U.S. patent application number 11/936310 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-02 for systems and methods for extracting and purifying water from groundwater sources.
Invention is credited to Michael J. Harrington, Katherine Reinleitner.
Application Number | 20080237147 11/936310 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38690880 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080237147 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Harrington; Michael J. ; et
al. |
October 2, 2008 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR EXTRACTING AND PURIFYING WATER FROM
GROUNDWATER SOURCES
Abstract
Systems and methods for water extraction and purification are
disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a system includes at
least one water lifting unit that fluidly communicates with a
groundwater source, and a gas generator that is fluidly coupled to
the at least one water lifting unit to generate a gas that
buoyantly moves water from the groundwater source to a water
consumer.
Inventors: |
Harrington; Michael J.;
(Bellevue, WA) ; Reinleitner; Katherine;
(Bellevue, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWEGMAN, LUNDBERG & WOESSNER, P.A.
P.O. BOX 2938
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
38690880 |
Appl. No.: |
11/936310 |
Filed: |
November 7, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11488206 |
Jul 18, 2006 |
7297254 |
|
|
11936310 |
|
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|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
210/754 ;
210/170.07; 210/749 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C02F 2303/04 20130101;
C02F 1/722 20130101; C02F 1/76 20130101; F04F 1/08 20130101; F04F
1/20 20130101; C02F 1/78 20130101; C02F 2103/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
210/754 ;
210/170.07; 210/749 |
International
Class: |
C02F 1/76 20060101
C02F001/76; C02F 1/68 20060101 C02F001/68 |
Claims
1. A groundwater pumping and purification apparatus, comprising: a
pumping stack configured to fluidly communicate with a groundwater
source at one end, and to provide purified water to a water
consumer at an opposing end; and a gas generation source coupleable
to the pumping stack and configured to provide a gas to the pumping
stack to buoyantly move the groundwater within the pumping stack,
the gas including a water purification agent that purifies the
water as the water is moved from the groundwater source to the
water consumer.
2. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the water purification agent comprises a water
sterilization agent, further comprising at least one of ozone,
chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a
halide-based compound.
3. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 1,
wherein the pumping stack comprises a plurality of water transfer
units that are configured to extend from the groundwater source to
the water consumer, the plurality of water transfer units defining
a pumping path extending from the groundwater source to the water
consumer.
4. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 3,
wherein the pumping path comprises a first parallel pumping path
and a second parallel pumping path, each of the first parallel
pumping path and the second parallel pumping path extending from
the groundwater source to the water consumer.
5. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 4,
wherein one of the first parallel pumping path and the second
parallel pumping path comprise a redundant pumping path.
6. The groundwater pumping and purification apparatus of claim 3,
wherein the pumping path comprises a plurality of serially-coupled
water transfer units.
7. A groundwater pumping apparatus, comprising: a pumping stack
including at least one water transfer unit configured to fluidly
communicate with a groundwater source at one end, and to provide
purified water to a water consumer at an opposing end, the water
transfer unit further comprising: a water collector having a closed
bottom that is configured to sealably retain a volume of water and
having an open top; a lift tube sealably extending into the volume
through the closed bottom that is configured to transport water
from the groundwater source into the volume; and a gas source
configured to provide a gas to the lift tube to buoyantly move the
groundwater within the lift tube.
8. The groundwater pumping apparatus of claim 7, wherein the gas
source is configured to introduce a water purification agent into
the water transported in the lift tube.
9. The groundwater pumping apparatus of claim 8, wherein the water
purification agent comprises at least one of ozone, chlorine, a
compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based
compound.
10. An apparatus, comprising: a pumping stack configured to extend
to a groundwater source and operable to buoyantly move water from
the groundwater source to a water consumer, the pumping stack
having a plurality of serially-coupled water lifting units, wherein
a water lifting unit comprises: a sealed water collector configured
to retain a volume of water therein and exposed to an ambient
atmosphere; and at least one lift tube sealably extending through a
lower portion of the water collector and configured to buoyantly
lift the water into the water collector.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, comprising a gas source configured
to be coupled to the at least one lift tube to buoyantly move the
water within the lift tube.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the gas source is configured
to introduce a water purification agent into the water transported
in the lift tube, the water purification agent comprising at least
one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide
and a halide-based compound.
