Title of Invention

"ALTERNATING PUMP FOR DRAWING FLUIDS FROM THE GROUND"

Abstract

comprising a rod with several pistons, making an alternating movement in order to force the head of fluid to rise, consisting of a carrier (10": , through which the rod [4] runs, and a flap valve [11] over the carrier in order to close off the piston under the weight of the head of fluid. The carrier consists of a hub accommodating the rod [4] and radial arms [102] extending from the hub [101] , with a free end,, and with a straight outer edge [1021] providing support and acting as a guide against the internal surface of the collecting tube [1] . A flow stabilising device comprising vanes [122] which radiate from a hub [121] .

Full Text

The present invention relates to an alternating pump for drawing fluids from the ground, as described in claim 1. Such a drainage pump was previously described in document FR 88 09 5.57, This pump has a number of pistons fitted to a. rod. These pistons are each formed from a cylindrical sleeve of circular section, the bottom of which has radial arms connecting the sleeve to the hub by means of which the sleeve is fixed to the cylinder. The sleeve slides in the tube. The bottom is sealed by a flap valve, which can be removed, supported by a sliding element comprising a tube engaged on the rod. This sliding element can be raised and lowex'ed in order to open the bottom or seal it under the weight of the head of fluid, during the ascending phase. This system ie very delicate and sensitive to particles in suspension in the fluid. These particles get between the outer surface of the sleevs! and the collecting tube or form a deposit on the bottom of the cylindrical sleeve. They can also penetrate the sleeve supporting the flap valve and restrict movement of this valve on the rod, These various types of friction cause a non-negligible loss of power. Furthermore, solid particles can prevent the flap valve from closing or build up on the bottom car restrict or prevent the downwardsi movement of the flap valve, causing leaks which are detrimental to performance. Furthermore, this type of piston is extremely delicate, needsi careful maintenance and is complicated to replace. This invention is intended to renedy these disadvantages and aims to produce a study pump, which ia not prone to damage or to having ite, operation hindered or impaired by particles suspended in the fluid collected, for example, water which is laden with mud to a greater or lesser degree. To this end, the invention involves a pump of the type defined above, having the characteristics described in claim 1. The carrier provides support for the valve, reducing to a minimum the area of contact with the wall of the collecting tube. Even if particles g«t into the space between the free outer edges of the arms of the carrier and the collecting tube, they cannot in practice hinder movement given the small size of ainy contact surfaces. This form of support provides a very large section to allow water to pass. As the surface of the arms are in fact made from flat or curved plates/ this stabilises relative axial flow between the fluid and ';he carrier and causes practically no turbulence at the pump's operating speeds resulting in a non-negligible increase in delivery or inversely, it allows a far Lower drive power, whether manual or mechanical, for the pump. One particularly advantageous feature is that the piston is fibbed with a flow stabilising device consisting of 21 hub to accommodate the rod and equipped with vanes which radiate from the hub. This flow stabilising device fitted either above the carrier, or below it, effectively directs the flow and contributes to the excellent operation and performance of the piston and the pump. Although the arms and radiating vanes may be of varying shapes, extending from the hub, with a straight or curved profile, it is advantageous for the arms and vanes to run radially in relation to the hub. In order to avoid or reduce the torque applied by the piston on the rod, it is advantageous for the surfaces of the vanes of the flow stabilising device to be flat, and in particular radial in relation to the hub. The carrier and the piston stabilising device can be made as a single piece, using, for example, a moulded material. These two parts can also be made separately, which allows for a wide range of shape combinations, for example combining flow stabilising elements, of variable length, with one carrier shape. Therefore, the present invention relates to an alternating pump for drawing fluids from the ground, comprising:- a collecting tube connecting the outlet level of the pump to the table of fluid to be pumped, which plunges into this table, fitted with a flap valve at the bottom, allowing the fluid to enter the tube and retaining the head of fluid in the tube, a rod with one or more pistons, making an alternating movement in order to force the head of fluid to rise, control