Pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448238-B2
Application number	US-202016869756-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

Various embodiments concern a pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter comprising a spring located within a housing passage and a shuttle comprising a shuttle magnet, the shuttle located within the passage. The shuttle can be configured to move axially by the spring within the passage in an upstream direction to a home position, move axially by one or both of air pressure differential and airflow within the passage in a downstream direction away from the home position to a hold position. The cycle counter can further comprise a counter comprising an element responsive to a magnetic field of the shuttle magnet, the counter configured to increment a numeric count for each complete cycle of the shuttle moving from the home position to the hold position and then back to the home position.

First claim

The following is claimed:

1. A pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter comprising:
a housing body having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending from the inlet to the outlet;
a spring located within the passage;
a shuttle comprising a shuttle magnet, the shuttle located within the passage, the shuttle configured to be:
moved axially by the spring within the passage in an upstream direction to a home position,
moved axially by one or both of air pressure differential and airflow within the passage in a downstream direction away from the home position to a hold position; and

a counter comprising an element responsive to a magnetic field of the shuttle magnet, the counter configured to increment a numeric count for each complete cycle of the shuttle moving from the home position to the hold position and then back to the home position,
wherein the shuttle comprises a plurality of axial external grooves extending parallel with an axis of travel of the shuttle.

2. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 1 , wherein the counter comprises a counter magnet.

3. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 2 , wherein the counter magnet is configured to be magnetically forced by the shuttle magnet to move from a primary position to a secondary position.

4. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 3 , wherein the counter magnet rests in the primary position when the shuttle magnet is in the home position, and the counter magnet is forced to move from the primary position to the secondary position due to the shuttle magnet moving from the home position toward the hold position.

5. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 4 , further comprising a brace configured to engage the shuttle to hold the shuttle in the hold position.

6. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle comprises a nose.

7. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 6 , wherein the nose comprises a radiused section and a shoulder, the radiused section located in the upstream direction with respect to the shoulder.

8. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 7 , wherein the nose comprises a cylindrical section located in the downstream direction with respect to the radiused section.

9. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 8 , wherein the nose comprises a flat end located in the upstream direction with respect to the radiused section.

10. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 8 , wherein no exterior part of the shuttle has a conical or frustroconical profile.

11. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 8 , wherein the nose has a snubbed shape.

12. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of axial external grooves are located at respective corners of the shuttle.

13. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 12 , wherein the respective corners are each located between flats of the shuttle.

14. A landfill pump system, comprising:
the pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 1 ;
a source of compressed gas;
a submersible landfill pump powered by compressed gas supplied by the source of compressed gas, the submersible landfill pump configured to complete a series of cycles, each cycle comprising:
a dwell phase in which the submersible landfill pump does not accept compressed gas while the submersible landfill pump fills with landfill liquid,
a pump phase in which the submersible landfill pump accepts compressed gas to expel landfill liquid from the submersible landfill pump,

wherein the pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter is configured to count the number of cycles of the submersible landfill pump based on flow of compressed air from the source of compressed gas to the submersible landfill pump.

15. A pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter comprising:
a housing body having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending from the inlet to the outlet;
a spring located within the passage;
a shuttle comprising a shuttle magnet, the shuttle located within the passage, the shuttle configured to be:
moved axially by the spring within the passage in an upstream direction to a home position,
moved axially by one or both of air pressure differential and airflow within the passage in a downstream direction away from the home position to a hold position;

a counter comprising an element responsive to a magnetic field of the shuttle magnet, the counter configured to increment a numeric count for each complete cycle of the shuttle moving from the home position to the hold position and then back to the home position; and
a brace configured to engage the shuttle to hold the shuttle in the hold position,
wherein the brace stops the shuttle from moving any further in the downstream direction away from the hold position when the shuttle is moved in the downstream direction by the one or both of the pressure differential and the airflow, but the brace permits the shuttle to be moved in the upstream direction away from the hold position when the force of the spring overcomes the force of the one or both of the pressure differential and the airflow,
wherein the counter comprises a counter magnet,
wherein the counter magnet is configured to be magnetically forced by the shuttle magnet to move from a primary position to a secondary position, and
wherein the counter magnet rests in the primary position when the shuttle magnet is in the home position, and the counter magnet is forced to move from the primary position to the secondary position due to the shuttle magnet moving from the home position toward the hold position.

16. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 15 , wherein the brace maintains the shuttle in the hold position so that magnetic force from the shuttle magnet maintains the counter magnet in the secondary position so long as the shuttle remains in the hold position.

17. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 16 , wherein the axial position of the brace along the passage is adjustable by threading.

18. A pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter comprising:
a housing body having an inlet, an outlet, and a passage extending from the inlet to the outlet;
a spring located within the passage;
a shuttle comprising a shuttle magnet, the shuttle located within the passage, the shuttle configured to be:
moved axially by the spring within the passage in an upstream direction to a home position,
moved axially by one or both of air pressure differential and airflow within the passage in a downstream direction away from the home position to a hold position; and

a counter comprising an element responsive to a magnetic field of the shuttle magnet, the counter configured to increment a numeric count for each complete cycle of the shuttle moving from the home position to the hold position and then back to the home position,
wherein the counter comprises a counter magnet,
wherein the counter magnet is configured to be magnetically forced by the shuttle magnet to move from a primary position to a secondary position, and
wherein the counter increments a first half cycle count when the counter magnet moves from the primary position to the secondary position, and the counter increments a second half cycle count when the counter magnet moves from the secondary position to the primary position.

19. The pneumatic landfill pump cycle counter of claim 18 , wherein the first half cycle count and the second half cycle count results in the counter incrementing a single integer corresponding to

Assignees

• Q E D Env Systems Inc
• Graco Minnesota Inc

Inventors

• Wells Steven R
• Allen Iii William C
• Mckeown Matthew T
• Weinberger Mark T
• Schaupp John F
• Fischer David A
• Stevens-Moman Leonard Felton

Classifications

• G06M1/102

  by magnetic or electromagnetic means · CPC title

• F04F1/08 Primary

  specially adapted for raising liquids from great depths, e.g. in wells · CPC title

• G01D5/14

  influencing the magnitude of a current or voltage · CPC title

• F04F1/06 Primary

  the fluid medium acting on the surface of the liquid to be pumped (F04F1/02 takes precedence) · CPC title