Fluid reservoir
OwnerDavid Jessop Harkerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid reservoir system can include a fluid reservoir and a mixer. The mixer can include multiple mixer inlets positioned around an upper perimeter of the fluid reservoir. A conduit structure can extend from the mixer inlets to one or more mixer outlets below the mixer inlets. A pump system can be fluidly connected to the conduit structure. The mixer can be structured to use the pump system to recirculate fluid in the reservoir by pumping fluid from at or near the top the reservoir through different subsets of the mixer inlets at different times, through the conduit structure, and through the one or more mixer outlets at or near the bottom back into the fluid reservoir. Also, a sediment removal system can use head pressure to flow sediment from the bottom of the fluid reservoir to a sediment removal reservoir.
Claims25
A method comprising:
- mixing fluid comprising biological material in a fluid reservoir during a first period of time with a first mixer system configuration by performing the following:
- passing fluid from the fluid reservoir through a first subset of one or more mixer inlets comprising less than all of a set of mixer inlets positioned around the fluid reservoir;
- and
- passing fluid through a mixer conduit structure from the first subset of one or more mixer inlets and back into the fluid reservoir through at least one of one or more mixer outlets below the set of mixer inlets;
- and
- mixing fluid in the fluid reservoir during a second period of time that is different from the first period of time with a second mixer system configuration that is different from the first mixer system configuration by performing the following:
- passing fluid from the fluid reservoir through a second subset of one or more mixer inlets comprising less than all of the set of mixer inlets, the second subset of one or more mixer inlets being different from the first subset of one or more mixer inlets;
- and
- passing fluid through the mixer conduit structure from the second subset of one or more mixer inlets and back into the fluid reservoir through at least one of the one or more mixer outlets below the set of mixer inlets.
A fluid reservoir system comprising:
- a fluid reservoir;
- and
- a mixer comprising:
- multiple mixer inlets positioned around an upper perimeter of the fluid reservoir;
- a conduit structure extending from the mixer inlets to one or more mixer outlets below the mixer inlets;
- and
- a pump system fluidly connected to the conduit structure, the mixer being structured to use the pump system to recirculate fluid to the fluid reservoir by pumping fluid from the top of the fluid reservoir through different subsets of the mixer inlets at different times, through the conduit structure, and through the one or more mixer outlets back into the fluid reservoir.
A method comprising:
- pumping fluid from a sediment removal reservoir, the pumping of fluid lowering a fluid surface of the sediment removal reservoir to a level that is at a lower altitude than a level of a fluid surface of a fluid reservoir that extends at least partially into ground so that there is a difference in altitude of the fluid surface of the fluid reservoir and the fluid surface of the sediment removal reservoir;
- and
- clearing sediment from a bottom of the fluid reservoir by flowing the sediment in fluid from the fluid reservoir to the sediment removal reservoir through a conduit structure using a pressure head due to the difference in altitude of the fluid surface of the fluid reservoir and the fluid surface of the sediment removal reservoir.
A method comprising:
- mixing stored fluid comprising biological material in a fluid reservoir, the mixing comprising:
- passing recirculating fluid from the fluid reservoir through one or more mixer inlets at a top of the stored fluid in the fluid reservoir;
- and
- recirculating the recirculating fluid through a mixer conduit structure from the one or more mixer inlets and back into the fluid reservoir through at least one mixer outlet at a bottom of the stored fluid in the fluid reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.