Patent ID: 6359347
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: F03B,Y02E

Abstract:
An apparatus for lifting a fluid from a first relatively lower position to second relatively raised position, said apparatus comprising:a plurality of tiers including a lowermost tier, at least one intermediate tier disposed above the lowermost tier and an uppermost tier disposed above the intermediate tier, the lowermost tier including at least one pair of vessels including a receiving vessel and a staging vessel, the receiving vessel in each pair being fluidly connected to the staging vessel by a bottom end transfer conduit extending from a bottom end of the receiving vessel to a bottom end of the staging vessel, each bottom end transfer conduit including means for selectively variably controlling a rate of flow of a fluid from the receiving vessel into the staging vessel, the intermediate tier including at least one pair of vessels including a receiving vessel and a staging vessel, the receiving vessel in each pair being fluidly connected to the staging vessel by a bottom end transfer conduit extending from a bottom end of the receiving vessel to a bottom end of the staging vessel, each bottom end transfer conduit including means for selectively variably controlling a rate of flow of a fluid from the receiving vessel into the staging vessel, the uppermost tier including a receiving vessel; a plurality of siphon conduits, each siphon conduit including a generally vertical lifting leg portion having a lower inlet opening and a relatively longer downwardly angled lateral leg portion cantilevered from a top of the lifting leg portion, the lateral leg portion being longer than the lifting leg portion and having an end discharge opening, a first of the siphon conduits positioned so that its lower inlet opening is submerged in a constant fluid source and its end discharge opening is disposed in the first tier receiving vessel; others of the siphon conduits being positioned so that their inlet openings are submerged in fluid present in a staging vessel of a next adjacent lower tier and their respective discharge openings are disposed in a receiving vessel; means for filling the receiving vessels and staging vessels present in each of the tiers with a fluid to desired starting fill levels; and means for commencing siphoning flow through the siphoning conduits so that fluid taken in from the constant fluid source is raised to the first tier receiving vessel, flows from the receiving vessel into the first tier staging vessel and thereafter is successively raised by siphoning from the lowermost tier through the at least one intermediate tiers to the receiving vessel of the uppermost tier to thereby raise the fluid to a relatively raised position with respect to the constant fluid source.