Title: Apparatus for protecting aquatic life passing through a water filter

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Claims: What we claim is:

1. In apparatus for protecting aquatic life carried by water through a screening unit embodying an endless vertical traveling band screen formed of a plurality of screening baskets which open inwardly and generally horizontally during their upward travel and pass around upper and lower terminal members with the water flowing through each screening basket from the inner side toward the outer side thereof,

(a) a baffle element carried by and extending the length of each screening basket adjacent the trailing side thereof as viewed in the direction of travel and extending inwardly within said basket with at least a portion thereof adjacent said basket being imperforate,

(b) an imperforate area along the length of each said basket at the inner side of said baffle element defining with said imperforate portion of each said baffle element an elongated pocket in position to receive water and aquatic life carried thereby upon said upward travel of said basket through said water and adapted to discharge said water and aquatic life carried thereby during said upward travel of said pocket to a predetermined elevation with said basket passing around said upper terminal member,

(c) a discharge trough inwardly of said traveling band screen having an edge thereof adapted to extend adjacent and beneath said baffle element with said baffle element terminating at a location over and beyond the adjacent edge of said discharge trough in position to receive the water and aquatic life discharged from each said pocket during upward travel of said pocket at said predetermined elevation, and

(d) means for introducing a low pressure flow of water into each said pocket upon movement thereof to said predetermined elevation to gently remove from said pocket the water carrying aquatic life and thus transfer said aquatic life from said pocket to said discharge trough.

2. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 1 in which each said screening basket is generally semicylindrical as viewed in transverse cross section.

3. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 1 in which a portion of said inwardly projecting baffle element in spaced relation to said basket is pervious so that water passes therethrough to reduce turbulence in said pocket.

4. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 3 in which the pervious portion of said inwardly projecting baffle element is of a screen material the same as that of said screening baskets.

5. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 1 in which said discharge trough is of a depth and the bottom thereof is of a slope to maintain approximately a three inch water depth adjacent the discharge end of said trough.

6. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 1 in which said means for introducing a low pressure flow of water into each said pocket comprises a high volume low pressure spray nozzle mounted outwardly of said screening basket in position to direct said flow of water through said screening basket into said pocket.

7. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 1 in which means is provided for introducing a high pressure spray of water through each said basket after said aquatic life has been discharged from said pocket into said trough.

8. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 7 in which a trash deflector is carried by the edge of said trough furtherest removed from said inwardly projecting baffle element while said pocket is at said predetermined elevation with said trash deflector extending in an upward and inward direction relative to said trough in position to deflect away from said trough the trash removed from said basket by said high pressure spray of water.

9. Apparatus for protecting aquatic life as defined in claim 8 in which a trash deflector is carried by and extends longitudinally of each said screening basket forwardly of said inwardly projecting baffle element as viewed in the direction of travel in position to extend above said trash deflector carried by said trough upon movement of said pocket to said predetermined elevation.

Other info:

Inventors: McCawley, Robert (Birmingham, AL, US)
Siddle, Kenneth R. (Birmingham, AL, US)

Application Number: 942959
Filing Date: 1978-09-18
Publication_date: 1980-04-22
Assignee: Passavant Corporation (Birmingham, AL)
Primary Class(es): 210/160 210/400, 405/82
Other Classes:
US Patent Ref:

1208655	Dec, 1916	Reynolds	210/160.
1579105	Mar, 1926	Green	405/82.
1874736	Aug, 1932	Bleyer	210/160.
1903627	Apr, 1933	Koch	405/82.
2804209	Aug, 1957	Carlten et al.	210/60.
3093578	Jun, 1963	Hitmeiser	210/160.
3458046	Jul, 1969	Passaquant	210/160.
4040952	Aug, 1977	Japp	210/400.

Other Refs:
Primary Examiner: Granger, Theodore A.
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Thompson, Jr.; Woodford R.