Swimming pool with eductor jets

Abstract

A swimming pool designed for stationary swimming uses Venturi-based eductor jets to generate a forceful water flow augmented by entrained pool water drawn from within the pool enclosure. The eductor jets use the kinetic energy of the inlet flow to entrain the low-pressure pool water, completely mix the two, and then discharge the mixture as an augmented outlet flow. The energy from the motive inlet flow is transferred to the entrained pool water via the Venturi effect. As the motive inlet water passes through a tapered nozzle in the eductor jet, kinetic energy increases and pressure decreases. This produces a Venturi effect which draws surrounding pool water into the Venturi orifice of the eductor jet. Consequently, the volume of the outlet flow from the eductor jets is 3 to 5 times the volume of the inlet flow. A larger and more powerful stream of water is thereby discharged into the pool enclosure and provides optimal resistance for in-place swimming in an energy-efficient manner.

1 . A swimming pool comprising:
 a pool enclosure defined by a series of interconnected sidewalls and an underlying floor and containing a volume of pool water;   an eductor array comprised of multiple eductor jets in fluid communication with the pool water and fluidly connected to a pressurized water source;   wherein the water source supplies an inlet flow to the eductor jets, and wherein the eductor jets multiply the volume of the inlet flow by creating a Venturi effect, which draws an entrained flow of pool water into the eductor jets and mixes the entrained flow with the inlet flow to generate an augmented outlet flow; and   wherein the volume of the outlet flow is a more than three-fold multiple of the volume of the inlet flow; and   wherein the outlet flow is discharge from the eductor jets into the pool enclosure, thereby generating a forceful current against which a swimmer can swim in-place.   
     
     
         2 . The swimming pool according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the eductor jets comprises:
 an inlet opening, through which inlet flow enters the eductor jet;   an outlet opening, through which the outlet flow from the eductor jet is discharged into the pool enclosure;   downstream of the inlet opening, an inlet connector, which is a means by which the inlet opening is secured in fluid connection to the water source;   downstream of the connector, a converging nozzle, which defines a converging fluid passage that causes the velocity of the inlet flow to increase as the inlet flow passes through the converging nozzle, thereby resulting in a fluid pressure drop across the converging nozzle that produces a Venturi effect;   downsteam of the converging nozzle, one or more Venturi orifices, through which the eductor jet is in fluid communication with the pool water, and through which the entrained flow of pool water is drawn into the eductor jet;   downstream of the Venturi orifice, a diffuser, which is a horn-shaped structure defining a diverging fluid passage; wherein the entrained flow of pool water mixes with the inlet flow within the diffuser to generate the augmented outlet flow, and the velocity of the outlet flow decreases while the pressure of the outlet flow increases as the outlet flow passes through the diffuser.   
     
     
         3 . The swimming pool according to  claim 2 , wherein each of the eductor jets further comprises mulitple struts, which connect the converging nozzle with the diffuser while maintaining a gap between the converging nozzle and the diffuser, wherein the gap defines the Venturi orifice, thereby allowing pool water to flow into the Venturi orifice from every angle in a range of 360 degrees around the eductor jet. 
     
     
         4 . The swimming pool according to  claim 3 , wherein the diffuser comprises a cylindrical-tubular upstream section and a diverging frustum-tubular downstream section. 
     
     
         5 . The swimming pool according to any one of  claims 1 - 4 , wherein the array of eductor jets is located within the pool enclosure and is surrounded by a permeable barrier which protects the eductor jets from physical contact. 
     
     
         6 . The swimming pool according to any one of  claims 1 - 4 , further comprising one or more means for controlling the volume of the inlet flow so as to adjust the volume and force of the outlet flow, thereby accormodating various levels of swimming ability, intensity and stamina. 
     
     
         7 . The swimming pool according to  claim 5 , further comprising one or more means for controlling the volume of the inlet flow so as to adjust the volume and force of the outlet flow, thereby accormodating various levels of swimming ability, intensity and stamina.