text:
The present invention generally relates to ultra-wideband communications. More particularly, the invention concerns a method of broadband communication by transceiving ultra-wideband signals through an active local underground natural gas distribution network such as a local or regional piping system.
1. An ultra-wideband communication system for a natural gas line network, comprising: an ultra-wideband transmitter structured to transmit an ultra-wideband signal through the natural gas line network; and an ultra-wideband receiver structured to receive the ultra-wideband signal from the natural gas line network.
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9. A method of transmitting data through a natural gas utility distribution infrastructure, the method comprising the steps of: providing the natural gas utility distribution infrastructure; and transmitting an ultra-wideband signal through the natural gas utility distribution infrastructure.
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20. A method of providing broadband communication, the method comprising the steps of: providing natural gas utility distribution infrastructure; combining a multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data with natural gas resident in the distribution system; receiving the combined multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data and the natural gas at a point within said natural gas distribution infrastructure; and bridging the multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data and a local areas network to make use of the broadband communication.
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31. A method of transmitting and receiving data through a natural gas distribution pipeline, the method comprising the steps of: providing natural gas distribution pipeline network; combining a multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data with natural gas as it is being disseminated; receiving a combined service comprising the multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data and the natural gas service; and separating the combined signal into the multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data and the natural gas utility service.
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39. An ultra-wideband system structured to transmit and receive data through a network that includes a natural gas line medium, the ultra-wideband system comprising: an ultra-wideband transmitter positioned at a first location on the network, the ultra-wideband transmitter structured to transmit an ultra-wideband signal through the natural gas line medium; and an ultra-wideband receiver positioned at a second location on the network, the ultra-wideband receiver structured to receive the ultra-wideband signal from the natural gas line medium.
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The present invention generally relates to ultra-wideband communications. More particularly, the invention concerns a method of broadband communication by transceiving ultra-wideband signals through an active local underground natural gas distribution network such as a local or regional piping system.
The Information Age is upon us. Access to vast quantities of information through a variety of different communication systems is changing the way people work, entertain themselves, and communicate with each other. For example, as a result of increased telecommunications competition mapped out by Congress in the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act, traditional cable television program providers have evolved into full-service providers of advanced video, voice and data services for homes and businesses. A number of competing cable companies now offer cable systems that deliver all of the just-described services via a single broadband network.
These services have increased the need for bandwidth, which is the amount of data transmitted or received per unit time. More bandwidth has become increasingly important, as the size of data transmissions has continually grown. Applications such as in-home movies-on-demand, high definition television and video teleconferencing demand high data transmission rates. Another example is interactive video in homes and offices.
Other industries are also placing bandwidth demands on Internet service providers, and other data providers. For example, hospitals transmit images of X-rays and CAT scans to remotely located physicians. Such transmissions require significant bandwidth to transmit the large data files in a reasonable amount of time. These large data files, as well as the large data files that provide real-time home video are simply too large to be feasibly transmitted without an increase in system bandwidth. The need for more bandwidth is evidenced by user complaints of slow Internet access and dropped data links that are symptomatic of network overload.
Internet service providers, cable television networks and other data providers generally employ conductive wires and cables to transmit and receive data. Conventional approaches to signal (i.e. data) transmission through a transmission medium, such as a wire or cable, is to modulate the signal though the medium at a frequency that lies within the bounds at which the medium can electrically conduct the signal. Because of this conventional approach, the bandwidth of a specific medium is limited to a spectrum within which the medium is able to electrically transmit the signal via modulation, which yields a current flow. As a result, many costly and complicated schemes have been developed to increase the bandwidth in conventional conductive wire and/or cable systems using sophisticated switching schemes or signal time-sharing arrangements. Each of these methods is rendered costly and complex in part because the data transmission systems adhere to the conventional acceptance that the bandwidth of a wire or cable is constrained by its conductive properties.
Wireless methods are also employed but tend to be constrained by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) either in power or spectral licensing costs.
Therefore, there exists a need for a more efficient system and method of providing broadband communications services which does not require costly routing of copper or fiber optic connections across the �last-mile� of communication nor requires the use of wireless spectrum transmissions which are seriously constrained by regulatory limitations.
The present invention provides a communication system and method in which ultra-wideband signals are employed to transmit information through an active natural gas medium, where the medium is contained within as piping system, specifically a natural gas distribution system.
In one embodiment of the invention, a method of transceiving broadband signals is provided where ultra-wideband communications comprise the transmission format of the data signal such that the signal can be provided at a relatively high power level while not generating substantial heat (thus not igniting the natural gas within the gas line distribution network) and not radiating spectral energy sufficient to interfere with FCC requirements (augmented by the fact that gas lines generally must be burred to a known depth within most communities (hence are inherently shielded by ground�literally). This method of last mile broadband communication involves the steps of providing a local in situ natural gas pipeline distribution medium with a transmitting receiving or preferably transceiving an ultra-wideband signal across the pipeline medium which is representative of broadband data as well as error correction, packet headers and other information used to facilitate the network communication to a one, a plurality or a multiplicity of other transceiving located at other points on the same contiguous gas-line distribution network. Another embodiment of the present invention comprises a method of increasing a bandwidth of a community access television network, or any other type of network, by combining a multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data with the natural gas utility delivery. The combined services delivery comprising the multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of data and the natural gas utility delivery is received and the two services are then separated into the multiplicity of ultra-wideband signals representative of network information and the utility delivery of natural gas.
One feature of the present invention is that an ultra-wideband signal can be transmitted simultaneously with a traditional natural gas utility delivery where such a signal can bear any combination of Internet, video, television, HDTV, voice or other transmission signal. Because the ultra-wideband signal can be transmitted substantially with the gas delivery services and be provided over existing steal or plastic piping the overall capability of the system to deliver value (i.e., gas delivery and connectivity) without requiring costly last mile deployments and without interfering with licensed and unlicensed spectrum enables a previously unobtainable level of connectivity.
It will be recognized that some or all of the Figures are schematic representations for purposes of illustration and do not necessarily depict the actual relative sizes or locations of the elements shown.
In the following paragraphs, the present invention will be described in detail by way of example with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout this description, the preferred embodiment and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than as limitations on the present invention. As used herein, the �present invention� refers to any one of the embodiments of the invention described herein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various feature(s) of the �present invention� throughout this document does not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced feature(s).
Generally, a traditional cable television provider, a community antenna television provider, a community access television provider, a cable television provider, a hybrid fiber-coax television provider, an Internet service provider, or any other provider of television, audio, voice and/or Internet data receives broadcast signals at a central station, either from terrestrial cables, and/or from one or more antennas that receive signals from a communications satellite. The broadcast signals are then distributed, usually by coaxial and/or fiber optic cable, from the central station to nodes located in business or residential areas.
For example, community access television provider (CATV) networks are currently deployed in several different topologies and configurations. The most common configurations found today are analog signals transmitted over coaxial cable and Hybrid Fiber-Coax Systems (HFCS) that employ both fiber optic and coaxial cables. The analog coax systems are typically characterized as pure analog systems. Pure analog CATV systems are characterized by their use of established NTSC/PAL (National Television Standards Committee/Phase Alternation Line) modulation onto a frequency carrier at 6 or 8 MHz intervals.
HFCS is a combination analog�digital topology employing both coaxial (analog) and fiber optic (digital) media that typically supports digitally modulated/encoded television channels above channel 78. According to ANSI/EIA-542-1997, in the United States, the analog channels are modulated in 6 MHz allocations on channels 2 to 78 using frequencies from 55 to 547 MHz. When using HFCS, digital channels typically start at channel 79 and go as high as 136 and occupy a frequency range from 553 to 865 MHz. In some extended HFCS systems, channel assignments can go as high as channel 158 or 997 MHz. The current ANSI/EIA-542-1997 standard only defines and assigns channels to these limits. The actual wire/cable media itself is generally capable of transmitting frequencies up to 3 GHz.