13. A system, comprising: a gas generation source configured to
provide a pressurized gas that includes a water purification agent;
at least one water lifting unit coupleable to the gas generation
source and configured to extend from a groundwater source to a
water consumer, the lifting unit further comprising: a water
collector configured to retain a volume of water and having a
sealed bottom and an open top; and at least one lift tube sealably
extending through the sealed bottom of the water collector and
configured to buoyantly lift the water into the water collector
when the gas is introduced into the at least one lift tube.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the gas generation source is
coupleable to a water purification unit that provides the water
purification gas to the compressed gas, further wherein the water
purification gas includes at least one of ozone, chlorine, a
compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide and a halide-based
compound.
15. The system of claim 13, comprising a power supply coupleable to
the gas generation source that provides energy to the gas
generation source, the power supply including at least one of a
storage battery, a photovoltaic device, an electrical generator and
a fuel cell.
16. The system of claim 13, comprising a gas emitter positioned
within the lift tube that is configured to introduce the gas into
the lift tube.
17. A method of extracting and purifying water recovered from a
groundwater source, comprising: extending at least one water
lifting unit to the groundwater source; providing a compressed gas
to the at least one water lifting unit that includes a
predetermined concentration of a water purification agent; and
buoyantly transporting and purifying water as the water moves
upwardly from the groundwater source to a water consumer.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein extending at least one water
lifting unit to the groundwater source comprises: coupling a water
collector configured to retain a volume of water to at least one
lift tube configured to buoyantly lift the water into the water
collector, the sealed water collector having a sealed bottom
portion and an open top portion; and distributing the compressed
gas to the at least one lift tube through a gas emitter positioned
within the at least one tube.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein providing a compressed gas to
the at least one water lifting unit comprises providing at least
one of ozone, chlorine, a compound of chlorine, hydrogen peroxide
and a halide-based compound.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein extending at least one water
lifting unit comprises providing one of a parallel water lifting
path and a serial water lifting path.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/488,206, filed Jul. 18, 2006, which
application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates generally to water extraction and
processing, and more particularly to systems and methods for
extracting and purifying water recovered from a groundwater
source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Although water occupies a substantial portion of the Earth's
surface, a relatively small portion (approximately about one
percent) of this water is fresh water. Of that portion, even less
is immediately suitable for human consumption. In most cases, the
available fresh water must be recovered and suitably processed in
order to eliminate dangerous water borne pathogens that may be
present. In most developed nations of the world, water treatment
and pumping plants are generally available to recover the water
from surface or subterranean sources and to suitably treat the
water so that it is safe for human consumption. The water treatment
and pumping plant may then provide the suitably treated water to a
distribution network so that safe drinking water is supplied to
various water consumers over a widespread area.
[0004] In contrast, in the developing nations of the world, safe
drinking water is typically unavailable due to economic as well as
climatic reasons. For example, constructing and maintaining
suitable water treatment and pumping plants is not economically
obtainable in most cases due to the relatively high cost associated
with these plants. Moreover, since many portions of the developing
world are typically arid, the only suitable water is available from
deep groundwater sources that are relatively expensive to exploit,
due to the relatively deep well that must be drilled, and the large
pumping plant that is required to extract useable volumes of water.
Consequently, most drinking water is locally obtained from any
available water source. Typically, relatively shallow groundwaters
are extracted from boreholes or shallow wells to provide useable
amounts of drinking water. Unfortunately, water obtained from
shallow groundwater sources is generally of a low bacteriological
quality (e.g., having a relatively high bacteriological
concentration).
[0005] Accordingly, many persons in the developing world do not
have access to adequate amounts of safe drinking water, which has
adversely affected the state of public health in these regions. For
example, drinking water of substandard quality has significantly
contributed to infant mortality in the developing world. According
to recent estimates, infant mortality rates in the underdeveloped
world range between approximately 160 and 180 deaths per
one-thousand live births, as compared with approximately five to
seven deaths per one-thousand live births in the developed world.
