NZ328205A - Sump comprising an elongate valve operable externally of the sump - Google Patents

Abstract

A sump comprises a wall or walls (pipe 1), a floor 3, an entry (from race 2) to the sump, a debris outlet 4 in the floor, a water outlet 5 formed in the wall or walls and spaced above the floor, and elongate valve means 8 extending above the debris outlet, operable externally of the sump and adapted to open or close the debris outlet. The valve means 8 may be a tubular member guided within at least one sleeve 17 which is spaced from the side or sides of the sump by support arms 15.

Description

PATENTS FORM 5 PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION AN IMPROVED SUMP Number 328205 Dated 27 September 1997 I, JOHN SIDNEY WALKER, a New Zealand citizen, of Parahi, RD 2, Matakohe, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted 25 to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement.

"INTELXectua 'rF^Bi'mTomcE OF N.Z. 2 5 NOV 1S98 76178 vl WGN RECEIVED OF INVENTION 2 This invention relates to a sump which is particularly adapted to assist in the removal of entrained objects from a flow of water.

BACKGROUND TO INVENTION Sumps are often utilised in outdoor locations to collect water and entrained objects which flow into the sump through suitable piping, closed or open channels and the 10 like. The purpose of the sump is to separate the water from debris such as stones, sticks and other solid matter that may become entrained in the water flow, or at least partially filter the water so that essentially only water or water which contains only a limited amount of extraneous matter is discharged through a discharge opening in the sump. The separation of solid matter from the water is generally arranged by forming 15 an outlet for the water which is spaced above the floor of the sump so the debris can sink to the bottom of the sump and allow water only to be discharged through the outlet. Particularly when an open race discharges water into a sump, it is possible for the water entering the sump to include a considerable amount of the unwanted material. With known types of sumps, this results in the lower part of the sump 20 quickly becoming filled with the debris and requires periodical removal of the debris from the sump before the debris interferes with the discharge of water from the sump.

In commercial situations such as on a farm and the like, a sump is often made from a large diameter concrete pipe having one end blanked off. The sump is then generally 25 sunk into the ground with the blanked end forming the bottom of the sump. The sump is provided with a discharge outlet spaced from the bottom of the sump and when water flows into the sump, any solid material entrained in the flow of water will sink to the bottom of the sump and so be clear of the water outlet. The water outlet generally incorporates a filtering means so that only water and objects less than a pre-30 determined size can pass through the water outlet.

One of the difficulties with known sumps of this type is that the debris that has settled at the bottom of the sump has to be regularly removed. This removal can be difficult because the sump will be partially filled with water, at least up to the location of the 35 water outlet and so any debris in the bottom of the sump will lie below the level of 7617S vl WGPf that remains in the sump. In addition, access to the bottom of the sump is often difficult.

It is known to provide sumps for the separation of extraneous matter from a flow of 5 water by providing the sump with two outlets with one outlet being positioned above the other and with means to close a selected outlet. An example of such a sump is disclosed in New Zealand patent specification 183206 which describes a sump having two outlets with a valve member which can be operated to close an outlet on the side of the sump and to open an outlet at the bottom of the sump or to close the outlet at 10 the bottom of the sump and to open the outlet on the side of the sump.

It is also known to provide waste traps which are usually in the form of a pipe shaped into a U bend with the bottom of the pipe having a removable drain plug so that debris that settles in the bottom of the U bend can be discharged. Such forms of waste traps 15 are well known and examples of those traps are disclosed for instance in New Zealand patent specifications 153108 and 146332.

OBJECT OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved sump of the type generally described above which will facilitate the removal of debris and other matter that has settled in the bottom of the sump.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In broad terms the invention comprises a sump comprising a wall or walls; a floor; an entry to the sump; a debris outlet in the floor; a water outlet formed in the wall or 30 walls and spaced above the floor; and elongate valve means extending above the debris outlet and operable externally of the sump adapted to open or close the debris outlet.

