Directed hydroburst system for cleaning flat screens
AssigneeBilfinger Water Technologies, Inc.
InventorsTom Schuler, Michael Ekholm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A screen intake system has a body with an open end and a chamber. A flat screen is disposed at the open end of the body. To keep the screen clear of debris, an airburst system has pipes disposed in the chamber. The pipes dispose parallel to one another adjacent the flat screen, and each of the pipes has orifices in a side facing the flat screen. Directors are disposed along the backs of the pipes in a lattice, and each of the directors has a channel in which the pipe disposes. Compressed air released by valves from a tank dispersed from the pipe's orifices. Each of the directors directs the resulting water/airburst from the orifices toward the adjacent flat screen to clear it of debris.
Claims29
A debris cleaning apparatus for a screen, the apparatus comprising:
- a manifold in fluid communication with an inlet of the apparatus and defining at least two flow areas, a first of the flow areas communicating the inlet of the apparatus to a second of the flow areas, the first flow area being greater than the second flow area;
- a plurality of pipes disposed parallel to one another and in fluid communication with the manifold, each pipe having a first side adjacent the screen and having a second side opposite the first side, each pipe having a plurality of orifices in the first side for expelling fluid, the pipes having proximal and distal ends, the proximal ends of one or more first of the pipes in fluid communication with the first flow area of the manifold, the proximal ends of one or more second of the pipes in fluid communication with the second flow area of the manifold, the one or more first pipes having a larger flow area than a smaller flow area of the one or more second pipes;
- and
- a plurality of directors disposed parallel to one another and affixed to each other in a lattice, each director having one of the pipes affixed therein and having a channel in which the pipe disposes, each director directing fluid expelled from the orifices in the pipe toward the adjacent screen.
A debris cleaning apparatus for a screen, the apparatus comprising:
- a manifold having a first flow area in fluid communication with a second flow area, the first flow area being greater than the second flow area and being in fluid communication with an inlet of the apparatus;
- a plurality of pipes disposed parallel to one another and in fluid communication with the manifold, each pipe having a first side adjacent the screen and having a second side opposite the first side, each pipe having a plurality of orifices in the first side, at least one first of the pipes in fluid communication with the first flow area of the manifold, at least one second of the pipes in fluid communication with the second flow area, the at least one first pipe defining a larger flow area than a smaller flow area of the at least one second pipe;
- and
- a plurality of directors disposed parallel to one another and affixed to each other in a lattice, each director having one of the pipes affixed therein and having a channel in which the pipe disposes, each director directing an airburst from the orifices in the disposed pipe toward the adjacent screen.
A screen intake system, comprising:
- a body having an open end and defining a chamber;
- a screen disposed at the open end of the body;
- a manifold in fluid communication with an inlet of the apparatus and defining at least two flow areas, a first of the flow areas communicating the inlet of the apparatus to a second of the flow areas, the first flow area being greater than the second flow area;
- a plurality of pipes disposed parallel to one another in the chamber and in fluid communication with an inlet of the system, each pipe having a first side adjacent the screen and having a second side opposite the first side, each pipe having a plurality of orifices in the first side, the pipes having proximal and distal ends, the proximal ends of one or more first of the pipes in fluid communication with the first flow area of the manifold, the proximal ends of one or more second of the pipes in fluid communication with the second flow area of the manifold, the one or more first pipes having a larger flow area than a smaller flow area of the one or more second pipes;
- and
- a plurality of directors disposed parallel to one another in the chamber and affixed to each other in a lattice, each director having one of the pipes affixed therein and having a channel in which the pipe disposes, each director directing an airburst from the orifices in the disposed pipe toward the adjacent screen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.