Submersible Intake Equipment Flotation Platform

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional submersible intake equipment installation and maintenance are costly and labor-intensive, often requiring divers or heavy machinery due to the need for draining water bodies or using floats that are visually unappealing and difficult to manage, especially in landscaping projects.

Innovation Solution

A flotation platform system with symmetrical ballasts that can be controlled to descend and ascend using compressed gas, allowing for the installation, maintenance, and removal of intake equipment without draining the water body or using heavy equipment, by adjusting buoyancy through air or water introduction into ballast chambers.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If floats are used to maintain discharge pipe above water source floor, then serviceability of valves/pumps is improved, but visual appearance deteriorates and additional installation/maintenance requirements are created

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveserviceabilityVSAvoidvisual nuisance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the flotation function from traditional surface floats and relocates it to submerged flotation devices. The discharge pipe is maintained above the water source floor through submerged flotation rather than surface floating, eliminating the visual nuisance while preserving serviceability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If intake equipment and discharge pipe are laid directly on bottom of water source, then visual appearance is improved, but serviceability deteriorates requiring divers or heavy equipment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual appearanceVSAvoidserviceability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention introduces submerged flotation devices as an intermediary between the intake equipment and the water source bottom. These devices provide buoyant support that maintains the discharge pipe above the floor while keeping the system visually acceptable and easily serviceable by technicians.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of manufacture

If water body is drained for installation or maintenance of intake equipment, then access for installation is improved, but additional costs are incurred and plants/landscaping may be stressed or die

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess for installationVSAvoiddamage to plants and landscaping

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention prepares the system for installation and maintenance by pre-configuring submerged flotation devices that enable work to be performed in the water without draining. The flotation platform and support devices are designed in advance to provide stable access points for technicians.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Ease of operation

If crane or similar machinery is used to pull discharge pipe and intake equipment to surface, then serviceability is improved, but cost deteriorates significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveserviceabilityVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention uses submerged flotation devices to provide buoyant counterweight that offsets the weight of the discharge pipe and intake equipment. This eliminates the need for heavy cranes or machinery, allowing technicians to service the equipment using only manual effort and simple tools.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

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

Enables cost-effective and efficient installation, maintenance, and removal of intake equipment without the need for divers or heavy machinery, allowing for visual inspection and easy relocation of the equipment without draining the water body.

Implementation Method 1

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectBuoyancy: Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy)

Implementation Method 2

Each of the plurality of flotation ballasts have at least one flotation ballast intake inlet adapted to receive or release, in a controlled manner, a compressed gas, such as air, via flotation ballast air lines into or out of its respective flotation ballast so as to increase or decrease, respectively, the buoyancy thereof.

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas compression and expansion: Boyle's Law

Data Source

PatentUS8123957B2Method and apparatus of submersible intake equipment

Publication Date: 2012.02.28 INCON-TROL CORP

AI summary

An apparatus having flotation ballasts, a flotation platform and on the flotation platform, an intake equipment, such as a screen, check valve and/or pump intake and a coupling for a discharge pipe. In an embodiment of the present invention comprises, there are a plurality of substantially symmetrical flotation ballasts, each having a ballast chamber. The composition of the flotation ballast may be made of a material having a density appropriate for the fluid in which it is to be submerged. The method includes the steps of using an apparatus as herein described to ascend and descend intake equipment.