Liquid purification or separation – Particulate material type separator – e.g. – ion exchange or... – With gravitational separator
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-10
2002-01-08
Popovics, Robert (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Particulate material type separator, e.g., ion exchange or...
With gravitational separator
C210S680000, C210S693000, C210S304000, C210S305000, C210S320000, C210S502100, C210S504000, C210S506000, C210S512100, C210S532100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06337016
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates generally to apparatus for removing noxious contaminants from aqueous systems, and more specifically relates to filtration devices and methods for removing both oily and slightly soluble organic compounds from such aqueous systems. The invention is particularly applicable to the removal of such contaminants from drainage water, such as collected rainwater.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Increasing public awareness and concern regarding the effects on human and animal life of contamination of water sources, has led in recent years to the focusing of attention on contamination of drainage water. Simple rainstorms can generate torrents of water on city streets, and at paved and unpaved parking and other facilities, which water as it sweeps over these surfaces and into drains and catch basins, carries with it large quantities of oils, pernicious chemicals and the like, not to mention various solid and semisolid debris. A graphic picture of such events can be visualized by considering the resulting drainage when a rainstorm sweeps water across and through a large truck stop. The parking surfaces at such a facility are commonly stained with a variety of oily hydrocarbons, antifreeze, hydraulic fluids and the like. The resulting drainage of the rainwater carries these pernicious materials to groundwater tables, or to rivers, lakes and the like, all of which are often the source of public drinking waters. Aside from the addition of water insolubles such as oils and greases, this leads to the water sources being contaminated with pernicious slightly soluble organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, xylene, halogenated hydrocarbons, ethoxylated glycols, etc. These noxious contaminants are among the more difficult compounds to remove from water, and indeed most are carcinogenic.
Various devices and apparatus have been long known and used for removing or separating certain contaminants and debris from drainage water. An excellent example of a modern such device to which the present invention is applicable is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,415, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The said device has a tank defining a chamber with an inlet and a pair of vertically spaced outlets. A bulkhead with openings is spaced opposite the inlet and extends from the base of the chamber. A baffle is located between the bulkhead and the outlets and extends from the top of the chamber to near the bottom. An orifice plate or plates is adjustable mounted in series with the outlets and controls the rate of flow therethrough. The system is seen as having four sections, namely a non-floating particulate containment chamber; a floating particulate containment chamber; a flow control chamber; and an outlet chamber.
This prior art device is illustrated in
FIGS. 1 through 3F
, and includes a tank
12
, an inlet pipe
14
, a bulkhead
16
, baffle
18
, removable cover
20
, orifice plate
22
, and weir plate
23
, low-level outlet
24
, and high-level outlet
26
, openings
28
and
29
in bulkhead
16
, and outlet pipe
30
. As seen in
FIG. 2
, the bulkhead
16
and the wall of the tank
12
make a generally ovate or circular non-floating particulate containment chamber
31
and the inlet pipe is axially offset from the center of this chamber. The water enters through inlet pipe
14
and, due to the offset of the pipe and chamber shape, a swirling motion is imparted to the flow. The non-floatable particulate entrapped therein is contained by bulkhead
16
. The bulkhead openings
28
and
29
allow passage of water. The bulkhead is constructed such that the floatable particulate flows through the bulkhead. Much of the floatable particulate is then contained by the baffle
18
. The orifice plate
22
, through which the low level water exits, controls the low level water flow. The weir plate
23
, through which the high level water exits controls the high level water flow. The arrows in
FIG. 2
show the drainage path taken by the rainwater through the subject invention.
FIGS. 3A
to
3
F show the device during different stages of operation. The phantom line in
FIG. 3A
indicates the water level
50
before or after a drainage event when there is little or no drainage flow. The phantom line in
FIG. 3B
indicates the water level
50
during the initial phase of operation with non-floatable particulate being retained by bulkhead
16
and floatable particulate by baffle
18
. The phantom line in
FIG. 3C
indicates the water level
50
during the transitional phase of operation as the volume of flow increases. The phantom line in
FIG. 3D
indicates the water level
50
during full capacity phase operation. The phantom line in
FIG. 3E
indicates the water level
50
which decreases during the phase in which water ceases to enter the invention
10
. The phantom line in
FIG. 3F
indicates the water level
50
after all drainage has ceased, and the non-floating particulate containment chamber
31
has been cleaned.
In use, water drainage possibly mixed with sewage, enters the tank
12
through the inlet
14
, resulting in a swirling motion being imparted thereto. Initial drainage at very low levels begins through opening
29
. As flow levels increase the water level rises behind the bulkhead
16
until it is higher than the crest of opening
28
at which point the water level rises in the rest of the tank
12
. Oil and other floating particulate, which are mixed in the water rise along with the overall water level. The overall water level rises as the water flows through the openings
28
and
29
and exits through the low-level outlet
24
at the rate controlled by the orifice plate
22
. The orifice plate
22
is slightly higher than the opening
29
thereby allowing skimming of the non-floating particulate into the containment chamber during cleaning. The overall water level rises because the inlet flow rate exceeds the outlet flow rate. This is referred to as the initial phase, as shown in FIG.
3
B. During the next phase, referred to as the transition phase, as shown in
FIG. 3C
, the vertical separation distance between the floating particulate and the bottom of the baffle
18
increases. The water level rises to the level of the high level outlet
26
, as shown in FIG.
3
D. The rate of flow of the exiting water is increasing slightly as the water level is increasing but is still controlled by the orifice plate
22
. This continues until the water level rises above the opening in the weir plate
23
at the high level outlet
26
. At this point the flow rate through the tank
12
begins to increase significantly.
During the next phase, referred to as the full capacity phase, as shown in
FIG. 3D
, the high outlet
26
is controlled by plate
23
which is designed to transfer as much water as the outlet pipe
30
can discharge. This continues until the rate at which the water is introduced through the inlet
14
decreases to the point where the water level drops below the level of the high-level outlet
26
. The remaining water in the tank
12
is discharged at a rate determined by the orifice plate
22
. Eventually the water level drops to the invert elevation of the orifice plate
22
which covers the low level outlet
24
as shown in FIG.
3
E. Now the point has been reached where there is no flow through the tank
12
. The overall low water level as shown in
FIG. 3E
permits an easy inspection. The level of particulate accumulation can be determined for example by removing covers
20
to see if there is enough accumulated floating and non-floating particulate to necessitate the cleaning to the tank
12
.
For purposes of the present specification apparatus of the foregoing type which are used to separate floating and non-floating particulates from drainage water, shall be referred to as “drainage separating tanks”. While drainage separating tanks of the type illustrated are indeed useful for separating sediment and other solid and semisolid materials from drainage water, they are of limited value in removing insoluble oils and the like,
Mycelx Technologies Corporation
Popovics Robert
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