Stormwater control system
First Claim
1. A stormwater flow control system, comprising:
- at least one stormwater detention reservoir;
an outflow conduit from said stormwater detention reservoir for conveying water from said stormwater detention reservoir to a runoff channel;
an adjustable flow restrictor mechanism in said outflow conduit for controlling the flow rate through said outflow conduit, said flow restrictor mechanism having an adjustable opening through which water can flow from said detention reservoir to said runoff channel;
an actuator connected to said adjustable flow restrictor for adjusting said opening size in said adjustable flow restrictor mechanism to any of a multitude of possible positions between fully opened and fully closed to achieve the desired optimal flow rate out of the detention reservoir;
at least one sensor for sensing conditions indicative of stormwater inflow to said stormwater detention reservoir;
a microcontroller programmed to produce signals in response to signals from said sensor and an internal program to control said actuator to adjust said flow restrictor mechanism to release stormwater from said stormwater detention reservoir at an optimal rate under said conditions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Stormwater from a watershed is collected in a stormwater collection basin for water quality improvement primarily by settling of suspended solids, and also for control of the flow rate through downstream flow channels. The outflow rate from the basin is governed by an adjustable water control device such as a gate valve operated by a motor under control of a microprocessor in accordance with predetermined conditions as sensed by sensors such as basin water level sensors, upstream flow or rainfall sensors, and flow rate sensors downstream of the basin. The effective capacity of the basin is increased by the ability to interactively adjust the flow rate from the basin based on sensor inputs indicative of anticipated inflow rates and the flow capacity of the downstream channels and water can be retained in periods of dry weather for irrigation and the like.
139 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A stormwater flow control system, comprising:
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at least one stormwater detention reservoir; an outflow conduit from said stormwater detention reservoir for conveying water from said stormwater detention reservoir to a runoff channel; an adjustable flow restrictor mechanism in said outflow conduit for controlling the flow rate through said outflow conduit, said flow restrictor mechanism having an adjustable opening through which water can flow from said detention reservoir to said runoff channel; an actuator connected to said adjustable flow restrictor for adjusting said opening size in said adjustable flow restrictor mechanism to any of a multitude of possible positions between fully opened and fully closed to achieve the desired optimal flow rate out of the detention reservoir; at least one sensor for sensing conditions indicative of stormwater inflow to said stormwater detention reservoir; a microcontroller programmed to produce signals in response to signals from said sensor and an internal program to control said actuator to adjust said flow restrictor mechanism to release stormwater from said stormwater detention reservoir at an optimal rate under said conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of managing stormwater runoff from a watershed, comprising:
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conveying said stormwater into at least one stormwater detention reservoir; sensing the available capacity in said reservoir; controlling the rate at which stormwater flows out of said reservoir at any desired rate between maximum flow rate and zero flow rate to maximize the settling time to reduce turbidity, and to minimize the risks of water outflow from said reservoir at rates exceeding the capacity of runoff channels downstream of said reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A flow control system for controlling stormwater discharge from a detention reservoir, comprising:
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a flow restrictor mechanism with variable flow area in an outlet conduit from said detention reservoir for controlling the volumetric flow rate out of said reservoir; an actuator coupled to said variable flow restrictor mechanism for controlled adjustment of the flow area of said flow restrictor mechanism to any desired position between fully opened and fully closed for controlling stormwater discharge from the detention reservoir at any desired flow rate within the flow capacity of said flow restrictor mechanism; at least one sensor for sensing conditions having relevance to the desired release rates from said detention reservoir; a programmable microcontroller having means to produce signals to automatically control operation of said actuator in response to signals received from said sensor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification