United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

John Dwight England

Anthony R Kelley

Raymond J Cronise

Paul D Van Buskirk

A safety system includes a sleeve fitted within a pool's suction line at its inlet. The sleeve terminates with a plate that resides within the suction line. The plate has holes formed therethrough. A housing defining distinct channels is fitted in the sleeve so that the distinct channels lie within the sleeve. Each of the distinct channels has a first opening on one end thereof and a second opening on another end thereof. The second openings reside in the sleeve. The first openings are in fluid communication with the water in the pool, and are distributed around a periphery of an area of the housing that prevents coverage of all the first openings when a human interacts therewith. A first sensor is coupled to the sleeve to sense pressure therein, and a second pressure sensor is coupled to the plate to sense pressure in one of the plates' holes.

Safety system for controlling fluid flow into a suction line

A safety system includes a sleeve fitted within a pool's suction line at the inlet thereof. An open end of the sleeve is approximately aligned with the suction line's inlet. The sleeve terminates with a plate that resides within the suction line. The plate has holes formed therethrough. A housing defining a plurality of distinct channels is fitted in the sleeve so that the distinct channels lie within the sleeve. Each of the distinct channels has a first opening on one end thereof and a second opening on another end thereof. The second openings reside in the sleeve. Each of the distinct channels is at least approximately three feet in length. The first openings are in fluid communication with the water in the pool, and are distributed around a periphery of an area of the housing that prevents coverage of all the first openings when a human interacts therewith.

An eddy-current-minimizing flow plug has open flow channels formed between the plug's inlet and outlet. Each open flow channel includes (i) a first portion that originates at the inlet face and converges to a location within the plug that is downstream of the inlet, and (ii) a second portion that originates within the plug and diverges to the outlet. The diverging second portion is approximately twice the length of the converging first portion. The plug is devoid of planar surface regions at its inlet and outlet, and in fluid flow planes of the plug that are perpendicular to the given direction of a fluid flowing therethrough.

Eddy current minimizing flow plug for use in flow conditioning and flow metering

An eddy-current-minimizing flow plug has an outer radial wall with open flow channels formed between the plug's inlet and outlet. The plug has a central region coupled to the inner surface of the outer radial wall. Each open flow channel includes (i) a first portion originating at the inlet and converging to a location in the plug where convergence is contributed to by changes in thickness of the outer radial wall and divergence of the central region, and (ii) a second portion originating in the plug and diverging to the outlet where divergence is contributed to by changes in thickness of the outer radial wall and convergence of the central region. For at least a portion of the open flow channels, a central axis passing through the first and second portions is non-parallel with respect to the given direction of the flow.

A device used in making differential measurements of a flow includes a flow obstruction and a support arm. The flow obstruction's forward portion is a nose cone. The flow obstruction's aft portion is coupled to the nose cone. The support arm's first end is coupled to an exterior wall of a conduit, and its second end is coupled to the forward portion of the flow obstruction. The support arm positions the flow obstruction in the conduit such that a flow region is defined around its nose cone, and such that the support arm's first and second end are separated from one another with respect to a length dimension of the conduit. Measurement ports are provided in the support arm and flow obstruction. Manifolds extending through the flow obstruction and support arm couple the ports to points at the exterior wall of the conduit.

Self-contained compressed-flow generation device for use in making differential measurements

A fluid flow tool's plate-like structure has a ring portion defining a flow hole, a support portion extending radially away from the ring portion and adapted to be coupled to conduit wall, and extensions extending radially away from the ring portion such that a periphery of the plate-like structure is defined by the extensions and trough regions between adjacent extensions. One or more ports formed in the ring portion are in fluid communication with the flow hole. A first manifold in the plate-like structure is in fluid communication with each port communicating with the flow hole. One or more ports are formed in the periphery of the plate-like structure. A second manifold in the plate-like structure is in fluid communication with each port formed in the periphery. The first and second manifolds extend through the plate-like structure to terminate and be accessible at the conduit wall.

Star-shaped fluid flow tool for use in making differential measurements

A fluid flow tool includes an airfoil structure and a support arm. The airfoil structure's high-pressure side and low-pressure side are positioned in a conduit by the support arm coupled to the conduit. The high-pressure and low-pressure sides substantially face opposing walls of the conduit. At least one measurement port is formed in the airfoil structure at each of its high-pressure side and low-pressure side. A first manifold, formed in the airfoil structure and in fluid communication with each measurement port so-formed at the high-pressure side, extends through the airfoil structure and support arm to terminate and be accessible at the exterior wall of the conduit. A second manifold, formed in the airfoil structure and in fluid communication with each measurement port so-formed at the low-pressure side, extends through the airfoil structure and support arm to terminate and be accessible at the exterior wall of the conduit.

Airfoil-shaped fluid flow tool for use in making differential measurements

A device used in making differential measurements of a flow includes an open-ended tubular flow obstruction and a support arm. The flow obstruction has an outer annular wall and an inner annular wall. The support arm has a first end coupled to an exterior wall of a conduit and a second end coupled to the flow obstruction. The support arm positions the flow obstruction in the conduit such that a first flow region is defined around the flow obstruction's outer annular wall and a second flow region is defined by the flow obstruction's inner annular wall. The support arm's first end and second end are separated from one another with respect to a length dimension of the conduit. Measurement ports provided in the flow obstruction are coupled to points at the exterior wall of the conduit by manifolds extending through the flow obstruction and support arm.

Self-contained tubular compressed-flow generation device for use in making differential measurements

A safety drain system includes a plurality of drain sections, each of which defines distinct fluid flow paths. At least a portion of the fluid flow paths commence at a side of the drain section that is in fluid communication with a reservoir's fluid. Each fluid flow path at the side communicating with the reservoir's fluid defines an opening having a smallest dimension not to exceed approximately one centimeter. The drain sections are distributed over at least one surface of the reservoir. A manifold is coupled to the drain sections.

Safety drain system for fluid reservoir

A flow plug of varying thickness has a plurality of holes formed therethrough. The plug fits in a conduit such that a fluid flow in the conduit passes through the plug's holes. Each hole is defined by a parameter indicative of size in terms of the cross-sectional area thereof. A ratio of hole length-to-parameter is approximately the same for all of the holes.

Flow plug with length-to-hole size uniformity for use in flow conditioning and flow metering

A fluid mixer plug has holes formed therethrough such that a remaining portion is closed to fluid flow. The plug's inlet face defines a central circuit region and a ring-shaped region with the ring-shaped region including at least some of the plug's remaining portion so-closed to fluid flow. This remaining portion or closed region at each radius R of the ring shaped region satisfies a radius independent, flow-based relationship. Entry openings are defined in the plug's inlet face in correspondence with the holes. The entry openings define an open flow area at each radius of the ring-shaped region. The open flow area at each such radius satisfies the inverse of the flow-based relationship defining the closed regions of the plug.

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John Dwight England