US 12,378,975 B2
Pneumatic fluid pump with dual rotational swirling cleaning action
John F. Schaupp, Sylvania, OH (US); Joseph Lawrence Schaffer, New Hudson, MI (US); Mark T. Weinberger, Mounds View, MN (US); Daniel P. Ross, Vadnais Heights, MN (US); Brett M. Crouse, Chelsea, MI (US); and Steven Richard Wells, Howell, MI (US)
Assigned to Q.E.D. Environmental Systems, Inc., Dexter, MI (US)
Appl. No. 17/634,121
Filed by Q.E.D. Environmental Systems, Inc., Dexter, MI (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 1, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/040524
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 9, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/034411, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/900,879, filed on Sep. 16, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/888,730, filed on Aug. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0290694 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. F04F 1/20 (2006.01); F04D 13/04 (2006.01); F04F 1/18 (2006.01)
CPC F04F 1/20 (2013.01) [F04D 13/04 (2013.01); F04F 1/18 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fluid pump comprising:
a pump casing;
a top cap securable to an upper end of the pump casing and having an air intake port and a fluid discharge port;
a fluid discharge tube extending to adjacent a lower end of the pump casing, the fluid discharge tube configured to receive fluid from within the pump casing through at least one opening disposed adjacent the lower end of the pump casing;
a first one-way check valve adjacent the lower end of the pump casing forming a one-way path to admit fluid into the pump casing at the lower end of the pump casing during a fill cycle of operation of the pump, and a second one-way check valve at the fluid discharge port to release fluid during a discharge cycle; and
an auger element disposed inside the pump casing and extending at least partially around the fluid discharge tube such that the fluid discharge tube extends at least partially through the auger element, and the auger element disposed between an outer surface of the fluid discharge tube and an inside surface of the pump casing and wherein a portion of the auger element is disposed between the at least one opening and the first one-way check valve and another portion of the auger element is disposed between the at least one opening and the second one-way check valve, the auger element configured to cause a swirling, rotational fluid flow in a first direction about the fluid discharge tube during the discharge cycle, the discharge cycle occurring in response to a release of compressed air into the pump casing in which fluid having collected within the pump casing is forced by the release of compressed air downward within the pump casing and then into the at least one opening and up through the fluid discharge tube and out from the pump casing;
wherein the swirling, rotational fluid flow helps to clean one or both of the inside surface of the pump casing and the outer surface of the fluid discharge tube by placing contaminant particles on one or both of the inside surface and the outer surface into the swirling, rotational fluid flow.