Fluid motivated grease/water pumping and separating system
AssigneeThermaco, Inc.
InventorsWilliam C. Batten, Bruce W. Kyles
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A grease/water pumping and separating system is provided with a pump mechanism that utilizes a motivating fluid to pump a grease/water mixture. The mixture is sucked into and discharged out of a pumping cavity. A movable biasing boundary, such as a piston, separates the motivating fluid from the grease/water mixture. The pump mechanism pumps the grease/water mixture to a separator unit which separates the grease and water components and directs the grease to a retaining tank and the gray water component of the grease/water mixture to an appropriate outlet.
Claims17
A system for use in the food preparation or waste water management industry to handle grease/water mixtures, the system comprising:
- (a) a source of a grease/water mixture;
- (b) a separator unit for separating the grease/water mixture into a grease and a gray water, the separator unit comprising a vessel including an inlet, an outlet, an access port, and a section within the vessel for inducing the grease of the grease/water mixture to the access port of the separator unit while diverting the gray water of grease/water mixture to the outlet;
- (c) a retainer for storing the grease part;
- (d) an inlet line for transmitting the grease/water mixture from the source to the separator;
- (e) an outlet line for directing the gray water from the separator unit to a drain or a sewer line;
- (f) an access line for directing the grease part from the separator unit to the retainer;
- and
- (g) a pump for conveying the grease through the access line by supplying and expelling a motivating-fluid, the pump comprising:
- (i) a body having a cavity, a movable biasing boundary dividing the cavity to define a grease-cell and a motivating-fluid cell, each cell volume variable by the movement of the movable biasing boundary within the cavity, a grease-port in the body for fluid communication with the grease-cell, and a motivating-fluid port in the body for fluid communication with the motivating-fluid-cell;
- (ii) a grease-circuit including:
- at least one grease-valve in fluid communication with the grease-port in the body and the access line in fluid communication with the separator and the retainer;
- and
- (iii) a motivating-fluid circuit including:
- at least one motivating-fluid-valve in fluid communication with the motivating-fluid port in the body and a motivating-fluid source.
A method of conveying a first fluid which is a grease component to be separated from a water component comprising:
- directing an effluent having a first fluid grease component and a water component to a container that has a volume large enough to permit the first fluid to float above the water component;
- providing a unit having a cavity including a movable biasing boundary disposed therein to define a first cell and a second cell, each having a variable volume;
- directing a second fluid at a pressure into the second cell to act on the movably biasing boundary to expand the second cell until the pressure of the second fluid is substantially balanced by the movable biasing boundary or the second cell has expanded to diminish the first cell volume to a minimum;
- contracting the second cell through the movement of the movable biasing boundary to discharge the second fluid from the second cell and thereby expanding the first cell drawing the first fluid from a source into the first cell;
- and
- repeating the act of directing the second fluid thereby discharging the first fluid from the first cell, thereby conveying it.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.