US1952061A - Oil pumping apparatus - Google Patents

Description

G. C. ENGSTRAND OIL PUMPING APPARATUS Match 27, 1934.

Filed Feb. 25, 1932 W/TNESJEJ Patented Mar. 27, 1934 PATENT OFFICE OIL PUMPING APPARATUS Gunnar C. Engstrand, New York, N. Y:, assignor, I by mesne assignments, to Sludge Pumping,

Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation York of New Application February 25, 1932, Serial No. 595,165,

\ 2 Claims. (01. 1oa-.-5)

My invention refers to an improvement in oil pumping methods and apparatuses, and it is especially adapted for the removal of heavy oils and the viscous sludge, which collects at the bottom of storage tanks of oil burning vessels and oil refineries.

My apparatus is also adapted for the removal of sewage sludge and grit, which collects in the grit basins of sewer service stations.

Such material has often to be raised to considerable heights and transported for considerable distances to its ultimate place of disposal.

Inasmuch as my pumping method changes the nature of extremely viscous oil sludges into stable aerated liquid emulsions of low viscosity, the pumped material may be readily transferred through pipe lines by ordinary pumping means.

also; inasmuch as a great quantity of air is injected into the transmission line during the transfer, only a moderate air pressure is required to raise the material to a considerable height. Now, therefore, it is possible to use portable and inexpensive steam jet low pressure airpumps in order to transfer the material from the bottom of a maritime vessel and over the side of the vessel into an overside receptacle.

My apparatus is also adapted for the use of a plurality of intakes which discharge into a common transmission line. I

Extremely viscous sludges have hitherto withstood all attempts of conventional pumping and hand methods are generally employed in their removal.

More recently vacuum systems have been employed, where air is admitted at the suction end of the transmission line.

Such methods, however, require considerable apparatus and the amount of sucked up material is so reduced by the air admittance that only an extremely low pumping efliciency is attainable.

Neither has it been found possible to employ sev eral intakes in conjunction with a vacuum transmission line as the air admission of one of the intakes kills the vacuum necessary for the others.

Now, therefore, I have discovered that by means of sucking the material in a solid liquid column by a steam jet pump and also compressing air together with steam into the discharge line from said jet pump," it is possible to raise the material to a great height and transfer it economically for a considerable distance.

The blowing of air together with steam into the viscous material; which has been considerably heated by the intake steam jet, causes the material to break up inside the transmission line,

whereupon the steam will condense in the material and air'will fill the vacuum space left therein by the condensed steam, and an aerated liquid emulsion results.

This emulsion is relatively stable and is smooth and soapy to the touch as friction results in the breaking of the tiny air bubbles in the emulsion. Now, therefore, this emulsion will in transfer through a pipe line ride on an air film and a nearly frictionless transfer will result.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows my preferred apparatus used to transfer viscous material from theinterior of a maritime vessel into a slop barge moored at the side of the vessel.

Figure 2 shows an apparatus employing two intakes and also a booster air pump for the same kind of work.

In the drawing; where like reference characters denote corresponding parts; (1) denotes the ship from the double bottom of which the viscous material (2) is removed and pumped into the slop barge (3) which is shown moored at the ship's side.

On the deck of the slop barge (3) the boiler (4) is installed, from which the steam is furnished to the different apparatuses by means of the steam hose (5).

The steam jet suction pumps (6) are shown dipped in the material to be removed. These jet pumps are preferably of a conventional sewer pump type which allows for the passage of solids and may be provided with suction hose (7) as shown in Figure 1.

The steam jet pumps (6) siphon the material through the branch hose ('7) into the transmission line (8) which is shown connected thereto and led over the ship's side into the overside barge receptacle.

Close to the hose connection the air and steam inlet (9) is provided,'through which the steam jet low pressure air compressor (10) discharges into the transmission line proper.

The steam hose (11) connect the main steam line (5) with the different jet suction pumps and steam jet air compressors and also with the booster locomotive air compressor (12), shown in Figure 2. I

The operation is as follows:--The solid liquid column is sucked into and forcedthrough the branch hose (7) by the steam jet pumps (6) Thus a heated solid liquid column is forced through the branch hose (7) by the hydraulic or liquid pressure set up by the steam jet pumps (6).

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Upon its entrance into the transmission line proper the pumped and now heated material is broken up by the high velocity steam and air blast emitting from the steam jet air compressors.

Now, therefore, the transmission over the ship's side is decidedly a spray transmission in which the spray is made up by sludge fragments, the fragments being aerated and suspended in transit by the violent air stream which ensues in the transmission line proper.

In the form of invention shown in Figure 2,

. a locomotive air compressor (12) delivers compressed air to the intake of the steam jet low pressure air compressor -(10).

The compressor (12) is of the conventional tandem type having the driving steam cylinder superimposed on the air compression cylinder. The steam necessary for the operation is furnished by the steam line (11) and compressed air is delivered to the intake of the low pressure air compressor (10).

As this compressor is only capable of a moderatecompression rate, the compressed air delivered thereto by the locomotive compressor will only receive by the steam jet low pressure compressor a slight additional compression, but the air and steam stream, which passes through the connection (9) into the transmission line (8) will have'a degree of compression considerably higher than the compression capacity of the steam jet compressor (10) if unassisted by the booster compressor (12).

This form of the invention is adapted to use,

where the elevation is too high to overcome by the steam jet compressor (10).

It is to be noted that-the conventional steam jet intake pumps most preferably are operated by a somewhat reduced steam jet. Such a steam jet reduction will enable the steam jet pump to act as an efiective air compressor and in a multiple intake apparatus the separate air injector may be dispensed with.

I am not limiting my claims for invention to the apparatus shown, as it is obvious that modifications may be made in the adaption of my device without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

1. The method of pumping viscous material characterized by creating a suction at the end of the transmission line to thereby suck the material into the transmission line in a solid liquid column, heating the material upon its entrance into the transmission line, subsequently admitting air and steam at high velocity into the transmission line to convert the pumped material into an aerated emulsion and to cause a spray transmission through the transmission line.

2. A pumping apparatus comprising in combination a. steam jet suction pump, a transmission line, a connection between the discharge of said suction pump and the transmission line, a steam jet low pressure air compressor and a connection between the discharge from said air compressor and the transmission line.

GUNNAR. C. ENGSTRAND.

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