One factor that significantly contributes to the high infant
mortality rate in the developing world are the various waterborne
diseases such as cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, gastroenteritis
and others that are frequently present in drinking water.
[0006] There is therefore a distinct need to provide an apparatus
and method that provides potable water in sufficient quantities. At
present, approximately one in three children on the African
continent are affected by drinking contaminated water. As a
consequence, more children die due to diarrhea contracted from
contaminated drinking water than from any other single cause. Since
a child suffering from diarrhea necessarily consumes resources than
are not required by ordinary, healthy children. For example, caring
for the sick child requires intravenous fluids, sterile set-ups and
a nurse and/or physician who can administer them. Sterile
intravenous set-ups and nurses and/or physicians to administer them
are all too scarce in rural Africa. In severe cases, the child may
require a hospital or clinic. This is often very difficult, or even
impossible since transporting the sick child through rural areas of
African countries may not be possible. Still further, since babies
dehydrate so quickly, the child often will die while being
transported to the hospital or clinic. Accordingly, in the unlikely
event that the child survives by receiving adequate care, the child
may become infected again quite soon, if a new source of clean
water is not found.
[0007] In most of Africa, the primary contaminant in the ground
water is bacteria. At present, to obtain relatively uncontaminated
water, wells are dug very deep, often to depths of more than 200
feet. The cost associated with establishing deep wells is very
high, often in the range of approximately about $20,000 (USD).
Moreover, deep wells further require powerful submersible pumps to
extract water from the well. Accordingly, large amounts of
electrical power are required, which is generally scarce in
underdeveloped regions. Suitable submersible pumps further require
engineering support to install and maintain the pump, and to make
certain that it has an adequate power source to operate the pump.
Obviously, the necessary engineering support is generally also
unavailable in underdeveloped regions, such as rural Africa.
[0008] What is needed in the art are systems and methods for
extracting and purifying water so that relatively contaminated
water sources may be used to provide useful amounts of safe
drinking water.
SUMMARY
[0009] The present invention comprises systems and methods for
water extraction and purification. In one aspect, the invention
includes at least one water lifting unit that fluidly communicates
with a groundwater source, and a gas generator that is fluidly
coupled to the at least one water lifting unit to generate a gas
that buoyantly moves water from the groundwater source to a water
consumer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail
below with reference to the following drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagrammatic view of a system for
extracting and purifying water obtained from a groundwater source,
according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a partial isometric view of the water transfer
unit of FIG. 1, according to another embodiment of the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2A is a partial isometric view of a water transfer
unit; according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a partial isometric view of a water transfer unit,
according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view of a groundwater pumping
apparatus, according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side-elevational view of another groundwater
pumping apparatus, according to another embodiment of the
invention; and
[0017] FIG. 6 is a flowchart that describes a method of extracting
and purifying water recovered from a groundwater source.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The present invention relates to systems and methods for
extracting and purifying water recovered from groundwater sources.
Many specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are
set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1 through 6 to
provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. One skilled
in the art, however, will understand that the present invention may
have additional embodiments, or that the present invention may be
practiced without several of the details described in the following
description. It is also understood that the term "groundwater" may
refer to water recoverable from subterranean sources as well as
water recovered from surface bodies of water, such as streams,
ponds, marshes and other similar bodies of water. Still further, it
is also understood that the term "water purification" may refer to
one or more of a water disinfectant process, a sediment removal
process, or the removal of any other undesired water contaminant,
such as a water deionization process.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagrammatic view of a system 10 for
extracting and purifying water obtained from a groundwater source,
according to an embodiment of the invention. The system 10 includes
a water transfer and treatment unit 12 that is operable to accept
water at a first end of the water transfer and treatment unit 12
and move the water to an opposing second end of the water transfer
and treatment unit 12. Briefly, and in general terms, the water
transfer and treatment unit 12 is configured to move the water by
receiving a compressed gas from a gas generation unit 14 so that a
relatively low density gas-water mixture is generated, so that the
gas-water mixture moves by buoyant forces from the first end of the
water transfer and treatment unit 12 to the second end. The water
transfer and treatment unit 12 will be described in greater detail
below.
