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Title:
A GULLY FOR A DRAINAGE SYSTEM AND A FLOW BRAKE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2012/107048
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A gully (1) comprises a gully side connector(3)at an outlet opening (10), and a flow brake (13) is mounted in said gully (1). The flow brake (13)has an inlet opening (17) and comprises a brake side connector (21) connected detachable to the gully side connector(3; 3') to provide a flow path through the flow brake(13) and the outlet opening(10). The flow brake inlet opening (17) has a size with a minor transverse dimension (ai; si). A housing(29)is provided covering the inlet opening (17) and at least a part of the outer flow brake wall adjacent the inlet opening (17), said housing comprising a perforated wall with a plurality of apertures spaced from the outer flow brake wall, each aperture having a minor transverse dimension (aa; aa2) not exceeding 60% of the minor transverse dimension (ai; si) of the inlet opening (17; 17').

Inventors:
JOHANNESSEN JOERGEN MOSBAEK (DK)
Application Number:
PCT/DK2012/050046
Publication Date:
August 16, 2012
Filing Date:
February 07, 2012
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
MOSBAEK AS (DK)
JOHANNESSEN JOERGEN MOSBAEK (DK)
International Classes:
E03F5/10; F15C1/16
Domestic Patent References:
WO2007052243A12007-05-10
WO2010145662A12010-12-23
WO2005017270A12005-02-24
WO2008064683A12008-06-05
Foreign References:
US20110000837A12011-01-06
US5080137A1992-01-14
US4834142A1989-05-30
US20110000837A12011-01-06
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
JØRGENSEN, Bjørn Barker et al. (Rigensgade 11, København K, DK)
Download PDF:
Claims:
P A T E N T C L A I M S

1. A gully (1) for a drainage system, said gully comprising a side wall (2; 2'), an outlet opening (10; 10') in the side wall, and a gully side connector (3; 3') at said outlet opening (10; 10'), wherein a flow brake (13), preferably a vortex brake, is mounted in said gully (1), the flow brake (13) having an outer flow brake wall (15) with a flow brake inlet opening (17; 17'), and a flow brake outlet (19), the flow brake (13) comprising at the flow brake outlet (19) a brake side connector (21) connected detachable to the gully side connector (3; 3') to provide a flow path through the flow brake (13), the brake side connector (21), the gully side connector (3; 3') and the outlet opening (10; 10'), and wherein the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17') has a first size with a major transverse dimension and a minor transverse dimension (a,; s,), cha racterized in that a housing (29; 129) is provided covering the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17') and at least a part of the outer flow brake wall (15) adjacent the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17'), said housing comprising a perforated wall (31, 7; 131, 132, 135) comprising a perforated portion with a plurality of apertures spaced from the outer flow brake wall (15), each aperture having a minor transverse dimension (aa; aa2) not exceeding 60% of the minor transverse dimension (a,; s,) of the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17').

2. A gully for a drainage system according to claim ^ cha racterized in that each aperture has a perpendicular transverse dimension (ba; ba2) perpendicular to the minor transverse dimension (aa; aa2) of said aperture, said perpendicular transverse dimension (ba; ba2) not exceeding the minor transverse dimension (a,; s,) of the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17').

3. A gully for a drainage system according to claim 1 or 2, cha racterized in that at least a portion of said housing (29; 129) is supported by the flow brake (13).

4. A gully for a drainage system according to any of the claims 1 to 3, cha racterized in that the housing (29) is encapsulating the flow brake (13).

5. A gully for a drainage system according to any of the claims 1 to 4, cha racterized in that the housing (29) comprises at least two separable portions, a portion (7) being attached to the gully side connector (3).

6. A gully for a drainage system according to any of the claims 1 to 5, cha racterized in that the walls (7, 31, 35, 53) of the housing (29) are spaced from the flow brake inlet opening (17) on at least three sides of a circumscribed square of the flow brake inlet opening (17).

7. A gully for a drainage system according to any of the claims 1 to 6, cha racterized in that gully side connector (3) comprises a portion (7) with a slanted surface slanted relative to vertical and facing oblique upwards away from the flow brake (13) and that the brake side connector (21) comprises an engagement portion (27) extending around the portion (7) of the gully side connector (3) with the slanted surface, said engagement portion (27) comprising an abutment surface for engagement with the slanted surface.

