Patent ID: 7357872

Claim:
A method of raising the level of liquid in an open channel flow of liquid flowing down an inclined bottom collection trough extending beneath a machine tool installation to collect draining cutting fluid and entrained chips to form an open channel liquid flow stream within said collection trough, comprising the steps of: guiding said open channel liquid stream in said collection trough into a housing having a bottom surface configured to receive said flowing liquid stream; successively sweeping each of a plurality of blades into said flowing liquid stream to sweep liquid and chips along said housing bottom surface and up an upwardly curving wall surface into an exit chute extending back in a reverse direction from said flowing liquid stream, and over a weir edge located in said exit chute; causing said open channel flow stream to plunge down into the region whereat blades sweep into said flow stream through a vertical drop sufficient to prevent a substantial disturbance in said open channel flow upstream from said region whereat said blades sweep into said flow.