mechanisms connected to the rod and controlling its movement inside the tube, each piston is formed by a carrier, through which the rod runs, fitted firmly to the rod, and a flap valve over the carrier in order to close off the piston under the weight of the head of fluid or to allow the fluid to move when the piston goes down into the head of water in the tube, characterised in that the piston has: a carrier formed by a hub accommodating the rod and radial arms, extending from the hub, with a free end, and a straight outer edge providing support arid acting as a guide against the internal surface of the collecting tube, a flap valve over the top of the carrier to close it off under the weight of the head of fluid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS This invention will be described below in greater detail using various examples of construction as illustrated in the diagrams appended, in which: - figure 1 is a simplified view of a drainage pump according to the invention, - figure 2 is a plan view of a first piston according to the invention, consisting of a carrier and a flow stabilising device, figure 3 is a front view of the unit as in figure 2, - figure 4 shows, viewed from the top, a variant of the carrier-piston stabilising device according to the invention, - figure 5 is a front view of the unit shown in figure 4, - figure € is a plan view of a flow stabilising device, - figure 7 is a front view of figure 6, - figure 13 is a plan view of another method of construction for a carrier and its stabilising device, - figure 9 is a side view, partially in section, of the single carrier for the piston as shown in figure 8, - figure 10 is a perspective view of figure s. As shown in figure 1, the invention involves a drainage pump. this pump includes a collecting tube [1], placed in a borehole or in the ground in general in order to connect: the outlet level [2] of the pump t3] to the table of fluid to be pumped. The tube plunges into the table of fluid (water) and its lower end is fitted with a flap valve which allows fluid to entesr the tube due to the aspiration effect created in the tube and which closes for movement in the opposite direction in order to retain water in the tube. The tube accommodates the rod [4] carrying the pistons [5] . The rod [4] controls the pistons [51 to make an alternating movement downwards [C] and upwards [D] , to pick up a certain amount of fluid which is passed over the aeries of piscons on the rod [4]. Each piston ;s] is formed by a carrier through which the rod [4] runs. The piston is fitted firmly by translation to the rod. A flap valve operates at the top of the carrier in order to provide an airtight seal over the piston and 110 retain the head of water above. On the other hand, when the rod and pistons [5] go down into the column of water, the flap valve for each piston opens and allows the piston to move down intto tha head of water. According to the invention, the pistons (figure 2 and 3) consist of a carrier [10] with a valve [11] . The carrier [10] consists of a hub [101] supporting the rod which is not shown and which is located according to the direction of axis XX (figure 3). Arms [102] extend from the hub. In the exainple shown, these radiating arms [102] are radi«l and evenly spaced' at 45°. Above the carrier [10], and together with the flap valvs [ll], the piston includes a flow stabilising device [12] formed by a hub [1211 and radiating vanes [122]. There are four of these vanes, evemly spaced at 90°. The edges [1021] of the arms [102] are straight in order to be supported against the internal surface of the collecting tube [1] . This support requires sufficient play to ensure smooth sliding. The vanes [122] should preferably have flat surfaces, radiating in the radial direction. Their outer edge [1221] is also straight, to allow support if applicable against the inner surface of the collecting tube [1]. As the arms and vanes are of a certain thickness, the edges [1021, 1221] are made with a rounded section. Figures 4 and 5 show another variant of the piston according 'to the invention. This piston consists of a carrier [10A] similar to carrier [10] but with a greater nvirtiber of arms [1021A] . These radiating arms are radial, flat and evenly spaced at an angle of 22.S".' The carrier [IDA] also has a. valve [11A] shown diagrammatically by a line. Any type of fixing can be used to s.ecure this valve to the carrier, for example, crimping or clamping to the hub [101A]. The carrier [lOAl is fitted with a flow stabilising device E12A] identical to the method of construction shown in figures 2 and 3, i.e. four vanes [1221A] radiating from the hub [121A]. The unit is threaded onto a rod, which is not shown. The outer edges [1021A, 1221A] of the arms [102A] of the carrier [10A] and the vanes [122A] of the stabilising device [12A] are also straight to allow their support with some free play, against tie internal surface