In both CATV and HFCS systems, typically the satellite downlink enters the cable company's head-end and the video, and/or other data streams are de-multiplexed out. Individual video data streams (either NTSC, MPEG, or any other suitable protocol) are extracted from the satellite downlink stream and routed to modulators specific for individual television channels. The outputs from each modulator are then combined into one broadband signal. From this point the combined channels are amplified and sent out, either by coaxial or fiber optic cable, to the customers.
In a HFCS, before the combined broadband signal leaves the head-end the broadband signal is modulated onto a fiber optic cable for distribution into the field, such as residential neighborhoods, or business districts. Modulation of the broadband signal is typically accomplished in one of two ways. In the first method the entire broadband signal is sampled and digitized using a high speed Analog to Digital Converter (ADC). To perform reliable digital sampling, the data must be sampled at a rate at least twice the highest frequency component to meet Nyquist minimum sampling requirements. To provide a higher quality data stream, the signal should be sampled at 2.5 to 4 times the highest frequency, which entails sample rates of approximately 2 to 4 GHz. A parallel to serial converter then shifts the parallel output data of the ADC into a serial format. The serial data then drives a laser diode for transmission over the fiber optic cable. The second method is broadband block conversion where the entire spectrum of the broadband signal is modulated onto the fiber optic cable.
Designated access nodes are located in neighborhoods, business districts and other areas. The access nodes contain a high speed Digital to Analog Converter (DAC) and a de-serializer. A fiber optic receiver detects the laser-modulated signal at the access node. A parallel to serial converter de-serializes the data and it is feed to the high speed DAC. The data then leaves the access node on standard 75 ohm, RG-6 or RG-8 or other suitable coax cable and is distributed to the customer's premises. Thus, at the access node, the broadband signal is extracted from the fiber optic cable and transferred to a coaxial cable that connects to individual homes, apartments, businesses, universities, and other customers. Support of multiple customers is generally accomplished by the use of distribution boxes in the field, for example, on telephone poles or at ground level. However, as the signal is continuously split at the distribution boxes, the received bandwidth is reduced and the quality of the signal is diminished, thereby diminishing the video, audio, and other data quality.
The digital channels that generally reside on CATV channels 79 and higher are fundamentally different than the analog channels that generally reside on channels 2 through 78. The analog channels are comprised of modulated frequency carriers. The digital channels, which generally use the 6 MHz allocation system, are digitally modulated using Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). QAM is a method of combining two amplitude modulated signals into a single channel, thereby doubling the effective bandwidth. In a QAM signal, there are two carriers, each having the same frequency but differing in phase by 90 degrees. The two modulated carriers are combined for transmission, and separated after transmission. QAM 16 transmits 16 bits per signal, QAM 32, 64, and 256 each transmit 32, 54 and 256 bits per signal, respectively. QAM was developed to support additional video streams encoded with MPEG video compression. Conventional CATV and HFCS networks may employ QAM levels up to QAM 64 to enable up to 8 independent, substantially simultaneous MPEG video streams to be transmitted.
At the customer's location, the coaxial cable is connected to either a set-top box or directly to a television. The receiving device then de-multiplexes and de-modulates the video, audio, voice, Internet or other data. Although a television can directly receive the analog signal, a set-top box is generally required for reception of the digitally encoded channels residing on CATV channels 79 and higher.
The above-described networks, and other networks and communication systems that employ natural gas line media, such as twisted-pair or coaxial cable, suffer from performance limitations caused by signal interference, ambient noise, and spurious noise. In these conventional natural gas line media systems, these limitations affect the available system bandwidth, distance, and carrying capacity of the system, because the noise floor and signal interference in the piped media rapidly overcome the signal transmitted. Therefore, noise within the natural gas line media significantly limits the available bandwidth of any communication system or network.
Generally, the conventional wisdom for overcoming this limitation is to boost the power (i.e., increase the voltage of the signal) at the transmitter to boost the voltage level of the signal relative to the noise at the receiver. Without boosting the power at the transmitter, the receiver is unable to separate the noise from the desired signal. Thus, the overall performance of natural gas line media systems is still significantly limited by the accompanying noise that is inherent in natural gas line media.
Increasing the bandwidth of communication without employing costly natural gas line or fiber optic connectivity to the home/business, while coexisting with the conventional natural gas utility delivery system, represents an opportunity to leverage the existing unutilized transmission media network infrastructure to enable the delivery of greater functionality.
The present invention may be employed in any type of natural gas delivery segment that uses buried or shielded pipe to deliver natural gas, in whole, or in part. That is, this inventions resultant network may use pipeline transmission segments media, such as steel or plastic pipe, and no fewer that one of the following: natural gas line, optical, wireless, or satellite networks. As defined herein, a network is a group of points or nodes connected by communication paths. The communication paths may be connected by wires, or they may be wirelessly connected however at leaser one segment must utilize a wireless connection transmitted within a underground or shielded natural gas line. A network as defined herein can interconnect with other networks and contain subnetworks. A network as defined herein can be characterized in terms of a spatial distance, for example, such as a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), and a wide area network (WAN), among others. A network as defined herein can also be characterized by the type of data transmission technology in use on it, for example, a TCP/IP network, and a Systems Network Architecture network, among others. A network as defined herein can also be characterized by whether it carries voice, data, or both kinds of signals. A network as defined herein can also be characterized by who can use the network, for example, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), other types of public networks, and a private network (such as within a single room or home), among others. A network as defined herein can also be characterized by the usual nature of its connections, for example, a dial-up network, a switched network, a dedicated network, and a nonswitched network, among others. A network as defined herein can also be characterized by the types of physical links that it employs, for example wireless in gas line and any one of the following optical fiber, coaxial cable, a mix of both, unshielded twisted pair, and shielded twisted pair, among others.
The present invention employs a �carrier free� architecture which does not require the use of high frequency carrier generation hardware, carrier modulation hardware, stabilizers, frequency and phase discrimination hardware or other devices employed in conventional frequency domain communication systems. The present invention dramatically increases the bandwidth of conventional last mile natural gas line and wireless networks that employ natural gas line, optical or in air wireless media, but can be inexpensively deployed without extensive modification to the existing natural gas delivery networks.
The present invention provides increased bandwidth by injecting, or otherwise super-imposing an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal into the existing natural gas delivery systems and subsequently recovers the UWB signal at an end node, set-top box, subscriber gateway, or other suitable location resident on the same contiguous natural gas line. Ultra-wideband, or impulse radio, employs pulses of electromagnetic energy that are emitted at nanosecond or picosecond intervals (generally tens of picoseconds to a few nanoseconds in duration). For this reason, ultra-wideband is often called �impulse radio.� Because the excitation pulse is not a modulated waveform, UWB has also been termed �carrier-free� in that no apparent carrier frequency is evident in the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. That is, the UWB pulses are transmitted without modulation onto a sine wave carrier frequency, in contrast with conventional radio frequency technology. Ultra-wideband requires neither an assigned frequency nor a power amplifier.
Conventional radio frequency technology employs continuous sine waves that are transmitted with data embedded in the modulation of the sine waves' amplitude or frequency. For example, a conventional cellular phone must operate at a particular frequency band of a particular width in the total frequency spectrum. Specifically, in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission has allocated cellular phone communications in the 800 to 900 MHz band. Cellular phone operators use 25 MHz of the allocated band to transmit cellular phone signals, and another 25 MHz of the allocated band to receive cellular phone signals.