The invention also broadly comprises a method of constructing a sump having a wall or walls, a floor, an entry to the sump, a debris outlet in the floor and a water outlet 35 formed in the wall or walls and spaced above the floor, comprising the step of 7617S vl WGN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 h MAY 2030 RECEIVED anging elongate valve means extending above the debris outlet and operable externally of the sump adapted to open or close the debris outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred form of the invention is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a view from above of a typical sump constructed according to the present 10 invention; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the sump indicating the debris outlet in a closed position; Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to that of figure 1 but with the debris outlet open; and Figure 4 is a view of one preferred method of operating the valve to open or close the debris outlet. 76178 vl WGN INTELLECTUAL. PROPERTY OFFICE OP NX 2 <i MAY 2300 P E C E! V E H :tailed description of preferred form As illustrated in the drawings, the sump consists of a concrete pipe 1 which is sunk or partially sunk into the ground. A race 2 can be constructed in a known manner so 5 that water and debris which may be entrained in the water can pass through the race and into the sump. The bottom of the sump is formed into a floor which is preferably of an inverted conical formation as indicated at 3 to form a nadir which is preferably located centrally in the floor, but other locations in the floor of the nadir can be utilised. A debris outlet 4 is formed in the floor preferably at a position which 10 corresponds with the nadir. As indicated in the drawings, the upper end of the sump is open, but the sump can be closed by means of a removable lid or the like if required.

A water outlet 5 is positioned in the wall of the sump and is spaced above the floor 3 as indicated in the drawings. The water outlet is constructed so it can be connected to 15 a pipe or drain (not shown in the drawings) to allow water which is discharged through the water outlet to be piped or channelled away from the sump. Preferably the water outlet 5 is provided with a filtering means such as the filter 6 to prevent objects larger than a pre-determined size from passing into the water outlet.

The debris outlet 4 can vary in size depending upon the intended usage of the sump and is formed so it can be connected to a waste drain (not shown in the drawings) so that when the debris outlet is opened, water and any objects which have settled into the lower portion of the sump will pass through the debris outlet into the waste drain. Preferably the top of the debris outlet is flush or substantially with the floor of the 25 sump so a minimum impedance is offered to water and debris as it passes from the sump into the debris outlet.

The debris outlet 4 is openable and closable by a valve which in a highly preferred form comprises a tubular member which in one form can be a pipe 8. The outer surface of 30 the pipe 8 is of a size that at least a portion of the pipe can enter the debris outlet and be a neat fit in the debris outlet 4 so that when the pipe 8 is engaged in the debris outlet 4, a water seal will be formed between the pipe and the debris outlet. Additional sealing means can also be utilised to ensure an adequate water seal is made when the valve is closed and various forms of sealing means as will be apparent are 35 contemplated. Although in the highly preferred form, the pipe 8 is formed so it can enter or at least partially enter the debris outlet 4 to seal the outlet, it will be 76178 vl WON ^Iderstood it is also contemplated that other means of sealing the debris outlet in the floor of the sump can. also be utilised as will be apparent.

Means are provided to enable the tubular member 8 to be raised to open the debris 5 outlet or to be lowered to close the debris outlet. As indicated in the drawings, the tubular member is of a sufficient length that it will extend substantially the height of the sump. The upper end of the tubular member is connected to a shackle 10 which is attached to the tubular member such as by bolts, welding or the like. The shackle is provided with a shackle extension 11 which is connectable to a bell crank mechanism 10 12 so that by appropriate manipulation of the bell crank mechanism, the tubular member can be raised or lowered as desired.

The tubular member 8 is arranged to have a vertical reciprocal movement within the sump and one preferred form of construction comprises providing support arms 15 15 which extend substantially radially inwards from the wall of the sump with one end of each support arm being connected to a bracket 16 which is attached to the wall of the sump and the other end of the support arm being attached such as by welding to a guiding sleeve 17. The sleeve has an internal diameter which will allow the tubular member to have reciprocal movement in the sleeve and yet be guided by the sleeve. As 20 indicated in the drawings, each sleeve is located by two support arms, each of which extends at substantially 180° from the sleeve. Preferably but not necessarily, two sets of the supporting arms and guiding sleeves are utilised to ensure the tubular member will maintain its correct location within the sump.

