US3687576A - Guiding device for pumps lowerable in shafts - Google Patents

Abstract

A guiding device for pumps lowerable in a shaft, in which the guiding device is arranged to be torsioned, inclined or otherwise formed in such a way that the associated pumps, in conjunction with raising or lowering, are given also a lateral movement, and in which the paths of the pumps are arranged to diverge during their lowering and converging during their raising.

Description

United States Patent Wikholm et al.

GUIDING DEVICE FOR PUMPS LOWERABLE IN SHAFTS lnventors: Sture Sven-Olof Wikholm; Carl Evert Sjiistrand, Solna, both of Sweden Assignee: Ster herg-Flygt AB, Solna, Sweden Filed: Nov. 5, 1970 Appl. No.: 87,137

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 29, 1972 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,234,885 2/1966 Englesson ..4l7/360 3,018,925 1 1962 Englesson ..4l7/360 Primary Examiner-Robert M. Walker Att0meySughrue, Rothwell, Mion, Zinn & Macpeak [57] ABSTRACT A guiding device for pumps lowerable in a shaft, in

Nov. 17 1969 Sweden ..1577l/69 which the guiding device is ammged to he inclined or otherwise formed in such a way that the as- U S Cl 417/424 417/360 222/385 sociated pumps, in conjunction with raising or lower- F04b 35/00 F02") 35/04 ing, are given also a lateral movement, and in which B67d 6 the paths of the pumps are arranged to diverge during Field of ch 417/424 360 6 33 35 5 their lowering and converging during their raising.

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PATENTEDmszs m2 PRIOR ART GUIDING DEVICE FOR PUMPS LOWERABLE IN SHAFTS The invention relates to a guiding device for pumps submersible in shafts and, via a guide block or the like, steered by means of downward directed structural members or the like.

It is a known procedure to arrange, for example, submersible sewage pumps in underground shafts on vertical guides, rails or the like in order, for servicing, repair, overhaul etc., to be able to hoist the pump out of the sewage water to an opening in the top of the shaft. The pump is steered, for example by a guide block on two parallel tubes or other structural sections. The latter are secured at or near the bottom of the shaft and to an upper attachment at or near the opening. It is desirable that the upper attachment and the upper ends of the guides are situated as high as possible so that, when the pump is to be lowered, it can be conveniently fitted to the guides. This implies, inter alia, that the guides should extend practically up to the opening.

In double-pump stations, for example, which are common owing to the various advantages involved, a certain minimum distance is required between the pumps. This necessitates a larger opening than would otherwise be necessary and may often involve problems and extra cost for the location of such pump stations in streets, turning zones, factory yards etc. with heavy vehicle traffic, owing to the need for large, trafficable manhole covers and robust load-bearing structures, which are expensive and extremely heavy when required to carry heavy loads and for the present spans required. Such manhole covers are usually made of cast iron with concrete shafts and must be lifted with a truck-mounted crane, tackle, pulley block, or the like.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate or at least greatly reduce these disamenities at such pump stations with two or more pumps.

This is achieved according to the invention chiefly through the fact that the guiding device is torsioned, inclined, bent or otherwise shaped in such a way that the pump, when raised and lowered, is caused to move also sideways, the paths of motion of the various pumps diverging in the lowering operation and converging in the raising operation.

The invention and further developments of it will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, of which FIG. 1 shows a shaft opening for a single-pump station, viewed from above,

FIG. 2 the shaft opening of a conventional doublepump station, viewed from above,

FIG. 3 the shaft opening of a double-pump station according to the invention, viewed from above,

FIG. 4 a vertical section through a double-pump station according to the invention,

FIG. 5 the shaft opening of FIG. 4, viewed from above,

FIG. 6 an alternative embodiment, viewed from the side,

FIG. 7 is a schematic of helical guide means.

FIG. 1 shows the shaft opening 1 of a single-pump station. The pump 2 can be raised and lowered and is guided by means of a guide block, not illustrated, running on two tubular guides 6 and 7. The guides 6 and 7 are secured at the top by means of an upper attachment 4.

The shaft opening of a conventional double-pump station is shown in FIG. 2, in which two pumps 2 and 3, in the same way as in the embodiment in FIG. 1, are vertically steered by straight tubular guides 6 and 7 and, respectively, 8 and 9, secured to the upper attachments 4 and 5. It is clearly seen that the shaft opening 1 in FIG. 2 is roughly twice as large as in FIG. 1. Either the cover of the shaft, therefore must be considerably more robust owing to its size or an extra loadbearing structure 20 must be arranged.