[0020] The gas generation unit 14 is operable to provide a
compressed gas at a predetermined pressure and flow rate to the
water transfer and treatment unit 12. In one specific embodiment,
the gas generation unit 14 includes any self-contained compressed
gas source, such as a pressure vessel configured to contain the
compressed gas, and a suitable pressure regulation device coupled
to the pressure vessel that is configured to provide the
predetermined pressure and flow rate to the water transfer and
treatment unit 12. In another specific embodiment, the gas
generation unit 14 is a mechanical gas compression device, such as
a mechanically driven diaphragm compressor, which may be coupled to
a suitable pressure vessel to store the compressed gas. One
suitable diaphragm compressor is available from KNF Neuberger,
Incorporated of Trenton, N.J., although other alternatives exist.
In another specific embodiment, a chemical gas generator may be
used to provide the compressed gas. The chemical gas generator
provides the compressed gas through a chemical reaction between
selected reactants. Alternately, the reaction may involve a
reactant that is exposed to a selected catalyst, so that the
compressed gas is generated. For example, the reactant may include
hydrogen peroxide that is exposed to a transition metal catalyst,
so that steam and oxygen are evolved from the reaction.
[0021] In any case, the gas generation unit 14 also includes a
water purification device (not shown in FIG. 1). The water
purification device is configured to controllably release a water
purification agent into the compressed gas that is, in turn,
supplied to the water transfer and treatment unit 12. The water
purification agent may include chlorine gas, or other compounds of
chlorine, such as chlorine dioxide, chloramines and sodium
hypochlorite. In a specific embodiment, however, the water
purification agent is at least one of the well-known allotropic
forms of oxygen, such as ozone. Accordingly, the water purification
device may include any device that is configured to generate
sufficiently useful amounts of ozone. For example, the water
purification device may include known devices that are operable to
generate ozone using ultraviolet illumination sources or corona
discharge sources. One example of a suitable ozone generator is the
AOS-1MP Corona Discharge Ozone Generator, available from applied
Ozone Systems, Incorporated of Auburn, Calif., although other
suitable alternatives are readily available. Depending upon a
desired water purity value, the selected purifying agent, as well
as other factors, the water purification device is further
configured to provide the selected agent to the gas at a
predetermined rate. When a chemical gas generator is used, the
reaction that generates the gas may also include the purification
agent. For example, when hydrogen peroxide is evolved by the
reaction, the hydrogen peroxide may also serve as an effective
water purification agent. In other embodiments, the water
purification device may be configured to controllably release a
halide-based purification agent into the compressed gas.
[0022] Still referring to FIG. 1, the system 10 also includes a
power supply 16 that is operably coupled to the gas generation unit
14. In one embodiment, the power supply 16 is configured to provide
electrical energy at a desired voltage and current to the gas
generation unit 14 to energize the mechanical gas compression
device and/or the water purification device. Accordingly, the power
supply 16 may include an alternating current (AC) power source
(such as an existing AC power distribution network) that may be
rectified by known methods to generate direct current power (DC),
if desired. The power supply 16 may also include one or more
storage batteries, which may be coupled to a suitable inverter
device if AC is required by at least one of the mechanical gas
compression device and/or the water purification device.
Alternately, the power supply 16 may also include one or more
photovoltaic units (e.g., "solar cells") that are operable to
provide electrical energy in response to illumination of the
photovoltaic units from an illumination source. The photovoltaic
units may be further coupled to one or more storage batteries so
that electrical energy may be provided to the gas generation unit
14 during periods when the illumination source provides minimal, or
even no illumination to the photovoltaic units.
[0023] Still other devices may be used to supply electrical energy
to the gas generation unit 14. For example, in another specific
embodiment, the power supply 16 may include a manually operated
electrical generator (or alternator) that is suited to receive a
power input from a human or an animal locomotive source.
