WO2010134866A1

WO2010134866A1 - Method using a sluice to create an over or under passage junction between water channel/ stream and road/railroad and an over or under passage junction to perform said method

Info

Publication number: WO2010134866A1
Application number: PCT/SE2010/000137
Authority: WO
Inventors: Torsten Sahlin
Original assignee: Sahlin Fastigheter Ab
Priority date: 2009-05-19
Filing date: 2010-05-19
Publication date: 2010-11-25
Also published as: EP2432939A4; EP2432939A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method to create a grade separated junction by a sluicing process between water channel/flowing water and road/rail road allowing a passing of boats not being disturbed by the road traffic. The invention also relates to a grade separated junction to perform said sluicing procedure. The invention is characterized in that the sluicing using a first sluice chamber takes place to a level above or below an existing water level for the channel/water stream, i.e. either up to an aqueduct (C) passing over the road and having an essentially constant water level, or down to a channel section (D) passing under the road/water channel and having an essentially constant water level, whereupon a sluicing by using a second sluicing chamber takes place back to the original water level for the channel/water stream when the boats have passed the aqueduct/the channel section.

Description

Method using a sluice to create an over or under passage junction between water channel/stream and road/railroad and an over or under passage junction to perform said method

The present invention relates to a method using a sluice to create an over or under passage junction between water channel/stream and road/railroad allowing an undisturbed passage of boats and an over or under passage junction to perform said method.

To be able to make up for the differences in heights in channel traffic in a landscape sluices have been developed. There are traces from sluice arrangements said to be more than 1000 years old. Thus the technique to lift boats using a limited entrapped and increasing/decreasing volume of water. This increasing volume of water was available upstream. It is also to use water pumps to create "upstream water", Le. the water used for the sluicing was simply pumped back."

Thus there is a matter of having access to a volume of water on a given height or under enough pressure to be able to fill one or more sluice chambers.

The main object with the present invention is to obtain a technique that will allow the creation of a grade-separated junction between road/railroad and channel/stream of water in a very energy efficient way. An other object is to use the connecting road traffic to perform a pump action producing at least a part of the necessary water volumes with enough height or pressure to perform the sluicing process.

An other object is to be able to optimize a solution in the junction between channel and road depending on the amount of ships/boats passing the channel. Said optimization can be done both regarding to operating and maintenance purpose but also regarding to construction aspects.

Yet an other purpose with the present invention is to create a visible and pedagogic building which very well can be peculiar and act as a meeting place also for people not engaged or directly part of the traffic passing the grade separated junction.

The objects mentioned above will be achieved by a sluicing process and a grade separated junction having the characterizing clauses mentioned in the claims. By having the sluice arrangements on both sides of the aqueduct or channel passing over or under the road in a communicating interconnection with each other by a pipe system the potential energy of the water volume in the filled sluice chamber is used to fill the other empty sluice chamber to half of the lifting height and the rest of the water volume to the lifting sluice chamber can either be taken an accumulated volume having enough pressure, or simply be pumped from the decreasing volume in the sluice chamber. By doing this an efficient arrangement is achieved allowing a grade separated junction between road and channel.

By arranging a limited but movable bridge or ramp portion in connection to the sluicing process according to the invention a cost efficient grade separated junction between channel/water stream and road/rail road which principally can be driven by "free" energy input.

By using the sluice technique to lower ships and boats to a lower level when passing under the road, and later lift them to the normal level of the channel the need of having an open able bridge or to build a elevated bridge in the grade separated junction between channel/water stream and road/rail road. The cost for sluicing down is in many cases lower than the cost of an elevated bridge or open able bridge with an interruption of a earth supported traffic flow.

A water reservoir with a volume corresponding to at least half the sluice chamber volume and with a position in the room fully above the highest level in a completely filled sluice chamber can advantageously be used.

A raised position in the surrounding landscape can be advantageous when possible. It is also possible to built in the reservoir in the sluice device itself on a higher level or use it as a hydrophore. The alternative chosen depends on the ground conditions, Le. if it is simple enough to reinforce the ground for both the volumes of the sluices, the aqueduct with water volume and the water reservoir. The pumping of water under pressure into a water reservoir can take place by using a vehicle activated pump arrangement.

By using a combined pump-/turbine the water flow between the sluice chambers may be influenced in an introducing change of volumes, and which turbine direct or indirect can run a pump to load a water reservoir where the collected volume can be used to complete the filling of the sluice chambers when needed, i.e. to compensate for water losses. When the two sluices have reached the same levels the rest of the water volume is pumped over using the combined pump-turbine which can use water from a reservoir arrangement. Alternatively the sluice turbine may be run of residual water in one of the sluices and then pump up more water in the reservoir which later will fill the other sluice chamber. Theoretically no energy need to be supplied to the system, but losses in flowing water, a lower efficiency than 100 % in the pump and turbine will make it necessary to pump in water in the reservoir arrangement.

The invention will now be described in connection to a couple shown embodiments, where

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a cut away grade separated junction in a first embodiment according to the invention with a viaduct and in a first initial position,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to fig., 1 but in an intermediate position,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to fig. 1 but in a second initial position,

Fig.4 show a second variant of a grade separated junction according to the invention but now with lowering channel portion into which boats can be sluiced to be able to pass under the road/railroad,

Fig 5 is a view according to fig. 4 in an intermediate position that is where half the down sluicing is performed,

Fig. 6 is a view according to claim 4 in a bottom position that is when the whole down sluicing is performed and where the floating vehicles can pass under the road on o lowest level,

Fig. 7 is a view according to fig. 1 in a position when the road has been passed, that is when the sluicing upwards shall be initiated in a sluice chamber to the right,

Fig. 8 shows a diagrammatic side view of a suggestion to carry out the sluice-aqueduct according to the invention

Fig. 9 is a view from above of the embodiment shown in fig. 8,

Fig. 10 is a view along the channel and of the embodiment shown in fig. 8, Fig. 11 is cut through the sluice portion, while

Fig. 12 is a cut through the aqueduct portion.

The grade separated junction between the channel/water stream and road/railroad according to tig. 1 has a first sluice A which is maximally filled with a closed outer lock gate 1 and a second sluice B which is completely emptied and having an open lock gate 5. The inner lock gate 2 at the sluice A is open to an aqueduct section C at the maximal height level.

The inner lock gate 4 is closed at the sluice B. The open lock gate 2 between the sluice A and the aqueduct C will allow for boats to pass in and out. A widening of the aqueduct section will make it possible to take up boats in both travel directions during the sluicing procedure that is as both lock gates 2 and 4 enclosing the aqueduct are closed. The water volume mat is in the aqueduct section is just changed depending upon changes of the emplacement of the boats contained in the aqueduct section that is the water level in the aqueduct section C will be kept as constant as possible. The length of the aqueduct section C corresponds principally to the width of the road.

It shall be noticed that here just one sluice chamber is shown at each end of the aqueduct section. Thus mere is nothing stopping to use several sluice chambers are used at the one or at both ends of the aqueduct section. A valve 6 and a pump 7 are shown in the figure to control the water streams between the two sluice chambers A and B.

In fig.2 the intermediate position is shown where the sluice chambers have been emptied or filled which can take place very efficiently to a state of equilibrium has been reached. To have the volume flow as constant as possible the free flow is restricted at the largest differences in height between the water levels in the two sluice chambers. This restriction is taken care of by the valve 6, and as it is closer to the state of equilibrium a pump action can be necessary to obtain a reasonable time to the state of equilibrium which will be taken care of by the pump 7. After that there is a need of an other active pump action to obtain the second initial position and to have the gate port out to the channel/water stream shall be open able respectively that the gate port in the other sluice chamber B shall be able to open to the aqueduct section. This position is shown in fig. 3 where the valve 6 is closed This grade separated junction between the channel/water stream and road/rail road according to fig.4 works to lower a floating vehicle down to the channel section 3 passing under the road/rail road and have a first sluice A with a lock gate 1 and which is maximally filled. A boat is shown in the first sluice A and a crossing a drive way in four lanes with vehicles which will be an obstacle for the moving boat in the channel. On the other side of the drive way there is a second sluice B which is completely emptied i.e. the water level is on the same low level as at a sluices connecting and lowered section 3. It corresponds principally to the aqueduct section C shown in the embodiment according to figs 1 to 3. When the levels in the channel and in the open sluice A are the same it allows boats to pass in and out through the lock gate 1. Sluices wide enough and/or an intermediate lowered channel section wide enough will allow boats to meet when passing under the roadway. The water volume existing in the intermediate channel section 3 is principally constant and is just changed in a change of the emplacement of the boats carried by said channel section. The length of the intermediate channel section is principally the same as width of the road. In fig.4 is shown a position where the gate lock 4 between the lowered channel section 3 and the sluice B is open while the outer gate lock S is closed.