8. A flow brake (13), preferably a vortex brake, for mounting in a gully (1) of a drainage system, said gully comprising a side wall, an outlet opening in the side wall, and a gully side connector at said outlet opening, said flow brake (13) having an outer flow brake wall (15) with a flow brake inlet opening (17; 17'), and a flow brake outlet (19), the flow brake (13) comprising at the flow brake outlet (19) a brake side connector (21) for detachable connection with the gully side connector to provide a flow path through the flow brake, the brake side connector, the gully side connector and the outlet opening, and wherein the flow brake inlet (17; 17') opening has a first size with a major transverse dimension and a minor transverse dimension (a,; s,), cha racterized in that a housing (29; 129) is provided covering the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17') and at least a part of the outer flow brake wall (15) adja- cent the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17'), said housing comprising a perforated wall (31, 7; 131, 132, 135) comprising a perforated portion with a plurality of apertures spaced from the outer flow brake wall (15), each aperture having a minor transverse dimension (aa; aa2) not exceeding 60% of the minor transverse dimension (a,; s,) of the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17').

9. A flow brake according to claim 8, cha racterized in that each aperture has a perpendicular transverse dimension (ba; ba2) perpendicular to the minor transverse dimension (aa; aa2) of said aper- ture, said perpendicular transverse dimension (ba; ba2) not exceeding the minor transverse dimension (a,; s,) of the flow brake inlet opening (17; 17').

10. A flow brake according to claim 8 or 9, cha racterized in that at least a portion of said housing (29; 129) is supported by the flow brake (13).

11. A flow brake according to any of the claims 8 to 10, c h a r - acterized in that the housing (29) is encapsulating the flow brake (13).

12. A flow brake according to any of the claims 8 to 11, cha r- acterized in that the housing (29) comprises at least two separable portions, a portion being detached from the flow brake (13).

13. A flow brake according to any of the claims 8 to 12, c h a r - acterized in that the walls (7, 31, 35, 53) of the housing (29) are spaced from the flow brake inlet opening (17) on at least three sides of a circumscribed square of the flow brake inlet opening (17).

14. A flow brake according to any of the claims 8 to 13, c h a r - acterized in that the brake side connector (21) comprises an engagement portion (27) with a slanted abutment surface slanted relative to vertical and facing oblique downwards and towards a rear side of the flow brake (13).

15. A flow brake according to any of the claims 8 to 14, c h a r - acterized in that a portion of the wall (151) of the housing vis-avis the flow brake inlet opening (17') is solid.

Description:
A gully for a drainage system and a flow brake

The present invention relates to a gully for a drainage system, said gully comprising a side wall, an outlet opening in the side wall, and a gully side connector at said outlet opening, wherein a flow brake, preferably a vortex brake, is mounted in said gully, the flow brake having an outer flow brake wall with a flow brake inlet opening, and a flow brake outlet, the flow brake comprising at the flow brake outlet a brake side connector connected detachable to the gully side connector to provide a flow path through the flow brake, the brake side connector, the gully side connector and the outlet opening, and wherein the flow brake inlet opening has a first size with a major transverse dimension and a minor transverse dimension.

The invention further relates to a flow brake, preferably a vortex brake, for mounting in a gully of a drainage system.

As used herein "flow brake" and "vortex brake" is synonym with terms as "flow restrictor" and "vortex restrictor" or "flow regulator" and "vortex regulator", respectively.

It is well known that a drainage system may comprise gullies and it is also well known that it may be a wish to control or restrict the flow through an outlet of a gully in a drainage system. It is further well known to use a flow brake, such as a vortex brake to provide such control or restriction of the outlet flow cf. e.g. US-A-4 834 142.

Due to increased quantities of precipitation, particular per rain event, and consequent local flooding, it has become a wish to provide small local drainage systems with a possibility of percolation and drainage to a larger drainage system, e.g. a municipal sewer, in case the natural percolation does not suffice. For such small local drainage systems smaller dimensions of gullies, piping, etc. is required compared to the normal district drainage systems or municipal sewage system. The smaller dimensions pose increased problems of clogging and problems of access to clogged locations or components for cleaning and maintenance.

WO-A-2010145662 discloses a drainage system and a vortex brake, wherein the drainage system combines a fascine or soak pit with a gully having an outlet, at which a vortex brake or flow brake is mounted. It is foreseen that the gully is too narrow (internal diameter 30 to 65 cm) for an operator to descent for maintenance of the flow brake and it is foreseen that the flow through the brake is limited to 0.2 to 1 l/s. The drainage system is intended for installation on private land and accordingly the brake is securely installed to prevent removal thereof by the owner of the land. To resolve problems arising from clogging provisions are made for cleaning the brake from the terrain above the gully.

