Liquid purification or separation – Structural installation – Geographic
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-03
2001-07-24
Simmons, David A. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Structural installation
Geographic
C210S254000, C210S532100, C210S540000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264835
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Apparatus that (a) receives run-off water from parking lots, filling stations, etc., (b) removes any oil that is in the run-off water and (c) delivers clean water to a river have been in widespread use. Generally, such apparatus has only two stages of operation, one stage being when the run-off water entering the apparatus has a low rate of flow and the other stage being when the run-off water entering the apparatus has a high rate of flow. With such apparatus the separation of the water and the oil is inadequate.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,911, granted May 5, 1998 is an improvement upon the apparatus described above. It has three stages of operation, one of which is for low rate of flow of the run-off water, a second of which is for an intermediate rate of flow of the run-off water and a third of which is for high rates of flow of the run-off water. With the apparatus described in my aforesaid patent the ineffectiveness of the prior art at intermediate flow rates was overcome.
The conventional prior art performs the entire separation process in one tank whereas my aforesaid prior patent has one tank for receiving the incoming water and for feeding the water to an outlet and another tank wherein the water is separated from the oil. The fluid in the second tank remains very calm at all times and therefore the separation process is very efficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has a single tank with a divider which in effect provides two tanks. One of these two tanks is an inlet tank which receives the run-off water. When the run-off water is received at a low rate of flow the fluid level rises slowly until it passes over a weir and is then fed to the other tank which is the main separation tank. The fluid in the main separation tank is calm and therefore the separation process is very efficient.
The present invention has a single tank (sometimes hereinafter called a container) which has a divider which divides the container into two tanks. These two tanks have three separate paths for the incoming run-off water, one path for a low rate of flow of the run-off water, one for an intermediate rate of flow of such water and one for a high rate of flow.
In place of the L-shaped pipes
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of my aforesaid prior patent, in the preferred form of my invention, I provide large vortex plates one for each tank, which divides the tank into three parts. The lowest of these three parts is the space in the tank which is at a lower level than the lower end of the vortex plate. That space allows water to flow under the vortex plate to the part of the tank outside of the vortex plate.
The second of the three parts is the part of the tank that is within the space defined by the vortex plate. An inlet pipe feeds raw run-off water into this space.
The third of these three parts is the space in the tank which is at a higher level than the level of the top end of the vortex plate.
When the run-off fluid has an intermediate rate of flow more water enters the inlet tank than can pass through the small opening of the weir. Hence, the level of the fluid within the vortex plate will rise forcing clean water out of the lower end of the space within the vortex plate. This clean water will then flow to the outlet pipe.
When the rate of flow of the incoming run-off water is very high, the water passes, over the vortex plate of the inlet tank, directly to the outlet.
The vortex plate in the main separation tank improves the separation process in that tank. The fluid enters that tank in the space surrounded by the vortex plate. Clean water is fed from the main separation tank to the clean water outlet of the apparatus.
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PCT International Publication No. WO7/27145 published Jul. 31, 1997.
Printed Publication: Technical and Design Manual, Nov. 1997.
Printed Publication: Technical and Design Manual, May 29, 1998.
Hall William D.
Lawrence Frank M.
Simmons David A.
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