Liquid purification or separation – Flow – fluid pressure or material level – responsive
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-17
2002-07-02
Drodge, Joseph W. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Flow, fluid pressure or material level, responsive
C210S097000, C210S123000, C210S198100, C422S264000, C422S282000, C137S268000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06413416
ABSTRACT:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
THIS INVENTION relates to water treatment means. It relates also to a water treatment installation, and to a water treatment cartridge.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided water treatment means which comprises
a water treatment vessel providing a water treatment zone which, in use, will contain a volume of water to be treated;
a water inlet leading into the vessel;
a water outlet leading from the vessel;
cartridge holding means for holding a water treatment cartridge containing a water treatment substance for treating water in the vessel; and
control means for controlling the level of water in the vessel.
The water treatment vessel may comprise a base or floor, a roof spaced from the base, and a wall extending peripherally between the base and the roof, with the water inlet and outlet being provided in the wall. In particular, the base and roof may be circular, with the wall thus being of annular form.
The cartridge holding means may comprise a circular opening in the vessel roof and, optionally, a collar depending from the roof around the opening. An annular recess may be provided in the upper surface of the roof around the opening to accommodate an annular flange around the cartridge, thereby to locate the cartridge in position, ie so that it protrudes a predetermined distance into the vessel.
The cartridge is then of complementary cylindrical shape so that it fits snugly in the collar, with the cartridge having a complementary radially outwardly protruding formation which engages the annular recess, thereby to locate the cartridge in position. If desired, a peripheral seal may be provided in the collar to seal off water passage between the cartridge and the collar.
Instead, the cartridge holding means may comprise at least one sleeve leading through the vessel roof, with a radially inwardly protruding locating formation, eg a lip or lug, being provided in the sleeve. The cartridge will then be of complementary cylindrical shape so that it fits snugly in the sleeve, with the cartridge having a complementary radially outwardly protruding formation which engages the formation on the sleeve, thereby to locate the cartridge in position. If desired, a peripheral seal may be provided in the sleeve to seal off water passage between the cartridge and the sleeve.
A plurality of the openings/sleeves may be provided, so that a plurality of the cartridges can be used simultaneously to treat the water in the vessel.
The water treatment means may include at least one water treatment cartridge located in the cartridge holding means. The operatively lower end of the cartridge may be open ended such that water can enter it. A plurality of inwardly directed spokes may be provided at or near the operatively lower end of the cartridge. A plurality of water treatment substance tablets, located one above the other, may be provided in the cartridge, so that a lowermost of the water treatment substance tablet rests on the spokes.
The tablets may comprise calcium hypochlorite as the water treatment substance. Instead, however, they may comprise any other suitable water treatment substance.
The invention accordingly extends also to a water treatment cartridge as hereinbefore described, for use in the water treatment means.
In one embodiment of the invention, the control means may comprise a float operated valve fitted to the water inlet, with the water inlet also being adapted so that a water supply conduit can be connected thereto, and with the float operated valve thus, in use, controlling the level of water relative to the lower end of the cartridge.
The water treatment means may then include a holder inside the vessel and located in or on the base of the vessel, for holding a smaller volume of water than that contained within the wall of the vessel, with a water withdrawal conduit leading from the holder to the water outlet so that, in use, water will be withdrawn from the vessel via the holder and the withdrawal conduit. The water withdrawal conduit may be flexible.
The holder may be located at the centre of the base and may be in the form of a hollow elongate component protruding upwardly from the base and having its upper end open, with the flexible conduit leading into the upper end of the conduit and terminating short of its closed lower end. The lower end of the component can thus, if desired, depend beyond the vessel base. The component may be circular in cross-section, ie it may be of circular cylindrical form.
The upper peripheral edge of the component is preferably spaced with vertical clearance from the lower ends of the cartridges.
The float of the float-operated valve may be of annular shape, so that it can fit over the component and with the flexible conduit leading through the central opening of the float.
In another embodiment of the invention, the control means may comprise water transfer means for transferring treated water from the inside of the vessel to the water outlet, with the water transfer means adapted to control the level of the water inside the vessel.
A nozzle may be fitted to the water inlet such that the nozzle is located inside the vessel. The nozzle may be adapted to impart swirling or rotational motion to the water in the vessel, as fresh water is introduced through the nozzle. A plurality of the water inlets, each provided with one of the nozzles, may be provided. Typically, a pair of the nozzles, spaced about
1800
apart and adapted to impart the swirling or rotational motion to the water in the vessel in the same direction, may be provided.
Each water inlet and/or outlet may be adapted such that a water conduit can be connected thereto. In one embodiment of the invention, a primary water conduit may extend through the wall of the vessel from one side of the vessel to another side so that, in use, a bulk water supply conduit can be connected to the primary conduit while a bypass or slipstream water conduit is connected to the water inlet(s) and nozzle(s).
The water transfer means may comprise a flexible water conduit having an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion, with the outlet end portion being connected to the water outlet. The inlet end portion may be attached to one end portion of a non-flexible cylindrical component, and with a water inlet being provided in the cylindrical component. The distal or free end portion of the cylindrical component may then be externally screw threaded and pass through an opening in the vessel roof, with its thread engaging complementary threads of a nut-like component located rotatably against the vessel roof. Thus, by rotating the nut-like component relative to the cylindrical component, the position or level of the water inlet of the cylindrical component can be adjusted, thereby to control or vary the level of the water in the vessel. Treated water in the vessel will thus pass, under gravity, through the water inlet in the cylindrical component, along the flexible conduit, and be discharged through the outlet. If desired, a valve may be fitted to the water outlet, on the outside of the vessel.
Thus, by varying the level of the water inlet of the cylindrical component, the depth to which the lower end of a cartridge, located in the sleeve, protrudes into water in the vessel, can be varied, thereby to vary the degree of dosage of the water with the water treatment substance. The water treatment means may include a water weep arrangement through which water can be discharged from the vessel on interruption of water entering through the water inlet nozzles, so that the lower end of the cartridge is not submerged in the water, when the water inflow ceases. The weep arrangement may include a weep tube having a water inlet end inside the vessel immediately above or at the same level as the water inlet or outlet, and a remote discharge end.
In one version of this embodiment of the invention, instead of the water inlet nozzle which is connected to the water inlet, a water conduit, fitted with a float operated valve, may be connected to the water inlet of the vessel. The
Drodge Joseph W.
James Ray & Associates
P.P.A. Water Industries
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