Separation device with internal pressure adjustment tank

Abstract

To provide a separation device capable of appropriately separating liquid from a screen by increasing the pressure of the liquid in a separation tank without creating a water surface in the separation tank where a swirling flow occurs. [Solution] The separation device of the present invention is a separation device for separating small objects contained in a liquid, and is characterized by comprising a separation tank having an inlet channel arranged to allow the liquid to flow in and generate a swirling flow by the flow pressure of the liquid, and a screen attached to the side of the swirling flow, a drainage channel arranged outside the separation tank to collect the liquid that flows out through the screen, a separation and sedimentation tank arranged at the bottom of the separation tank to settle the small objects, and an internal pressure adjustment tank connected above the separation tank to evacuate the liquid that does not fit into the separation tank.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a separation device that separates small objects contained in a liquid using a water flow. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, wastewater treatment technology has utilized devices that use water flow to separate solids such as garbage contained in liquid.

[0003] For example, the following structure has been proposed as a device that separates small objects with a high specific gravity or floating on the water surface from wastewater by rotating them in a water tank using a swirl induction member that creates a water current. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2009-248026 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2020-000990

[0005] The separation device of Patent Document 1 has an inflow chamber 4 with screens 6 attached to both sides arranged in a separation tank 2, and the liquid to be treated is introduced into this inflow chamber 4 from a supply pipe 11a, and solids mixed in the liquid are retained in the inflow chamber 4, while the rest of the liquid is separated and discharged outside through the screen 6.

[0006] A plate-shaped guide section 16 is arranged inside the inflow chamber 4, and during the separation operation, the liquid containing solids supplied from the supply space 11a is guided by this guide section 16 and swirls vertically inside the inflow chamber 4.

[0007] At this time, small objects (solids) with a large specific gravity compared to the liquid are repelled to the outside of the swirling flow and sink through the opening 10 of the partition 9, which is the inner bottom of the inlet chamber 4, into the volume section 17 provided below it, thereby separating the solids from the liquid.

[0008] The separation device of Patent Document 2 is also similar in that the left and right sides of the width of the separation tank 1 are divided by partition plates 2, 2, and liquid flowing into the inside from an inlet pipe 7 is made to hit a C-shaped upright portion 3, causing a swirling flow which is used to separate small objects in the liquid.

[0009] In other words, the separation device of Patent Document 2 also has a structure in which small objects with a high specific gravity in the liquid are dropped into the lower deposition section 1c inside the partition plates 2, 2 where a swirling flow occurs, and the liquid from which the solids have been separated is drained outside through the screens 3d, 4d of the partition plates 2, 2.

[0010] In particular, the separation device of Patent Document 2 has a retention member 10 above the separation tank 1 that collects floating matter that rises to the water surface, and is designed to be able to collect small objects with low specific gravity before they are caught up in the swirling flow.

[0011] However, the separation devices of both Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above had the problem that if the separation tank was made smaller, it would not have enough water, and the pressure to force the water out through the partition screen would be reduced.

[0012] Furthermore, if gases such as air are mixed into the inflowing liquid, the gas will rise to the surface, forming a water surface in the separation tank. Furthermore, if impurities such as floating debris with low specific gravity are mixed in, they will collect on the water surface, hindering the formation of a smooth swirling flow. As a result, the swirling flow rate will decrease, reducing the washing effect to prevent clogging of the separation screen surface.

[0013] In particular, in the structure of Patent Document 2 in which floating debris is collected on the water surface, there was a risk that the floating debris that had been separated would be drawn back into the liquid by the swirling flow in the separation tank, causing it to become mixed in.

[0014] In particular, when the solid material is the cells to be cultured and the liquid material is the culture medium and the two are separated using a separation device, it is undesirable for the cells to come into contact with gases such as air on the water surface, and the gas may become mixed into the culture medium due to the swirling flow, making it difficult to reuse the recovered culture medium. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0015] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a separation device that can properly separate liquid from a screen by having a structure that does not create a water surface in the separation tank where swirling flow occurs in order to reduce the reduction in swirling flow rate and reduce mixing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a separation device for separating small objects contained in a liquid, comprising: a separation tank having an inlet passage into which liquid is introduced and which is arranged to generate a swirling flow due to the flow pressure of the liquid, and a screen attached to the side of the swirling flow; a drainage passage located outside the separation tank for collecting the liquid that flows out through the screen; a separation and sedimentation tank located at the bottom of the separation tank for settling the small objects; and an internal pressure adjustment tank connected above the separation tank for escaping the liquid that does not fit into the separation tank. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the separation device of the present invention, the internal pressure adjustment tank located above the separation tank allows the liquid that does not fit into the separation tank to escape, forming a water surface in the internal pressure adjustment tank, which allows impurities such as light-weight garbage to be collected and prevents the impurities from being drawn into the swirling flow inside the separation tank again.