WO-A-2005017270 discloses a well or gully for decentralized collection, temporary storage and drainage of rain water. The gully features a diameter of 1.2 to 1.3 m and has a vortex brake at an outlet near the bottom. A rotatable grating is provided in the gully in front of the vortex brake for preventing large foreign matter from entering the brake.

WO-A-2008064683 discloses a detachably mounted vortex brake for a drainage system. To minimize the risk of clogging of the brake provisions are made to enlarge the braking efficiency of the brake relative to cross sectional dimensions of the flow path through the brake, thereby making it possible to enlarge the cross sectional area of the flow path for a given braking efficiency, and to influence the characteristics of the brake towards a given ideal characteristic. Thus a brake housing wall extension with a cross portion in front of an inlet opening in the brake housing is provided. Connecting pieces connecting a free end of the cross portion with the brake housing are provided for stabilising the cross portion. It is mentioned as a bonus-effect that the connecting pieces divides the total access route from the surroundings to the inlet opening of the brake into three parts, each of which appears to be of the same size as the inlet opening. It is further mentioned that in case of a larger solid element approaching the inlet opening a good change is that it will block only one of those parts, the connecting pieces thus acting as a coarse screen.

In public areas where the task of maintenance of gullies and flow brakes resides with the authorities flow brakes may be mounted to be detachable for maintenance and cleaning in case of clogging.

According to the present invention it is foreseen that flow brakes providing for restricting a flow from a gully to even lesser amounts than the amounts mentioned above i.e. down to 0.1 l/s will be needed for assisting a percolation system, on one hand in case of a rain event with a large quantity of precipitation and on the other hand in case of a raised groundwater level when groundwater may be led to e.g. a municipal sewer.

It is an object of the invention to provide a gully and/or a flow brake usable for controlling small flows in public areas that reduces the problems of potential clogging even when embodied in small dimensions.

This is obtained in accordance with the invention by a gully as mentioned by way of introduction, wherein a housing is provided covering the flow brake inlet opening and at least a part of the outer flow brake wall adjacent the flow brake inlet opening, said housing comprising a perforated wall comprising a perforated portion with a plurality of apertures spaced from the outer flow brake wall, each aperture having a minor transverse dimension not exceeding 60% of the minor transverse dimension of the flow brake inlet opening. Preferably each aperture has a perpendicular transverse dimension perpendicular to the minor transverse dimension of said aperture, said perpendicular transverse dimension not exceeding the minor transverse dimension of the flow brake inlet opening. By encapsulating in this way the inlet of the flow brake it is obtained that solid or non-liquid elements in the liquid drained through the gully of larger dimensions than the inlet opening of the flow brake are prevented form reaching and blocking that inlet opening while the housing may provide a large perforated surface minimizing the risk of total blocking of the access to the flow path through the flow brake.

Preferably at least a portion of said housing is supported by the flow brake. Due to the detachable connection of the flow brake with the gully side connector the flow brake may be removed for cleaning and maintenance. By letting a portion of the housing be supported by the flow brake that portion may be removed together with the flow brake for cleaning and maintenance. In an embodiment the housing is encapsulating the flow brake. This provides for a housing with a large wall capable of being perforated further minimizing the risk of total blocking of the access to the flow path through the flow brake

In a preferred embodiment the housing comprises at least two separable portions, a portion being attached to the gully side connector. Hereby the housing is opened when the portion not supported by the gully side connector is removed, thus facilitating cleaning and maintenance.

Preferably the walls of the housing are spaced from the flow brake inlet opening on at least three sides of a circumscribed square of the flow brake inlet opening. Hereby is obtained that a flow pattern of a flow of liquid into the flow brake may remain substantially undisturbed even if parts of the perforated wall of the housing are blocked.

In a preferred embodiment the gully side connector comprises a portion with a slanted surface slanted relative to vertical and facing oblique upwards away from the flow brake and that the brake side connector comprises an engagement portion extending around the portion of the gully side connector with the slanted surface, said engagement portion comprising an abutment surface for engagement with the slanted surface. This arrangement of the gully side connector and brake side connector is per se known from the above mentioned WO-A- 2008064683 and provides a wedging action forcing the two connectors against each other due to gravity.

