348 and a seal gland seal 349 that are capable of the sealing the air spring chamber 230 at pressures up to 10,000 psi are installed to the opening at the base of the air spring chamber housing 280 to support the attachment of a sleeve bearing 352 to the water ejection chamber housing 356. The seal gland 349 is designed with zero to minimum clearance between the ejector piston 290 and the inner diameter of seal gland 349 to prevent extrusion of the high pressure gas seal 347. The sleeve bearing 352 surrounds the delivery end of the ejector piston 290 and assists in directing water flow out and through the ejector ports 350.

The base 362 of the water ejection chamber 245 may include for example from 2 to 16 ejector ports 350 to accommodate conduits of different dimensions and different application requirements. The water ejection chamber 45 may be removable to provide for different types of ejector port designs to be easily installed to use the high pressure water gun 200 device in different environments and in varied applications. For example, a 4 to 8 port nozzle configuration may be used to scare marine life from an entrance to a water conduit and then be removed and replaced with a 16 port nozzle configuration to scour the inside of a water pipe to remove zebra mussels or other marine infestation.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A water gun, comprising: a hydraulic cylinder supplied by a hydraulic pump;a reset piston movable using the hydraulic cylinder;an ejector piston within an air chamber adjacent the hydraulic cylinder, the ejector piston having an air bypass flange;a water ejection chamber having at least one ejection port; andwherein the water gun is submerged and the ejector piston is accelerated by air pressure through the air chamber and water ejection chamber forcing water through the at least one ejection port and into ambient surrounding water for the purpose of causing cavitations in the water which due to ambient water pressure produces a loud sharp report when the cavities collapse upon themselves.

2. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the air pressure in the air chamber is in a range of pressures from 200 psi to 3,000 psi.

3. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the air pressure in the air chamber is in a range of pressures from 3,000 psi to 10,000 psi.

4. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the ejector piston is a hollow cylinder having a cup shaped top welded or brazed to close the hollow cylinder.

5. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the air bypass flange of the ejector piston further comprising a ring bearing installed around the outer diameter of the flange.

6. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the ejector piston body being of consistent finish and diameter to ride within a bearing and seal.

7. The water gun of claim 6 wherein said bearing and seal being retained at the lower end of the air chamber and the upper end of the water ejection chamber through which the ejector piston reciprocates.

8. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber having more than four ports.

9. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber has a sleeve bearing liner.

10. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the ejector piston has a plastic sleeve of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene.

11. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber is removable to provide various nozzle configurations.

12. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the reset piston further comprising a latching seal assembly to reset the ejector piston for firing.

13. The water gun of claim 12 wherein the latching seal assembly comprising a latching seal surrounding a flange, the flange having an inlet passage and check valve to evacuate air from a cup formed in the upper portion of the ejector piston and latch the reset piston and ejector piston.

14. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic cylinder is supplied by a water pump.

15. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber further comprising a dashpot.

16. The water gun of claim 1 wherein the water ejection chamber further comprising vents to release any trapped air.

17. An apparatus for the removal of invasive species comprising: a hydraulic cylinder supplied by a hydraulic pump;a reset piston movable using the hydraulic cylinder;an ejector piston having an air bypass flange within an air chamber adjacent to the hydraulic cylinder;a water ejection chamber in communication with the free piston; andwherein the water gun is submerged and the free piston is accelerated by air pressure through the air chamber and water ejection chamber forcing water out and into ambient surrounding water producing a loud report to kill invasive species within or deter invasive species from entering an area.

18. A method of operating a water gun, comprising the steps of: supplying a water gun with pressurized high pressure fluid through a first high pressure hose line to move a reset piston in a first direction to capture an ejector piston while returning fluid through a second high pressure hose line;reversing the fluid flow direction so that the second hose will move said reset piston in a second direction while returning fluid through said first hose; andstoring energy within said water gun and firing water gun in the same motion.

19. A method of removal of invasive species from an area, comprising the steps of: forming a cylindrical housing having a piston chamber, a pressurized chamber and a water ejection chamber;submerging the cylindrical housing to fill the water ejection chamber;moving a reset piston within the piston chamber to draw an ejector piston having an air bypass flange within the pressurized chamber to a ready to fire position;accelerating the ejector piston through the air chamber and water ejection chamber to generate a loud report.

20. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of affixing a latching seal assembly to the reset piston; extending a latching seal assembly out of the piston chamber and into the pressurized chamber;plugging the latching seal assembly into a cup formed in an upper portion of the ejector piston;evacuating air from the cup to form a vacuum and draw the ejector piston to a ready to fire position;halting travel of the ejector piston and pulling the latching seal assembly from the cup thereby breaking the vacuum;providing airflow through the air bypass flange to accelerate the ejector piston through the pressurized chamber and water ejection chamber to generate a loud report.

21. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of pressurizing the pressurized chamber to a range of pressures from 200 psi to 3000 psi.

22. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of pressurizing the pressurized chamber to a range of pressures from 3,000 psi to 10,000 psi.

23. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of forming the ejector piston with a protective sleeve.

24. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of forming a dashpot in the water ejection chamber.

25. The method of removal of invasive species from an area of claim 19 further comprising the step of replacing the water ejection chamber with another water ejection chamber having a different nozzle configuration.

26. The method of removal of invasive species from an area claim 19 further comprising the step of moving the reset piston using a water pump.