Liquid purification or separation – Structural installation – Flume stream type
Patent
1997-03-24
1998-08-04
Lithgow, Thomas M.
Liquid purification or separation
Structural installation
Flume stream type
210304, 210306, 210308, 210309, 2105121, 210804, 55337, 554591, 554592, 95268, B01D 2935, B01D 3522, B01D 3604, E02B 508
Patent
active
057888485
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for separating solids or particulate matter from flowing liquids or gases. The invention has particular, although not exclusive, application to the filtration of floating and entrained solids from discharges of water. One particular application of the invention is in relation to storm water drain technology.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are many applications where it is desirable to separate solids from a flowing liquid. Such applications include the following.
1. Separation of solids from storm water
In many parts of the world, storm water is directed to waterways and seas. Storm water is a major carrier of solid pollutants, such as plastics, cans, tree branches and animal faeces, amongst other things, to waterways and seas.
Endeavours have been made to date, to limit the passage of at least some of these materials to waterways and seas. One method which has been used is to employ grates across outlets from the drains. This method has been generally unsatisfactory because the size of the grate must often be such as to enable water to pass, even if solid material is held against the grate by water pressure. Accordingly, it has been necessary that the grate be of substantial opening size. A further problem is that even large grates can become blocked, and it is essential to provide a flow path around or over the grate to prevent build up of water upstream in the drainage system. A second alternative proposed has been the use of systems, such as cyclones and dynamic separators, to remove the waste. While these can be efficient in some circumstances, they are often too expensive to be used in the whole of a storm water drainage system.
2. Separation of liquid from sewerage
A major difficulty with many sewerage plants is the sheer volume of liquid to be handled. This is aggravated where a "mixed" system, that is, a system which carries both sewerage and storm water, is used. In many cases, sewerage plants could handle more sewerage if the quantity of liquid delivered could be reduced. This could occur if, for example, liquid was removed from the sewerage before it enters into trunk sewers. To date, this has not been considered feasible.
Further, there are also many regions in the world where storm water and sewerage are received by the same system. This can cause difficulties where there are heavy rains which overload the system, as it is undesirable to permit raw sewerage to pass to overflow.
3. Removal of pollutants from industrial wastes
Many industrial plants must pay prohibitive rates to discharge polluted liquids into sewers. It would be most desirable to separate a part of the pollution before the waste is delivered to sewers, and this will provide economies both to the plant and to the authority, if the cost of the earlier removal of polluted matter was less than the cost of cleaning up pollution at a later time.
These are merely illustrations of the many uses to which an apparatus or method for separating solids from a flowing liquid, could be put. There are many other such applications which could be described.
In our International Patent Application number PCT/AU94/00061, we disclosed and claimed apparatus and methods for separating solids from flowing liquids. We believe that the apparatus and methods disclosed in that application provide very good results in applications requiring the separation of solids from flowing liquids. We have now developed improvements and/or refinements to the invention disclosed in that application, which we believe provide even better results than those disclosed in our earlier application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally provides an apparatus for separating solid or particulate matter from a flowing liquid or gas, the apparatus including:
a separation panel positioned in the path of flow of the liquid or gas, the separation panel including a plurality of openings, wherein the openings are of a predetermined size such that only solid or particulate matter smaller
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Blanche Paul
Crompton Stephen
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