of the collection tube, not shown in this figure. In figures 2 and 4, the dotted circle represents the outer contours of the flap valve [11], fllA]. Figures 6 and 7 are separate diagrams of a flow stabilising device [12B] as shown in figures 2 to 5. In the case of figures 6 and 7, the flow stabilising device [12B] is independent of the carrier. It is identical in shape to the previous devices. The stabilising device [12B] consists of a hub [121B1 carrying the vanes [122B] radiating from the hub. The outer edges (vertical edges) of the vanes are straight as before. These edges are slightly rounded or have a recess to allow them to slide more easily ag.ainst the inner wall of the collecting tube, which is not shown. Figures 8 and 10 show another variant of the piston coneieting o£ a carrier [1OC], combined directly with a flow stabilising device [12C] (figure 8, 10) or made separately from this (figure 93 . The carrier [1OC] takes four branches [102C] of triangular section, with the point facing downwards in order to present a top surface [1021C] acting AS a support surface for the valves [11CJ consisting of four flaps placed in each section defined by the vanes [1H2C] of the flow stabilising desvice. The support surfaces comprising the arms [102C] of the carrier [1OC] are shown in figure 8. In the right-hand section at the bottom, this figure shows the flap valve [HC] , which has one articulated side, the other side being free. The opening and closing move'Tient of the flap valve [lie] is represented gchematically in figure 9. The other parts of the valve are not represented in figure 7, which shows only the circular contour of the general flap valve. Figure 10 shows a perspective view of the shape of the pistons! according to figures 8 and 9. It should also be commented here that the piston can consist solely of the carrier [1OC] and the flap valve [11c] (in one or more parts) or of this unit plus the stabilising device [12C]. According to the invention, the pistons can be made from various materials, such as aluminium or aluminium alloys, which a.re easy to machine or mould. These parts can also be made from plastic, using various processes such as moulding, or extrusion for some elements. WE CLAIM: 1. An alternating pump for drawing fluids from the ground, comprising: a collecting tube [1] connecting the outlet level [2] of the pump [3] to the table of fluid to be pumped, which plunges into this table, fitted with a flap valve at the bottom, allowing the fluid to enter the tube and retaining the head of fluid in the tube, a rod [4] with one or more pistons [5], making an alternating movement [C, D] in order to force the head of fluid to rise, control mechanisms [6, 7] connected to the rod [4] and controlling its movement inside the tube [11], each piston [5] is formed by a carrier, through which the rod [4] runs, fitted firmly to the rod, and a flap valve over the carrier in order to close off the piston [5] under the weight of the head of fluid or to allow the fluid to move when the piston [5] goes down into the head of water in the tube [1] characterised in that the piston has: a carrier [10] formed by a hub [101] accommodating the rod [4] and radial arms [102], extending from the hub [101], with a free end, and a straight outer edge [1021] providing support arid acting as a guide against the internal surface of the collecting tube [1], a flap valve [11] over the top of the carrier [10] to close it off under the weight of the head of fluid. 2. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the piston [5] has a flow stabilising device [12] consisting of a hub [121] to accommodate the rod and equipped with vanes [122] which radiate from the hub, 3. The pump as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the arms [102] and radiating vanes [122] run radially. 4. The pump as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the vanes [122] of the flow stabilising device [12] have flat surfaces. 5. The pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stabilising device [12] forms a single piece with the carrier [10]. 6. The pump as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the arms [102] are evenly spaced at 45° and the vanes evenly spaced at 90° in relation to the axis represented by the rod [4]. 7. The pump as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the arms [102B] are evenly spaced at 22.5° and the vanes [122B] evenly spaced at 900 in relation to the axis represented by the rod [4].

Documents:

172-del-1999-abstract.pdf

172-del-1999-claims.pdf

172-del-1999-correspondence-others.pdf

172-del-1999-correspondence-po.pdf

172-del-1999-description (complete).pdf

172-del-1999-drawings.pdf

172-del-1999-form-1.pdf

172-del-1999-form-13.pdf

172-del-1999-form-19.pdf

172-del-1999-form-2.pdf

172-del-1999-form-3.pdf

172-del-1999-form-4.pdf

172-del-1999-form-6.pdf

172-del-1999-gpa.pdf

172-del-1999-pct-210.pdf

172-del-1999-petition-138.pdf