Another example of a conventional radio frequency technology is illustrated in
In contrast; a UWB pulse may have a 1.8 GHz center frequency, with a frequency spread of approximately 4 GHz, as shown in
Further details of UWB technology are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,632 (in the name of Gerald F. Ross, and titled: Transmission and Reception System for Generating and Receiving Base-Band Duration Pulse Signals without Distortion for Short Base-Band Pulse Communication System), Which is referred to and incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
Also, because the UWB pulse is spread across an extremely wide frequency range, the power sampled at a single, or specific frequency is very low. For example, a UWB one-watt signal of one nano-second duration spreads the one-watt over the entire frequency occupied by the pulse. At any single frequency, such as at the carrier frequency of a CATV provider, the UWB pulse power present is one nano-watt (for a frequency band of 1 GHz). This is well within the noise floor of any piped media system and therefore does not interfere with the demodulation and recovery of the original CATV signals. Generally, the multiplicity of UWB pulses are transmitted at relatively low power (when sampled at a single, or specific frequency), for example, at less than −30 power decibels to −60 power decibels, which minimizes interference with conventional radio frequencies. However, UWB pulses transmitted through most burred or shielded natural gas lines will not interfere with wireless radio frequency transmissions. Therefore, the power (sampled at a single frequency) of UWB pulses transmitted though piped media may range from about +100 dB to about −90 dB.
For example, a CATV system generally employs a coaxial cable that transmits analog data on a frequency carrier. Generally, amplitude modulation (AM) or QAM (discussed above) are used to transmit the analog data. Since data transmission employs either AM or QAM, UWB signals can coexist in this environment without interference. In AM, the data signal M(t) is multiplied with a cosine at the carrier frequency. The resultant signal y(t) can be represented by:
In a QAM based system multiple carrier signals are transmitted at the same carrier frequency, but at different phases. This allows multiple data signals to be simultaneously carried. In the case of two carriers, an �in phase� and �quadrature� carriers can carry data signals Mc(t) and Ms(t). The resultant signal y(t) can be represented as:
However, as discussed above, an UWB system transmits a narrow time domain pulse, and the signal power is generally evenly spread over the entire bandwidth occupied by the signal. At any instantaneous frequency, such as at the AM or QAM carrier frequency, the UWB pulse power present is one nano-watt (for a frequency band of 1 GHz). This is well within the noise floor of any gas line distribution network system and therefore does not interfere with the demodulation and recovery of the original AM or QAM data signals.
Traditional natural gas line and wireless network systems suffer from performance limitations caused by signal interference, ambient noise, and spurious noise. These limitations affect the available bandwidth, distance, and carrying capacity of the network system. With the network described in this invention (burred or shielded gas line communication systems) the noise floor and outside signal interference in the gas line is virtually zero. This low noise on the gas line network is a significant advantage to the ability of the system to increase bandwidth. UWB technology makes use of the noise floor to transmit data, without interfering with the injection of a concentrated power carrier signal. Moreover, UWB transmitted through a gas line network has distinct advantages over its use in a wireless environment. In a gas line network environment there are no concerns with intersymbol interference, and there are no concerns relating to multi-user interference.
The present invention provides an apparatus and method to enable any gas line network to augment their available service by delivering broadband services simultaneously with natural gas delivery. Preferably, this bandwidth is delivered by introducing UWB signals into the existing natural gas delivery chain prior and routed via node and hub architecture in to network operations center (NOC) which acts as a broadcast system operator's head-end, tier one internet connection phone network interface. As shown in
In like fashion, network system operators can receive more data from individual subscribers by introducing subscriber-generated data into existing contiguous gas line. The present invention provides UWB communication across natural gas distribution networks and will be able to both transmit and receive digital information for the purposes of telephony, high-speed data, video distribution, video conferencing, wireless base operations and other similar purposes.
Referring to
One embodiment of the natural gas UWB communication system 10 is illustrated in
The multiple RF signals are then forwarded to a combiner that combines the multiple signals into a single output. That is, the combiner 30 receives the program signals from the channel modulators 25 and/or 27 and combines them onto a single coax cable and forwards the signal to the fiber optic transmitter/receiver 35. The above-described arrangement and function of channel modulators 25, 27 and combiners 30 may vary with each type of network.
Additional audio, video, or other data signals received from either the antenna farm 15 or from terrestrial sources such as fiber optic or coaxial cables can be routed from the network operation center 20 to the local area ultra-wideband (UWB) broadcast device 40. The gas utility provider UWB device 40 converts the audio, video, or other data signals received from the network receiver 20 into a multiplicity of UWB electromagnetic pulses which are broadcast through the local natural gas filled pipe. The natural gas utility provider ultra-wideband (UWB) device 40 may include several components, including a controller, digital signal processor, an analog coder/decoder, one or more devices for data access management, and associated cabling and electronics. The service provider ultra-wideband (UWB) device 40 may include some, or all of these components, other necessary components, or their equivalents. The controller may include error control, and data compression functions. The analog coder/decoder may include an analog to digital conversion function and vice versa. The data access management device (or devices) may include various interface functions for interfacing to traditional networks such as wireless, phone, optical, coaxial and other network technologies.
The digital signal processor in the utility service provider ultra-wideband (UWB) device 40 modulates the audio, video, or other data signals received from the network 37 into a multiplicity of UWB electromagnetic pulses, and may also demodulate UWB pulses received from the subscriber. As defined herein, modulation is the specific technique used to encode the audio, video, or other data into a multiplicity of UWB pulses. For example, the digital signal processor may modulate the received audio, video, or other data signals into a multiplicity of UWB pulses that may have a duration that may range between about 0.1 nanoseconds to about 100 nanoseconds, and may be transmitted at relatively high power, for example, at more than +100 power decibels to −60 power decibels, as measured across the transmitted frequency.
The UWB pulse duration and transmitted power may vary, depending on several factors. Different modulation techniques employ different UWB pulse timing, durations and power levels. The present invention envisions several different techniques and methods to transmit an UWB signal across a natural gas line. One embodiment, may for example, use pulse position modulation that varies the timing of the transmission of the UWB pulses. One example of a pulse position modulation system may transmit approximately 10,000 pulses per second. This system may transmit groups of pulses 100 picoseconds early or 100 picoseconds late to signify a specific digital bit, such as a �0� or a �1�. In this fashion a large amount of data may be transmitted across a natural gas line.
An alternative modulation technique may use pulse amplitude modulation to transmit the UWB signal across a natural gas line. Pulse amplitude modulation employs pulses of different amplitude to transmit data. Pulses of different amplitude may be assigned different digital representations of �0� or �1.� Other envisioned modulation techniques include On-Off Keying that encodes data bits as pulse (1) or no pulse (0), and Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK), or bi-phase modulation. BPSK modulates the phase of the signal (0 degrees or 180 degrees), instead of modulating the position. Spectral Keying, which is neither a PPM nor PAM modulation technique, may also be employed. It will be appreciated that other modulation techniques, currently existing or yet to be conceived, may also be employed.
A preferred modulation technique will optimize signal coexistence and pulse reliability by controlling transmission power, pulse envelope shape and Pulse Recurrent Frequencies (PRF). Both pseudo-random and fixed PRFs may be used, with the knowledge that a fixed PRF may create a �carrier-like frequency,� which it and its higher order harmonics may interfere with the data carried in conventional RF carrier channels. However, with a pseudo-random PRF the difficulties encountered with a fixed PRF are usually avoided. One embodiment of a pseudo-random PRF modulation technique may include a UWB pulse envelope that is shaped by a process to distortion mapping to pre-condition and compensate for multi-path, distortion, interference frequency components that the natural gas line may naturally introduce or attenuate. UWB pulse conditioning for the given natural gas line has the additional advantage of controlling the power spectral density of the transmitted data stream.
Several advantages exist when transmitting UWB pulses through natural gas line as opposed to transmitting UWB pulses through the air in a traditional free space wireless medium. Free space wireless UWB transmissions must consider such issues as Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) and Multi-User Interference (MUI), regulatory power constraints all of which can severely limit the bandwidth of UWB transmissions. Some modulation techniques such as Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM), which offer the ability for high bit densities are not effective at long wireless distances. These, and other issues, do not apply to UWB pulses transmitted through natural gas lines. In addition, no variable multipath issues arise and there are no unpredictable propagation delay problems present in a natural gas line network. Therefore, it is estimated that an ultra-wideband system may be able to transmit data across a natural gas line network in a range from 100 Mbit/second to 10 Gbit/second. This data rate will ensure that the bandwidth requirements of any service provider can be met.
