Liquid purification or separation – With alarm – indicator – register – recorder – signal or...
Patent
1993-12-07
1996-03-12
Drodge, Joseph W.
Liquid purification or separation
With alarm, indicator, register, recorder, signal or...
55270, 73 6168, 210 961, 210108, 210143, 210418, B01D 35143
Patent
active
054983282
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to monitoring apparatus and, in particular, but not exclusively, to such apparatus for use in association with mains water supply facilities.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is ever increasing pressure on water companies to improve the quality of the water they supply and indeed any effluent they discharge. Whilst there are many sophisticated monitoring systems for detecting a whole range of pollutants, many of these do not work in real time and so significant discharges can occur from treatment plants before the problem is discovered.
Very often a breakdown in the efficiency of the treatment plant filtration system is indicated by an increase in solids in the water, but to date there is no method of monitoring such contaminants unless their presence is in sufficient concentration to effect a change in turbidity and is thus detectable using a currently available instrument.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
From one aspect the invention consists in apparatus for monitoring the level of solids in a fluid flow, comprising means for monitoring the level of contamination or blockage of a filter in the flow and for developing an output signal if the level falls outside a predetermined range and means, responsive to the output signal, for sampling the residue in the filter whenever an output signal is received.
Thus if the apparatus is used in conjunction with a filter positioned in the output of a water treatment plant or in a sampling bypass thereof, then the need to backwash within a short time or the need for frequent backwashing of that filter, or some other parameter, would indicate that an unusually high level of solids was present in the outlet water from the treatment plant. This could immediately give rise to an alarm and action could be taken to shut down the plant. The arrangement may have the additional benefit that the treated water is subjected to a final extra fine filtration providing an improvement in the quality of the output water if the total flow passes through the filter.
The output signal may also initiate an alarm and/or the recording of predetermined parameters. For example, a record may be kept of the time of backwash, the elapsed time since the previous backwash, the flow through the filter and/or the pressure drop across the filter. Conveniently that record can be a printout.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus includes means for backwashing the filter, a normal backwash outlet and backwash sample reservoir and valve means, responsive to the presence and absence of an output signal, for directing the backwash fluid to either the reservoir or the outlet respectively in dependence on the presence or absence of the outlet signal.
In a further embodiment the monitoring means may develop a different output signal depending on in which of a plurality of predetermined ranges of levels the monitored level falls and wherein the sampling means characterises the sample by the nature of the output signal. In this case there may be a reservoir for each range and the valve means may be arranged to deliver the backwash fluid to that reservoir which corresponds to the output signal generated or to the normal outlet in the absence of an output signal.
The output signal could be the absence of a `normal` signal or a change in level of that `normal` signal.
It will be understood that by capturing at least a sample of the residue which caused the unusual blocking of the filter the invention provides a completely novel tool for the water engineer in allowing him to determine the nature and significance of the fault in the upstream plant and to balance supplies from a variety of sources.
From another aspect the invention consists in apparatus for monitoring the level of solids in a fluid flow and means for producing an alarm signal when that level exceeds a predetermined level.
From a further aspect the invention consists in filter backwash apparatus comprising means for automatically backwashing a filter in response to a predetermined pressure drop across
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"Instrumentation and Automation Systems", Kawabe et al, Toshiba Review. No 133, May-Jun. 1981, pp. 5-13.
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Cross Manufacturing Company (1938) Limited
Drodge Joseph W.
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