| Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capabilityRelated Patent Categories: Brushing, Scrubbing, And General Cleaning, Machines, With Air Blast Or Suction, Power Propelled Vehicle Or CarrierApparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060179603, Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates generally to cleaning waste collection systems such as but not limited to sewers, sumps, wet wells, collection tanks, digesters, clarifiers, classifiers, etc. and in particular to cleaning and removal of solid and liquid materials therefrom. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Waste collection systems such as sewers, sumps, wet wells, digesters, clarifiers, classifiers, collection tanks, etc. must be cleaned periodically in order to maintain proper fluid flow and capacity. Cleaning removes sand and other deleterious materials that have infiltrated into, for example, a sewer as well as solid materials that have settled out from the normally slow moving waste slurry that varies in volume and flow rate depending on the collective amount of effluents emptied into the waste collection system over time. In order to properly clean large capacity waste collection systems such as collection tanks or the vast lengths of sewer lines in a typical city, an efficient and cost effective method of cleaning must be employed that can handle the large volume of material that must be removed from a typical waste collection system. [0003] Typically, commercial waste cleaning operations utilize a water jet router made up of a high pressure water pump feeding pressurized wash water through a hose having a cleaning head on its end. This cleaning head has water nozzles on its back face which creates a jet action resulting from the high pressure water flowing out the nozzles. The high pressure water jet action both washes the downstream waste collection system such as sewer pipe and propels the cleaning head upstream for continuous washing action of the entire length of the waste collection system such as sewer pipe being cleaned. The position of the cleaning head and its rate of forward travel is regulated by control of the hose reel integrally mounted on the washing truck. [0004] Commercial waste cleaning operations then utilize one or the other of the following two known systems and methods for moving the resulting water slurry produced from the washing action into a collection box, where the solid material is removed and disposed of in a dump or landfill. [0005] First, a second hose may be lowered into a manhole downstream of the cleaning head and is in communication with the resulting water slurry produced from the washing action. This hose is connected to a vacuum system which lifts the water slurry and all contained debris up from the bottom of the manhole into a vacuum holding tank mounted on the rear of the wash truck. Thus, the high pressure wash water brings the solid materials suspended in water to the manhole and the vacuum action picks up the waste material and deposits it into the truck-mounted holding container. When the container becomes full, the materials contained in the container are removed and disposed of, typically in a dump or landfill. [0006] Second, the operation may include a semi-submersible pump to move the water slurry produced by the washing action into the collection box. The submersible pump pushes the slurry up in a column through a slurry hose which is connected to and deposit the slurry into a pressurized collection container located on the surface. Again, when the container becomes full, the materials contained in the container are removed and disposed of, typically in a dump or landfill. [0007] Choosing between the use of a submersible pump to push the waste water slurry into the collection container or use of a vacuum to suck the slurry into the container turns largely on the conditions within the waste water system. If, for example, there is a large volume of liquid relative to solids in the slurry, vacuuming becomes very inefficient and possibly infeasible. A vacuum typically pulls out liquid much more easily than the solid material in the slurry. Thus, when a large volume of liquid is in the slurry, the vacuum may pull out only the liquid, leaving the solid material in the waste water system. A submersible pump, by contrast, requires a large volume of liquid to effectively push the slurry upward into the collection box. If very little liquid is present in the waste water system, a pump will be inefficient or may not work at all, and a vacuum is required. [0008] Existing technologies typically include a truck or other apparatus with a high pressure washer, and either a pump or vacuum for moving the waste water slurry into the collection box. Because field conditions dictate which type of technology is used, though, it is generally necessary to go to the particular waste water system to be cleaned and examine the conditions before choosing an apparatus to perform the work and delivering the apparatus to the jobsite. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] In contrast to the prior waste cleaning apparatus and methods, the apparatus of the present invention is designed to eliminate the need to examine field conditions prior to dispatching a cleaning apparatus to the jobsite. The apparatus of the present invention has improved the overall cost and efficiency of cleaning waste water systems by using a new, novel and non-obvious combination of apparatus and techniques known in the art. [0010] The apparatus of the present invention is directed to continuous cleaning of waste collection systems such as city sewers, sumps, wet wells, digesters, clarifiers and collection tanks by high pressure water washing of the waste collection system and collection of the resulting solid materials washed therefrom. The present invention may clean any system or device that collects solids, liquids or both. The invention may comprise (1) a source of high pressure water; (2) a submersible pump capable of pumping solids and liquids; (3) a vacuum system capable of vacuuming solids and liquids; (4) a pressurized container where solid materials separate from the liquids (water) by gravity; (5) means to remove the water in the pressurized container separated from the solid materials (decanted water); and (6) means to reuse the decanted water for cleaning of the waste collection system. [0011] The high pressure water source may be a truck-mounted pump connected to a water tank or fire hydrant for its source of water. This pumping truck additionally may comprise a high pressure water hose attached to the pump and a hydraulically actuated hose reel. Mounted at the other end of the high pressure hose may be a bullet-shaped cleaning head. The cleaning head has water jet orifices