Infiltration control system and method

• US 6,565,284 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2000
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Municipal Pipe Tool Co. LLC
• Original Assignee: Stephen V. Gearhart
• Inventors: Gearhart, Stephen V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shackelford, Heather
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAGMAN, FREDERICK LYNDON
• Application Number:
  US09/733,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20020071721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: 405/36, 405/37, 405/39, 405/40, 405/41, 405/51, 405/80, 137/1, 137/236.1, 137/2, 137/12
• US Class Current: 405/37
• CPC Class Codes: E03F 7/00 Other installations or implements for operating sewer systems, e.g. for preventing or indicating stoppage; Emptying cesspools
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0324 With control of flow by a condition or characteristic of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0379 By fluid pressure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/402 Distribution systems involving geographic features

Abstract

A system for maintaining a surcharge on a sanitary sewer collection system to minimize the pressure differential across pipe walls carrying the waste and to offset the buoyant effects of hydrostatic pressure on the outside of the pipe. Pinch valves or other remotely controllable pipe closing devices are employed in combination with a system of monitors and a centralized control system to maintain and periodically release fluid from the surcharged system.

Claims

1. An automated method for reducing the infiltration of material that is external to a waste treatment system that has a branched network of subterranean sewer pipes for carrying waste material to a waste water treatment facility, the sewer pipes including source pipes, intermediate pipes and main pipes, said source pipes having capacities less than said intermediate pipes and said intermediate pipes having capacities less than said main pipes, said source pipes being disposed to allow said waste material to flow into said intermediate or said main pipes, and said intermediate pipes being disposed to allow said waste material to flow into said main pipes and then into the waste treatment facility, said method comprising the steps of:

evaluating the sewer pipe network to identify a plurality of desired threshold flow levels of waste material at selected locations in the sewer network;

storing the desired threshold flow level data for the sewer network in a computer system;

determining the actual level of flow of waste material in the intermediate and main pipes of the sewer network so as to generate actual flow level data;

communicating the actual flow level data in the sewer network to the computer system;

comparing the actual flow level data to the desired threshold flow level data;

providing a plurality of flow retarding devices in the intermediate and main pipes of the sewer network; and

retarding the flow in selected ones of the pipes in the sewer network to cause the actual flow levels in the selected ones of the pipes to approach the desired threshold flow level for the selected locations, thereby retaining a surcharge of material in the sewer network to reduce the flow of material into the waste treatment facility.

2. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network in which the flow retarding device is a dam or weir.

3. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network in which the flow retarding device is a gate valve.

4. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network in which the flow retarding device may be manually controlled.

5. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network in which the flow retarding device is a pinch valve.

6. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network further comprising the step of:

identifying a critical point elevation and selecting said desired threshold flow level to protect said critical point elevation under substantially all flow conditions.

7. The method of claim 6 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer wherein the selection of said desired threshold flow level to protect said critical point elevation under substantially all flow conditions comprises the step of accounting for a backwater surface elevation difference between the flow retarding device and the critical point.

8. The method of claim 1 for reducing the infiltration of material into a subterranean sewer network further comprising the step of periodically releasing at least a portion of the retarded flow of material to prevent, lessen, or remedy the deposition of solids within the system and the anaerobic digestion of materials within the system.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the sewer network includes a manhole and the flow retarding device is installed within said manhole.

10. A subterranean sewer system for receiving and conveying collected waste material in which system the infiltration of material external to the system is reduced, said system comprising:

a branched network of pipes comprising source pipes, intermediate pipes and main pipes, said source pipes having capacities less than said intermediate pipes and said intermediate pipes having capacities less than said main pipes, said source pipes being disposed to allow said collected material to flow into said intermediate or said main pipes, and said intermediate pipes being disposed to allow said collected material to flow into said main pipes;

a plurality of flow retarding devices positioned within said branched network of pipes wherein the flow retarding devices are dams;

a plurality of flow level sensors combined with said branched network of pipes to detect a pre-selected level of collected waste material at a plurality of pre-selected locations in said network; and

a computer communicably combined with at least one of said flow retarding devices and at least one of said flow level sensors, said computer being adapted to generate a flow retarding device actuation signal if said at least one flow level sensor indicates detection of said pre-selected level of collected waste material.