Patent ID: 6488401
Filing Date: 2002-12-03
Classification: A01K,B01F,Y10S

Abstract:
A tank agitator for connecting onto the terminus of a generally steady flow, low head feedwater line and causing agitation in the tank by the discharge of the feedwater in part through a rotating discharge port and in other part through a pulse discharge port, comprising:a housing having an inlet for connection to the feedwater line and defining a turbine plenum and an exhaust plenum, a turbine mounted in the turbine plenum and driven to spin by the flowthrough of the feedwater and exhausting to the exhaust plenum, an output shaft that is hollow and thereby defining a lumen, being driven to spin by the turbine and extending from a couple with the turbine to termination that is either formed as a nozzle or provides for connection to a nozzle, the nozzle being operatively connected to the spinning turbine by the coupled output shaft such that the nozzle rotates with respect to a given rotation axis, and, the nozzle defining a rotating discharge port for discharging a stream in various directions, not all of which are continuously coincident with the given rotation axis during a complete rotation of the nozzle, wherein the hollow output shaft is formed with at least one aperture that allows the proportion of the flowthrough water that makes up the discharge stream to flow into the lumen of the shaft, and a pulser arrangement for enhancing the agitation in the tank by means of the discharge of a fractional amount of the feedwater in-feed stream through a pulse-discharge port which is distinct from said rotating discharge port and in which the discharge stream pulses between alternating phases of flow and quiescence, the pulser arrangement comprising: providing the housing with an internal exhaust conduit extending between an exhaust-plenum intake opening, which opens to the turbine plenum, and, a pulse-discharge port in the housing to the outside; and, a blocker door coupled to and driven by the spinning turbine to cycle between uncovering and covering one of the exhaust-plenum intake opening and the pulse-discharge port whereby the discharge stream issuing from the pulse-discharge port pulses between alternating phases of flow and quiescence.