Cube Tests
The Cube - What IS That?
What is the Cube?
(Patent drawings at bottom pages)
The cube is my patented device for safely and efficiently removing water from a stream, creek channel or raging river. The cube consists of a 6' long steel box 16" x16" and open at each end. Inside the cube there several valves; a single plate of steel on a pivot that allows the plate to move and act as a valve to close off one end of the cube. Another plate vale is at the side exit pipe, and controls water entering the exit pipe. Also on the side of the cube there are several exits where pipes are attached. These pipes carry water away from the cube, when the valve plate is closed. the valve plate (plate is connected to the shore by a steel cable that can be pulled to close the cube, or released to let the cube be open. In the open position water passes straight through the cube. In the closed position water is diverted out of the cube into the side pipes and carried down stream and out of the river or channel.
Thus when the river is creating good amounts of water, worker may simply operate a crank or winch to open the side valve and close the back exit valve and thus begin diverting water into pipes and to storage. The operation can be automated but prudence says you want people doing this, to observe and monitor operations. The two valves can be adjusted to river conditions and desired extraction ammounts.
The cube is installed in a river channel with anchor bolts and steel straps. The pipe is run out and to the side of the cube. This pipe runs down the river at a nearly level plane. As the river descends in elevation, the pipe begins to pull above the creek. Eventually the carried pipe water can be placed into a sump for pumping and storage.
Test Videos 1/4 scale
Shown Below...
Scaled output 5.6 Acre Feet per day...
Cube Test 3 feet per second stream flow
Video of cube test...
Test Data
With this 1/16th scale cube...collection area is 16 square inches due to a t 4" x 4" cube. Pretty small but it fits a small creek with only 4-5 inches of water flowing at 2-3 feet per second.
The outlet is (2) 3" pipes that feed out of the cube into one 3" pipe which carries water to sumps for pumping to storage.
The velocity in the single exiting pipe is much higher than in the cube itself. Velocity in the cube is a function of the river speed. As water is diverted out the two side exit pipes velocity increases and the speed is nearly double in the 3" exit pipe. This function allows for a smaller outlet pipe than intake of the cube itself.
A complex set of equations show the relationships between inlet and output values. Feld testing demonstrates these functions as well and can be seen as the cubes leak and expel water under pressure when in the closed position.
Calculations and experiance show that a smooth walled 12" pipe will have even higher velocities and thus higher water carrying capacity than a ribbed flex pipe, and so we expect higher flow rates in nearly all situations.
Scale Up Data
With a 3 foot per second stream flow , this 1/16th scaled down cube puts out around 20 gallons a minute. That's 1,200 gallons per hour, 28,800 gallons per day.
This 1/16th scale works in this small creek to demonstrate basic function parameters. IIf we scale these numbers up to a full size 16" x 16" model the output is 28,800 x 16 = 460,800 gallons or 1.4 acre feet per day. If we consider the fact s of a larger stream in flood stage or less, the numbers should be more.
For one a real stream in flood stage speed is more in the 7- 15 feet per second range or more... which will greatly increase pressure and output flow speed and amounts.
Secondly with a longer run of 12" pipe, and some downhill element to that pipe run, the syphon effect will create further increases in flow.
Our calculations indicate realtime cube output flows in the 30 - 50 GPS which translate to 7.9 - 13.25 acre feet per day from one cube installation. With this kind of water per day governments could be saving many hundreds of acre feet per week from just one stream, and still only be extracting 10 % of actual flow.
Left- 15' long 3" flex pipe with a 6" lift out of the creek.
Actually the creek is falling while the pipe stays level...
Thus removing water without pumps..
1/4 scale Cube...VIDEO below
8" X 8" inlet
Input 6.7 gallons per second.
Output 5 Gallons per second.
This scales up to 5.3 acre feet per day. Creek velocity 2 FPS...
3" pipe carrying 20 gallons per minute from a 16 square inch collection cube.
Below video of 5 GPS cube output from 6 inch pipe and 64 square inch inlet... at upper Cold Springs Creek, Feb 22. Five days after our 9" rain.
Below are photos of stream @2 FPS flow speed (feet per second) total estimated at 3.5 CFS
Cube input is 6.4 gallons per second..
Cube output is 5.2 gallons per second..
312 gallons per minute...
18,720 gallons per hour...
449,280 gallons per day.. This is a 1/4 scale model, having a 64 square inch intake- 8 x 8 inlet.
When these figures are are scaled up to the working model ...the 16" x 16" inlet that makes a 256 square inch inlet and water output of 1,797,120 gallons per day or 5.5 acre feet per day.
These figures are at a sluggish stream flow of 2 cubic feet per second... We have figures that indicate in higher stream flow like 5-10 fps, outputs of 30-50 GPS gallons per second.
Cube Technical Drawings from 2016 Patent
Top view shows the cube and attendant parts.
Side view of cube placement and function in a stream bed. Captured water flows by gravity to sump.
Side view of cube and attendant parts. See through view to show valve parts inside metal cube
Back view of cube showing function of extraction valve plates.
