Patent ID: 8875371

Claim:
An articulated conduit linkage system for maintaining a fluid connection between a fluid source and displaceable conduit buried within a subsiding permeable body, comprising: a fluid source for supplying a working fluid through a source outlet and being located outside the permeable body; a displaceable conduit for receiving the working fluid through a conduit inlet and being buried at a depth within the subsiding permeable body; a plurality of articulating conduit segments comprising: an outer conduit segment operably coupled to the source outlet with a first single-axis swivel joint; an inner conduit segment operably coupled to the conduit inlet with a second single-axis swivel joint; and at least one middle conduit segment operably connecting the outer and inner segments, respectively, with at least one single-axis swivel joint, to establish a working fluid connection between the fluid source and the displaceable conduit; and a box enclosure surrounding the plurality of articulating conduit segments and having a sliding vane panel adjacent the conduit inlet for preventing encroachment of the permeable body into the box enclosure, wherein a subsidence of the permeable body causes a relative displacement between the source outlet and the conduit inlet that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axes of both the outlet and the inlet, causing the outer and inner conduit segments to rotate in opposite directions to extend the conduit linkage system while maintaining the working fluid connection between the source outlet and the conduit inlet.