Abstract:
A portable, fully submersible, high volume water pump, driven by a hydraulic powered motor is disclosed for rapidly supplying a large volume of water at useable pressures to an extinguishment operation involving a burning object or building, utilizing a local water source such as a pond, pool, portable basin, or municipal hydrant. The pump is fully portable and, in a preferred embodiment, used in conjunction with an extensible boom arm of a utility vehicle such as a fire engine. The pump can supply water from a source having as little as two inches of water depth and is simple in design and manufacturability.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/688,412, filed on Jun. 8, 2005, U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. Nos. 11/449,843, filed on Jun. 8, 2006 and 12/221,250, filed Jul. 31, 2008. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to water pump assemblies. More particularly, this invention relates to a portable high volume water pump assembly for use in fire fighting operations. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    In emergency situations, such as when a building, vehicle or other large object catches fire, a matter of seconds determines not only whether the object is a total loss, but whether lives could be at risk. It is therefore imperative that personnel trained to put out the fire arrive on the scene as quickly as possible. Furthermore, they must be provided with the proper extinguishing supplies with which they use to sequester the fire, such as water. Many rural and even urbanized areas of the world are not outfitted with a constant supply of pressurize water with the dedicated purpose of extinguishing fires such as fire hydrants. 
         [0004]    Alternative sources therefore must often be used in order to battle many of these fires. One such example is a mobile tank mounted on a vehicle such as a fire engine for supplying the water. Unfortunately, these carry a very limited volume in which they can transport, are not always available in every community, and therefore may not provide the amount of water necessary to fully put out a large fire. Local sources of water such as swimming pools, ponds, or lakes have the potential to be a great source of water for fighting fires, but providing a means of getting the water out of the pool or pond and onto the fire in the very swift manner and in sufficient volume necessary to salvage the burning object proves difficult. Therefore it would be advantageous to have a portable and submersible means of pumping the water out of theses sources which can quickly be implemented in an emergency situation, and provide the fire fighters with a supply of water having high enough pressure and volume to quickly tend to the fire. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a portable, hydraulically powered water pump useable for situations such as fire fighting and industrial dewatering. 
         [0006]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable pump that is used in conjunction with a boom arm of a utility or firefighting vehicle, for placing the pump in a supply of water some distance away from the vehicle. 
         [0007]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable high volume water pump which can be utilized in a water source such as a pond, pool, or on municipal pressure hydrants to boost output pressure. 
         [0008]    Still, a further object of the present invention is to provide a portable, high volume pump which may be utilized in a water source having as little as two inches of water depth. 
         [0009]    It is a further object to provide a pump that is simple in design and manufacturability and can be utilized in a plurality of applications. 
         [0010]    These and other objects will be understood wherein the present invention discloses a portable, fully submersible high volume water pump, driven by a hydraulic powered motor, for rapidly supplying a large volume of water to an extinguishment operation involving a burning object or building, from a local water source such as a pond, pool, portable basin or municipal hydrant. The pump is fully portable and protected within an attached housing. In a preferred embodiment, it may be used in conjunction with an extensible boom arm of a utility vehicle such as a fire engine or other utility truck. The water pump is run from a vehicle mounted or portable pressure compensated load sensing hydraulic system, allowing for variable flow and pressure, and can supply water from a source having as little as two inches of water depth. The volume of water deliverable from the present invention is comparable to that delivered from a fire engine pump itself and may be utilized to directly extinguish or refill a supply of water on a vehicle for subsequent use. 
         [0011]    Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the preferred embodiment comprising the water pump, coupler, and hydraulic motor assembly; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  shows an end view of the water pump assembly comprising the intake strainer and discharge tube; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional view of the coupler assembly with splined drive shaft of the present invention taken along line  4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  illustrates a side, phantom view of the water pump assembly within the pump housing body; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a partial side-view of the pump assembly in combination with a boom of a utility vehicle. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0019]    The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. 
