Counterflow Pool Paddle Wheel Layout for Laminar Swimming Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing swimming pools with counterflow systems suffer from turbulent flows, high energy consumption, and water loss that varies with swimming style, making it difficult for swimmers to maintain their position and increasing energy costs.
Innovation Solution
A swimming pool design featuring a paddle wheel in a liquid line with adjustable speed, generating a laminar flow through a fluid reservoir, with inflow and outflow openings submerged below the water level, and a drive unit to control the paddle wheel's rotation, ensuring a stable counterflow for comfortable swimming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If propellers are used to generate water flow, then the swimming pool can provide counterflow for swimming, but the flow becomes turbulent making it difficult for swimmers to maintain position
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the paddle wheel from the traditional propeller configuration and places it in a separate liquid line that connects the outflow and inflow openings. This separation allows the paddle wheel to generate flow without directly injecting turbulent water into the swimming pool, thus maintaining flow laminarity while achieving the required water flow speed for counterflow swimming.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid line acts as an intermediary between the paddle wheel and the swimming pool. Instead of the paddle wheel directly propelling water into the pool (which creates turbulence), it moves water through the liquid line that delivers a more controlled, laminar flow to the inflow opening, resolving the contradiction between flow speed and flow quality.
2Productivity
If propellers rotate at high speed to achieve desired flow rate, then sufficient counterflow is generated, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the water circulation path into distinct components: the swimming pool area and the liquid line with paddle wheel. This segmentation allows the paddle wheel to operate in a controlled environment (the liquid line) where it can generate the required flow rate more efficiently, reducing the energy consumption compared to traditional propeller systems that must directly move large volumes of water in the pool.
3Quantity of substance
If turbulent flow is generated, then water circulation is achieved, but water loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of injecting water directly into the pool from the drive mechanism (traditional approach), the patent inverts the approach by using the liquid line to channel water flow around the pool perimeter. The paddles in the liquid line propel water along the circulation path, creating a rolling flow that reduces turbulence and water loss while maintaining effective water circulation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves a laminar flow that maintains swimmers on the spot without constant position correction, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes water loss across different swimming styles.
Implementation Method 1
this rotation propels a mass of water at a speed and flow rate depending on the set rotation speed in the form of a laminar flow towards the inflow opening
Implementation Method 2
The rotation of the paddle wheel also creates an underpressure below the paddle wheel and thus a suction effect so that the liquid moves further in the liquid line towards the paddle wheel
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A swimming pool provided with a reservoir is described, which is equipped for swimming on the spot in the reservoir by means of generated compensating counterflow which compensates for the propulsive movement of the swimmer. The swimming pool is configured in a way that the moving fluid mass is optimally adjusted to the position of the swimmer and the flow in the reservoir is substantially in one direction. The circulation of the fluid further takes place via a liquid line outside the reservoir where in the ascending section of this liquid line a turbine is installed transversally to the longitudinal direction of the reservoir, where the upper edge of the turbine is lower than or equal to the lower edge of the inflow opening in the reservoir.