Alternately, the electrical generator may be coupled to a prime
mover, such as a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, or other known
prime movers. The power supply 16 may also include a fuel cell
device, such as a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) device that
generates an electrical current in response to the oxidation of
methanol in the presence of a catalyst. One suitable DMFC device is
the SFC A50 DMFC, available from SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, of
Germany, although other alternatives exist.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a partial isometric view of the water transfer and
treatment unit 12 of FIG. 1, according to another embodiment of the
invention. The water transfer and treatment unit 12 includes a
water collector 18 having an interior volume and a sealed end 20
that is configured to contain a corresponding volume of water.
Although not shown in FIG. 2, the water collector 18 may also
include an activated carbon bed that promotes adsorption of various
undesired metals and compounds. In other alternative embodiments,
the activated carbon bed may be positioned in other portions of the
unit 12. A lift tube 22 includes a first end 24 that sealably
extends through the sealed end 20 and into the interior volume of
the water collector 18, and an opposing second end 26 that extends
outwardly from the sealed end 20 for a selected distance l. The
lift tube 22 also includes a gas emitter tube 28 that extends
longitudinally along at least a portion of a length of the lift
tube 22 and extends outwardly from the first end 24 of the lift
tube 22 so that the gas emitter tube 28 may be coupled to the gas
generation unit 14 (FIG. 1). The gas emitter tube 28 also includes
a gas emitter 30 that is coupled to a distal end of the gas emitter
tube 28 and positioned proximate to the second end 26 of the lift
tube 22. For clarity of illustration, a portion of the lift tube 22
has been cut away to illustrate this structural detail. Although
FIG. 2 shows the gas emitter tube 28 extending along a length of
the lift tube 22, it is understood that the gas emitter tube 28 may
be oriented in other directions. For example, the gas emitter tube
28 may project through a wall of the lift tube 22 and extend
laterally outwardly from the lift tube 22 in any desired direction.
In other specific embodiments, the gas emitter tube 28 may be
coiled about the lift tube 22.
[0025] The gas emitter 30 may be comprised of a generally porous
material having a selected porosity that permits a gas supplied to
the gas emitter tube 28 to be released into an interior portion of
the lift tube 22. Accordingly, the gas emitter 30 may be formed
from a metal, such as bronze, or other similar metals that is
sintered. Alternately, the gas emitter 30 may be formed from a
fused granular material such as silica sand, or other similar
granular materials. Still other materials may be used to form the
gas emitter 30. For example, the gas emitter 30 may be formed from
a fired, non-glazed porcelain material. The gas emitter 30 may also
be formed from a polymeric material having a desired porosity.
Although FIG. 2 shows a gas emitter formed from a generally porous
material, it is understood that the gas emitter 30 may also be
comprised of a gas emitter tube 28 having a closed end with one or
more apertures projecting through a wall portion of the gas emitter
tube 28. It is further understood that the gas emitter 30 may also
be comprised of an open end of the gas emitter tube 28.
[0026] The water transfer and treatment unit 12 may include a
filter device 32 configured to be received by the second end 26 of
the lift tube 22 that is operable to prevent undesired solid
material from entering the lift tube 22 when water is introduced
into the lift tube 22. Accordingly, the filter device 32 may
include a screen formed from a woven material having a desired open
area to exclude the solid material from the lift tube 22.
Alternately, the filter device 32 may also include a filter matrix
comprised of a relatively dense network of fibers that is operable
to trap and retain relatively small solid materials that may be
present in the water. Although FIG. 2 shows the filter device 32
coupled to the second end 26 of the lift tube 22, it is understood
that the filter device 32 may be coupled to other selected portions
of the water transfer and treatment unit 12.
[0027] Still referring to FIG. 2, the operation of the water
transfer and treatment unit 12 will now be described in detail.