FIG. 3 as well shows the shaft opening of a doublepump station, but in this case, through application of the invention, the size of the opening is practically the same as for the single-pump station in FIG. 1. As appears from the figure, the upper attachments 4 and 5 of the essentially straight tubular guides are placed in the corners of the opening and set at an angle in relation to the lower guide attachments, so that the pumps 2, 3, when raised or lowered, slide in a helical path round a vertical axis between a lower, swung-out position 10 and an upper position 11 swung-in towards the center, so that the smaller shaft opening 1 will be sufficiently large. Alternatively one tube 7, 9 may be straight and the other 6, 8 run in a helix round the former.

A vertical section through a double-pump station according to the invention is shown in FIG. 4, its horizontal section in FIG. 5. The shaft 13 of the pump station has a cover 18. Immediately under the cover 18 in two corners of the shaft opening 1 are the upper attachments 4 and 5 to which are secured the slightly flexible tubular guides 6, 7, 8, 9. The attachments 4 and 5 are again set at an angle with respect to the associated fittings 14 and 15 for, respectively, the outlet flanges l6 and 17 of pumps 2 and 3.

One pump 3 is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, partially by dotted lines in the lower, swung-out position 10, corresponding to its working position. The outlet flange 17' 'of the pump 3 bears against the pipe line flange 19 of the fitting 15. When the pump 3 is raised, it slides with the guide block 12 along the tubular guides 8 and 9, is turned towards the center of the shaft opening and finally assumes the upper position 11, shown by fully drawn lines, swung-in towards the center, where the outlet flange 17 of the pump forms a given angle with flange 19 of the fitting 15.

FIG. 6, finally, shows an alternative embodiment in which the guides 6, 8 are set at an incline, approaching one another towards the top. Each guide may consist, for example, of two tubes or an I-beam, T-beam or the like, and here runs straight along its entire length. Especially if the upper, narrower part of the shaft is of fairly considerable length, the guide may be formed with a bend or in a gradual arc, in which case the two guides 6, 8 can run parallel to one another at their top end while running apart at the bottom end.

The guide blocks 12 and fittings of the pumps 2, 3 may be of optional form and are not covered by the invention, for which reason no details in these respects are shown in the figures. The same applies to the actual hoisting and lowering device, which may be of known type and is not shown in the drawing.

Compared with hitherto known pump stations for several pumps, accordingly, the invention permits a reduction of the shaft opening, and the elimination of the otherwise necessary extra load-bearing structure or reinforcement of the cover, compared with corresponding single-pump stations.

Naturally the invention is not limited to doublepump stations but is also applicable to pump stations with arbitrary number of raisable and lowerable pumps. Nor is the form of the guide device according to the invention limited to the use of tubular guides, but any guide device whatsoever can be used which permits a lateral movement in conjunction with hoisting or lowering. Nor need the lateral movement necessarily consist of a swinging motion as indicated in the embodiments in FIGS. 3-5, or in a lateral displacement as in FIG. 6, but may also take place by other means. Furthermore the lateral movement need not take place successively during the entire vertical movement but can, of course, take place along a limited portion of it, and also in one or more steps. At a double-pump station, finally, the guide device of only one pump may be constructed according to the invention and the other by conventional means.

FIG. 7 discloses guide means consisting of a straight tube 16 and a second tube 17 extending helically about the straight tube 16.

What we claim is:

l. A guiding device for pumps lowerable in a shaft to an operative position comprising:

at least a pair of pumps; guide means for each respective pump for horizontally rotating each pump from its initial position at the entrance of the shaft to its operative position, the paths of the pumps along the guide means diverging during their lowering and converging during their raising relative to each other; and

means on each pump for connection to its respective guide means.

2. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes members that are slanted relative to the vertical axis of the shaft.

3. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes two rod members that are twisted relative to each other about their common mid line.

4. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes a pair of rods, one straight and the other extending helically about the axis of the straight rod.

Claims (4)

1. A guiding device for pumps lowerable in a shaft to an operative position comprising: at least a pair of pumps; guide means for each respective pump for horizontally rotating each pump from its initial position at the entrance of the shaft to its operative position, the paths of the pumps along the guide means diverging during their lowering and converging during their raising relative to each other; and means on each pump for connection to its respective guide means.

2. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes members that are slanted relative to the vertical axis of the shaft.

3. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes two rod members that are twisted relative to each other about their common mid line.

4. A guiding device according to claim 1 where the guide means includes a pair of rods, one straight and the other extending helically about the axis of the straight rod.

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