Flow-rate activated safety vacuum release system

Abstract

A Safety Vacuum Release System (SVRS) which incorporates a water flow-rate sensor in electrical communication with the electric motor which powers a swimming pool pump at an aquatic facility. When the flow of water drops to a rate indicative of a flow blockage at a suction outlet fitting within the pool, the SVRS shuts down the electric pump motor to release a suction entrapped bather. In one embodiment, the flow-rate sensor can be a transit time or a Doppler unit which features a non-invasive, clamp-on installation onto the circulation pipe. The SVRS can display the real-time rate of flow of the circulation system, the real-time turnover rate of the swimming pool, and signal the operator when it is time to clean the pool filter. The SVRS can also maintain the optimum flow rate of the circulation system by adjusting the speed of a variable speed pump motor as hydraulic resistance changes.

1 . An aquatic facility with a safety vacuum release system, comprising:
 an aquatic vessel configured to contain a body of water suitable for bathing;   a circulation system for circulating the water, wherein the circulation system includes:
 at least one circulation intake; 
 a circulation pump having a pump intake in fluid communication with the circulation intake and a pump output in fluid communication with a circulation output for directing the water back into the aquatic vessel; and 
 an electric motor for operating the circulation pump; 
   a flow-rate sensor in communication with the circulation system to measure the rate of flow of the water circulated by the circulation system; and   the safety vacuum release system in communication with the circulation system and the flow-rate sensor, the safety vacuum release system to interrupt the operation of the circulation pump by interrupting an electrical power source in response to a particular flow-rate measured by the flow-rate sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The aquatic facility of  claim 1 , wherein the flow-rate sensor is selected from a group consisting of a magnetic paddlewheel sensor, a vortex shedding sensor, a turbine, a deflector, an ultrasonic transit time sensor, and an ultrasonic Doppler sensor, and a differential pressure sensor. 
     
     
         3 . The aquatic facility of  claim 1  further comprising a control device having a processor, memory, a display device, and an input device, the memory storing a minimum allowable flow-rate value and a maximum allowable flow-rate value. 
     
     
         4 . The aquatic facility of  claim 3  wherein the control device receives data signals from the flow-rate sensor and displays the flow-rate of the water in real-time on the display device. 
     
     
         5 . The aquatic facility of  claim 4  wherein the processor receives and processes data regarding the rate of flow of the water and transmits processed data to the display device in real-time. 
     
     
         6 . The aquatic facility of  claim 3  wherein one or more software programs executes on the processor, the software program to generate a signal to terminate the operation of the circulation pump, when the received rate of flow of water falls outside of a range defined by the minimum allowable flow-rate value and the maximum allowable flow-rate value. 
     
     
         7 . The aquatic facility of  claim 3  wherein the control device displays a turnover rate for the body of water. 
     
     
         8 . The aquatic facility of  claim 3  wherein the control device displays a percentage of the flow-rate that corresponds to a flow-rate corresponding to a clean filter. 
     
     
         9 . The aquatic facility of  claim 3  wherein the control device displays a percentage of the flow-rate that corresponds to a flow-rate corresponding to a dirty filter. 
     
     
         10 . A flow-rate activated safety vacuum release system comprising:
 a circulation system for an aquatic vessel;   a flow-rate sensor operably engaged to the circulation system and configured to determine a rate of flow through the circulation system; and   a control system in communication with the flow-rate sensor configured to receive a signal related to the flow-rate through the circulation system and provide one or more control signals to control a pump of the circulation system.   
     
     
         11 . The flow-rate activated safety vacuum release system of  claim 10  wherein the one or more control signals enable or disable power to be received at the pump. 
     
     
         12 . The flow-rate activated safety vacuum release system of  claim 10  wherein the one or more control signals for the pump are generated in response to a hydraulic resistance causing a loss of flow of water within the circulation system caused by a dirty filter. 
     
     
         13 . The flow-rate activated safety vacuum release system of  claim 12  wherein the one or more control signals maintain a substantially constant rate of flow of water within the circulation system. 
     
     
         14 . A method for automatically releasing a bather trapped submerged within an aquatic vessel having a water circulation system, the trapped bather being held by a suction at a submerged suction outlet fitting of the water circulation system, the method comprising:
 circulating water in the water circulation system with a pump powered by an electric motor, the water circulation system having a normal operating range defined by a minimum allowable flow-rate and a maximum allowable flow-rate;   identifying an occurrence of an excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged intake of the water circulation system; and   decreasing the excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged intake by interrupting the power applied to the pump, whereby decreasing the excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged suction outlet fitting releases the trapped bather from the suction at the submerged suction outlet fitting.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein identifying an occurrence of an excessive vacuum pressure occurs automatically and remotely from the submerged suction outlet fitting at a control device having at least one processor. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein decreasing the excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged intake occurs without introducing air to the water circulation system. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 displaying an actual water flow-rate of water in the water circulation system at a control device.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the actual real-time flow-rate of the water within the water circulation system is displayed in real-time. 
     
     
         19 . A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions executable by a processor for a method to automatically release a bather suction entrapped within an aquatic vessel having a water circulation system, the trapped bather being held by a suction at a submerged suction outlet fitting of the water circulation system, the method comprising:
 circulating water in the water circulation system with a pump powered by an electric motor, the water circulation system having a normal operating range defined by a minimum allowable flow-rate and a maximum allowable flow-rate;   identifying an occurrence of an excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged suction outlet fitting of the water circulation system; and   decreasing the excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged intake by interrupting the power applied to the pump, whereby decreasing the excessive vacuum pressure within the submerged intake releases the trapped bather from the suction at the submerged suction outlet fitting.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein identifying an occurrence of an excessive vacuum pressure occurs automatically and remotely from the submerged intake at a control device having the processor. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 displaying an actual water flow-rate of water within the water circulation system at a control device.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the actual flow-rate of water within the water circulation system is displayed in real-time.