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sump

 
(sŭmp) pronunciation
n.
    1. A low-lying place, such as a pit, that receives drainage.
    2. A cesspool.
  1. A hole at the lowest point of a mine shaft into which water is drained in order to be pumped out.
  2. The crankcase or oil reservoir of an internal-combustion engine.

[Middle English sompe, marsh, from Middle Low German sump or from Middle Dutch somp. Sense 2, from German Sumpf, swamp, sump, from Middle High German, swamp.]


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As part of a drainage system, a pit in the basement to collect excess moisture and liquids. To avoid flooding, a sump pump may be installed to remove accumulated water in the sump pit.


Example: Figure 186.
 FIG. 186. SUMP DRAINAGE SYSTEM
FIG. 186. SUMP DRAINAGE SYSTEM

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1. A pit, tank, basin, or receptacle which receives sewage or liquid waste, located below the normal grade of the gravity system, and which must be emptied by mechanical means.
2. A reservoir sometimes forming part of a roof drain.
3. A depression in a roof deck where the roof drain is located.


i. A low point in an aircraft fuel tank or fuel system where water and other contaminants can collect and be held until they can be drained out. See baffle (i).
ii. A low point in an aircraft engine in which lubricating oil collects and is stored or transferred to an external tank for reuse. See oil sump.

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For a list of words related to sump, see:

  See crossword solutions for the clue Sump.

A sump is a low space that collects any often-undesirable liquids such as water or chemicals. A sump can also be an infiltration basin used to manage surface runoff water and recharge underground aquifers.[1]. Sump can also refer to an area in a cave where a underground flow of water exits the cave into the earth.

One common example of a sump is the lowest point in a basement, into which flows water that seeps in from outside. If this is a regular problem, a sump pump that moves the water outside of the house may be used.

Examples

Another example is the oil pan of an engine. The oil is used to lubricate the engine's moving parts and it pools in a reservoir, known as a sump, at the bottom of the engine. Use of a sump requires the engine to be mounted slightly higher to make space for it. Often though, oil in the sump can surge during hard cornering starving the oil pump. For these reasons racing and piston aircraft engines are "dry sumped" using scavenge pumps and a swirl tank to separate oil from air which is also sucked up by the pumps.[2]

A sump can also be found in an aquarium, mainly a reef system. The sump sits below the main tank and is used as a filter, as well as a holding place of unsightly equipment such as heaters and protein skimmers. The main advantage of having a sump plumbed into an aquarium is the increase of water in the system, making it more stable and less prone to fluctuations of pH and salinity.

A diving snorkel can have a sump section located below the mouthpiece. This allows excess moisture from the breath and liquid from the ocean to settle and remain in the sump, so that it does not impair the snorkeler's breathing.

In a nuclear power plant's reactor housing, the role of the sump will be to collect any overflow of primary loop coolant; in this case, monitoring and pumping of the sump is an important part of the reactor's safety system.

The equivalent of a sump on a boat is the bilge.

In the human eye, the vitreous humour has a minor role as a metabolic sump[3].

Other uses

In a foxhole, a grenade sump is a deeper hole dug inside the foxhole into which live grenades can be kicked to minimize damage from the explosion.

In medieval cosmology, the sump was the center of the cosmos, where the dregs and filth descended, with the celestial sphere far exalted above the world of fallen man.

References

  1. ^ Fagin, Dan. "Ancient, Clean, Controversial". Newsday. http://www.newsday.com/community/guide/lihistory/ny-history-hs103a,0,5257146.story [dead link]
  2. ^ Jeff Huneycutt. "Oil Pans For Power". Circle Track magazine. http://www.circletrack.com/techarticles/76818/. Retrieved 2006-11-16. 
  3. ^ An Illustrated Colour Text to Ophthalmology, 3rd edition. Batterbury, Bowling, Murphy. Page 5

Translations:

Sump

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - samlebrønd, sump, bundkar

Nederlands (Dutch)
putje, poel

Français (French)
n. - puisard, (Aut) carter

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ölwanne, Sumpf

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ελαιοπυξίδα (κν. κάρτερ), φρεάτιο αποστράγγισης

Italiano (Italian)
pozzo nero, pozzanghera

Português (Portuguese)
n. - fossa (f)

Русский (Russian)
выгребная яма, маслосборник, грязевик

Español (Spanish)
n. - cárter, sumidero, letrina

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - grop, sump, avloppsbrunn, oljetråg

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
污水坑, 池, 水坑

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 污水坑, 池, 水坑

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 물웅덩이, 기름통

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 水たまり, 排水だめ, 油だめ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بالوعه , مستنقع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עוקה (מקום הצטברות שמן עודף במנוע), עוקת-שמן, שקע-שמן, בור-ניקוז‬


 
 

 

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Barron's Real Estate Dictionary. Dictionary of Real Estate Terms. Copyright © 2008 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Aviation. An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation.. Copyright © 2005 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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