Windmill odor control and fluid evaporating device

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to applicants' co-pending U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/712,085 entitled “WINDMILL ODOR CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD” filed Aug. 30, 2005. The entirety of this patent application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a windmill odor control and fluid evaporating device and a method of controlling odor and evaporating a fluid with a distribution system in a windmill. The windmill odor control and fluid evaporating device neutralizes the air around an odor causing site, such as a landfill or a sewage treatment plant and evaporates fluid therefrom.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various methods have been used to neutralize odors at landfill sites or sewage treatment plants. These methods include direct application of neutralizing products into the odor causing substance, for example, by a worker manually spraying the site with the odor neutralizing products and/or drying out or evaporating the odor causing substance with electrical powered devices. There is a need in the field of odor control and evaporators for an apparatus that can neutralize odors and/or evaporate fluids without the use of manual labor or electric power sources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a windmill odor control device and method. The device delivers a fluid, such as an odor-controlling agent to the rotor blade surfaces of a windmill through a perforated hose mounted on a bracket arrangement in front of the rotor blades. As the rotor blades rotate, the fluid evaporates as a vapor. As the odor controlling agent evaporates, the odor-controlling agent neutralizes the odor in the atmosphere out of doors.

In another embodiment of the present invention, any fluid can be evaporated with the windmill device of the present invention. For example, windmill device of the present invention can evaporate a fluid, such as wastewater, from a lagoon. The device delivers a fluid to the rotor blade surfaces of a windmill through a perforated hose mounted on a bracket arrangement in front of the rotor blades. As the rotor blades rotate, the fluid evaporates as a vapor.

The device of the present invention can be used at a landfill site, in particular, on a landfill mountain, which tends to be windy, at a sewage treatment plant, or at a wastewater lagoon. Thus, no electricity or motor is required to rotate the rotor blades. The device can include for example, a windmill head having twelve rotor blades and a diameter of about six to eight feet mounted on top of a windmill tower.

The device can include a fluid holding member for storing the fluid to be expelled onto the rotor blades containing, for example, the odor-controlling agent. The device further includes a pump for moving the fluid from the fluid holding member through supply and delivery hoses to a fluid manifold. The pump is connected to a pump shaft rod that receives the rotary motion of the rotor blades through a gear pump motor as vertical power strokes. The fluid holding member is connected to the pump through a supply hose such that the fluid is forced from the fluid holding member by the power stroke of a pump shaft rod. The fluid flows from the pump through a delivery hose having a perforated section disposed adjacent to the rotor blades of the windmill head where the fluid containing the odor-controlling agent is forcibly expelled from the delivery hose and sprayed onto the rotor blades.

As many landfills do not have a power source, the windmill fluid evaporating device of the present invention can be designed to operate as a wind-driven device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of the invention will be more readily understood with reference to the following description and the attached drawings wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate perspective views of the device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the device according an embodiment of to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of the device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an arrangement of the pump and fluid holding member in relation to the rotor blades; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the distribution system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 1-5, the windmill odor control and fluid evaporating device of the present invention includes a wind-driven windmill comprising a windmill head 2 having a plurality of rotor blades 4 radially mounted to a front portion of hub 6 about a central axis thereof, and a windmill tower 22. The windmill head 2 is mounted on top of the windmill tower 22. A gear pump motor 8 is mounted to a rear portion of the hub about the central axis and operates a pump shaft rod 20 that controls a pump 12. A fluid manifold 28 circumscribes the windmill head 2 and supports a delivery hose 18 that delivers a fluid from a fluid holding member 14 though the pump 12 to the rotor blades 4 as discussed below.

The fluid holding member 14 can include a holding tank or a wastewater lagoon or any other designated area or structure for containing a fluid. The fluid delivered to the surface of the rotor blades 4 includes, for example, an odor-controlling agent for neutralizing odors in the air caused by odor producing sites such as landfills and sewage treatment plants. The fluid evaporates off the rotor blades 4 as a vapor into the air stream driving the windmill and thereby neutralizes the odors in the air emanating from odor producing sites.

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate the mounting arrangement of the fluid manifold. The fluid manifold 28 includes a support frame 16 and a perforated portion of the delivery hose 18 mounted thereon. The fluid manifold 28 includes a bracket arrangement, such as, for example, a stainless steel or angle iron support frame 16 that circumscribes the windmill head 2 and supports the perforated portion of the delivery hose 18. The support frame 16 can be mounted to the gear pump motor 8 so that the fluid manifold can turn with the turning motion of the windmill head 2 about a vertical axis thereof. The support frame 16 comprises a three-point support mounted to the gear pump motor 8. In the three-point support shown in FIG. 3, a first portion of the support frame 16 is mounted on opposite sides of the gear pump motor 8 and extends circumferentially around the rotor blades 4. For additional support of the first portion, FIG. 2 shows a second portion 16b of the support frame 16 being vertically mounted to a top surface of the gear pump motor 8 in, for example, a U-shape, over the distal ends of the rotor blades 4 to connect with the first portion 16a of the support frame 16.