A preferred embodiment of the service-provider UWB device 40 will spread the signal energy of the UWB data stream across the a bandwidth that may range from 10 Hz to approximately 1 GHz or as discussed above, to 10 GHz, or higher. This will ensure that the signal energy present at any frequency is significantly below the thermal limit of the natural gas line ensuring coexistence with conventional natural gas delivery.
For example, a UWB pulse would have a duration of about 1 nano-second in a UWB data stream that has a 1 GHz bandwidth. Alternatively, the UWB pulse duration would be tailored to match the full frequency of a natural gas line network. A narrow pulse width is preferred because more pulses can be transmitted in a discrete amount of time. Pulse widths of up to 2 nano-seconds may be employed to guarantee pulse integrity throughout digitization, transmission, reception and reformation at the UWB subscriber device 50. Generally, an idealized pulse width would be calculated based on the frequency response of the specific natural gas line system.
Referring to
Shown in
One embodiment of the subscriber UWB device 50 will demodulate the multiplicity of UWB electromagnetic pulses back into a conventional RF carrier signal. The subscriber UWB device 50 may include all, some or additional components found in the service provider UWB device 40. In this manner, additional bandwidth will be available to the natural gas line network to provide the additional data and functionality demanded by the customer.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in
The full service UWB system 90 receives audio, video and data information from an antenna farm 15 or from terrestrial sources such as fiber optic or coaxial cables. These signals are forwarded to the gas main transceivers 40 as described above with reference to the natural gas line UWB communication system 10. In addition, signals from a public telephone network 75 are received by a host digital terminal 85. The host digital terminal 80 modulates multiple voice signals into two-way upstream and downstream RF signals. The voice signals from the host digital terminal 85 are forwarded to the gas main UWB device 40.
An internet service provider 88 forwards internet data to the internet router 27. The internet router 27 generates packets, such as TCP/IP packets, which are forwarded to the gas main UWB transceivers 40.
The gas main UWB transceiver UWB device 40 modulates the internet data, the telephony data and the video data into a multiplicity of electromagnetic pulses, as described above, and forwards the pulses the transmitter/receiver 35.
The combined services (broadband and natural gas) are forwarded to a subscriber UWB device 50 and gas service. The subscriber UWB device 50 can be considered a gateway or router that provides access to the UWB signals. The subscriber UWB device 50 demodulates the multiplicity of UWB electromagnetic pulses into RF signals and forwards the RF signals to appropriate locations such as televisions, personal computers or telephones. Alternative embodiment subscriber UWB devices 50 may be connected wirelessly to televisions sets similar to a set-top box and used to transmit on-demand movies, internet access or pay-per-view programs. Yet another embodiment of the present invention may include a UWB device 50 that may be via local area network to a television set, phone or computer. The UWB device 50 is constructed to convert and distribute data to computers, network servers, digital or subscription televisions, interactive media devices such as set-top boxes and telephone switching equipment.
The subscriber UWB device 50 may also be configured to transmit UWB pulses wirelessly to provide audio, video, and other data content to personal computers, televisions, PDAs, telephones and other devices. For example, UWB device 50 may include the necessary components to transmit and receive UWB or conventional RF carrier signals to provide access to interfaces such as PCI, PCMCIA, USB, Ethernet, IEEE1394, or other interface standards.
The present invention will also allow for data to be transmitted �upstream� toward the service provider. For example, a UWB transmission is coded so as not to interfere with upstream traffic. These codes also serve the purpose of limiting access to the data transmission.
The present invention of transmitting ultra-wideband signals across a natural gas line can employ any type of piped media. For example, the piped media can include plastic, steel, iron, rigid, flexible, valved and metered. This type of piping is most commonly used for delivering natural gas over long and short distances. The foregoing list of pipe media is meant to be exemplary, and not exclusive.
As described above, the present invention can provide additional bandwidth to enable the transmission of large amounts of data over an existing natural gas distribution networks, whether the information carried across the natural gas line network is Internet service, television, HDTV, medical information, phone, video, or a computer network located in a business or university. The additional bandwidth can allow consumers to receive the high speed Internet access, interactive video and other features that they are demanding.
Thus, it is seen that an apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving ultra-wideband signals through an active natural gas line is provided. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the above-described embodiments, which are presented in this description for purposes of illustration and not of limitation. The description and examples set forth in this specification and associated drawings only set forth preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention. The specification and drawings are not intended to limit the exclusionary scope of this patent document. Many designs other than the above-described embodiments will fall within the literal and/or legal scope of the following claims, and the present invention is limited only by the claims that follow. It is noted that various equivalents for the particular embodiments discussed in this description may practice the invention as well.
Referenced by
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Last night I ate the worst corned beef and cabbage ever. Little potatoes from a can, thin strips of dry corned beef, and the cabbage was awful. Server was very friendly and competent. You would think that a restaurant with an Irish name and a shamrock logo would do better. No doubt, on St. Patrick's day this dish would be... More


text:
Added Mar 1, 2013
by morganelle
Seattle, Washing...
I made this tunic out of linen from my stash, using Vogue 8816. Blogged here
Mar 2, 2013, 04.55 PMby sala22
Very cute!
Mar 2, 2013, 03.43 PMby pampula
just lovely, simple, organic shapes and color give a natural feel, great work!
Mar 1, 2013, 07.18 PMby Mary Athey
This tunic's lovely. The two natural colours to'gether are fab x
Mar 1, 2013, 02.16 PMby 2bfabulous
The blocking really makes the tunic look stylish, compare to the pattern picture. Great idea.
Mar 1, 2013, 01.46 PMby dvinare
I like this color palette, looks so natural ;)
Mar 1, 2013, 01.20 PMby ariation
Really nice tunic! The blocking works well here!
Add to Favorites 2 people added it
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Update: Click "Listen Now" above to watch The-Dream's "Kill The Lights" video.
As oxygen is to breathing, as the sun is to sunlight, as Wiz Khalifa is to marijuana, The-Dream is to electronically infused, babymaking slow jams. It's good to know some things just don't change. Fresh off the release of his ROC video, Terius Nash is back and ready to help you put a bun in your lady's oven with new single Kill the Lights. In typical Dream fashion, Light's production is minimal, built around an appropriately grinding bass and drum line layered with heavily Prince-influenced synths. From there Nash returns to the same syrupy slow, semi-falsetto delivery we've come to love him for, urging his lady to flick that light switch and get to work. Speaking of ladies, most notably Lights is also an effective introduction to Dream's RKR artist Casha, who brings a female perspective in equally measured and sultry bars. Something tells me this is far from the only babymaker fans can expect from his upcoming album, Love IVMMXII (fancy Roman numeral talk for "Love for 2012"), presumably coming out later this year. In the meantime, anxious fans can buy their tickets for the Kill the Lights tour right now!
The Dream Music VideosR&B/PopHitmaker
Written by Nathan S. on 03/29/12
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Capitol Records
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text:
A device for continuously delivering a proportionately constant fire-fighting solution which comprises an extinguisher foam mixed with variable flow rates of fire fighting water. The device comprises a motor, which is a volumetric screw pump driven in reverse by the hydraulic pressure of the fire fighting water network. This hydraulic motor is mechanically connected to one or more volumetric pumps which proportionally meter the fire fighting foam extinguisher liquid into the network water.
1. In a fire fighting system which provides extinguisher foam from a source and mixes the foam with fire fighting water flowing through a line at variable flow rates, a device for continuously delivering a proportionately constant fire fighting extinguisher solution using only the energy supplied by the pressure of the water, comprising:
(a) a volumetric hydraulic motor in said fire fighting water line driven by the pressure energy of the fire fighting water passing therethrough;
(b) a plurality of foam additive metering devices operatively connected to said motor for receiving extinguisher foam additive and metering the extinguisher foam additive in response to the volume of water flowing through said motor, to thereby provide a proportionately constant fire fighting solution using only the energy supplied by the pressure of the fire fighting water;
(c) means for engaging or disengaging at least one of said metering devices from said pump; and
(d) means for recycling the dicharge of foam from each of said metering devices back to its source.