With the second end 26 of the lift tube 22 immersed in water to at
least a depth d that is sufficient to fully immerse the gas emitter
30 below a surface of the water. The depth d is also generally at
least a height sufficient to provide a balancing head between the
pure water outside the tube 22 and the gas-water mixture existing
at the first end 24. The gas generation unit 14 transfers the gas
at a predetermined flow rate and pressure through the gas emitter
tube 28 to the gas emitter 30. Gas released from the gas emitter 30
mixes with the water surrounding the gas emitter 30 and forms a
gas-water mixture of relatively lower density. Accordingly, the
gas-water mixture moves through the lift tube 22 and towards the
water collector 18, so that a pumping head is developed that draws
additional water into the second end 26 of the lift tube 22. Upon
reaching the first end 24 of the lift tube 22, the gas-water
mixture is introduced into the water collector 18, where the water
component of the mixture is captured, while the gas component is
released. Since the gas component in the gas-water mixture may
include a water purification agent, the water component is subject
to purification as it moves within the collector 18 and the lift
tube 22. Since the gas provided to the gas emitter tube 28 may be
selectively regulated, a residence time for the exposure of the
water to the water purification agent may be continuously adjusted.
It will be readily appreciated that a plurality of units 12 may be
serially coupled to transport water through various distances, as
will be described in greater detail below. Accordingly, as shown in
FIG. 2, a second end 26 of the lift tube 22 that corresponds to an
adjacent unit 12 is positioned within the water collector 18 so
that water may be further transported from the collector 18 and
into the lift tube 22 of the adjacent unit 12. It is also
understood that water may be repeatedly routed through one or more
of the units 12 in order to achieve an enhanced water purification
effect.
[0028] FIG. 2A is a partial isometric view of a water transfer unit
34, according to another embodiment of the invention. Many of the
details of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A have been described in
detail in connection with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.
Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, these details will not be
described further. The water transfer unit 34 includes a fluid
transfer line 36 that fluidly couples a pair of laterally
spaced-apart water collectors 18. Accordingly, the water transfer
unit 34 is operable to move the water in a lateral direction as it
is generally moved upwardly.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a partial isometric view of a water transfer unit
40, according to another embodiment of the invention. The water
transfer unit 40 includes a water collector 42, which may be
substantially as described in connection with the embodiment shown
in FIG. 2. The water collector 42 is coupled to a lift assembly 44
that includes more than one lift tube 46. Each of the lift tubes 46
may also be substantially as described in connection with FIG. 2.
Accordingly, each of the lift tubes 46 is configured to generate a
pumping head that is operable to transfer water to a first end 48
of the lift assembly 44 from a second end 50. Although the lift
assembly 44 shown in FIG. 3 includes a pair of the lift tubes 46
having approximately similar diameters and lengths, it is
understood that more than two of the lift tubes 46 may be included
in the lift assembly 44, and that the lift tubes 46 may have
different diameters and/or lengths. Additionally, each of the lift
tubes 46 in the lift assembly 44 may be independently actuated so
that a pumping head may be independently generated in each of the
lift tubes 46 by selectively providing gas to the lift tubes 46.
Further, although the lift assembly 44 shown in FIG. 3 includes a
pair of spaced-apart lift tubes 46, it is understood that the lift
assembly 44 may be fabricated as a unitary assembly, wherein the
lift tubes 46 are mutually fixedly joined together.
[0030] The foregoing embodiment advantageously allows greater
volumetric flow rates to be transferred than is generally
achievable using a single lift tube. Further, since the foregoing
embodiment provides more than one lift tube 46, the water transfer
unit 40 will continue to pump water to the water collector 42 when
one or more of the lift tubes 46 become inoperable due to clogging
of the tube 46, or by failure of the gas emitter 30, or due to
other reasons. Still other advantages are apparent in the foregoing
embodiment. For example, since the lift tubes 46 may be
independently controlled (e.g., by separately controlling a gas
flow rate and/or pressure delivered to the gas emitter 30), the
volumetric flow rate of the water transfer unit 40 may be
selectively adjusted to provide a desired volumetric flow rate.
[0031] FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view of a groundwater pumping
and purification apparatus 60 according to another embodiment of
the invention. The apparatus 60 is configured to be positioned
within an earthen excavation 62, such as a borehole, or a well, so
that a portion of the apparatus 60 is in fluid communication with a
water pool 64 that occupies a lower portion of the excavation 60.
