Liquid purification or separation – Flow – fluid pressure or material level – responsive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-02
2002-03-19
Hruskoci, Peter A. (Department: 1724)
Liquid purification or separation
Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive
C210S110000, C210S195100, C210S196000, C210S199000, C210S202000, C210S203000, C210S220000, C210S256000, C210S257100, C210S258000, C210S265000, C210S275000, C210S284000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06358407
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to purification of water. More particularly, it relates to a device and method for purification of water which has been severely contaminated with particulate and other contaminants such as water from sewage treatment plants, slaughterhouses, foundries, coal pits, and similar venues which traditionally deal with water that is highly contaminated. The device and method herein disclosed features a mechanism for the purification of water of high turbid entering the system, and a unique method of purification of such a high turbidity stream.
Using a combination of mixing of coagulants with the high turbidity fluid stream entering the device, along with a slow circulating fluid stream inside of a unique vessel designed to react to the slowly circulating coagulated fluid stream, the device is capable of a high degree of purification of even the most contaminated water.
2. Prior Art
Highly contaminated water is a byproduct of industrialized societies. Whether it be the sewage created from the mixing of human on other waste products in a sewage collection system from home drains and toilets, or, water contaminated from blood and carcases at slaughterhouse, or, other water contaminated by some other manufacturing plant, processing wastewater of high turbidity, back to a purified form, is a constant and vexing problem for government and industry. The sewage and effluent so created is frequently so contaminated that it is harmful to the environment and to the health of just about any living thing encountering the high turbidity fluid stream.
Ever increasing government standards for discharge water from sewer plants, factories, and manufacturing facilities, is increasing the strain on current systems and methods for purification of high turbidity water streams. This is especially true in the United States and other highly industrialized countries where environmental concerns have caused ever tightening standards for the cleansing of the high volumes of severely polluted water generated in such economies. As developing nations mature, the problem will only increase.
A popular conventional method of dealing with sewage, involves in some cases, sludge ponds where a slurry of water and contaminants piped thereto are cleaned using evaporation and enzymes which concentrate the particulate and other contaminants into ever more dense sewer sludge. The water is separated from the sludge and filtered and generally discharged into the ocean or some other water body. This method is both highly inefficient because of the large amounts of land involved in sludge ponds, and costly due to the extended time required of the sludge to age in the ponds. This method alas also yields water that is still somewhat contaminated. Further still, the method is not a popular manner to handle such wastewater with surrounding residents due to the propensity of the sludge ponds to propagate offending odors, especially in the summer months. To the unfortunate neighbor downwind, such a method of handling sewage waste can be an olfactory nightmare.
Most such conventional wastewater purifiers can only handle wastewater with suspended solids with a turbidity of less than 500 mg/l. When processing wastewater these conventional purifiers have low purifying rates which yield long processing times, and, they consist of large and very expensive mechanical structures. These conventional devices and processes work primarily with the principal of gravity sedimentation or the use of filters. As a general rule, water treated in this manner is still disposed of as it is considered non consumable by man or animal.
Many municipal and industrial wastewater facilities consistently encounter wastewater with turbidity over the 500 mg/l and even up to 5000 mg/l. Because of ever this ever increasing flow of dirtier sewage and other high turbidity wastewater streams, and stagnant or diminishing municipal and industrial facilities to process increasing flows, novel methods and devices have arisen in recent years in attempts to process and clean the ever increasing rivers of sewer water and other water of high turbidity. Such methods include the use of live shrimp in sludge ponds to devour the contaminants and speed the fluid flow, to the use of reverse osmosis filters to remove contaminants. Unfortunately the water the shrimp are subjected to, sometimes is even too contaminated for them causing their untimely demise. The particulate and other contaminants encountered by reverse osmosis filters in such conditions continually clog the fine membranes used to filter contaminants. Such failures contribute to the high cost of processing high turbidity wastewater streams.
Other mechanisms have also arisen in attempts to more efficiently handle increasing effluent fluid flows. Such mechanisms include machinery using hydrodynamics, paddles, and similar mechanical means to help separate water from particulate and other contaminants therein. Such prior art has attempted to address some of the aforementioned problems and solutions but without great success.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,813 (Coale) teaches an apparatus for separating contaminated waste water using a centrifuge. This device uses a high speed fluid flow and the natural action of centrifugal force, to separate heavy solids from water. The particulate is then directed against vanes at the circumference and collected in a sump. However, Coale is a complicated array of baffles possibly subject to clogging and requires a high speed circulation of the slurry to effectively separate particulate from fluid requiring high speed pumps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,751 (Smisson) teaches water purification system using centrifugal force and a series of vanes and fluid energy inlets to circulate and purify water. However Smisson is subject to clogging if circulation is not kept to a high enough velocity, and requires a plurality of inlets for energized fluid to maintain sufficient velocity to overcome clogging.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,698,099 (Fagan) discloses a hydrodynamic separator using centrifugally accelerated sludge through a plurality of filter openings to separate solids from liquid. Fagan requires a relatively high speed fluid stream and the filters would be prone to clogging if the fluid steam slows below a certain point or if the particulate clumps onto the filter.
As such, there exists a need for an easily maintained and operated separator to separate particulate and other solids in solutions from the solution itself. Such a device should require a minimal fluid velocity to achieve the separation and thereby require less energy than high fluid velocity systems. The device should also be resistant to clogging and easily maintained to prevent system shut down from clogging. Such a device with low energy requirements and easy maintenance would therefore work better in industrialized and municipal installations, and, lend itself to installation in countries badly in need of water purification but lacking in energy and technical maintenance skills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicants' system and device feature an easily maintained and utilized apparatus providing for a high degree of purification of high turbidity water and wastewater. In its best mode it utilizes coagulants mixed with incoming wastewater fluid and thereafter entering a purifying vessel to better concentrate the floating solids into larger particles or flocculent. The slurry of coagulant and suspended solid contaminants and water is then circulated at a slow velocity which is sufficient to overcome the gravitational force on the suspended solids and cause the suspended solids in the slurry to rise to a predefined level in the vessel. By carefully maintaining the speed of the liquid circulation, the suspended solids will never rise above predefined level in the vessel. This mode of the device and method of processing wastewater is capable of handling suspended solids in wastewater higher than 500 mg/l and as high as 5000 mg/l directly and continuously.
During their rise caused
Lam Manhoi
Liao Chunjiang
Liao Taiouan
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