Hydrovac with Blower in Tank

Abstract

An improved hydro-vac excavation apparatus is presented with the blower located on a recessed portion of the mud tank, saving space and eliminating piping. The blower and silencers are oriented so that airflow through the blower and out through the silencers is in a downward direction, eliminating low spots that could trap liquid.

1 . An excavation apparatus, comprising:
 a mud tank having an input for debris, water and air;   a hose connected to the input of the mud tank; and   a blower attached to the mud tank, the blower being configured to blow air out of the mud tank in operation to establish a negative pressure within the mud tank so that, in operation, air, water and debris is sucked into the mud tank through the hose, in which the blower is located in a recessed portion of the periphery of the mud tank, the recessed portion of the periphery of the mud tank being located in an upper part of the mud tank.   
     
     
         2 . The excavation apparatus of  claim 1  in which the blower is located exterior to an outer shell of the mud tank. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  in which the blower is located interior to an outer shell of the mud tank, separated from a main interior volume of the mud tank by a boundary surface interior to the outer shell of the mud tank. 
     
     
         4 . The excavation apparatus of  claim 1  in which the blower is oriented so that airflow through the blower is in a downward or down-sloping direction. 
     
     
         5 . The excavation apparatus of  claim 4  also comprising silencing chambers through which, in operation, air leaving the blower passes, the silencing chambers being inset within the periphery of the mud tank. 
     
     
         6 . The excavation apparatus of  claim 5  in which the silencing chambers are oriented so that in operation air passing through the silencing chambers passes through the silencing chambers in a downward or down-sloping direction. 
     
     
         7 . The excavation apparatus of  claim 1  further comprising a curtain located inside the mud tank to protect the blower from debris entering the mud tank through the input.