A smart online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions

Abstract

This invention provides an intelligent online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions, belonging to the field of environmental monitoring and water treatment technology. Its features include: a multi-stage filtration module, a self-cleaning module, a water quality sensing and monitoring unit, an intelligent control unit, a sample collection unit, and a wastewater inlet unit connected in series. The multi-stage filtration module filters the raw water step by step, the self-cleaning module removes contaminants from the filter media, and the water quality sensing and monitoring unit collects water quality parameters in real time and transmits them to the intelligent control unit. The advantages of this invention are: through multi-stage filtration and composite self-cleaning technology, it effectively solves the problems of easy clogging and frequent maintenance in wastewater sampling systems. Its step-by-step interception and intelligent trigger cleaning mechanism ensures continuous and stable operation for more than 30 days under complex water quality conditions; combined with real-time sensing and adaptive control, it achieves accurate sampling, remote operation and maintenance, and prevention of secondary pollution, significantly improving the system's reliability and intelligence level.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of environmental monitoring and water treatment technology, and in particular to an intelligent online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of wastewater environmental monitoring and water treatment technology, wastewater filtration is a key pretreatment step for removing suspended solids, colloids, microorganisms, and some organic pollutants. It can effectively protect subsequent treatment units (such as reverse osmosis membranes and ion exchange systems) from clogging or contamination, thereby improving overall treatment efficiency. The self-cleaning (or self-washing) function automatically removes impurities accumulated on the filter screen or filter element, enabling continuous equipment operation, reducing manual maintenance, extending service life, and maintaining stable filtration performance.

[0003] Currently, traditional online wastewater sampling systems mostly use a single filter screen or membrane, which is difficult to handle complex water qualities such as high suspended solids, viscous sludge, and biofilms. This can easily lead to filter media clogging, flow interruption, and sensor contamination, resulting in data distortion or equipment damage. Although some technologies have introduced self-cleaning measures such as multi-stage filtration or backwashing (e.g., CN120393532A, CN222226116U), their design focuses on the wastewater treatment terminal and does not optimize for the refined pretreatment and long-term reliability of the sampling front end. Furthermore, existing backwashing methods are ineffective at removing stubborn pollutants and can easily cause secondary pollution. In addition, the lack of intelligent control logic based on water quality parameters makes it difficult to achieve efficient adaptive operation.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an online wastewater sampling system that integrates efficient multi-stage filtration, reliable self-cleaning function and intelligent operation strategy to achieve truly long-term stable and unattended monitoring. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions. This system solves the technical problems of existing online wastewater sampling systems, such as easy clogging under complex water quality conditions, easy contamination of sensors, insufficient self-cleaning ability, and lack of intelligent control, which lead to unreliable sampling, high maintenance costs, and difficulty in long-term unattended operation.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the technical solution adopted by this invention is as follows:

[0007] A smart wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions is characterized by comprising: a multi-stage filtration module, a self-cleaning module, a water quality sensing and monitoring unit, an intelligent control unit, a sample collection unit, and a wastewater inlet unit connected in series.

[0008] The multi-stage filtration module is used to filter raw water step by step, the self-cleaning module is used to remove pollutants from the filter media, the water quality sensing and monitoring unit collects water quality parameters in real time and transmits them to the intelligent control unit, and the intelligent control unit dynamically adjusts the working status of each module to achieve adaptive operation.

[0009] As an improvement, the multi-stage filtration module includes a primary coarse filtration unit, a secondary fine filtration unit, and a tertiary ultrafiltration unit. The pore size of the filter media at each stage decreases progressively, thereby intercepting large particulate matter, colloidal substances, and microorganisms, respectively.

[0010] As an improvement, the coarse filtration unit adopts a rotatable stainless steel filter screen or wedge wire mesh with a pore size of 50–500 μm;

[0011] The fine filtration unit uses a polymer composite filter element or a pleated filter screen with a pore size of 5–100 μm;

[0012] The ultrafiltration unit uses ceramic membranes, polytetrafluoroethylene microporous membranes, or hollow fiber membranes with pore sizes of 0.01–5 μm.

[0013] As an improvement, the self-cleaning module includes a backwashing unit and a self-cleaning actuator. The backwashing unit adopts a gas-liquid synergistic pulsed reverse flushing, and the self-cleaning actuator adopts a rotating scraper or ultrasonic oscillation to remove stubborn adhering contaminants.

[0014] As an improvement, the self-cleaning module is activated by the intelligent control unit based on at least one parameter among the following: filtration pressure difference, flow rate decrease rate, turbidity change, timing period, or remote command.

[0015] As an improvement, the water quality sensing and monitoring unit includes a turbidity sensor, a pressure differential sensor, and a flow meter, which are respectively installed at the inlet of the multi-stage filtration module, the outlet of each stage, and the sample outlet.