on its rear face. When high pressure washing water exits through these orifices, the cleaning head is propelled forward by jet action. Rate and distance of cleaning head movement is operator controlled by the hose reel and the tethering restraint of the hose attached to the head. For example, the cleaning head and its attached hose is lowered into a manhole and then placed into the sewer pipe to be cleaned. Next, high pressure water is forced through the rear jets of the cleaning head propelling it into the sewer pipe. [0012] A source of high pressure water may also be derived from a kite. A kite is a funnel made up of flexible material such as, for example, canvass which is restrained by lines to a cable that goes back to the upstream manhole of the waste collection system, such as a sewer. When the kite is placed into a pipe of the waste collection system, water backs up behind it and reduces the flow of water through the pipe to the flow of water that can pass through the diameter of an opening in the end of the kite funnel. [0013] As head pressure builds up behind the kite, water squirts out of the funnel opening like from a high pressure fire hose. For example, at 30 feet of head pressure and a 30-inch diameter pipe reduced to a six-inch opening, there may be 400 psi water coming out of that six-inch hole at the end of the kite funnel. This water pressure is much more than can be generated by a hose/nozzle head as described above. The kite may be reeled downstream through the pipe by paying out the cable attached thereto. As the kite moves downstream through the waste collection system, the solid debris is washed toward the submergible pump or vacuum system. [0014] Yet another source of high pressure water is the Wayne ball. A Wayne ball is a ball that is approximately the same size as the inside diameter of the pipe being cleaned. This ball has concentric helical grooves cut into its surface in which water runs through the grooves and spins the ball. As the Wayne ball spins it agitates the surrounding material in the pipe and moves this material ahead of the Wayne ball toward the submergible pump or vacuum system. The Wayne ball is restrained, like the kite above, on a cable attached pivotally to the ball and allowing the ball to spin from the water flowing through the helical grooves. Water pressures obtained with a Wayne ball are similar to those pressures obtained with a kite. [0015] Pumping Waste Slurry [0016] The washing action of the high pressure water flowing through the above water pressure sources produces a slurry of waste material solids suspended in the wash water and any other liquids present in the waste collection system. If a substantial amount of liquid exists in the waste water system, a submersible pump is used to push the waste slurry created by the high pressure washing action into a pressurized collection box on the surface. The submersible pump has a greater pumping capacity in gallons per minute ("GPM") than does the water flow even with the additional wash water. Thus, little or no flow gets past this submersible pump. The submersible pump is capable of lifting almost pure solids to the surface above the waste collection system. On the surface, a pressurized waste container is used for the collection of the slurry. [0017] The pressurized container receiving the slurry from the submersible pump works with a positive pressure to atmosphere. This allows rapid settlement to the bottom of the container of the solid materials in the slurry by means of gravity. Thus, the water contained in the slurry will float to the top of the settled solids and may be easily removed and reused and only the solids need to be transported away and disposed of at a dump. [0018] In practice, the slurry hose is in communication with the top of the pressurized container and the solid material rapidly falls out of the incoming slurry in a cascade gradient where the highest part of the solid material pile is closest to the slurry inlet. Means for removal of water separated from the slurry ("decanted water") allows the apparatus of this invention to continuously reuse a substantial amount of the wash water for further cleaning operations. Thus, a significant advantage of the submersible pump is the conservation of water by almost total capture and subsequent reuse of both wash water and normal sewer water flow. [0019] Filtered decanted water may be used as a water source for the high pressure water pump. In addition, excess decanted water may be emptied upstream of the washing operations, thus, improving existing cleaning operations water flow. In practice, faster and better waste collection system washing operations are achieved when the water flow and volume are increased. Thus, as mentioned above, the submersible pump does not require a limited water flow as does the vacuum system, and actually benefits from increased water flow. [0020] A submersible pump is also capable of handling a much higher flow capacity than a vacuum system. For example, a vacuum system can handle only about 700 GPM of waste slurry. A pump, by contrast, can typically handle about 2,500 GPM of slurry. Thus, a submersible pump may be preferred in some situations because it can pump slurry into the collection container at a much higher rate than the vacuum can handle. [0021] Using a submersible pump with a positive pressure collection container allows for decanting slurry water back into the manhole as the solid material settles out in the collection box simultaneously with the pumping of waste slurry into the collection box. This simultaneous decanting is unavailable using a vacuum system. Thus, when using a submersible pump, the process needs to be stopped to unload the material from the collection box only when the box is completely filled with solid material. By contrast, vacuuming must cease when the collection box fills up with a combination of solid material and liquid. The more frequent stoppage using a vacuum system results in less efficient operation. Subsequently, use of a submersible pump allows for cleaning more length of pipe per time interval than does vacuuming. Continue reading about Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability... Full patent description for Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Hand-guided portable vacuum/blower device Next Patent Application: Duster having a rotatable vacuum pick-up Industry Class: Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Apparatus for cleaning pipes having pumping and vacuuming capability patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.14155 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Medical: Surgery , Surgery(2) , Surgery(3) , Drug , Drug(2) , Prosthesis , Dentistry 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