[0018] In addition, since no water surface is formed in the separation tank, small objects to be separated can be prevented from coming into contact with gas on the water surface, reducing agitation caused by rippling on the water surface and preventing attenuation of flow velocity energy due to rippling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the separation device taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the separation device taken along line BB in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the separation tank of the separation device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an inflow adjustment tank of the separation device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the internal pressure adjustment tank of the separation device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The overall configuration of a separation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The separation and settling tank will be described with reference to Figure 4, the inflow adjustment tank with reference to Figure 5, and the internal pressure adjustment tank with reference to Figure 6. The separation tank of this embodiment is an apparatus for culturing microorganisms x (small bodies) such as microorganisms or cells in a liquid culture medium Cm (liquid), and then separating the grown microorganisms x from the culture medium Cm.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, the separation device D of this embodiment has a separation tank body 1 including a separation tank 11 and an outer water tank 12, a separation and sedimentation tank 2 formed below the separation tank 11, an inflow adjustment tank 3 that supplies microbial culture solution Cm to the separation tank 11, and an internal pressure adjustment tank 4 that is positioned above the separation tank 11 and that evacuates excess culture solution Cm that overflows from the separation tank 11.

[0022] (separation tank frame) 1 to 3, the structures of the separation tank body 1 and the separation and settling tank 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the separation tank body 1 and the separation and settling tank 2.

[0023] As described above, the separation tank body 1 has a separation tank 11 for separating microorganisms x from the culture solution Cm. In Fig. 1, this separation tank 11 has a vertical right wall 11a and left wall 11b, with their upper ends connected by an upwardly convex arched top plate 11c and their lower ends connected by a downwardly convex arched bottom plate 11d, giving it an elliptical side shape as a whole.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the separation tank 11 is divided into upper, lower, left, and right sections by the top plate 11c, left standing piece 11a, bottom plate 11d, and right standing piece 11b, and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, a closed space is formed inside by a left side plate 11e and a right side plate 11f, each having a screen 13, 13 on the side.

[0025] Here, the screens 13, 13 have a large number of minute holes (for example, about 5 μm in diameter) in a matrix pattern that are smaller than the microorganisms x, and as will be described later, the structure is such that the microorganisms x do not flow out from the separation tank 11 to the outer water tank 12.

[0026] The separation tank 11 has an inlet 11g opening horizontally on the right side of the top plate 11c, to which an inlet pipe 3g is connected so that the culture solution Cm flows horizontally from the inflow adjustment tank 3 described later. In addition, an adjustment port 11h opens at the highest position of the arched top plate 11c, to which an internal pressure adjustment pipe 4h leading to the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 described later is connected.

[0027] Furthermore, a recovery port 11i for recovering the microorganisms x separated by the separation tank 11 is formed at the lowest position of the arched bottom plate 11d, and is connected to a collection pipe 2i leading to the separation and settling tank 2 described below. The separation and settling tank 2 is provided with recovery plugs 2b and 2c for recovering the microorganisms x, which protrude from the left and right sides of the main body 2a to the outside of the separation tank frame 1.

[0028] In the separation tank body 1, the separation tank 11 is positioned inside the outer water tank 12 of the separation tank body 1. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer water tank 12 is a container that is wider than the separation tank 11 in the width direction (front-to-back direction in Figure 1, the same applies hereinafter). The outer water tank 12 is surrounded on all four sides by the right wall 12a, the left wall 12b, the front wall 12c, and the back wall 12d, and above and below by the top surface 12e and the bottom surface 12f.

[0029] Furthermore, the outer water tank 12 has an upright plate 12g extending parallel to the left wall 12b between the top surface 12e and the bottom surface 12f, and the width of this upright plate 12g is the same as the width of the left and right walls 11a and 11b of the separation tank 11.

[0030] The separation tank 11 is positioned inside the outer water tank 12, with the right wall 11a of the separation tank 11 being adjacent to or integrally attached to the right wall of the outer water tank 12, and the left wall 11b of the separation tank 11 being adjacent to or integrally attached to the upright plate 12g of the outer water tank 12.

[0031] Between the outer water tank 12 and the separation tank 11 located inside it, a front space S1, a rear space S2, and a confluence space S3 are formed in the width direction, at the front, rear, and left. Each of these spaces S1 to S3 is in communication with one another, and a discharge pipe 12h is connected to the upper part of the left wall 12b of the outer water tank 12.