[0016] As an improvement, the intelligent control unit has a built-in self-learning and adaptive control algorithm, which can dynamically optimize the filtration path, cleaning frequency and sampling timing based on historical water quality data and current operating conditions.

[0017] As an improvement, the sample collection unit is equipped with an independent sample storage chamber, a pollution-proof sealing structure and a temperature control module, and supports multi-channel parallel sampling and sample retention.

[0018] As an improvement, the system adopts a modular quick-installation design, integrates a remote communication module, supports cloud data upload, remote control and fault alarm, and realizes unattended operation and maintenance.

[0019] As an improvement, it is suitable for complex water quality scenarios such as industrial wastewater and municipal sewage. It can operate continuously and stably for no less than 30 days without human intervention, and it is equipped with a concentrate recovery structure to avoid secondary pollution.

[0020] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By setting up a primary coarse filter, a secondary fine filter, and a tertiary ultrafiltration module connected in series, it achieves efficient interception of large particulate suspended solids, colloidal substances, and microorganisms in wastewater at each stage, effectively avoiding the problem of easy clogging of a single filter material. Simultaneously, the self-cleaning module employs a gas-liquid synergistic pulsed reverse flushing method, combined with mechanical cleaning methods such as rotating scrapers or ultrasonic oscillation, to thoroughly remove stubborn adhering pollutants from the filter material surface. This system can operate continuously and stably for no less than 30 days without manual intervention in complex water quality scenarios such as industrial wastewater and municipal sewage, greatly reducing maintenance frequency and operating costs.

[0021] This invention integrates a water quality sensing and monitoring unit with an intelligent control unit, enabling real-time acquisition of key parameters such as turbidity, filtration differential pressure, and flow rate. Based on a built-in self-learning and adaptive control algorithm, it dynamically adjusts the filtration path, cleaning frequency, and sampling timing. The self-cleaning module can be intelligently triggered by various conditions, including differential pressure, flow rate decrease rate, turbidity changes, timed cycles, or remote commands, avoiding ineffective or excessive cleaning and improving system efficiency and response speed. This intelligent design allows the system to adapt to different water quality fluctuations, truly achieving unattended and highly efficient operation.

[0022] The sample collection unit features an independent sample storage chamber, a pollution-proof sealing structure, and a temperature control module, supporting multi-channel parallel sampling and retention to ensure the representativeness and integrity of the collected samples. The system adopts a modular, quick-installation design and integrates a remote communication module, enabling cloud data upload, remote control, and fault alarms for centralized management and rapid response. Furthermore, the system includes a concentrate recovery structure to prevent secondary pollution, meeting environmental protection requirements and making it suitable for various wastewater monitoring and treatment scenarios, with broad application prospects and promotional value. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the overall architecture of an intelligent online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the control logic of the intelligent control unit of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical components are represented by the same reference numerals. It should be noted that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, while the terms "inner" and "outer" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific component, respectively.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 2As shown, an intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions is implemented as follows:

[0027] In this embodiment, the wastewater to be tested first enters the system through the wastewater inlet unit. Subsequently, the wastewater flows sequentially through a multi-stage filtration module, which consists of three filtration units connected in series:

[0028] Primary coarse filtration unit: Uses a rotatable stainless steel filter screen with a pore size of 50–500μm to intercept large suspended solids, leaves, fibers and other impurities in wastewater.

[0029] Secondary fine filtration unit: Employs a polymer composite pleated filter element with a pore size of 5–100 μm to further remove fine particulate matter and some colloidal substances.

[0030] The three-stage ultrafiltration unit uses a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) microporous membrane with a pore size of 0.01–5 μm to retain microorganisms, colloids, and macromolecular organic matter, ensuring that the effluent water quality meets the requirements of subsequent precision analysis.

[0031] During the filtration process, the water quality sensing and monitoring unit operates continuously. Turbidity sensors, differential pressure sensors, and flow meters are installed at the inlet of the multi-stage filtration module, the outlet of each stage of the filtration unit, and the final sample outlet, respectively. They collect key parameters such as raw water turbidity, pressure difference before and after each stage of filtration, and system flow rate in real time, and transmit the data to the intelligent control unit.