         [0020]    Referring now to the figures, in particular  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a preferred embodiment of the water pump assembly  10  is shown comprising the main elements of a water pump  20 , hydraulic motor assembly  30 , and coupler  50  disposed therebetween. In an exemplary embodiment of this invention, a high volume, high pressure pump assembly  10  is disclosed herein. Water pump  20  can be any commercially available pump that is operable to deliver high volumes of water at high pressures, i.e. at least 200 L/min and at pressures greater than 100 kPa (14.5 psi), generally ranging from 100 kPa (14.5 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi). In exemplary embodiments, water pump  20  can include, any rotary non-positive displacement pump. In some embodiments, the pump can be a centrifugal pump, a boundary layer pump, a disc pump and turbine pumps. In some preferred embodiments, the water pump  20  is a centrifugal pump. 
         [0021]    Water pump  20  (also shown in  FIG. 3  for clarification purposes) comprises a pump housing  21 , containing the high volume impeller rotatably supported therein. An intake screen  22  is attached to the bottom side of the housing by a plurality of fasteners  25  bolted through evenly spaced apertures in the intake flange  23  surrounding intake screen  22 . The screen prevents large foreign materials from being drawn into the pump impeller during operation which could possibly cause damage to pump assembly  10 . 
         [0022]    In some embodiments, the pump assembly  10  described herein is capable of discharging water at high volumes at high pressures. Commercially available water pumps for pumping fluids, for example water can deliver high volumes, but this is sacrificed for low pressure. The present disclosure provides advantages related to high volume and high-pressure pumps operable to deliver volumes ranging from about 10,000 L/per minute (L/min) to about 200 (L/min), from about 5,000 (L/min) to about 200 (L/min), from about 2000 (L/min) to about 200 (L/min), from about 1000 (L/min) to about 200 (L/min) or from about 500 (L/min) to about 200 (L/min), or from about 10,000 L/per minute (L/min) to about 500 (L/min), from about 10,000 (L/min) to about 1000 (L/min), from about 10,000 (L/min) to about 2000 (L/min), from about 10,000 (L/min) to about 5,000 (L/min) or from about 10,000 (L/min) to about 7,500 (L/min) In some embodiments, the volume of water discharged can be at least 10,000 (L/min), or at least 7,500 (L/min), or at least 5,000 (L/min), or at least 1,000 (L/min), or at least 500 (L/min), or at least 200 (L/min). 
         [0023]    The operating volumes delivered by the pump assembly  10  of the present disclosure can operate at specific pressures designated by the user and in some embodiments meet and/or exceed fire service performance. The water pump of the present disclosure provides advantages that are not met in other portable, for example, truck mounted high water volume pumping systems, as these lack the sufficient pressure delivery required for fire rescue applications. In some embodiments, the operating pressures used to deliver the volumes of water described above can range from about 100 kPa (14.5 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi), or from about 200 kPa (29 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi), or from about 500 kPa (73 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi), or from about 750 kPa (109 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi), or from about 1000 kPa (145 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi), or from about 1500 kPa (218 psi) to about 2100 kPa (305 psi). 
         [0024]    In some embodiments, pump housing  21  further comprises a tangential pump output  27 , which terminates in a flange plate  24  attached to a discharge elbow  61  having a complementary flange plate  66 , by means of fasteners  26  positioned through the two plates  24  and  66 . 