[0032] With the separation tank 11 configured as described above, the flow Fen of the culture medium Cm containing microorganisms x flowing in from the inlet 11g flows along the arch shape of the top surface 11c and bottom surface 11d of the separation tank 11, generating a counterclockwise swirling flow Fw within the separation tank 11. This swirling flow Fw descends at the left wall 11b opposite the inlet 11g and rises at the right wall 11a where the inlet 11g is formed.

[0033] In this process, the microorganisms x, which have a higher specific gravity than the culture medium Cm, gradually sink downwards in the swirling flow Fw and settle onto the bottom surface 11d of the separation tank 11. These microorganisms x are then collected from the collection port 11i along the arched bottom surface 11d into the collection tube 2i, and, as will be described later, accumulate in the separation and sedimentation tank 2.

[0034] As described below, the culture solution Cm containing the microorganisms x in this swirling flow Fw is subjected to internal pressure in the separation tank 11, so that the microorganisms x are left behind by the screens 13, 13 of the separation tank 11, and only the culture solution Cm forms a flow Fo and flows out into the front and rear spaces S1, S2 of the outer water tank 12. Then, the culture solution Cm that does not contain the microorganisms x passes through the confluence space S3, creates a flow Fex, and is collected outside the separation device body 1 from the drain pipe 12h, which serves as a drainage channel.

[0035] In this process, as the culture medium Cm flows out of the screens 13, 13, the microorganisms x will hit the mesh of the screens 13, 13. However, a swirling flow Fw that crosses in this direction will move the microorganisms x away, preventing the screens 13, 13 from becoming clogged.

[0036] (Separation and settling tank) The structure of the separation and sedimentation tank 2 will be explained using Figures 1 and 4. The separation and sedimentation tank 2 is located below the separation tank 11 as part of the separation tank body 1. This separation and sedimentation tank 2 is the part that collects microorganisms x, which have a higher specific gravity than the culture medium Cm and settle away from the swirling flow Fw, from the bottom surface 11d of the separation tank 11 using a collection tube 2i.

[0037] The separation and settling tank 2 has a settling chamber 2a, to the left and right of which are connected flow pipes 2b and 2c each having a valve 2d. By intermittently opening the valves 2d to allow a fluid to flow from one side of the flow pipes 2b and 2c to the other, the microorganisms x aggregated in the settling chamber 2a can be recovered outside the separation tank body 1.

[0038] (Inflow adjustment tank) 1, the inflow adjustment tank 3, which is located upstream of the culture solution Cm, which is a fluid, is connected to the separation tank 11 via the inflow pipe 3g, as described above. This inflow adjustment tank 3 is a portion that supplies the culture solution Cm containing the microbial organisms x to the separation tank 11.

[0039] A perspective view of the inflow adjustment tank is shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the inflow adjustment tank 2 has a box-shaped main body 31. An inlet pipe 32, through which the culture solution Cm flows, is connected to the bottom surface 31a of the main body 31. A hanging plate 33 is disposed opposite the inlet 32a of the inlet pipe 32, thereby reducing the flow rate of the culture solution Cm from the inlet pipe 32.

[0040] The culture solution Cm then flows through the flow passage 33a opened below the hanging plate 33 and reaches the filtration screen 34. This filtration screen has a predetermined mesh size, allowing the microorganisms x to pass through while filtering out any foreign matter larger than this size as waste. The culture solution Cm then flows into the inlet pipe 2g leading to the separation tank 11, where it is treated as described above.

[0041] To prevent overflow of the inflow adjustment tank 3, a discharge pipe 35 is connected to the opposite side of the inlet pipe 32, and a valve 23a is provided to adjust the water level WL1 of the inflow adjustment tank 3. The water level WL1 of the inflow adjustment tank 3 is set higher than the water level WL2 of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4, which will be described later, to apply an appropriate water pressure to the separation adjustment tank 11 and raise the water level to the height of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4.

[0042] (Internal pressure adjustment tank) As shown in Figure 1, an internal pressure adjustment tank 4 is disposed directly above the separation tank 11 via an adjustment pipe 4h. This internal pressure adjustment tank 43 allows the culture solution Cm that has overflowed from the separation tank 11 to escape upward, and functions to adjust the internal pressure of the separation tank 11 to an appropriate level.

[0043] Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4. As shown in Figs. 1 and 6, the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 has a box-shaped main body 41, with an adjustment pipe 4h connected to its bottom surface 41a. A hanging plate 42 is attached inside the main body 41, and an opening 43 is formed in the top surface 41b in front of the hanging plate 42.

