Supernatant water discharge device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950283-B2
Application number	US-201514909999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2015
Priority date	Apr 11, 2014
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

To provide a supernatant water discharge device capable of preventing overflow from a settling pond due to severe rain.
The supernatant water discharge device comprises: a submersible pump 10 provided in a first settling pond D; a floating member 30 that makes the submersible pump 10 float on a water surface; a distance sensor 41 that measures a distance to a sediment S; an anemometer 42 ; and a controller 50 that stops the submersible pump 10 if a measured value from the distance sensor 41 or the anemometer 42 reaches a threshold. By predicting severe rain, discharge of supernatant water W to a second settling pond P can be stopped. This can prevent overflow from the second settling pond P due to severe rain. If the sediment S gets close to the submersible pump 10 as a result of a drop in water level or increase in a deposition height, the submersible pump 10 can be stopped. This can prevent failure of the submersible pump 10 due to suction of a solid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A supernatant water discharge device that discharges supernatant water in a first settling pond to a second settling pond, the supernatant water discharge device comprising:
a submersible pump provided in the first settling pond, wherein the submersible pump discharges supernatant water in the first settling pond to the second settling pond;
a weather observation unit including one or more of an anemometer, a hygrometer, and a hyetometer;
a controller that stops the submersible pump if a measured value from the weather observation unit reaches a weather threshold;
a floating member that makes the submersible pump float on the water surface of the first settling pond; and
a distance sensor attached to the submersible pump, the distance sensor measuring a distance from the submersible pump to a sediment in the first settling pond,
wherein the controller stops the submersible pump if a measured value from the distance sensor reaches a distance threshold,
wherein the weather observation unit and the submersible pump are integrated, and the weather observation unit detects a weather condition at a location spaced apart from the first settling pond.

2. The supernatant water discharge device according to claim 1 , wherein the distance sensor is a non-contact sensor.

3. A supernatant water discharge device, comprising:
a submersible pump provided in a first settling pond, configured to pump supernatant water from the first settling pond to a second settling pond;
a weather observation unit including two or more of an anemometer, a hygrometer, and a hyetometer;
a controller that stops the submersible pump if a measured value from the weather observation unit reaches a weather threshold;
a floating member that makes the submersible pump float on the surface of the first settling pond; and
a distance sensor attached to the submersible pump, the distance sensor measuring a distance from the submersible pump to a sediment in the first settling pond,
wherein the height of the sediment changes,
wherein the controller stops the submersible pump if a measured value from the distance sensor reaches a distance threshold,
wherein the weather observation unit and the submersible pump are integrated, and the weather observation unit detects a weather condition at a location spaced apart from the first settling pond.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Metal Mining Co

Inventors

• TAJIKA Masahide
• NAGAMOTO Yoshiharu

Classifications

• B01D21/0018

  provided with a pump mounted in or on a settling tank · CPC title

• B01D21/307

  Passive control mechanisms without external energy, e.g. using a float · CPC title

• F04D15/00

  Control, e.g. regulation, of pumps, pumping installations or systems · CPC title

• B01D21/30

  Control equipment · CPC title

• B01D21/2444 Primary

  Discharge mechanisms for the classified liquid · CPC title