[0032] The intelligent control unit is the core of the system, with built-in self-learning and adaptive control algorithms. When it detects that the pressure difference of a certain filtration unit exceeds a preset threshold, the flow rate decreases abnormally, or the effluent turbidity changes abruptly, the intelligent control unit will determine that the filter media of that stage is clogged. At this time, the system will automatically activate the self-cleaning module. The self-cleaning process adopts a composite approach: First, the backwashing unit is activated, using compressed air and clean water to form a gas-liquid coordinated pulse to backwash the clogged filter media; simultaneously, for the rotatable filter screen of the coarse filtration unit, the self-cleaning actuator activates a rotating scraper to physically remove stubborn contaminants adhering to the filter screen surface; for the fine filtration and ultrafiltration units, an ultrasonic oscillation device may be activated to remove contaminants from the filter membrane pores using the cavitation effect. The triggering conditions for self-cleaning can be the aforementioned pressure difference, flow rate, and turbidity parameters, or a preset timer period or a command from a remote monitoring platform.

[0033] After completing self-cleaning and confirming the restoration of filtration performance, the system continues normal filtration. When the effluent quality (determined by the sensor at the outlet of the three-stage ultrafiltration unit) reaches the preset sampling standard, the intelligent control unit issues a command to open the valve of the sample collection unit. The sample collection unit has an independent sample storage chamber equipped with a contamination-resistant sealing structure and a temperature control module (such as a semiconductor cooling chip) to ensure the chemical stability of the sample during storage. This embodiment supports multi-channel parallel sampling, allowing multiple samples to be collected simultaneously or at different times for analysis of different projects, while retaining backup samples.

[0034] The entire system adopts a modular, quick-installation design, facilitating on-site installation and maintenance. Simultaneously, the system integrates 4G / 5G or NB-IoT remote communication modules, enabling real-time uploading of operational status, water quality data, and fault alarms to the cloud management platform, and receiving remote control commands, truly achieving unattended intelligent operation and maintenance. Furthermore, concentrated pollutants generated during the self-cleaning process are collected in a dedicated concentrate recovery structure for unified treatment, preventing secondary pollution.

[0035] In practical applications, this system can run continuously and stably for no less than 30 days without human intervention, making it particularly suitable for monitoring complex scenarios with large water quality fluctuations, such as industrial wastewater and municipal sewage.

[0036] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent online wastewater sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions, characterized in that, include: The system consists of a multi-stage filtration module, a self-cleaning module, a water quality sensing and monitoring unit, an intelligent control unit, a sample collection unit, and a wastewater inlet unit, connected in series. The multi-stage filtration module is used to filter raw water step by step, the self-cleaning module is used to remove pollutants from the filter media, the water quality sensing and monitoring unit collects water quality parameters in real time and transmits them to the intelligent control unit, and the intelligent control unit dynamically adjusts the working status of each module to achieve adaptive operation.

2. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-stage filtration module includes a primary coarse filtration unit, a secondary fine filtration unit, and a tertiary ultrafiltration unit. The pore size of the filter media at each stage decreases progressively, intercepting large particulate matter, colloidal substances, and microorganisms respectively.

3. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coarse filtration unit uses a rotatable stainless steel filter screen or wedge wire mesh with a pore size of 50–500 μm; The fine filtration unit uses a polymer composite filter element or a pleated filter screen with a pore size of 5–100 μm; The ultrafiltration unit uses ceramic membranes, polytetrafluoroethylene microporous membranes, or hollow fiber membranes with pore sizes of 0.01–5 μm.

4. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The self-cleaning module includes a backwashing unit and a self-cleaning actuator. The backwashing unit uses a gas-liquid synergistic pulsed reverse flushing, and the self-cleaning actuator uses a rotating scraper or ultrasonic oscillation to remove stubborn adhering contaminants.

5. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 4, characterized in that, The self-cleaning module is activated by the intelligent control unit based on at least one parameter among the following: filtration pressure difference, flow rate decrease rate, turbidity change, timing cycle, or remote command.

6. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 5, characterized in that, The water quality sensing and monitoring unit includes a turbidity sensor, a pressure differential sensor, and a flow meter, which are respectively installed at the inlet of the multi-stage filtration module, the outlet of each stage, and the sample outlet.

7. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, The intelligent control unit has a built-in self-learning and adaptive control algorithm, which can dynamically optimize the filtration path, cleaning frequency and sampling timing based on historical water quality data and current operating conditions.

8. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 7, characterized in that, The sample collection unit has an independent sample storage chamber, is equipped with a pollution-proof sealing structure and a temperature control module, and supports multi-channel parallel sampling and sample retention.

9. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 8, characterized in that, The system adopts a modular quick-installation design, integrates a remote communication module, supports cloud data upload, remote control and fault alarm, and realizes unattended operation and maintenance.

10. The intelligent wastewater online sampling system based on multi-stage filtration and self-cleaning functions according to claim 1, characterized in that, It is suitable for complex water quality scenarios such as industrial wastewater and municipal sewage. It can operate continuously and stably for no less than 30 days without human intervention, and is equipped with a concentrate recovery structure to avoid secondary pollution.

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