5503results about "Sedimentation settling tanks" patented technology

A membrane filter apparatus includes a membrane unit 50 composed of an array of membrane elements 51 disposed within a treatment tank 31. A skirt element 71 is disposed at a bottom portion of the membrane unit and an aerator 61 is disposed under the skirt. A partition is also disposed at the bottom of the membrane unit forming compartments within the skirt element. The gas bubbles discharged from the aerator increase their rising force upon entry into gaps between the membranes. Because of the arrangement of the partition within the skirt element the flow rate of bubbles along the opposite side edge portions of the membrane unit can be increased having the advantage of cleaning the entire surface of each membrane, thereby preventing clogging by sludge, SS, colloid, etc. within the gaps between the membranes. Therefore, filtration can be maintained over a longer period of time and the power required for filtration can be reduced, as well as, the frequency of manual periodic cleaning, chemical cleaning, etc.

A filtration system is provided with hollow membrane filter elements operable to remove solids, particulate and colloidal matter from a process fluid. Acoustic, vibration and ultrasonic energy may be used to clean exterior portions of the hollow membrane filter elements to allow substantially continuous filtration of process fluids. The filtration system may be satisfactorily used with process fluids having a relatively high concentrations of solids, particulate and colloidal matter.

Embodiments of the invention are directed toward a novel pressurized vapor cycle for distilling liquids. In some embodiments of the invention, a liquid purification system is revealed, including the elements of an input for receiving untreated liquid, a vaporizer coupled to the input for transforming the liquid to vapor, a head chamber for collecting the vapor, a vapor pump with an internal drive shaft and an eccentric rotor with a rotatable housing for compressing vapor, and a condenser in communication with the vapor pump for transforming the compressed vapor into a distilled product. Other embodiments of the invention are directed toward heat management, and other process enhancements for making the system especially efficient.

A platelet collection device comprising a centrifugal spin-separator container with a cavity having a longitudinal inner surface. A float in the cavity has a base, a platelet collection surface above the base, an outer surface. The float density is below the density of erythrocytes and above the density of plasma. The platelet collection surface has a position on the float which places it below the level of platelets when the float is suspended in separated blood. During centrifugation, a layer of platelets or buffy coat collects closely adjacent the platelet collection surface. Platelets are then removed from the platelet collection surface. Movement of a float having a density greater than whole blood through the sedimenting erythrocytes releases entrapped platelets, increasing the platelet yield.

A storm water receptor having at least one inlet and an outlet positioned at a discharge level lower than the level of the intake provided with a novel, removable divider which divides the receptor into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, having a float-actuated trap door that permits water entering the upper chamber of the catch basin or field inlet to be diverted and flow into the lower chamber until the lower chamber is filled with liquid, at which point the entrance into the lower chamber closes, and water entering the upper chamber passes directly out of the upper chamber through the discharge pipe. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the float-activated trap door can be replaced with a stationary, removable plate or ramp.

A spiral microchannel particle separator includes an inlet for receiving a solution containing particles, at least two outlets, and a microchannel arranged in a plurality of loops. Particles within a solution flowing through the spiral microchannel experience a lift force F_L and a Dean drag force F_D. The spiral radius of curvature R and the hydraulic diameter D_h of the spiral microchannel are such that for a flow rate U of the solution, the lift force F_L and a Dean drag force F_D are approximately equal and act in opposite directions for particles of a first size. The particles of the first size are focused in a single stream located at an equilibrium position near an inner wall of the microchannel. In another embodiment, a straight microchannel particle separator separates particles by modulating shear rates via high aspect ratios that focuses particles of a first size along two first walls.

Fluid filtration devices and methods of filtering fluids are described. The devices generally include a housing and an annular filter assembly, wherein the filter assembly is located inside the housing and comprises a filter material. The filter material may be, for example, an electroformed nickel screen having a smooth working surface and expanding pores. A rotating cleaning assembly comprising a distributor and wipers may be located inside the filter assembly.

Introduce a pulse length control mechanism to generate virtual multi-level output pulses for a Class-D Amplifier, which has only 2 physical output levels. Typically a Sigma-Delta-Modulator converts the input signal into high frequency low bit rate. The disclosed invention adds functions to transform the SDM signal into pulses with equivalent multi-level time-voltage areas and adds a pulse-length-control mechanism to produce various output pulse patterns, where the summations of the positive and negative pulses, within one sampling period, result in time-voltage area values, corresponding to 3 or more digital levels. Thus the invention produces higher signal quality at lower sampling rates.

A system and process are provided for recovering and/or cleaning residual or waste petroleum products such as sludge accumulated within a storage tank or upon process equipment surfaces, or from inorganic materials such as sand or clay, and the like. The system and process include a negatively charged aqueous-based dispersion fluid, which is contacted with the petroleum product under controlled relatively high pressure and high shear conditions for fluidizing hydrocarbon molecules and for preventing such molecules from adherence to process equipment surfaces, or contaminants such as sand or clay. Additional mechanical separation as by subjecting the mixed petroleum product and dispersion fluid slurry to sonic vibration may also be employed. The thus-fluidized slurry of petroleum products, dispersion fluid, and inorganic materials can be separated by conventional techniques, as by settling and/or flotation, for further individual processing and/or re-use.

A filtration system is provided with filter media operable to remove solids, particulate and colloidal matter from a process fluid. Acoustic, vibration and sonic energy may be used to clean associated filter media to allow substantially continuous filtration of process fluids. The filtration system may be satisfactorily used with process fluids having a relatively high concentrations of solids, particulate and colloidal matter.