The support frame 16 supports the perforated portion of the delivery hose 18 in place in front of the rotor blades 4. The perforated portion of the delivery hose 18 has a plurality of apertures 10 on a side of the delivery hose facing the rotor blades 4. The fluid is expelled from the apertures 10 onto the surface of the rotor blades 4 of the windmill. As the rotor blades rotate, the fluid containing the odor-controlling agent evaporates, and as a vapor, the odor-controlling agent neutralizes the odor in the atmosphere out of doors. The delivery hose 18 can be attached to the support frame 16 by any fastening means including, but not limited to electrical tie straps or any other kind of device for fastening a hose to a support frame. The delivery hose 18 can be formed from any material including, but not limited to polymers and natural materials or combinations thereof. In one embodiment of the present invention, the delivery hose is formed from any material that is compatible with the chemistry of the odor-controlling agent.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the fluid containing the odor-controlling agent is stored in fluid holding member 14, which may be located near the base of the windmill tower 22. The fluid holding member 14 can be formed from any material including but not limited to metals, polymers and natural materials or combinations thereof. FIG. 4 illustrates that the supply hose 24 is connected to an outlet of the fluid holding member 14 and supplies fluid from the fluid holding member 14 to the pump 12. The supply hose 24 has a check valve 26 at the outlet of the fluid holding member 14 to prevent the fluid from flowing back into the fluid holding member.

The pump 12 delivers the fluid containing the odor-controlling agent from the fluid holding member 14 to the rotor blades. The pump has a check valve 32 at the inlet thereof to prevent fluid from flowing back into the supply hose 24. The pump is connected to the pump shaft rod 20. The pump shaft rod 20 is disposed vertically through the windmill tower 22. The gear pump motor 8 and pump shaft rod 20 convert the rotary motion of the windmill rotor blades 4 into reciprocating strokes carried through a pump shaft rod 20 to the pump 12. The power stroke of the pump shaft rod 20 increases the pressure in the pump 12, which forces fluid from the delivery hose 18 onto the rotor blades 4. In one embodiment of the present invention, the power stroke includes an upward vertical power stroke.

FIG. 5 illustrates the arrangement of the supply hose 24 and the delivery hose 18. The supply hose 24 is secured to the fluid holding member 14 at a first end 24a and is secured to the pump 12 at a second end 24b. A first end 18a of the delivery hose 18 is secured to the pump 12. A middle portion of the delivery hose 18 having a plurality of apertures 10 is positioned in the fluid manifold in front of the rotor blades 4 for expelling a fluid containing an odor-controlling agent onto the rotor blades. A second end of the delivery hose 18 is secured to the fluid holding member 14 so that excess fluid remaining in the delivery hose 18 after the power stroke of the pump shaft rod 20 can be returned to the fluid holding member and drawn to the fluid manifold during a subsequent power stroke.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fluid from the fluid holding member 14 branches to both the pump shaft rod 20 and the delivery hose 18 by a tee fitting 30. The tee fitting 30 includes a gland and packing.

The odor-controlling agent can include any chemical composition. In one embodiment of the present invention, the odor-controlling agent includes chemicals designed to neutralize odors present at landfill and sewage treatment sites. Such chemicals include, for example, EvaneScent™, EcoScent™, BioScent™, GOC 502, Air Protector, and AirEze manufactured by Hinsilblon Laboratories of Ft. Myers Florida, USA.

The present invention also includes a method of controlling odor in the air with the windmill device disclosed above. The method includes pumping a fluid containing an odor-controlling agent from the fluid holding member 14 to an inlet of the supply hose 24. The supply hose supplies the fluid containing the odor-controlling agent to the pump 12. The pump 12 has a tee fitting 30 at an outlet through which the delivery hose 18 is connected to one outlet and the pump shaft rod 20 is connected to the other outlet. When the power stroke of the pump shaft rod 20 increases the pressure of the fluid in the pump 12, the pump forces the fluid through the delivery hose 18 so that the fluid can be expelled through the plurality of apertures 10 therein, onto the rotor blades 4. Any excess fluid that is not expelled during the pump cycle is then returned to the fluid holding member 14 through a return portion of the delivery hose 18 for a subsequent pump cycle. A check valve 26 is connected to the inlet of the fluid holding member 14 to prevent the excess fluid from flowing in the return portion of the delivery hose 18 in a direction away from the fluid holding member.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, any fluid can be evaporated with the windmill device of the present invention. For example, the windmill device of the present invention can evaporate a fluid, such as water, from a wastewater lagoon. The method includes pumping the fluid from the lagoon into an inlet of the supply hose 24. The supply hose 24 supplies the fluid from the lagoon to the pump 12. A screen strainer can be disposed in the supply hose 24 to prevent debris from traveling through the supply hose to the pump 12. The pump shaft rod 20, which controls the pump 12, cycles through a vertical motion converted from the rotary motion of the rotor blades 4 through the gear pump motor 8. During the power stroke of the pump shaft rod 20, the fluid is drawn from the lagoon, pumped to the delivery hose and expelled from the apertures 10 therein onto the rotor blades.

The windmill odor control and fluid evaporating device of the present invention can include any number of rotor blades, and the rotor blades can be of any length. In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotor blades forming the windmill head can have a diameter of at least about six to eight feet. The rotor blades can be formed from any materials including, but not limited to metals, polymers and combinations thereof, such as aluminum and galvanized steel. The windmill of the present invention can have any height. In one embodiment of the present invention, the windmill can have a height of about at least fourteen feet.

Example embodiments of the present invention have now been described in accordance with the above advantages. It will be appreciated that these examples are merely illustrative of the invention. Many variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.