The object is further obtained by a flow brake, especially a vortex brake, for mounting in a gully of a drainage system, said gully comprising a side wall, an outlet opening in the side wall, and a gully side connector at said outlet opening, said flow brake having an outer flow brake wall with a flow brake inlet opening, and a flow brake outlet, the flow brake comprising at the flow brake outlet a brake side connector for detachable connection with the gully side connector to provide a flow path through the flow brake, the brake side connector, the gully side connector and the outlet opening, and wherein the flow brake inlet opening has a first size with a major transverse dimension and a minor trans- verse dimension, wherein a housing is provided covering the flow brake inlet opening and at least a part of the outer flow brake wall adjacent the flow brake inlet opening, said housing comprising a perforated wall comprising a perforated portion with a plurality of apertures spaced from the outer flow brake wall, each aperture having a minor transverse dimension not exceeding 60% of the minor transverse dimension of the flow brake inlet opening.

Preferred embodiments of the flow brake are reflected above. In the following the invention will be explained in further detail by means of non-limiting examples of embodiments with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 shows partially in section a gully with a vortex brake, Fig. 2 shows the gully of Fig. 1 seen from above,

Fig. 3 shows a side view of a gully side connector of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a front view of the gully side connector of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a side view of the vortex brake of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a rear view of the vortex brake of Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a top view of the vortex brake of Fig. 5,

Fig. 8 is a partial front view of the vortex brake of Fig. 5,

Fig . 9 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a vortex brake, and

Fig. 10 is a front view of the vortex brake of Fig. 9.

Fig. 1 shows a gully 1 comprising a piece of corrugated tube e.g. of diameter 30 to 60 cm and constituting a side wall 2 of the gully. A gully side connector 3 comprises a pipe 5 carrying a slanted connector plate 7 and extending through a sealing rubber sleeve 9 in an outlet opening 10 in the side wall 2 to be connected to a drain tube 11 outside the gully 1. The gully is in the present embodiment provided with a bottom 12.

A flow brake embodied as a vortex brake 13 is connected to the gully side connector 3 inside the gully 1. The vortex brake 13 comprises an outer wall 15 defining a disc-shaped vortex chamber with an inlet opening 17, which thus constitutes a flow brake inlet opening, and an outlet 19 in the outer wall. On a rear side of the vortex brake 13 a brake side connector 21 is attached. The brake side connector 21 is made of sheeting, e.g. steel sheeting, and comprises a flat major portion with an aperture, which in the present embodiment is coaxial and congruent with the outlet 19. Laterally the sheeting of the brake side connector 21 is bent rearwards to provide two parallel portions 23, which are further bent along oblique lines 25 to provide engagement portions 27 for engagement with the slanted connector plate 7 of the gully side connector 3.

A housing 29 made in whole or in part of perforated sheeting encapsulates the vortex brake 13. A first part of the housing 29 comprises a perforated front wall 31 extending at a distance from the outer wall of the vortex brake 13 at a front side thereof, a top wall 33 cf. Fig. 7, and side walls 35 cf. Fig. 5. At the rear side of the vortex brake 13 the material of the side walls 35 are bent around vertical lines 37 to provide first strips 39 extending to the parallel portions 23 of the brake side connector 21, and around vertical lines 41 to provide second parallel strips 43 extending along the parallel portions 23. Slits 45 are left open between the top wall 33 and the engagement portions 27. The lower sides of the side walls 35 have horizontal edge portions 47 and slanted edge portions 49. Between the horizontal edge portions 47 of the two side walls a bottom wall strip 51 is extending. The first part of the housing is attached to the vortex brake 13.

The slanted connector plate 7 has a lower oppositely slanted portion 53 the slanted connector plate 7 being bent around a horizontal line 55. When the vortex brake 13 together with the first part of the housing 29 is mounted on the gully side connector 3 the slanted connector plate 7 forms a second part of the housing 29 closing the same, the oppositely slanted portion 53 extending between the slanted edge portions 49 of the side walls 35.

On top of the vortex bra ke 13 a bushing 57 is attached for mounting e.g. an operating rod 59.

The outer wall 15 of the vortex brake 13 comprises a front wall 61 and a rear wall 63 with a corner 65, and a circumferential wall, which has a straight vertical portion 67 extending upwards from the corner 65, a curved portion 69 and straight horizontal portion 71 extending towards the corner 65. However the straight horizontal portion 71 is terminated before reaching the corner 65 to provide the inlet opening 17, which is extending between the front wall 61 and the rear wall 63 and between the straight vertical portion at the corner 65 and the end of the straight horizontal portion 71. Thus the inlet opening 17 is square, either rectangular or quadratic having a minor dimension along one of its sides and a diagonal major dimension. In the present embodiment the inlet opening 17 is rectangular having a short side length a,, and a long side length b,.

The apertures or perforations of the sheeting of the housing cf.

