Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E03—WATER SUPPLY; SEWERAGE
  • E03B—INSTALLATIONS OR METHODS FOR OBTAINING, COLLECTING, OR DISTRIBUTING WATER
  • E03B3/00—Methods or installations for obtaining or collecting drinking water or tap water
  • E03B3/04—Methods or installations for obtaining or collecting drinking water or tap water from surface water
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B13/00—Irrigation ditches, i.e. gravity flow, open channel water distribution systems
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B9/00—Water-power plants; Layout, construction or equipment, methods of, or apparatus for, making same
  • E02B9/02—Water-ways
  • E02B9/04—Free-flow canals or flumes; Intakes
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/20—Hydro energy

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method and equipment for water distribution in which water is conducted via a pipeline from a waterbody such as a river to the place of use.
• a common problem with pumps relates to the energy needed to run them, which can be relatively expensive. Additionally, ensuring the availability of energy, for example in the form of electric power, can be difficult. Another problem is wear and ageing of the pumps and the cost of their service, repair and maintenance.
• US Patent Document 5611677 presents a system of turning a pump by running water to extract the water from the river.
• the purpose of the present invention is to remedy the shortcomings of the known technology and to develop a totally new system, for example, for distributing irrigation water drawn from a river out to fields and elsewhere near the river or another running waterbody.
• the basis of the solution is a pipe system with a relatively long, so-called feeding pipe, from which the water is conducted via branch pipes, the so-called distribution pipes or hoses, to the places of use and where the intake point of the water running in the pipe system has been set higher than the water outlet point at the place of use.
• the outlet end of the main feeding pipe in the river is closed or the water flow via the lower end of the pipe has been otherwise limited by choking the flow.
• the invention can be used for creating a very cost-effective, simple and reliable system for water distribution without the problems associated with conventional technology, in particular pumps and their use.
• the arrangement in accordance with the invention is particularly suitable for areas where the energy needed for running pumps or other devices requiring electric power or other such energy might be scarce.
• Figures 1 and 2 present top and side views of the arrangement in accordance with the invention at a river
• Figure 3 presents a more detailed view of the feeding pipe
• Figure 4 presents the filter screen
• Figure 5 presents the intake of the filter screen
• Figures 6 and 7 present the filter screen mat
• Figures 8a-8d present different pipe forms.
• Figures 1 and 2 present the arrangement in accordance with the invention for distributing water drawn from the river 0 to the receiving area 10 such as a field to be irrigated.
• the device in accordance with the invention, comprises a fairly large pipe 2 with a diameter of, for example, roughly 200-400 mm, entirely installed lengthwise along the bottom of the river, and used for conducting water from the higher level (point 11) to a lower level (point 12) in the flowing direction of the river.
• the upper end of the pipe has a screen and funnel construction 1 , attached with the attachment 13, for water intake; water outlet, branch or distribution pipes 3 for arranging irrigation in the area 10 with for example irrigation nozzles attached to their ends and fastened to the fixed connecting pipe 4 anchored to the river bed with attachment/adjustment belts (around the pipe) 6 and with the weights 7 attached to them.
• FIG 3 the feeding pipe is depicted in even greater detail.
• Figure 3 depicts the attachment binder/clamp 5 for fixing together the pipe and its attachment parts.
• the mesh density and height of the filter screen depend on the place of use.
• the filter screen is installed in the river for example 0.5 m above the bottom or at a desired height to prevent the lower side from getting clogged.
• the height position in the river of the inflow end of the pipe does not affect the pressure inside the pipe.
• the size of the funnel and the speed of the water flow influence the starting/initial pressure, which is significant in extreme circumstances, where the flow pipe's length is needed to be minimized, for instance in areas where the height of the start and the end of the pipe does not differ much.
• the shape and size as well as the material of the filter screen and funnel may vary according to the place of use but they are made of inexpensive plastic or metal.
• Pipe 2 may be a hard metal or plastic pipe, or a lightweight, for example, fabric reinforced tarpaulin/plastic pipe, to which the branch parts or pipe outlets used for conducting the water up are attached.
• the pipe 2 may be installed at the desired height in the river by using pontoons and attachment weights.
• twin pipe where one pipe part is inside the other and the intermediate air supports the pipe and prevents it from rubbing against the bottom of the river.
• the pipe parts may also be installed one on top of the other, where the smaller pipe part on top works as an air-filled pontoon facilitating installation of the pipe to a desired depth and keeping it in place.
• the weights needed for the installation can be made of stones, or bags or sacks to be filled with soil, which are attached to the pipe with an adjustment belt to keep it in place.
• the arrangement may work partly or totally using the siphon method, where the necessary water may also be extracted from a lake that is situated higher than the pipe's outlet end.
