AXIAL FLOW LIQUID AERATOR

摘要

An axial flow liquid aerator includes a float with an upright tubular throat extending therethrough and includes a drum-type impeller telescoped into the throat. The impeller is rotatable with a power shaft driven by a plurality of motors supported on the float and equally spaced around the throat to balance the float against tipping as the impeller is rotated to pump a sleeve of water from a pond upwardly through the throat between the outer wall of the impeller and the throat wall to circulate and aerate the water in the pond. A speed reducer connected between the motors and the power shaft is operable to transfer rotational motion from each of the motors to rotate the shaft at a speed less than the rotational speed of the motor drive shafts. The speed reducer includes a small pulley mounted on each drive shaft, larger pulleys fixed to the power shaft and endless belts trained around the pulleys to transfer the rotational motion. The tension in the endless belts is maintained by a belt tensioner which is connected between the motors and which includes lever arms connected at one end to one side of each of the motors and springs connecting the ends of each arm together.