2. In a fire fighting system which provides extinguisher foam from a source and mixes the foam with fire fighting water flowing through a line at variable flow rates, a device for continuously delivering a proportionately constant fire fighting extinguisher solution using only the energy supplied by the pressure of the water, comprising:
(a) a volumetric hydraulic motor in said fire fighting water line driven by the pressure energy of the fire fighting water passing therethrough wherein said motor comprises a double screw rotary pump, and wherein said motor is connected to said metering device by a shaft rotatable by said motor; and
(b) at least one foam additive metering device operatively connected to said motor for receiving extinguisher foam additive and metering the extinguisher foam additive in response to the volume of water flowing through said motor, to thereby provide a proportionately constant fire fighting solution using only the energy supplied by the pressure of the fire fighting water, wherein said metering device comprises a three screw pump;
(c) means for engaging or disengaging at least one of said metering devices from said pump;
(d) and means for recycling the discharge of foam from each of said metering devices back to its source.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein said motor comprises a double screw rotary pump.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein said metering device comprises a three screw pump.
5. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection between said motor and said metering device comprises a revolution speed reduction gear/overgear which causes said motor and said metering device to revolve at different speeds proportional to one another.
6. The device of claim 5, wherein the speed reduction gear/overgear further comprises a plurality of different transmission ratios which can alternatively engage.
7. The device of claim 1 or 2 wherein the device includes a plurality of said metering devices, and wherein said device further includes means for engaging or disengaging at least one of said metering devices from said pump.
8. The device of claim 1 or 2 wherein the device includes a plurality of said metering devices, and wherein said device further includes means for engaging or disengaging at least one of said metering devices from said pump and a mechanical coupling means for disengaging the connection between said motor and said metering device.
The object of the present invention is a device for continuously preparing proportionately constant solutions with large variable, flowrates.
The device according to the present invention is particularly suitable for preparing foam-extinguisher solutions for industrial fire-fighting systems.
The fire-fighting systems of industrial factories, e.g., chemical plants, petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries and well-drilling plants, require that a foam extinguisher be mixed and added at a constant proportion to the water of the fire-fighting network, which is supplied by suitable pumps, to obtain a proper foam extinguisher solution. When the solution is delivered, e.g., by means of the spreaders, it generates a foam which extinguishes the flames, while maintaining, under any operating conditions, its fire-extinguishing characteristics.
Many foam-extinguishers are known in the prior art, which are suitable for use in fire extinguishing. They perform to the maximum extent when they are used in the prescribed proportion of fire-fighting water to foam-extinguisher liquid. In the following, such "foam-extinguisher liquid" is also referred to as an "additive" or "concentrate".
When an excessive amount of foam-extinguisher liquid is used, a lower fire-extinguishing quality is obtained, because with increasing proportions, beyond a certain limit, undesirable or negative results are likely to result on the characteristics of the generated foam, e.g., an excessive increase in foam viscosity, hinders the flowing of the foam.
Additionally, further disadvantages exist, such as an increase in the specific cost of the foam-extinguisher per unit of fire-fighting solution, a shorter autonomy of operation of the fire-fighting system, and the need for the operators to take more frequent actions in order to handle and replenish the foam-extinguisher liquid consumed.
These two disadvantages, can be critical in the emergency situation of a fire.
On the other hand, when too low a ratio of foam extinguisher to water is used, the foam that is produced loses its fire extinguishing properties very rapidly.
In any case, the accuracy of the proportioning of the foam-extinguisher additive should be maintained within specific limits of not higher than +20%, or even less, in order to attain the best effect.
In the present fire-fighting systems, the most commonly used foam-extinguishers are used in aqueous solutions at concentrations at 6%, but the most recent additives are designed for use at 3%, or even at 1%. This is to reduce the amount of foam-extinguisher additive required to be kept in storage, or needed to be purchased under emergency situations, while maintaining the autonomy of operation or, on the contrary, to increase the autonomy of operation while maintaining the same volume of stored additive.
Such a problem proves to be very important, because the flowrates required for fire extinguishing are very high, and the amount of foam-extinguisher--even when used at low percentages--are always considerable.
Depending upon the number of fire-fighting nozzles used, the delivered flowrate of the fire-fighting solution varies within a very wide range, and within this range, the precision in additive addition should be maintained, even during an emergency situation such as a fire.
A further requirement concerns the preparation of the solutions. The possibility that the stored amounts of a type of additive--e.g., a foam-extinguisher which is properly to be used at 6% solution may be exhausted. In these circumstances the device should easily adapt in order to conform to the different proportions of water required for a different foam extinguisher.
A further, and extremely important requirement of fire-fighting systems is that the mixing devices must preferably operate in a stand-alone mode--without energy being supplied from the external environment because under emergency conditions, there could be a severe deficiency of available energy.
In the prior art, many devices for continuous mixing were proposed, but, from a general standpoint, these mixing devices use ejectors which are driven by the energy supplied by the pressure of the fire-fighting system water. These ejectors withdraw the foaming additive from the tank by the depressure generated by the ejector.
A typical embodiment of a device described in the prior art is shown in FIG. 1. The mixing device depicted in the diagram of FIG. 1 comprises one or more pressurized storage tanks 1, inside which a second container is installed, which is a bag 2 made from a flexible material.
The foam-extinguisher additive is contained inside the flexible bag container 2. The hollow space A located between said container 2 and the wall of the tank 1 is occupied by the same water of the fire-fighting system.
The fire-fighting network water is delivered under pressure by means of a duct 3, in which a Venturi device 4 is installed.
Upstream of the Venturi device 4, water is branched off, and fills the hollow space A between the tank 1 and the container 2, and pressurizes the tank, through the pipe 5, which can be closed by means of the valve 6.
Said valve 6 is of the on-off type, and is only closed when refilling the foam-extinguisher additive, or if shut-down of the device occurs.
Near the narrowest section of the Venturi device 4 due to the effect of water flow, an area B of relative depressure is formed. Pipe 7 connects said area B of relative low pressure to the flexible container 2, which is completely filled with the foam-extinguisher additive.
Pipe 7 is shut off by a valve, 8, similar to valve 6.
Downstream of the Venturi device 4, the water/foam-extinguisher additive solution is distributed to the user device by means of the duct 9.
When water is not flowing inside the Venturi device 4 low pressure is not generated, and therefore both the pipes 5 and 7, the hollow space A and the interior of the container 2, are under the same pressure.
When water flows through the duct 3 and the Venturi device 4, in the operation of the device, the water flow generates low pressure in the area B, relative to the pressure existing inside the duct 5 and the area A. The pressure difference generated inside area A compresses the flexible container 2 and the foam-extinguisher additive contained therein is discharged through the pipe 7 and is mixed with the fire-fighting water in B. The greater the flowrate of fire-fighting water inside the Venturi device 4, the lower the pressure in the area B, and the greater the flowrate of the foam-extinguisher additive. The ratio of the additive to the water remains fairly constant to the prefixed average value with variable flow-rates.
The embodiment described in the diagram of FIG. 1 is at present the most commonly used for variable-flowrate stationary fire-fighting installations. In a widely used alternative, the functions of the container 2 and of the hollow space A can be inverted, with the foam-extinguisher additive being contained inside the hollow space A, and the driving water being contained inside the container 2. Of course, in that case the connections to the Venturi device 4 must be inverted.
The technical advantages shown by the prior art is its structural simpleness and the absence of moving parts.
Furthermore, such a device is not affected by changes in absolute pressure, and does not require sophisticated control instrumentation.
However, some drawbacks and limitations exist. One such drawback is the mixing precision which can be obtained by such an apparatus decreases with decreasing values of the prescribed added percentages.