• Pipe 2 may be equipped with a free-flow opening, for example at the attachment parts, making it easier to clean accumulated sludge from the pipe.
• the cleaning may be done using the pulse method, where the cleaning aperture is opened and closed to cause the flow speed to vary inside the pipe.
• the sludge sumps of the pipe and the flushing apertures in them facilitate maintenance of the pipe.
• the solution in accordance with the invention, can work with free flow without pressure; however, when branch outlets are used it is normally pressure dependent.
• the end plug may be a blind flange or a valve that can be closed/opened, and it may comprise an outlet block or water outflow fitting, possibly with a valve.
• the intake aperture feeding parts 41 of the screen sieve in Figure 4 are installed at an angle to the flow direction.
• the feeding parts 41 may be of different sizes and and may rotate.
• the system may have a latch feeding drum 51 as in Figure 5 where the chain 52 pulls the filter screen mat which is rotated by the power of the running water.
• the pipe into the water facilitates the use of a light construction because the surrounding water pressure diminishes the load on the pipe.
• the intermediate attachment pipe may be grip and fixture parts that guarantee a good hold strength; grip/fixture grooves, perhaps several of them, with a depth of 10-15 mm, with rounded edges to prevent abrasion, and that may be pre- perforated without opening the holes, the sizes of which fit the connection pipe's bayonet couplings.
• the outlet, connection or distribution pipe has a coupler with a gasket that matches the pre-perforation of the intermediate pipe 4, and is fabric-reinforced and lightweight in construction. It may be fitted with a shutter valve that can be controlled electronically or by radio. As optional equipment, it may be fitted with components for the preliminary treatment or mixing of the water in order to reach the desired result.
• the attachment binder/clamp may be made of a common material which has to be waterproof, non-corrosive, very resistant to UV radiation, lightweight, easy to use, inexpensive, such as a plastic clamp, binder, string, etc., that can be installed by hand without any tools, that does not load, damage or corrode the pipe and does not react with it.
• the preliminary filter screens installed before the pipe may also be as depicted in Figure 6, having a horizontally sideways rotating filter screen mat, or filter screen mat 61 , removing detritus particles vertically up or down, that can also be used for sifting detritus or selected particles up and out of the flowing river.
• the filter screen mat may rotate driven by the drive panels or paddles 71 ( Figure 7) powered by the flowing water, articulated into different positions above and below, which may also make it adjustable or self-cleaning, so that the mesh in the sifting stage is denser than in the cleaning/relieving stage, allowing the separated particles to be detached from the screen surface for recovery or for removal.
• the separated substances and particles may be conducted onwards via a dedicated pipe or some other conveyor.
• the filter screen mat/mesh has a penetration density that may vary during the return cycle as needed, depending on the construction, but always towards a coarser state in order to let the mat/mesh be flushed clean by the power of the water flowing through it when the direction of the flow changes at the beginning of the return stage. It can also be constructed to sift (and purify) all of the water flowing in the river.
• the inward feeding pipe may have a support pipe depicted in Figures 8a-8d, in which case it is a dual-layer pipe (Figure 8a) with air channels between the layers 81 and 82; or it may have an external support pipe 83 ( Figure 8b) that is attached to the upper edge of the feeding pipe and may be filled with air and be lightweight in construction; or an internal support pipe 84 that is installed freely inside the pipe but is filled with air and stays in the upper edge of the pipe and supports it, and may be lightweight and fabric-reinforced. Additionally, it may have inside it a perforated cleaning pipe 85 operated by compressed air and installed inside the pipe and attached to the lower edge of the pipe.
• a perforated cleaning pipe 85 operated by compressed air and installed inside the pipe and attached to the lower edge of the pipe.
• the preliminary filter screen comprises a filter screen mat, a set of wheels, a bodywork and eventually necessary additional conveyers.
• the filter screen mat is self- cleaning and may have a freely rotating fastening sleeve 72 and bodywork 73, and the flow panel 71 may be perforated or contoured.
• the apertures made by utilizing the flow panel facilitate cleaning when the flow direction changes and prevent detritus particles from getting stuck in the mat.
• Figure 7 contains an example of the drive paddles and flow panels 71 of the filter screen mat and the way they turn along with the flow direction.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Water Supply & Treatment (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Hydrology & Water Resources (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Filtration Of Liquid (AREA)
• Treatment Of Sludge (AREA)
• Pipeline Systems (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2006
  • 2006-04-05 FI FI20060332A patent/FI118607B/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2007
  • 2007-04-05 WO PCT/FI2007/000087 patent/WO2007113378A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2007-04-05 EP EP07730556.3A patent/EP2010724A4/de not_active Withdrawn

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