         [0025]    Opposite intake screen  22  on pump  20 , housing  21  attaches to the drive shaft housing  57 , by means of the shaft housing flange  28  and mounting hardware  51 . Referring now to  FIGS. 1 through 4 , coupler shaft housing  57  surrounds and supports the splined impeller shaft  54  and attaches to coupler  50  opposite the water pump by flange  52 . The splined shaft coupler  50  is supported by ball bearings (not shown) seated in coupler shaft housing  57  to allow rotational force to be transmitted from hydraulic motor assembly  30  to pump  20 . Coupler  50  has a throughbore  59  which contains and supports the union of splined impeller shaft  54  with the output shaft of hydraulic motor assembly  30 , not shown. In other embodiments hydraulic motor assembly  30  can be interchanged with an electric motor, not shown. In some embodiments, hydraulic motor assembly  30  can be a bent-axis motor. In some embodiments, the bent-axis motor can include a VOAC F11 Series 19 bent-axis motor rated as having a displacement of 19 cm 3 /rev and a maximum continuous speed of about 8100 rpm and 3500 rpm self-priming speed at the oil providing approximately 50 horsepower. The VOAC/Parker F11 Series 19 bent-axis motor is commercially available from Parker Hannifin, (Trolhättan, SE). As mentioned, coupler  50  comprises a cylindrical housing, attaching at a lower end  55  to water pump shaft housing  57  and at an upper end  58  to the hydraulic motor assembly flange  35  through mounting apertures  53  in coupler  50  threadably receiving mounting hardware  37 . Coupler  50  can include a Hydraulic motor assembly  30 , receives a pressurized supply of hydraulic fluid which enters the pump through attached fluid input  32  and discharges through output  34  to the supply container through hydraulic lines. Hydraulic motor assembly  30  can be connected to a flush faced no drip quick coupling system to facilitate swift deployment of said pump  20  in an emergency situation. These flushed face quick coupling devices are commercially available from Dixon Valve and Coupling, (Chestertown, Md., USA) for example an HT Series ISO 16028, Flush Face Coupler, Part No 6HTF8-SS. ISO FF Coupler 
         [0026]    These lines, not shown, can optionally be stored on a reel mechanism for simplified disbursement and retraction while pump assembly  10  is being utilized. A hydraulic motor case drain  31  is connected between motor  30  and the hydraulic fluid output  34  in a venturi arrangement preventing a buildup of excess case pressures. The hydraulic fluid is supplied from a source mounted upon the vehicle or power unit used for implementing the pump. Attached to the body of hydraulic motor  30  is a mounting element  40 , secured by means of a support collar  46  and threaded U-bolt  44 . Mounting element  40 , comprising an L-shaped mounting bracket, has a plurality of housing attachment apertures  42  therein for attaching pump assembly  10  within the pump housing  70  as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
         [0027]    Housing  70 , manufactured from aluminum, steel, or other suitable material, comprises a rectangular container which protects pump assembly  10  from damage during transportation and storage and further provides protection of pump assembly  10  from large foreign matter entering the pump impeller and causing damage while in use. This is accomplished by providing housing  70  with a series of apertures  72  through which the water must flow into prior to being drawn into intake screen  22  of pump  20  located therein. Apertures  72  are numerous enough not to impede the pump&#39;s performance and supply delivery and are positioned low enough on housing  70  so as to allow the pump assembly to operate in as little as two inches of water as shown by numeral  74 . One or more access apertures  78  may be positioned higher up on the housing for accessing the hydraulic pump or lines for maintenance or replacement. 
         [0028]    As previously disclosed herein, pump housing  21  attaches to discharge elbow  61  which in turn is attached to a discharge pipe  60  running vertically up and out of the pump housing  21 , parallel to pump assembly  10 . Discharge pipe  60  terminates at an upper end  62  through the top side  79  of housing  70  and has a hose connector means  64  for sealably connecting to a flexible hose such as those of woven textiles. Upper end  62  of housing  70  further comprises a mounting plate  75 , which receives a clevis-type shackle  76  therethrough for hanging assembly  10  from a boom-style utility arm  82  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0029]    The boom arm  82 , shown attached to a utility vehicle  80 , comprises a series of extensible members  86  which allow for the precise extension and positioning of the pump near the side in the preferred aspect of the final side. Therefore it is allowable to include the same therewith in incorporation pump assembly  10  over a source of water away from the vehicle such as a pond, swimming pool, portable basin, or municipal hydrant. With boom arm  82  extended over the source of water, the hook  84 , holding pump assembly  10  by shackle  76 , is lowered by a cable winch  89  until it is submerged to a point below intake apertures  72  located in the housing. The entire assembly can be fully submerged, with no loss of performance, and preferably should be lowered into the source as much as possible to assist in pump cooling and to avoid drawing in air that may cause the pump to cavitate and/or decrease the output pressure and volume. Once the supply of water needed has been furnished, hydraulic motor  30  is shut off from vehicle  80 , or power unit, and cable winch  89  and boom arm  82  retract pump assembly  10  back to vehicle  80 . 
         [0030]    In an alternative embodiment, intake flange  23  of the present invention provides a further means for connecting assembly  10  to the discharge of a municipal hydrant so as to provide increased pressure therefrom, if desired. 
         [0031]    The description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.