The apparatuses according to the diagram of FIG. 1 show considerable difficulties adapting to the most recent foam fire-extinguishers, for which the low addition levels of 3%, and even of 1%, are prescribed.
Another weak point of the prior art is the membrane container 2, which is susceptible to sudden breakages. This often occurs during an emergency situation. In order to obviate such drawbacks, suggestions are made in the prior art, to replace the membrane container 2 with a water-tight piston which slides in the axial direction to separate the fire-fighting water from the fire-extinguisher additive. This solution suffers from a number of operating drawbacks, for example size and refilling limitations.
In fire-fighting systems, the rated flowrates required for such systems may have values of up to 500-1,000 m3 /hour, and that with the conventional foaming additives to be metered at a 6% rate, the hourly consumption of additive may be as high as 30-60 m3 /hour.
The tanks utilizing a membrane-container have size limits, which are dictated by practical reasons for example, operations and maintenance. They have approximately 10 m3 of useful capacity, which corresponds for a fire-fighting system with an addition rate of 6%, and a rated flowrate of 500 m3 /hour to an operating time of 20 minutes at peak flowrate.
The tank 1 must be designed for operating under a pressure at least equal to the maximum pressure envisaged for the fire-fighting network. This can be considerably high, up to 10-15 bar.
Under such operating conditions, a tank 1 must be taken out of service for short time intervals, and replaced by another, ready, tank 1.
The refilling procedure is conducted by closing the valves 6 and 8, opening the valve 10 to refill the foam-extinguisher additive which is delivered by the service pump 11 though the line 12, and letting the pressurizing water contained inside the hollow space A drain by means of the valve 13.
As one can easily deduce, a high number of operators is required to manage the mixing devices, and to refill the many emptied tanks, when a fire emergency occurs. A further drawback affecting the apparatus as depicted in FIG. 1, is during a fire it has a poor adaptability to receive different additives which are to be used different concentrations e.g., the additive stored in the factory is finished and for example, such immediately available materials would require a new calibration of the Venturi device 4.
The device according to the present invention overcomes the above-discussed drawbacks and limitations of the devices known from the prior art characterized by both an extreme simpleness and a complete autonomy of operation from external sources of energy. The device according to the present invention is essentially a volumetric hydraulic motor which is rigidly coupled to a volumetric pump for foaming agent injection.
Such a volumetric hydraulic motor revolves at a revolution speed which is directly proportional to the flowrate of water flowing through it.
It comprises a rotary volumetric pump, which made operates in reverse mode, i.e., as a motor.
The adoption of a pump as a hydraulic motor, and making it operate in reverse mode, is already known in the art.
It is disclosed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,941 and in French Pat. No. 1,150,489, with reference to reversed positive displacement pump acting as a hydraulic motor coupled with a gear pump acting as a metering pump.
In practical applications, such a combination is affected by many drawbacks.
The positive displacement pump, owing to structural reasons, cannot revolve at too high revolution speeds.
When the maximum design flowrate is increased, the revolution speed must be consequently decreased, and its displacement--and therefore its size--rapidly reach impossible values.
The output limit of the positive displacement pumps is approximately 200 m3 /hour. This value is extremely restrictive to the fire-fighting installation industry, wherein flowrates of the order of 1,000 m3 /hour may be required.
A second drawback of the above cited coupling is the limited ratio of maximum flowrate/minimum flowrate within which an acceptable mixing of the foam-extinguisher is obtained.
This limitation is due to the volumetric efficiency of the gear pump, which rapidly decreases with decreasing revolution speeds, i.e., with values of the reduced flowrate which may be required by the fire-fighting system.
Thus, the combination of the reversed positive displacement pump--acting as a motor--coupled with the gear pump--acting as the injection pump--is not suitable to adapt to the flow range demanded by the fire-fighting service.
In order to obviate these drawbacks of poor adaptability of metering gear pumps to operate at low revolution speeds, further improvements have been proposed in the prior art.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,256, a revolution speed overgear is required between the hydraulic motor--still constituted by a reversed positive displacement pump--and the injection gear pump. Such a device increases the revolution speed of the gear pump, and yields a more acceptable efficiency range. However, it does not overcome the systemic drawbacks of poor adaptability to wide changes in flowrate, and of the limitations of the flowrate useable by the hydraulic motor.
French Pat. No. 1,150,489 also proposes to interpose between the foam-extinguisher additive tank and the injection pump a booster pump, which pressurizes the injection pump--still a gear pump--minimizing its inner recycle and increasing again the volumetric efficiency thereof to acceptable values.
Such a contrivance only makes it possible for the injection pump to be used for metering and not for true injection purposes.
However, such a technical solution yields considerable structural complexity.
The booster pump can be driven by an external motor, which renders the system dependent on other energy sources, or by the same hydraulic motor, which further reduces the residual pressure downstream of the hydraulic motor, owing to the larger energy amount required.
German Pat. No. 31 31 522 proposes to use, as the hydraulic motor, a turbine. This overcomes the flowrate limitations of the reversed positive displacement pump, when coupled with a foam-extinguisher additive metering pump. The metering pump can be a reciprocating pump, a gear pump, a peristaltic pump, a membrane pump, or a screw pump.
However, the turbine suffers from the drawback that it is even less adaptable to the changes in flowrate typical of the fire-fighting service. This is because the revolution speed of the turbine, and the extracted power are not in linear relationship with the flowrate of fire-fighting water. The metering precision can be only obtained within a small portion of the required flowrate range.
Although many types of volumetric pumps are, at least in principle, able to be operated in reverse mode, and are also capable of operating as a hydraulic motor, for the application of preparing foam fire-extinguisher solutions, the rotary pumps of screw-pump type have proven to be especially suitable for use as hydraulic volumetric motors. In fact, such pumps can be substantially transformed into hydraulic volumetric motors by simply reversing the flow through them, i.e., mutually exchanging their inlet and outlet.
For the flowrates, and the waterheads necessary for the application of fire-fighting services, the characteristic curves show that among the rotary pumps are preferred for the particular use in reverse mode as a volumetric hydraulic motor, due to the large water flowrate they can tolerate.
Said hydraulic motor is either directly, or with the interposition of a revolution speed reduction gear/overgear is indirectly coupled with a volumetric pump which intakes the foam-extinguisher additive and injects it into the same water duct.
The injection of the foam-extinguisher additive can be introduced either upstream or downstream of the same hydraulic motor.
In the first case, there is better mixing of the additive with water for the fire-fighting network, in the second case the opposite effect is obtained, the pressure necessary for the injection is lower.
The volumetric pump for injecting of the foam-extinguisher additive into the duct of the fire-fighting network is directly obtained from water flow, at the expense of a moderate pressure drop.
A specific embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings wherein;
FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of the device of the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of the device of the present invention.
FIG. 3A is a schematic flow diagram of another embodiment of the device of the present invention.
FIG. 3B is a schematic flow diagram of still another embodiment of the device of the present invention.
A typical embodiment of the device according to the invention is depicted in FIG. 2.
The pressurized water from the fire-fighting network flows through the duct 20, and through the hydraulic volumetric motor 21, which is a volumetric screw pump operating in reverse mode.
As hereinabove stated, such a rotary volumetric pump is preferably a double-screw pump.
The volumetric motor 21 is protected by a safety valve 22, which is automatically tripped, and prevents water from flowing through 21 when, due to possible anomalies, the pressure drop inside the motor exceeds the correct operation values.
Fire-fighting water flows through 21, revolving at a speed proportional to the water flowrate, which, in turn, is a function of the amount taken from the network, and is discharged though the duct 23, under a pressure slightly lower than the pressure existing in 20. The pressure drop in the water flowing through 21 corresponds to the energy absorbed by the hydraulic motor, which is linked to the volumetric pump 24 by means of the revolving shaft 25, or another equivalent mechanical coupling.