Figs. 4 and 8 are in the present embodiment rectangular and have their longer side oriented vertically. The length a a of the short sides of the apertures are less than half of the minor dimension of the inlet opening 17 and the length b a of the longer sides of the apertures preferably equals the length b, of the longer side of the inlet opening or the length of the side of the inlet opening if quadratic.

The gully 1 may be installed e.g. in a parking lot and be extended up to ground level to receive affluent rain water from the surface of the parking lot through a covering grating or through pipes connected to the side wall 2 (not shown). The vortex brake 13 is mounted on the gully side connector 3 by being lowered there onto an upper part of the slanted connector plate 7 being provided with converging sides and its tip being bent past vertical cf. Figs. 3 and 4, for guiding the brake side connector 21. The upper part of the slanted connector plate 7 will extend through the slits 45 and the engagement portions 27 will abut on the slanted connector plate 7 while the end of the pipe 5 will abut in a sealing manner on the flat major portion of the brake side connector 21 around the outlet 19, the engagement between the slanted connector plate 7 and the engagement portions 27 providing a wedging action due to gravity forcing the end of the pipe 5 against said flat major portion. Thus a flow path is provided from the inlet opening 17, through the vortex brake 13, the outlet 19, the aperture in the flat major portion of the brake side connector 21, the pipe of the gully side connector 3 to the drain tube 11. The operating rod 59 should be provided with a length allowing the operating rod to be reached by an operator from the ground level.

Water received in the gully 1 may contain leaves, pine needles, fag ends, lolly sticks, etc., which might block the vortex brake if reaching or entering the inlet opening 17. However due to the housing with the perforated walls such potentially blocking items will rarely reach the inlet opening 17 since the apertures in the perforated walls are substantially smaller than the inlet opening 17. Items that pass the perforated walls of the housing are likely to also pass the vortex brake. Long slender items such as pine needles and lolly sticks will usually float on the water in a horizontal position and are thus most likely to be caught by the perforated walls of the housing due to the vertical orientation of the apertures.

Due to the distance between the walls of the housing and the outer wall of the vortex brake around the inlet opening 17 (apart from the side wall of the housing adjacent the inlet opening 17) the flow of liquid into the inlet opening 17 will generally follow the same pattern regardless partial blocking of the perforated walls of the housing by leaves and other items.

Providing a housing totally encapsulating with a perforated wall the vortex brake like in the present embodiment greatly reduces the risk of the perforated wall of the housing being totally blocked. Should this however happen, the vortex brake may together with the first part of the housing be extracted from the gully by means of the operating rod 59 for cleaning and maintenance.

Figs. 9 and 10 show another embodiment with a similar vortex brake 13 but with a diminutive housing. For similar parts similar reference numerals are used. An outer wall of the vortex brake 13 comprises a front wall 61, a rear wall 63, and a brake side connector 21 is attached to the rear wall 63 at an outlet 19. The brake side connector 21 is connected to a gully side connector 3' comprising a pipe 5' carrying a slanted connector plate 7. The pi pe 5' is in this case attached to a mounting plate 75 mounted in a sealing manner on a gully side wall 2' at an outlet opening 10' therein. The outer wall of the vortex brake 13 further comprises a circumferential wall with a straight vertical portion 67 extending from a corner 65, a curved portion 69 and a straight horizontal portion 71 extending to an inlet opening 17', which in this case is quadratic having a side length s,.

In the present embodiment the vortex brake 13 carries a housing 129 comprising a perforated front wall 131 and a perforated rear wall 132 in extension of the front wall 61 and the rear wall 63, respectively. The housing 129 further has perforated side walls 135 and a bottom wall 151 spaced from the straight horizontal portion 71 and the inlet opening 17'. The bottom wall 151 may be unperforated i.e. solid, or comprise an unperforated portion vis-a-vis the inlet opening 17'. Such solid or unperforated portion will prevent penetration of a long slender item into the inlet opening 17'. Also such solid or unperforated portion vis-a-vis the inlet opening 17' may influence the flow into the vortex brake cf. US-A-4 834 142. The housing is covering the inlet opening 17' and a part of the straight horizontal portion 71 of the circumferential wall of the vortex brake 13.

Apertures in the perforated walls of the housing are rectangular and have a width a a2 of approximately half of the side length s, and a height or length b a2 of a little less than the side length s, of the inlet opening 17'.

Means for attaching an operating rod or the like are not shown in Figs. 9 and 10, but it should be understood that preferably such means will be provided in this embodiment as in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 8. The vortex brake shown in Figs. 9 and 10 is used and operated substantially in the same way as the vortex brake shown in Figs. 1 to 8.