Water simulation system and method
AssigneeFathom Tanks LLC
InventorCharles BOLLFRASS
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A water simulation system may include a tank, a plurality of fluidic inlets, a plurality of fluidic outlets, and one or more pumps. In operation, the one or more pumps may introduce liquid to the tank through the fluidic inlets and draw liquid from the tank through the fluidic outlets. A pressure at the fluidic outlets may be diffused through the tank by an intake diffusion system having an intake box and an intake plate separating the fluidic outlets from the interior of the tank. A liquid flow may be adjusted for creating swift water conditions in a first portion of the tank and a slower current in a second portion of the tank.
Claims20
A water simulation system comprising:
- a tank defining an opening at a top end;
- a plurality of fluidic inlets provided in a first end of the tank;
- a plurality of fluidic outlets provided in a first side and/or a second side of the tank;
- and
- one or more pumps configured to introduce liquid into the tank through the plurality of fluidic inlets and to draw the liquid from the tank through the plurality of fluidic outlets;
- wherein the plurality of fluidic inlets include a plurality of current water inlets configured to provide a current flow at a first velocity and in a first direction, and a plurality of swift water inlets configured to provide a swift water flow at a second velocity and in the first direction, the second velocity being higher than the first velocity,
- wherein the plurality of swift water inlets and the plurality of current water inlets are configured to simultaneously create:
- an upper flow region adjacent a water surface having the second velocity;
- and
- a lower flow region beneath the upper flow region having the first velocity.
A water simulation system comprising:
- a tank configured to contain a liquid;
- at least one intake box defining a recess in a sidewall of the tank;
- at least one fluidic outlet fluidically coupled to the intake box and configured to withdraw the liquid from the tank;
- an intake plate separating the intake box from an interior of the tank, the intake plate defining a plurality of intake holes therethrough;
- wherein the plurality of intake holes are distributed across a surface area of the intake plate such that suction generated by the at least one fluidic outlet is diffused across the plurality of intake holes;
- and
- wherein the intake plate is configured to reduce localized suction forces within the interior of the tank while permitting the liquid to be withdrawn through the at least one fluidic outlet.
A method of operating a water simulation system, the method comprising:
- forming an upper swift-water region having white-water conditions;
- simultaneously forming a lower current-water region having a lower velocity than the upper swift-water region;
- maintaining the lower current-water region beneath the upper swift-water region during operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.