The revolution speed reduction gear/overgear 26 can be installed in the coupling represented by shaft 25, if the two machines 21 and 24 are run at proportional speeds different from each other.
A safety valve 27, which is analogous for type and installation to valve 22, is also installed to bypass the volumetric pump 24.
In principle, the volumetric pump 24 for foam-extinguisher additive addition can be of any type.
However, when its application is the preparation of foam-extinguisher solutions, the present Applicant found that the volumetric pumps of screw-pump type are very suitable, and, among these, the three-screw volumetric pumps are preferred when the characteristic curves of the two mutually coupled machines are considered.
The volumetric pump 24 intakes, through the line 28, the foam-extinguisher additive from the tank 29 and delivers it, through the line 30, to be mixed with fire-fighting water of duct 23. On the line 30 a non-return valve 31 is interposed, in order to prevent water from returning back into the foam-extinguisher injection line, and as a protection against possible water hammers, or other back-pressures.
The storage tank 29 can be of atmospheric type, and the foaming additive can be refilled by means of the service pump 3, or other systems, even while machines 21 and 24 are running without adverse consequences.
It is furthermore possible according to the device of the present invention by means of simple structural changes, to easily modulate the ratio of fire-fighting water to foaming additive.
By suitably selecting the values of the displacements of the volumetric hydraulic motor and of the injection pump, the required percentage ratio of water to the aditive can be obtained. This ratio remains constant with varying values of the required flowrate of fire-fighting solution.
The need for preparing foam-extinguisher solutions with variable percentages of additive, because foam-extinguishers of different types may be used, can be achieved by the following different forms of practical embodiment.
When the revolution speed reduction gear/overgear 26 is used by changing the transmission ratio between the two machines, while the displacement ratio between the two machines remains the same an increased percentage of the additive will be modified because of the change in the revolutioon speed ratio between these two machines.
This embodiment requires that the revolution speed reduction gear/overgear 26 with a constant ratio of the revolution speed of the hydraulic motor to the revolution speed of the volumetric pump be replaced by a device--or speed gear--which enables such a speed ratio to be selected from a range of different available and alternatively engageable ratios.
Another interesting embodiment comprises a device whereby the volumetric motor is linked with a plurality of injection volumetric pumps, as depicted in FIG. 3, which can be engaged or disengaged acording to various combination.
For exemplifying purposes, three volumetric pumps are employed, each capable of delivering the following flowrates:
the first pump, has a flowrate equal to 1% of water flowing through the volumetric motor 21;
the second pump, has a flowrate equal to 2% of water flowing through the volumetric motor 21;
the third pump, has a flowrate equal to 4% of water flowing through the volumetric motor 21, and by means of graduated engagement of the three pumps, the delivery of the following metered amounts will be possible: -1& with the first pump only;
2% with the second pump only;
3% with the first pump and the second pump engaged;
4% with the third pump only;
5% with the first pump and the third pump engaged;
6% with the second pump and the third pum engaged;
7% with all pumps engaged.
The diagram depicted in FIG. 3A schematically represents such practical embodiment, wherein 24', 24" and 24'" are the three different volumetric pumps with their connections and accessories (27', 27" and 27'" are the three safety valves; 25', 25" and 25'" are the three coupling shafts; 31', 31" and 31'" are the three non-return valves). The modulation of the flowrate is carried out by means of the three-way valves 33',33" and 33'" respectively installed downstream of 24', 24" and 24'".
Such three-way valves have two possible positions. The first position allows the flowrate of the volumetric pump to go to duct 30, and the second position recycles the flowrate upstream of the same pump, by means of the pipes 34', 34" and 34'". As an alternative, the flowrate can be recycled to the tank 29 by means of the pipes shown in short-dash lines.
It is clear that the volumetric pumps 24', 24" and 24'" are always kept running and that, when one of valves 33 is switched into its recycle position, the water head required from the corresponding volumetric pump is very low, and the power absorbed from the corresponding link 25 is therefore very small.
According to the diagram depicted in FIG. 3B, the modulation of flowrate is carried out by means of the mechanical couplings 35', 35" and 35'", respectively installed in the mechanical links 25', 25" and 25'", and can respectively engage or disengage from the power transmission the volumetric pumps 24', 24" and 24'".
According to this latter form of practical embodiment, the volumetric pumps 24 are kept running only during the time during which their flowrate is necessary for delivering the desired metered amounts of foam-extinguisher additive.
From the above, advantages of the device are quite important in its application for the preparation of the foam fire-extinguisher solutions for fire-fighting systems.
Among such advantages as compared to the apparatuses known from the prior art, the following deserve a special attention.
The device according to the present invention makes it possible for the additive to be precisely and constantly metered throughout the flowrate range of the fire-fighting system.
On the contrary, the ejector--or Venturi--devices known from the prior art show a characteristic curve of flowrate/metered amount which, in its central portion, as very close to a straight line, whilst in its portions corresponding to low flowrates and to maximum flowrates, such a characteristic curve substantially departs from the straight line of the central portion, and does not any longer ensure a correct metering.
The device according to the present invention is capable of metering precise and constant volumes as well as when additives are mixed at low percentages (3% and 1% for the most recent foam-extinguishers). The Venturi devices according to the prior art, on the contrary, cannot be used at such low percentages.
The device according to the present invention makes it possible for additives requiring different metering rates to be rapidly interchanged. On the contrary, this is not feasible in case of the devices according to the techniques known for the prior art. According to the prior art, using reduced amounts of an additive which has to be metered--under emergency conditions--, requires a preliminary dilution of such an additive.
In addition to the disadvantages of time waste and of additional work, any advantage of the longer autonomy of operation allowed by reduced-metering additive gets of operation allowed by reduced-metering additive gets lost.
The device according to the present invention does not require pressurized tanks, uses atmospheric tanks, and can be the normal containers in which the additive is transported.
Non practical limitations exist in the operation of the fire-fighting system, which do not require different tanks be used, and which are alternatively switched into refilling mode and operating mode in short time intervals, as it occurs in case of the apparatuses known from the prior art.
The device of the present invention is not subject to the drawbacks deriving from the flexible membranes, or from the separation pistons provided inside the tanks, which are the critical part of the prior art devices.
Regarding other solutions proposed in the prior art, such as e.g., coupling gear pumps with hydraulic motors which are positive displacement pumps operating in reverse mode, or by hydraulic turbines, the present invention shows many advantages.
Since the motor and the injection pump are the screw type, both machines have congruent speeds and characteristics characteristic curves, and when directly coupling the machines with each other, neither underuse, nor need for interposing speed limiting devices. The screw pumps which are used as the hydraulic motor can operate at flowrates as high as 1,000 m3 /hour and higher, with maximum revolution speeds as high as 3,000 revolutions per minute.
The possibility of revolving at high speeds enables machines of small displacement and size to be used, with incidence of recycles being reduced, and with their range expanded to low flowrates and with the characteristics of a precise metering and high efficiencies being always maintained.
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Story: Nov 18, 2014
New film studies prof helps students appreciate film as art ...
CIA Exhibition: Nov 07, 2014
Fall 2014 Exhibitions
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Students capture two of the top prizes in museum's surreal d...
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Student Holiday Craft Sale
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Registration opens on Monday, Nov. 25 for the Cleveland Institute of Arts 2D3D national art and design competition for high school students. There are 13 cash ...
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CIA again named to "Best in the Midwest" list
Academics . Courses
Space + Planning Fundamentals
Course No. INTA 231A Credits: 3.0
Faculty Sherri Appleton
This course will cover the basic understanding of space planning and documentation, floor planning and elevations material selection, sample and presentation boards, space and lighting relationships, furniture and mechanical layouts, flow and movement. Open elective, sophomore and above. Offered fall.
While at CIA, you'll learn from the masters through our rigorous, world-class curriculum and connect with working professionals to begin your career.