In operation, the sump is installed at the desired location and the water outlet is connected to an appropriate pipe and the waste outlet connected to a waste drain. The tubular member is lowered to seal off the debris outlet 4 and the sump is ready for use. Any solid matter that may be entrained in the water entering the sump will fall towards the floor of the sump and when the water level has risen sufficiently, water 30 can pass through the water outlet 5. Any debris that may float in the water, provided it is greater than a predetermined size will be trapped by the filter 6. Provided the sump is of adequate dimensions and the water outlet is sufficiently spaced from the bottom of the sump, a considerable amount of solid material can collect in the bottom of the sump without interfering with the discharge of water through the water outlet. 76178 vrl WON ^fcien it is decided the collection of solid material has reached the capacity of the sump, the debris outlet can be opened by manipulating the valve mechanism to lift the tubular member 8 to unseal the debris outlet. Because a quantity of water remains at * the bottom of the sump, any solid material in the bottom of the sump, even if it is 5 buoyant so it floats or partially floats on the water remaining in the sump, will be flushed out of the sump by the water passing through the debris outlet. This flushing action is assisted by the concave nature of the floor of the sump. Since the debris outlet is connected to a drain, the water and debris can be channelled to a catchment station for separation of the debris from the water and the debris can then be dumped 10 or otherwise utilised.

Alterations and modifications as will be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be incorporated within the scope hereof, as defined in the following claims. 76178 vl WGH

Claims (12)

s 8 ^AIMS:

1. A sump comprising: a wall or walls; 5 a floor; an entry to the sump; a debris outlet in the floor; a water outlet formed in the wall or walls and spaced above the floor; and elongate valve means extending above the debris outlet and operable 10 externally of the sump adapted to open or close the debris outlet.

2. A. sump as claimed in claim 1 wherein the valve means comprises a tubular member adapted to at least partially enter the debris outlet to close the outlet. 15

3. A sump as claimed in claim 2 wherein the tubular member is adapted to seed the debris outlet and the other end of the tubular member is connected to mechanical means to enable the tubular member to be reciprocated within the sump to alternately seal and unseal the debris outlet. 20

4. A sump as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the tubular member is guided within at least one sleeve which is spaced from the side or sides of the sump by support arms which extend from the side or sides of the sump and which are joined to the sleeve. 25

5. A sump as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the floor of the sump is concave.

6. A sump as claimed in claim 5 wherein the debris outlet is located in the region of the nadir of the concave portion of the floor. 30

7. A sump, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A method of constructing a sump having a wall or walls, a floor, an entry to 35 the sump, a debris outlet in the floor and a water outlet formed in the wall or walls and spaced above the floor, comprising the step of arranging elongate valve means OF to 2 h MAY 2E 76178 vl WGN 328205 9 # extending above the debris outlet and operable externally of the sump adapted to open or close the debris outlet.

9. A method of constructing a sump as claimed in claim 8 wherein the valve 5 means comprises a tubular member adapted to at least partially enter the debris outlet to close the outlet.

10. A method of constructing a sump as claimed in claim 9 further comprising the steps of arranging the tubular member to seal the debris outlet and connecting the 10 other end of the tubular member to mechanical means to enable the tubular member to be reciprocated within the sump to alternately seal and unseal the debris outlet.

11. A method of constructing a sump as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 further comprising the step of arranging the tubular member so that it is guided within at 15 least one sleeve which is spaced from the side or sides of the sump by support arms which extend from the side or sides of the sump and which are joined to the sleeve.

12. A method of constructing a sump, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 20 END OF CLAIMS OF N.c. ' U 2 h brAY 2000 ££cejvEd 76178 vl WGN