Submersible Pump Buoyancy Control and Retrieval System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Submersible pumps installed at the bottom of bodies of water face challenges such as difficult installation, susceptibility to being turned over, limited accessibility for cleaning, and difficulty in reorientation or removal, especially when silt depth is unknown, leading to potential sinking or absorption.
Innovation Solution
A submersible pump apparatus with a housing, floats providing positive buoyancy, and a sled for support at the bottom, along with a finder float system that allows for controlled submersion and retrieval by adjusting buoyancy with weights, ensuring stable orientation and preventing sinking into silt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If submersible pumps are installed at the bottom of bodies of water, then water circulation and aeration functions are achieved, but installation becomes difficult and the pumps are susceptible to being turned over or sinking into silt
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs floats providing positive buoyancy as counterweights to prevent the pump from sinking into silt. The buoyant force generated by the floats counteracts the downward force of gravity on the pump assembly, maintaining the pump at the desired depth without embedding into the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The finder float system is pre-configured with ropes and weights to enable controlled submersion and retrieval. The weights are pre-attached to the finder float, allowing operators to easily control the pump's position during installation and maintenance without complex equipment.
2Reliability
If submersible pumps are installed at the bottom of bodies of water, then water circulation is achieved, but accessibility for cleaning and maintenance becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The finder float acts as an intermediary device that extends the operator's reach to the submerged pump. By attaching ropes to the pump and securing them to the finder float at the surface, operators can control, retrieve, and maintain the pump without directly entering the water or using complex underwater equipment.
3Reliability
If submersible pumps are installed at the bottom of bodies of water, then aeration function is achieved, but the pumps are difficult to reorient or remove
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the pump's position and orientation can be easily adjusted. The combination of floats providing stable buoyancy and weights providing controlled sinking allows the pump to be repositioned by simply adding or removing weights from the finder float, enabling quick adaptation to different operational requirements.
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 easy and stable installation, operation, and retrieval of the submersible pump, maintaining orientation and preventing sinking into silt, thereby addressing the installation and accessibility issues of existing submersible pumps.
Implementation Method 1
A float or a plurality of floats are attached to the top side of the housing for providing a positive buoyancy to the submersible pump apparatus
Implementation Method 2
The weight is used to overcome the positive buoyancy of the float and achieve a negative buoyancy for submerging the submersible pump apparatus to the bottom of the body of water
Data Source
AI summary
A submersible pump apparatus comprising a housing containing all the components of the pump assembly for using the submersible pump apparatus in a body of water. A float or a plurality of floats are attached to the top side of the housing for providing a positive buoyancy to the submersible pump apparatus. The float is provided with a channel for slidably receiving a single weight or a plurality of weights. The weight is used to overcome the positive buoyancy of the float and achieve a negative buoyancy for submerging the submersible pump apparatus to the bottom of the body of water. A sled is attached to the bottom side of the housing and comprises the combination of both legs and feet for supporting the submersible pump apparatus at the bottom of a body of water. A finder float floating at the water surface level is attached using a rope to both the weight and the housing. By removing the weight or weights from the float, a positive buoyancy is restored to raise the submersible pump apparatus.