[0044] The adjustment tank 4h protrudes vertically from the inside of the main body 41 with a height t, and by setting the amount of culture solution Cm in the main body 41 to be equal to or greater than this height t, the structure makes it difficult for impurities that have entered the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 to return to the separation tank 11.

[0045] Furthermore, in order to ensure the water level of the culture medium Cm inside the main body 41, an auxiliary outflow pipe 44 is connected to the wall surface separated by the hanging plate 42. This auxiliary outflow pipe 44 is structured to discharge excess liquid to the outside of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 through the space 42a below the hanging plate 42. The auxiliary outflow pipe 44 may also be structured as piping that returns to the raw water tank that supplies the liquid.

[0046] In this way, the purpose of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 is to adjust the water pressure inside the separation tank 11, but as mentioned above, the top surface 11c of the separation tank 11 has an arched shape, so even if the culture solution Cm that flows into the separation tank 11 contains air bubbles or light impurities, these can be collected inside the main body 41 via the adjustment pipe 4h.

[0047] In other words, because air bubbles are released into the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 through the adjustment port 11h which opens at the same position, no water surface is formed inside the separation tank 11. As a result, the function of the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 allows the entire inside of the separation tank 11 to be filled with culture medium Cm, which stabilizes the swirling flow Fw generated inside the separation tank 11 and prevents the impurities separated inside the separation tank 11 from being reincorporated into the culture medium Cm.

[0048] As described above, according to the separation device D of this embodiment, the separation tank 11 that generates a swirling flow Fw can be used to efficiently separate the microbial organisms x from the culture solution Cm containing the microbial organisms x, and the two can be recovered via separate routes.

[0049] In particular, the separation device D has an internal pressure adjustment tank 4, which prevents a water surface from forming inside the separation tank 11, thus preventing the swirling flow Fw from re-engulfing air bubbles and lighter impurities, and consequently producing the effect of preventing the attenuation of swirling flow energy.

[0050] Furthermore, by forming the side shape of the separation tank 11 into a circular cross-section, and connecting the separation and sedimentation tank 2 to the bottom surface 11d of its bottom surface 11d, and the internal pressure adjustment tank 4 to its top surface 11c, it is possible to efficiently collect heavy microorganisms x and lighter contaminants such as air bubbles and floating debris.

[0051] In particular, in the separation apparatus D of this embodiment, since the separation tank 11 is elongated in the vertical direction and has an elliptical shape, a flow that rises vertically and a flow that falls vertically are generated in the swirling flow Fw, which allows for efficient separation of microorganisms x and air bubbles due to differences in specific gravity.

[0052] (Other variations) The elliptical cross-section of the separation tank 11 can be made into a shape with various aspect ratios, as long as it generates a swirling flow Fw, and it can also be a perfect circle with the same aspect ratio.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the separation device has been described as a device for separating cultured microorganism x, but the separation device of the present invention can also be used as a device for separating mixtures with different specific gravities and sizes, and by varying the size of the device and the coarseness of the screen, it can also be used for filtering and separating chemical solutions in which components have solidified, or for treating waste liquids containing fine liquid debris. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] D Separation device 1 Separation tank frame 11 Separation tank 11c (arched) top 11d (arched) bottom 12 Outer tank 12h Discharge pipe (drainage channel) 13 スクリーン 2. Separate Shendian Trough 3. Flow into the adjustment tank 3g inflow pipe (inflow path) 4 Internal pressure adjustment slot Cm Culture medium (liquid) x Microorganisms (small objects) F flow of culture fluid Fw swirling flow

Claims

1. A separation device for separating small objects contained in a liquid, a separation tank having an inlet passage arranged to allow a liquid to flow therethrough and generate a swirling flow by the flow pressure of the liquid, and a screen attached to a side of the swirling flow; a drainage channel disposed outside the separation tank for collecting the liquid flowing out through the screen; a separation and sedimentation tank disposed at the bottom of the separation tank and allowing the small objects to settle; a pressure adjusting tank connected above the separation tank for evacuating the liquid that does not fit into the separation tank.

2. 2. The separation device according to claim 1, a separation tank having a circular cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the swirling flow, the settling separation tank being connected to the bottom surface of the separation tank having the circular cross-sectional shape, and the internal pressure adjustment tank being connected to the top surface of the separation tank having the circular cross-sectional shape.

3. 3. The separation device according to claim 2, a separation apparatus characterized in that the circular cross section of the separation tank has an elliptical shape with the vertical direction being the longitudinal direction, and when viewed from the direction of the rotation axis of the swirling flow, an upward flow in which the liquid rises approximately vertically on one side of the swirling flow and a downward flow in which the liquid descends approximately vertically on the other side.

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