System for contaminant isolation and flushing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9624653-B2
Application number	US-201414462023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2014
Priority date	Aug 25, 2010
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed is a hydrant including an upper barrel; at least one hose nozzle; a valve associated with the hose nozzle; an electric motor to open and close the valve; and a controller coupled to the hydrant. In various embodiments, the hydrant includes a diffuser coupled to the hose nozzle. In various embodiments, the hydrant is in wired communication with a monitoring facility, a detection device, or a water motorized valve in a water distribution network. In various embodiments, the hydrant includes a transmitter and receiver.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A hydrant comprising:
a bonnet, the bonnet comprising a top;
an upper barrel;
at least one hose nozzle;
a valve associated with the at least one hose nozzle;
an electric motor mounted at least partially outside of the top of the bonnet and configured to open and close the valve;
a detection device configured to identify a condition, the condition comprising at least a back flow;
a diffuser coupled to the hydrant;
a battery housing mounted at least partially outside of the upper barrel; and
a controller coupled to the hydrant, the controller configured to
receive signals from the detection device,
send signals to a monitoring facility if contaminated water has been detected,
receive instructions to open the valve and the diffuser when a contaminant has been detected upstream from the hydrant to divert the contaminated water,
activate the electric motor to open the valve when the contaminant has been detected upstream from the hydrant, and
flush the contaminated water outside of a water distribution network through the diffuser, wherein the controller is disposed in the battery housing.

2. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the controller is adapted to receive instructions from the monitoring facility.

3. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser is coupled to the at least one hose nozzle.

4. The hydrant of claim 1 wherein the upper barrel is configured to connect to more than one type of lower barrel and to connect to existing hydrant buries.

5. The hydrant of claim 1 further comprising an upper stem designed to accommodate more than one upper barrel configuration.

6. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the hydrant is in wired communication with the monitoring facility.

7. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the hydrant is in wired communication with at least one detection device.

8. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the hydrant is in wired communication with at least one motorized valve in a water distribution network.

9. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a transmitter and receiver.

10. The hydrant of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter and receiver are wireless.

11. The hydrant of claim 10 , wherein the controller is in wireless communication with the monitoring facility.

12. The hydrant of claim 10 , where the hydrant is in wireless communication with at least one detection device.

13. The hydrant of claim 10 , wherein the hydrant is in wireless communication with at least one motorized valve in a water distribution network.

14. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the controller has an override control.

15. The hydrant of claim 1 , further comprising advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) components, wherein the AMI components are disposed in the battery housing.

16. The hydrant of claim 15 , wherein the AMI components are configured to send signals to at least one motorized valve in the water distribution network.

17. The hydrant of claim 15 , wherein the AMI components are configured to send a message to alert an entity within a predetermined radius of a location of the contaminated water.

18. The hydrant of claim 1 , wherein the diffuser comprises dechlorination tablets.

19. The hydrant of claim 1 , further comprising a lateral tee coupled to the hydrant.

20. The hydrant of claim 19 , wherein the detection device is installed on the lateral tee.

Assignees

• Mueller Int Llc

Inventors

• Clark Kenneth A
• Peyton Nicholaus J

Classifications

• Y10T137/86485

  Line condition change responsive release of valve · CPC title

• Y10T137/5485

  With valve at outlet · CPC title

• Y10T137/0324

  With control of flow by a condition or characteristic of a fluid · CPC title

• E03B7/02

  Public or like main pipe systems · CPC title

• E03B7/07

  Arrangement of devices, e.g. filters, flow controls, measuring devices, siphons or valves, in the pipe systems · CPC title