AU626911B2 - Water pump - Google Patents

Description

r v beJ6 j o nq oe o Name of Applicant o Address of Applic 0 0

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Actual Inventor(s Address for Serv Address for Serv COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 eL~se^4jr& PH. ~(LA W- T poh p P-ry A-T^ V -LESLIE HAROLD-SELLARS-- k AWHUR s-rleT,moiloP, ,ant PO. Box-83,-I-n-jI.une- Queensland, 4454, Australia LESLIE HAROLD SELLARS ice GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 333 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

a i C 8 te COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to the applicant.

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4, rl- i I 2 THIS INVENTION relates to a compressed air pump to pump water from a borehole.

Air pumps are used to pump water from wells along with a variety of other types of pumps. Examples of prior air pumps for this purpose are seen in prior Australian patent specification No. 231062 and No.

12615/33.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a compressed air pump by which two pumping cylinders may be operated by a compressed air line.

The invention achieves its object by provision of a pump for compressed air operation down a borehole comprising: a pair of pumping cylinders configured for S: 15 insertion into a borehole, oriented, in use, vertically, I, with closed upper and lower ends; •a liquid inlet to each pumping cylinder, each inlet fitted with a one way valve oriented to permit flow into the respective cylinder; a liquid outlet of the pump connected to each pump cylinder at an outlet passage therefrom; :a compressed air inlet to each pumping :cylinder near their upper ends; and a gas outlet to each pumping cylinder near their upper ends; the outlet passages of the pumping cylinders being disposed near their lower ends; and the compressed air inlet and the gas outlet of each pumping cylinder being each valved to enable them to switch compressed air to the pumping cylinders and to exhaust air therefrom in a sequence to effect discharge of water at the liquid outlet; the outlet passages of the pair of pumping cylinders having respective co-axial valve seats with a valve assembly operatively disposed between the valve seats to open RA4TO LUa

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3 one cylinder at a time as pressure is applied therein; the valve assembly comprising co-axial valve bodies oppositely biassed into their respective seats.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to a preferred embodiment that is shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:- FIG. 1 is a section through an air pump in accordance with the present invention; and FIG. 2 shows transverse sections through the air pump of FIG. 1.

The air pump 10 of FIG. 1 comprises two cylinders 11 and 12 connected by a manifold 14 having valves therein that control flow of air through ports and 16 into cylinders 11 and 12 respectively.

Compressed air fed via port 15 to cylinder 11 pushes water therein out port 17 into water pipe 19 that leads water to the surface. To prevent back flow, a valve closes off the cylinder that is inactive and into which water flows for a new pump cycle in that cylinder. The 20 feeding of compressed air into cylinder 11 causes line O 4 21 to be pressurised and diaphragm 22 opens valve 23 to allow air in cylinder 12 to be exhausted whilst water flows therein through valve 24. Water pressure in the bore or well should be adequate to open valve 24 and refill cylinder 12.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section through FIG. 1 in which the upper half of the drawing shows a section through the upper section of the air pump of FIG. 1 at the level of the air manifold 14 and the lower half of the drawing shows a section through the lower section of the air pump of FIG. 1 at the level of the water flow control valve 20. Solenoid operated valves 25 and 26 are mounted in manifold 14 to control flow of air to the two cylinders 11 and 12 alternately. A variety of valves might be employed at this point with selection 4zt aI O i LUm 4 dependent upon what energy sources are available to effect actuation of the valves. Where diaphragm valves are shown to exhaust air from the cylinders, these valves might also be solenoid operated and the same solenoid that operates valve 26 might also operate valve 23 so as to simplify the operation of the device.

It will be clear that the valves of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 may also be electric solenoid valves rather than the mechanical structures illustrated.

The pump of FIGS. 1 and 2 is suited to operation down a bore hole. With proper attention to valve design, it will be clear that the pump of this invention can tolerate a degree of contaminate in the water they pump and provide useful operation with quite :muddy water. Of course, various screens or fitters might be provided at their inlets if desired.

The flow of compressed air into the pump, or 2 the flow of air exhausted from the pump, may be used to power an additional pumping mechanism in the water outlet line so as to boost the flow therein and/or provide for pumping from greater depths. A small S turbine might be employed for this purpose. So as to vary the external dimensions, the outlet water pipe might be co-axial with a pumping cylinder, rising centrally therefrom. These adaptations involve only minor structural variations with the working of the pump being much the same.

Whilst the above has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment it will be clear that many modifications and variations can be made thereto within the scope and spirit of the invention.

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Claims (3)

1. 2. A pump as claimed in Claim 1 wherein: the two cylinders have their respective gas outlets sequentially opened by switching of compressed air to the other's compressed air inlet that acts via action of a diaphragm to which the compressed air is applied to cause activation of the outlet valve in the 4~ 1 .4 A. gas outlet.
2. 3. A pump as claimed in Claim 1 wherein: the valving in the compressed air inlets and the gas outlets of the pumping cylinders is effected electrically by solenoid operated valves.
3. 4. A pump as claimed in either one of Claims 2 or 3 wherein: the co-axial valve bodies are opposed valve plates which are biassed onto their valve seats by a compression spring between the valve plates. A pump for compressed air operation down a borehole substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the FIGS. 1 and 2 of accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty-eighth day of May 1992. 15 SELLARS AIR WATER PUMP PTY. LTD., rO or r r rs Ir or o o rO r~o r a o r r rrc r r r r ailr r *r o r r or r or *io by its Patent Attorneys, GRANT ADAMS COMPANY. 1 _r