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Title: Pumping system using solar energy
Claims: What is claimed is: 1. A pumping system comprising a pumping unit formed by a motor and a pump and adapted to raise a liquid from an underground level to a utilization level, a vaporizable fluid flowing in a closed circuit between a solar evaporator and a condenser, the said motor being disposed in the outgoing branch between the evaporator and the condenser and a circulator being disposed in the return branch to the said evaporator, and in which system the motor comprises a motor chamber which is connected by a bistable distributor either to the evaporator when said distributor is in an intake state, or to the condenser when said distributor is in an exhaust state, said motor chamber being partly defined by a flexible wall free to move between an intake stroke end position and an exhaust stroke end position, the flexible wall triggering the changes of state of the distributor by reaching its two end positions, the said pumping system being characterized in that the distributor is biased by a resilient means into one of its two stable states on either side of an unstable equilibrium state, and is urged into its stable exhaust state by a flexible band tensioned by said flexible wall in the intake stroke end position, and is pushed into its stable intake state by said flexible wall in its exhaust stroke end position, a transmission chamber separated from said motor chamber by the said flexible wall, and a pump unit having, on either side of a deformable diaphragm, a pump chamber provided with an intake valve drawing from the said underground water level, and a delivery valve for delivery to the said utilization level and a reception chamber communicating with the said transmission chamber via a two-way pipeline, an incompressible transmission liquid complementally filling the said transmission and reception chambers as it flows in the said two-way position. 2. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said distributor comprises a locking means with a slide adapted to move between two end positions in response to the action of said flexible wall and urged into one of said two end positions by the said resilient means on either side of an unstable equilibrium position, an intake closure means, an exhaust closure means, and a transmission member between the said locking means and the said closure means adapted to close a first closure means and then open the second closure means after the said slide has passed the said unstable equilibrium position. 3. A pumping system according to claim 2, characterized in that the said closure means are formed by a spool having an intake port and an exhaust port, one port being closed when the other is open. 4. A pumping system according to claim 3, characterized in that the said spool operates by sliding. 5. A pumping system according to claim 3, characterized in that the said spool operates by pivoting. 6. A pumping system according to claim 2, characterized in that the said transmission member being constantly in engagement with said slide, the latter is actuated by the flexible wall through the agency of a resilient connecting means adapted to act on said slide beyond the said unstable equilibrium position when the said flexible wall reaches the said stroke end positions. 7. A pumping system according to claim 2, characterized in that the said transmission member comprising a driving member connected to the said slide and a driven member in constant engagement with the said closure means, a clearance is provided between the driving and driven members so that the driving member drives the driven member only after the said slide has passed the said unstable equilibrium position. 8. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said condenser is immersed in the said underground liquid. 9. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said condensor is immersed in a reservoir fed with liquid pumped to the said utilization level. 10. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said flexible wall is made up of two substantially equidistant flexible diaphragms fixed at their periphery to a body forming an outer wall of said motor and connected at their center by a spacer and defining between them a central cavity filled with an incompressible liquid. 11. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said circulator comprises on either side of a free piston: a pump cylinder provided with valves adapted to pass the said vaporizable fluid unidirectionally from the condenser to the evaporator, and a motor cylinder communicating with the transmission chamber via a two-way conduit so that the said transmission liquid actuates the said free piston. 12. A pumping system according to claim 10, characterized in that the said circulator comprises on either side of a free piston: a pump cylinder provided with valves adapted to pass the said vaporizable fluid unidirectionally from the condenser to the evaporator and a motor cylinder communicating with the said central cavity via a two-way conduit, so that the said incompressible liquid actuates the said free piston. 13. A pumping system according to claim 11, characterized in that the said pump cylinder has a smaller section than the said motor cylinder, the said free piston being adapted to slide in sealing-tight relationship also in the said motor cylinder and in the said pump cylinder. 14. A pumping system according to claim 13, characterized in that sealing-tightness between the said free piston and the said motor and pump cylinders is provided by substantially non-extensible deformable diaphragms. 15. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that a return means in the said pump unit urges the said deformable diaphragm in the direction which delivers the said transmission liquid to the said transmission chamber. 16. A pumping system according to claim 15, characterized in that the said deformable diaphragm being substantially non-extensible, the said return means acts on said diaphragm with a constant adjusted force. 17. A pumping system according to claim 16, characterized in that the said return means is a counterweight. 18. A pumping system according to claim 16, characterized in that the said return means comprises resilient bars or rods subjected to buckling stress. 19. A pumping system according to claim 16, characterized in that the said return means biases the said non-extensible deformable diaphragm by means of a hydraulic transmission comprising transmitter and receiver cylinders having longitudinally deformable non-extensible side walls. 20. A pumping system according to claim 15, characterized in that the said pump unit comprises a plurality of deformable diaphragms, each diaphragm being disposed between reception and pump chambers, each of the said deformable diaphragms being biased by the said return means in the direction which delivers the said transmission liquid to the said transmission chamber. 21. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises on the one hand a motor unit consisting of a master enclosure divided by a first flexible wall into a first motor chamber and a first transmission chamber, a slave enclosure divided by a second flexible wall into a second motor chamber and a second transmission chamber, and a bistable distributor switched at the ends of the strokes of the first flexible wall and adapted to bring the said first and second motor chambers into alternate symmetrical communication with the said evaporator and the said condenser and, on the other hand, a pump unit divided into two bodies by a non-deformable partition, a reception body divided by a first deformable diaphragm into two complementary reception chambers respectively communicating with the said first and second transmission chambers via two two-way pipelines, an incompressible transmission liquid complementally filling the two reception chambers and the first and second transmission chambers, and a pump body divided by a second deformable diaphragm into two pump chambers each provided with intake valves for drawing from the underground liquid and delivery valves for delivering to the utilization level, the first and second diaphragms being connected by a central spacer extending through said partition via an orifice closed by a bellows. 22. A pumping system according to claim 21, characterized in that the said first and second deformable diaphragms have unequal areas. 23. A pumping system according to claim 21, characterized in that the said circulator comprises two motor cylinders, terminating in deformable diaphragms bearing on either side of a double-acting in-line pump, the said motor cylinders being complementally fed with incompressible liquid by two two-way conduits respectively leading from the master and slave enclosures, while the said double-acting pump communicates with the condenser via intake valves and with the evaporator via delivery valves. 24. A pumping system according to claim 21, characterized in that the said bistable distributor comprises a slide springbiased into one of two end positions on either side of a central unstable equilibrium position and subjected to traction by means of a flexible band by the said flexible wall reaching the end of the intake stroke and pushed by said flexible wall when it reaches the end of its exhaust stroke, and an oscillating spool adapted to symmetrically and alternately change-over the intake and exhaust on the two motor chambers in response to the said slide passing the said unstable equilibrium position. 25. A pumping system according to claim 1, characterized in that the said vaporizable fluid is selected from the group comprising trichloromonofluoromethane, trichlorotrifluoroethane and the aliphatic pentanes. Other info: Inventors: Thureau, Pierre (Cachan, FR) Bremont, Michel (L'Hay-les-Roses, FR) Application Number: 514175 Filing Date: 1974-10-11 Publication_date: 1976-02-10 Assignee: Agence Nationale de Valorisation de la Recherche (ANVAR) (Neuilly-sur-Seine, FR) Primary Class(es): 417/389 60/531, 60/641.8, 417/379 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Vrablik, John J. Assistant Examiner: Gluck, Richard E. Attorney: Diller, Brown, Ramik & Wight |
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