The apparatus 60 includes a pumping stack 66 that extends
downwardly into the excavation 60, and includes one or more of the
water transfer and treatment units 12 and the water transfer unit
40 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, respectively. The water transfer and
treatment unit 12 and/or the water transfer unit 40 may be serially
coupled to fully extend into a water pool 64 in the lower portion
of the excavation 60. Although not shown in FIG. 4, it is
nevertheless understood that the pumping stack 66 may also include
a supporting structure that is fixedly coupled to each of the water
transfer units to impart sufficient structural rigidity to the
pumping stack 66. The apparatus 60 also includes a main collector
68 that may be used to collect water that is pumped upwardly by the
pumping stack 66. The main collector 68 may include one or more
taps 70 that are fluidly coupled to the main collector 68 so that
water pumped by the pumping stack 66 may be removed from the
apparatus 60. The main collector 68 may also include a gas emitter
interface 72 that is operably coupled to the gas generation unit
14, as shown in FIG. 1. The gas emitter interface 72 may include a
gas flow regulation device 74 that is configured to control an
amount of gas provided to the interface 72. The interface 72 may be
configured to provide different gas flow rates to the water
transfer and treatment unit 12 and/or the water transfer unit 40
comprising the pumping stack 66. Accordingly, a pumping rate and/or
a residence time for the purification agent may be effectively
adjustably controlled. A gas recovery cap 76 may be positioned at
an upper portion of the excavation 62 that is suitably configured
to capture the purification agent released within the excavation
62, and to route the recovered purification agent to the gas
generation unit 14 through a recovery line 78.
[0032] The foregoing embodiment advantageously allows water to be
extracted from wells and/or bore holes having at least a moderate
depth by serially coupling water transfer units to form a unitary
pumping stack. The pumping stack also desirably permits the water
purification agent to reside in the water for a prolonged time
period, thus enhancing the water purification effect.
[0033] FIG. 5 is a side-elevational view of another groundwater
pumping and purification apparatus 80 according to another
embodiment of the invention. Many of the details of the present
embodiment have been discussed in conjunction with the embodiment
shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, these
details will not be described further. The apparatus 80 includes
more than one pumping stack 82, which are positionable within the
excavation 62 so that parallel pumping paths are established. The
more than one pumping stack 82 includes one or more of the water
transfer and treatment unit 12 of FIG. 2 and the water transfer
unit 40 of FIG. 3, which may be serially coupled to fully extend
into the water pool 64 located in the excavation 62. As noted
previously, the pumping stack 82 may also include a supporting
structure that is fixedly coupled to each of the water transfer
units to impart a structural rigidity to the pumping stack 82. A
main collector 68 is also provided to collect water that is pumped
upwardly by the pumping stack 82, and which may also include a gas
emitter interface 72 coupled to the gas generation unit 14 (FIG.
1).
[0034] In addition to other advantages previously described, the
foregoing embodiment advantageously allows water to be extracted
along more than a single pumping path, thus affording greater flow
control while also providing at least one redundant water flow path
so that the overall reliability of the apparatus is enhanced.
[0035] FIG. 6 s a flowchart that will be used to describe a method
90 of extracting and purifying water recovered from a groundwater
source, according to another embodiment of the invention. At block
92, a water lifting unit is extended into the extractable
groundwater source, which may include subterranean sources, as well
as surface bodies of water that contain extractable amounts of
water. At block 94, a gas generation source is coupled to the water
lifting unit. The gas generation source is configured to generate a
gas at a predetermined pressure and volume. The gas may include air
that is compressed to the predetermined pressure and volume by an
air compression device, as previously described in detail. At block
96, a water purification agent may be added to the gas before the
gas is introduced to the water lifting unit. At block 98, the gas
that includes the purification agent is supplied to the water
lifting unit. Accordingly, water is continuously moved from one end
of the water lifting unit to an opposing end of the unit by forming
a gas-water mixture having reduced density. While the water is
moving through the water lifting unit, the water purifying agent
advantageously continuously purifies the water extracted from the
groundwater source.
[0036] While various embodiments of the invention have been
illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For
example, embodiments may be combined without significant
modification to yield still further embodiments. Accordingly, the
scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the
various embodiments. Instead, the invention should be determined
entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
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