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The actor shows off five of his essential dressing room items.November 29, 2011
The Broadway legend shares his backstage treasures.January 18, 2012
Chicago's Carol Woods has turned her cozy dressing room into her home away from home! With her trusty dog Fido, her grandchildren and a homecooked meal, Woods is always fixin' up something good backstage of the Ambassador Theatre.October 24, 2012
The actress shares her five favorite dressing room itemsFebruary 1, 2012
See the actor's five favorite backstage items.February 22, 2012
Adrienne Warren plays a cheerleader with an attitude in Bring it On, but she showed off her sweet side in her dressing room tour with Broadway.com. Check out her relaxing backstage space at the St. James Theatre!August 22, 2012
J. Elaine Marcos shares five hot items in her dressing room at the Palace Theatre.October 27, 2011
In Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Emily Bergl may play the greedy Mae Pollitt, but offstage, she's an art-loving, disco ball-collecting, tea-making and robe-wearing Broadway sweetheart. Check out her cozy backstage home at the Richard Rodgers Theatre!
January 9, 2013
The star of the '80s hard-rocking musical shares his favorite dressing room items.April 21, 2011
Broadway darling Kelli O'Hara invited Broadway.com inside her dressing room at Nice Work If You Can Get It to show off her five favorite things, including photos, notes and her grandfather's flask.September 12, 2012
The actress shares her favorite dressing room items.April 25, 2012
Cribbage anyone? That's the backstage passion of Michael Park, Mr. Bratt in the Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Step into Park's space to find out five things he treasures most!June 2, 2011


text: NEW YORKCentral New York District Attorney Weighs-In on Ferguson Grand Jury DecisionThe grand jury system is the center of attention after a controversial decision not to charge the police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri. As Bill Carey reports, a local District Attorney, with ties to the prosecutor in the Michael Brown case, thinks his friend handled the case as well as he could. Updated 8:26 PM


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Green focus transforms the business of architecture
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- Wendy Culverwell, Business Journal Staff Writer
An explosion of interest in green design has transformed the way architects approach projects and their clients.
"Ten years ago, it was a very rare developer that walked in and asked about sustainable design," said Tim Eddy, principal with Hennebery Eddy Architects, a Portland firm that like most reports the vast majority of its work is based on green concepts. "Now, everyone does it."
It's been almost 10 years since the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's most prominent green-rating agency, granted its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design plaque ever in the Northwest. It went to Viridian Place, a three-story multi-tenant building constructed in Lake Oswego for Neil Kelly Co.
Viridian Place was the first LEED project west of the Mississippi and became a poster child for LEED when few even knew what the acronym meant. Today in Portland alone there are nearly 100 LEED-rated projects.
They include newly built projects, commercial interiors and building renovations. Single-family homes, apartments, retailers and schools all now have their own LEED rating criteria.
Thomas Hacker Architects was one of Portland's earliest adopters. It renovated the historic Balfour-Guthrie warehouse into its new offices and earned a LEED plaque in 2003, when the industry was still in its infancy.
Now, sustainable design is incorporated in every company project. As much of as 90 percent of all projects are designed to Green Building Council standards, said Alexander Lungershausen, the Thomas Hacker architect who designed Balfour-Guthrie.
Since 2003, the firm's sustainable design "committee" has grown to include about half its staff of 47 people.
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Aparthotel Napols
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My final days in Barcelona
... was that she took a wrong turn way ahead of me and that got me a good 30 yard head start. We got into the cab and learned that we were actually close by. I told him I will be going on to the hotel after we drop her at the airport. She handed me 7 Euros and said that she thinks it will be 14 - it was actually 18 to the airport and then 25 by the time I got to the hotel. So where does the math get us now - 5.30 for the green line 4.10 for the ...
Spain is so laid back. It has a great atmosphere. Lots of tourists in Barcelona from all over.
Even though there is 50% youth unemployment in Spain it is not obvious to us, except for the beggars in some cities.
Spent the day exploring some of the city area in Barcelona, having the best tapas variety so far for lunch and then a walk along ...
A Passionate Apathy
... in America for people to be lacking in political insight or education, in Portugal it seemed as though they had abandoned their political futures. The only hope anyone seemed to have was the hope that the European Union would unify Portugal with the remainder of Europe and the political decisions of the EU would be beneficial to Portugal. Despite this less than 35 percent of Portuguese voters decided to vote in the European Parliamentary elections.
Here we come Barcelona!
... tonight or if this is perhaps one of the most comfortable couches I've ever sat on!?! Details to check out the Barcelona accommodation are: https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/534073 We had a great pizza lunch as we were very hungry and decided this was the easiest way to try and power up for some afternoon walking. The kids were determined that they were due for a 'kid afternoon' at the beach. They soon found out just how cold the water was but it perked them up for a ...
Catalonia an area of Spanish difference
... met up with the two boys in the hostel bar for a drink and planning before going back to our rooms to get ready. Upon going back to our room we found our latest roommate to be a really nice Canadian girl who is studying in France and having a weekend in Spain by herself. We gave her a 5min warning to get ready before we had to leave and she was in! We met the boys back in the bar and set out to find some Paella, this turned out to be a bit harder than we thought. Upon leaving ...


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Quattro Fontane Hotel
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Venice is Amazing
It really is A MAZE ing.
If you like going into Mazes just go to Venice. Within 2 minutes of leaving the Railway or Bus station you will be completely lost. If you are lucky enough to find somewhere that sells maps then it all changes. You are now completely lost with a map in your hand. The simplest of walks turns rapidly into a total nightmare. Streets that have no names run into other streets that go nowhere. Bridges appear as if by magic, ...
Venice shopping and a gondola ride
... along this canal, passing under bridges where people are taking photos of us, as we have done of others. It is a smooth and slow ride, as we meander through the canals with the gondoliers conversing in Italian with each other and pointing out the occasional sight of interest. The ride seems almost like one that you would take at an amusement park, except for the sights, sounds and smells that remind us that we ...
The Breathtaking Puddle Called Venice
... our trip. That's ok. I still had MY credit card, our only credit card now, stashed securely in my anti-theft card carrier that hung around my neck and under my shirt. And yes, I pointed out the irony to him, and he took the ribbing well. Dave's so lucky to have me. :-D ;-)
St. Mark's was our ninth religious building to tour. The ceiling was covered in gold, it was modeled after the Hagia Sophia, and did I tell you it was our ninth religious building? ...
Venice - Day 2
... we did this before and after we visited the palace. Now it was time to head off and do some exploring. As there is no traffic in Venice the only way to get around is to either go by water or walk, and so we walked. It wasn't too long before we were lost, but as there seemed to be a treasure to discover down every street and alley this didn't seem to matter. At one stage we looked up and there was ...
Still the 'wow' factor- Venice
... overpriced activity but well worth doing. The view is so different on the water and we saw areas not otherwise possible. I smiled at the impact on this ancient craft by modern technology as our gondolier spoke on his mobile phone for the beginning of the trip. When off the phone he pointed out Casanova's and Marco Polo's houses, and told us that singing gondoliers are only in the movies and you can't be trained in both, with 3 years for gondolier training. In the Grande Canal we ...


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This is just another version of a good old stand by. The coconut milk makes it just a little more creamy. I used regular coconut milk but I am sure lite would be just fine also.
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Call for Price Type: Used Year: 1967 Make: Chevrolet Model: Camaro RS Body Style: 2 Door Sedan Stock 247773 Mileage: 3862 Engine Size: 327ci Transmission: Automatic Exterior Color: Red Interior Color: Red Vin: 124377N247773 866-230-2851... More
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- 302 CI engine- 4-speed transmission- Believed to be 60,226 miles- Built in Los Angeles, California assembly plant- One repaint several years ago- Tic-Toc-Tach... More
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- Rotisserie restored 4 years ago and has been driven just under 2,000 miles since- Featured July 2014 in Camaro Performance Magazine- GM 502... More
- True Super Sport- Restored in 2010- Custom built 350 engine with upgrades- Automatic transmission- Positraction rear end- Custom stereo system- Stainless exhaust system-... More
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