The invention provides a method, apparatus and system for separating blood and other types of cellular components, and can be combined with holographic optical trapping manipulation or other forms of optical tweezing. One of the exemplary methods includes providing a first flow having a plurality of blood components; providing a second flow; contacting the first flow with the second flow to provide a first separation region; and differentially sedimenting a first blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components into the second flow while concurrently maintaining a second blood cellular component of the plurality of blood components in the first flow. The second flow having the first blood cellular component is then differentially removed from the first flow having the second blood cellular component. Holographic optical traps may also be utilized in conjunction with the various flows to move selected components from one flow to another, as part of or in addition to a separation stage.

An apparatus of produced water treatment, to be adopted in an in-situ recovery method of producing bitumen from oil sand, the apparatus capable of removing the oil from produced water, the produced water of being left by separating the bitumen from bitumen-mixed fluid having been recovered from the oil sand, the apparatus having: a vessel for receiving the produced water; a submerge type filtration membrane module, installed in the vessel, for filtering the produced water in the condition of the membrane being submerged in the produced water; and a bubble generator for generating bubbles to be forwarded toward the submerged filtration membrane in the produced water.

An improved biodiesel production process includes the steps of processing a feedstock to produce biodiesel, cooling the biodiesel so as to form sediment, and filtering the biodiesel to remove the sediment. The resulting biodiesel from the cold filtration process avoids problems of sediment formation during storage and transportation.

A compact portable modular wastewater treatment system which integrates several processing technologies to provide a substantially purified water source. A wastewater stream is sent through an initial filtration step. The filtered wastewater is then subjected to electrocoagulation and then further filtered. The resulting stream containing substantially only organics is then treated in an advanced oxidation process which can include passing an electrical current through the water during the oxidation process. The partially treated water is then passed through ion-exchange columns to polish ammonium and other contaminants. The ion-exchange columns are cycled through regeneration cycles to provide continuous ion-exchange medium. The ammonium rich brine solution used in regeneration is subjected to an ammonium destruct process and then reused in regenerating ion-exchange columns. The water can then be sent through a final disinfection oxidation process to destroy or inactivate pathogens and/or remove any remaining colorants or odor to provide a water source suitable for almost any use.

Cleaning assemblies and particulate tolerant fluid bearings that are particularly well suited for use in centrifugal separation enhanced filtration devices are described. In one aspect of the invention, at least one bearing is arranged to carry a circulating cleaning assembly such that the cleaning assembly can rotate around a filter membrane during filtering operation of the filtration device. The bearing is preferably arranged to maintain the circulating cleaning assembly in a substantially coaxial alignment with the filter membrane and in a substantially stable longitudinal position relative to the filter membrane as the circulating cleaning assembly is rotated around the filter membrane. In another aspect of the invention a variety of particulate tolerant bearings are described.

A method and apparatus for acoustically enhanced particle separation uses a chamber through which flows a fluid containing particles to be separated. A porous medium is disposed within the chamber. A transducer mounted on one wall of the chamber is powered to impose on the porous medium an acoustic field that is resonant to the chamber when filled with the fluid. Under the influence of the resonant acoustic field, the porous medium is able to trap particles substantially smaller than the average pore size of the medium. When the acoustic field is deactivated, the flowing fluid flushes the trapped particles from the porous medium and regenerates the medium. A collection circuit for harvesting the particles flushed from the porous medium is disclosed. Aluminum mesh, polyester foam, and unconsolidated glass beads are disclosed as porous media.

A wastewater treatment tank with influent gates (24) and pre-react zone with an outwardly flared lower portion. Influent passes over influent gates (24), which introduce turbulence, causing aeration, and reducing flow velocity. As influent flows out of the influent gate housing (20), flow velocity is further reduced by contact with the surface of the wastewater in the basin and influent flow is directed laterally by an influent gate bottom (30). A pre-react zone director (34) spaced apart from the bottom (42) of the basin encloses the influent gate housing (20) and utilizes an outwardly flared lower portion, or flap (38), to further reduce flow velocity and enhance laminar flow. This results in minimal disturbance of settled sludge blanket, allowing it to act as a natural biological filter, which in turn results in a superior supernatant.

A mobile apparatus and method for recycling an invert emulsion based drilling fluid, in which the invert emulsion based drilling fluid includes an oleaginous component and an aqueous component. The apparatus includes an emulsion breaking tank, a water treatment tank, a filter press, and hydrocarbon filters. The method includes: mixing said invert emulsion drilling fluid with a emulsion breaker, wherein the emulsion breaker is a mixture of an alkyl glucoside and an alkane sulfonate; and separating the oleaginous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid from the aqueous component of the invert emulsion drilling fluid. The method preferably utilizes an emulsion breaker that is a combination of an anionic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant and an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant.

Novel methods and apparatuses are disclosed for the treatment of wastewater to reduce, often associated, offensive odors. Irrigation of oxygenated liquid on top of a permeable cover effectively creates an aerobic treatment zone at the top of the lagoon whereby odorous gases being produced anaerobically below the cover are metabolized within this zone before being released to the atmosphere. This same system also serves to increase evaporation from the overall waste handling system therefore substantially reducing or eliminating the need for land application of treated wastewater.

The present invention is directed to a filter cleaning device, in particular, diesel particulate filters. In one embodiment, the device comprises a source of high pressure fluid and means to transport the fluid to a nozzle or nozzles; an actuator for moving the nozzles; a controller with logic for instructing the actuator to automatically move the nozzle or nozzles across the surface of the filter; a collection device and suction device downstream of the filter; and ducting to transport the fluid between parts of the system. In one embodiment, a second collection device is used downstream of the suction device to provide additional particulate removal. There are three methods proposed for providing high pressure cleaning fluid to the filter face: 1) rotating the filter and rotating the jet about an axis outside of the filter; 2) moving a nozzle in two perpendicular directions (i.e., x-y); and 3) rotating a rectangular nozzle about the central axis of the filter.