It shall here be noticed mat only one sluice chamber is shown at each end of the intermediate channel section 3. Thus there is nothing not allowing that two or several sluice chambers are used at one or both ends of the channel section 3.

Thus in fig. 5 is shown the intermediate position where the sluice chambers are emptied and filled respectively in the same way as have been described in connection to the embodiment according to figs. 1 to 3 where the valve 6 and the pump 7 are used to restrict a free flow at the highest differences in height levels between the water levels in the two sluice chambers while a pump action may be needed closer to the level of equilibrium to minimize the time to sluicing. After the position of equilibrium in fig. 5 there is needed an active pump action to obtain the second initial position and to make it possible for the gate port 2 to the intermediate channel section 3 shall be able to open. When this has happened the sluice B is filled and the gate lock S can be opened to the channel. This position is shown in fig. 6.

In fig. 7 the same sluice position as in fig. 1 is shown but now with the boat in a position to be lifted to a normal channel level. One or several boats could be present at the same time during the sluicing process. Here it is chosen just to show one boat during sluicing. In fig. 8 is shown an embodiment of the sluice aqueduct according to the invention in a diagrammatic side view as a knight's citadel from the Middle Ages where the passage of the road is through the citadel wall and under the aqueduct section. In the view from above (fig. 9) there is shown how the aqueduct section is widened to allow sluicing boats to be able to meet. Of course it is also possible to double the sluice capacity by putting two sluice arrangements alongside each other at each end of the aqueduct Fig. 10 shows a view alongside the channel i.e. the view as the travellers in the boats see when getting closer to the sluice/aqueduct Fig 11 is a section through the sluicing section at the same time showing the open channel existing for small boats, i.e. for vehicles not needed to be lifted over the road. Fig. 12 is a view through the aqueduct and the road section.

It shall be noticed that the present invention can come to use both in channel systems or water streams with no or a very little water flow. At water streams with a bigger volume flow accumulator reservoirs with water under pressure can be obtained relatively simple. At dug channel systems with a very little flow the grade separated junction can be performed using very little water, even if a pumping action must be used to run the vertical lifting work for the boats at the grade separated junction.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above, but the invention can be modified and be given other embodiments based on the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A method to create a grade separated junction by a sluicing process between water channel/flowing water and road/rail road allowing a passing of boats not disturbed by the road traffic, characterized in that the sluicing using a first sluice chamber takes place to a level above or below an existing water level for the channel/water stream, i.e. either up to an aqueduct (C) passing over the road and having an essentially constant water level, or down to a channel section (D) passing under the road/water channel and having an essentially constant water level, whereupon a sluicing by using a second sluicing chamber takes place back to the original water level for the channel/water stream when the boats have passed the aqueduct/the channel section.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the necessary potential energy of the water volumes for sluicing is used via a pipe system to run the sluicing process to a position of equilibrium, i.e. to a position where the water levels for the sluice chambers have been equalized and are the same.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that water under press- sure, in a separated accumulating volume, is used to perform the filling of the sluice chambers by said pipe system.

4. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that from the obtained equilibrium position water is pumped from the sluice chamber which is being emptied to the one being filled.

5. A method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in mat water is pumped by pumping means being run by potential energy from rolling vehicles.

6. A graded separated junction between a water channel and road/rail road and to perform the method according to claim 1, characterized in first sluice chambers between the channel/water stream for transport up to an aqueduct (C) passing over the road, or down to a channel section (D) under the road/water channel, and by a second sluice chamber between the aqueduct (C) or the channel section (D) for transportation back to the original water level for the water channel/water stream when the boats have passed the graded separate junction.

7. A junction according to claim 6, characterized in a pipe system between the first and the second sluice chambers, in which pipe system turbine and/or pump means is arranged.

8. A junction according to claim 6, characterized in an external water reservoir with a volume corresponding at least half the volume of a sluice chamber and preferably positioned on a level above the highest water level of the sluice chambers.

9. A junction according to claim 6 and 8, characterized in that a vertically moveable road way/bridge section is connected to a pumping device pumping water from the water channel to the external reservoir.

10. A junction according to any of the claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the aqueduct (C) or the channel section (D) have a width essentially exceeding the width for the connected sluice chamber.