Radiant energy – Fluent material containment – support or transfer means – With irradiating source or radiating fluent material
Patent
1996-04-05
1997-10-07
Berman, Jack I.
Radiant energy
Fluent material containment, support or transfer means
With irradiating source or radiating fluent material
250437, 250436, C02F 132, A61L 210
Patent
active
056751532
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to fluid treatment and more particularly but not solely to a system for sterilising water or sewage.
Untreated sewage is often pumped into the sea and rivers. This sewage may contain harmful micro-organisms and bacteria such as hepatitis, which can pass into the food chain and which can also be passed on to people who come into contact with the polluted water.
It is well known that high-intensity ultra-violet (UV) light has germicidal properties which can be used to sterilise water. Water treatment companies are reluctant to utilise UV sterilisers because they do not effectively treat all of the water. This occurs because conventional ultra-violet (UV) light fluid treatment apparatus only operate effectively if the fluid being treated is optically clear. For example, if the fluid being treated is cloudy or of high turbidity, the UV light is substantially attenuated away from the close proximity of the light source, thus clumps of microbes which do not come within close proximity of the UV light source do not receive a dose of UV radiation which is sufficient to kill them. Furthermore, microbes tend to collect in clumps, thus microbes at the centre of the clumps are shaded from the UV light by the microbes on the outside of the clump.
We have now devised a fluid treatment apparatus which alleviates the above-mentioned problems.
In accordance with this invention, as seen from a first aspect, there is provided a fluid treatment apparatus comprising an elongate tubular duct having inlet and outlet ports at or adjacent its opposite ends, an elongate light source extending along the axis of the duct and a guide vane extending helically along the internal wall of the duct between the input and output ducts, apertures being formed in the guide vane for communicating between adjacent turns of the fluid flow passage defined by the vane.
In use, fluid to be treated flows through the duct from the inlet port to the outlet port along the helical passage. This helical flow generates controlled turbulence which ensures that all of the water or other fluid being treated comes within close proximity of the light source during treatment. Fluid flowing along the passage is able to pass through the apertures between adjacent turns of the helical passage. As clumps of microbes pass through the apertures, they are broken up into individual microbes which can be treated more effectively.
Preferably the apertures in the guide vane comprise radially extending slots so that fluid flowing through these slots is not shaded from the light source.
Preferably a second fluid flow passage extends axially along the duct between the light source and the radially inner edge of the guide vane. The fluid flows of the two passages interfere to produce a swirling flow of fluid which moves helically along the duct. This swirling action further increases the turbulence inside the duct, moving the water in a controlled double helix action.
Preferably substantially longitudinally extending vanes are disposed on the internal wall of the duct to promote the flow of fluid through the apertures in the helical guide vane.
Preferably the helical guide vane is formed by cutting a series of slots along a helical line on the wall of the duct and inserting individual segments of the vane into each slot in the wall.
Preferably the individual vane segments are pre-shaped prior to insertion, so that when assembled the segments define a helix.
Another disadvantage with conventional UV light fluid treatment apparatus is that they have to be cleaned regularly in order to remove slime and other waste matter which has built up in front of the UV lamp. Usually the UV lamp is separated by a glass wall from the fluid, and thus it has been proposed to provide wiping mechanisms which automatically clean the glass. These wiping mechanisms are complicated and difficult to maintain.
It has also been proposed to provide a wall formed from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to separate the UV lamp from the sewage. PTFE has non-stick properties which inhibit
REFERENCES:
patent: 2248618 (1941-07-01), Fischer
patent: 4101777 (1978-07-01), Reid
patent: 4897246 (1990-01-01), Peterson
patent: 5069885 (1991-12-01), Ritchie
patent: 5217607 (1993-06-01), Dalton, III et al.
Berman Jack I.
Schindler Edwin D.
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