Pumps – One fluid pumped by contact or entrainment with another – Jet
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-13
2001-11-27
Thorpe, Timothy S. (Department: 3746)
Pumps
One fluid pumped by contact or entrainment with another
Jet
C417S158000, C417S187000, C417S189000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06322327
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of The Invention
This invention relates, generally, to hydraulic nonmechanical pumping devices for transferring material, and specifically, to an air-assisted liquid jet pump for moving solid materials.
2. Description of Related Art
The dredging industry commonly utilizes large centrifugal pumps for suction and movement of slurry material, i.e., water containing varying particle sizes such as sand or gravel. Because of the abrasive effect caused by particles, these pumps suffer wear and tear and significant downtime to repair parts of the equipment.
Removal of solid materials from a water environment by means of hydraulic operations is well known in the art. Dredging and deep sea mining operations employ water forced through piping configurations to cause an upward flow that pulls the water and solid material from the desired location.
A common problem in using jet eductor systems occurs because high pressure water jets, while effective at removing high volumes of slurry material, cause severe cavitation in the throat and mixing regions of the eductor conduit, and result in lowered efficiency and extremely short equipment life, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,571.
Use of air to induce upward flow of water has also been used. Use has typically involved compressed air or gas, requiring expensive compression equipment. In addition, the combination of gas, water and solids has contributed to process instability in the mixing chamber of the device, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,372.
Jet eduction systems have used atmospheric air for the purpose of creating air bubbles for separation processes in U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,013. These systems were not designed to increase pump efficiency, prevent pump cavitation or increase pump flow as disclosed by the present invention. Prior art teaches against introduction of air for these purposes.
Cavitation is the term used to describe vapor bubble generation and collapse in pumps when the pressure in the pump suction drops to or below the NPSH for the pump. The same effects can be observed when air enters the liquid stream inlet of a pump. The presence of a gas in both circumstances causes reduced capacity, reduced or unstable head pressure, and unstable power consumption. Vibration, noise, accelerated corrosion, fatigue failure and other mechanical damage are the consequences of cavitation. The use of the term cavitation in this specification is intended to cover the resulting effects rather than define the physical circumstances causing these resulting effects.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pumping means that increases the quantity of material moved without an increase in energy consumption.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pumping means for moving solid materials with minimal wear on component parts.
It is another object of the present invention to overcome the problems associated with traditional venturi effect pumps.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a pump that has specific parts which are designed to wear and which can be easily changed.
It is another object of the invention to provide a pump that produces a vacuum for suctioning material with little or no cavitation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved liquid jet pump for moving solid materials is provided. The liquid jet pump includes a nozzle assembly that pulls in atmospheric air. The liquid jet created by passage through the nozzle assembly has minimal deflection as it exits because of an atmospheric air bearing surrounding the liquid jet. Consequently, the liquid jet pump has improved efficiency and capacity.
The liquid jet pump also includes a suction chamber with a suction pipe. The suction generated in the chamber pulls in solid material through the suction pipe as the liquid jet from the nozzle assembly passes through the suction chamber. The liquid jet pump also includes a target tube that receives the liquid jet combined with materials from the suction pipe through the suction chamber. The target tube includes a housing support detachable from the suction chamber and is composed of a wear plate of abrasion-resistant material.
An advantage of the invention is that pump efficiency is improved by increasing the quantity of solid material moved without an increase in horsepower.
A further advantage of the invention is that the target tube wear plate is removable without requiring disassembly and repair of the entire pipe configuration.
A further advantage of the invention is that cavitation in the suction chamber is significantly reduced thereby reducing wear and increasing suction.
A feature of the invention is that conventional centrifugal pumps can be used downstream of the liquid jet pump to increase overall lift capacity.
A further feature of the invention is that it employs no moving parts that can provide potential ignition sources, permitting it to be safely used to pump flammable or volatile material.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be apparent from the following description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 86152 (1869-01-01), Hancock
patent: 137507 (1873-04-01), Thayer
patent: 250073 (1881-11-01), Hudson
patent: 368691 (1887-08-01), See
patent: 436932 (1890-09-01), Best
patent: 550244 (1895-11-01), Blagburn
patent: 640463 (1900-01-01), Gildea
patent: 694002 (1902-02-01), Davis
patent: 2044088 (1936-06-01), Lord
patent: 2191424 (1940-02-01), Cardinal
patent: 2196859 (1940-04-01), Godfrey
patent: 2616614 (1952-11-01), Plummer, Jr.
patent: 2632597 (1953-03-01), Boeckeler
patent: 3877238 (1975-04-01), Chang et al.
patent: 3922112 (1975-11-01), Miscovich
patent: 4165571 (1979-08-01), Chang
patent: 4186772 (1980-02-01), Handleman
patent: 4316680 (1982-02-01), Phipps
patent: 4681372 (1987-07-01), McClure
patent: 5012984 (1991-05-01), Ishikawa
patent: 5478209 (1995-12-01), McDonough
patent: 5522419 (1996-06-01), Sand
patent: 5628623 (1997-05-01), Skaggs
patent: 5667365 (1997-09-01), Miller
patent: 5811013 (1998-09-01), Ito
patent: 5957665 (1999-09-01), Kanzler et al.
patent: 5993167 (1999-11-01), Mochizuki
patent: 6017195 (2000-01-01), Skaggs
patent: 0178873 (1986-04-01), None
patent: 122278 (1919-02-01), None
patent: 51140206 (1976-12-01), None
patent: 5442682 (1979-12-01), None
patent: 62223296 (1987-10-01), None
patent: 3151422 (1991-06-01), None
patent: 5245355 (1993-09-01), None
patent: 8028500 (1996-01-01), None
patent: 10009216 (1998-01-01), None
Dawson Richard F.
Hutchinson Robert J.
Gray Michael K.
Sieberth & Patty, LLC
Thorpe Timothy S.
Walker-Dawson Interests, Inc.
LandOfFree
Jet pump for transfer of material does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Jet pump for transfer of material, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Jet pump for transfer of material will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2587568