Ballasted Flocculation Decantation Tank with Stirrer and Lamellae
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing water treatment installations require significant floor space, consume high energy, and suffer from inefficiencies in ballast recycling and leakage, particularly due to the need for separate coagulation, flocculation, and decantation reactors, as well as the use of hydrocyclones.
Innovation Solution
A compact water treatment system integrating flocculation and decantation in a single tank with a stirrer and lamellae, allowing for ballast recycling without hydrocyclones, which reduces energy consumption and minimizes ballast loss by using a stirrer and air injection to separate and clean the ballast within the tank.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate coagulation, flocculation, and decantation reactors are used, then treatment effectiveness is improved, but floor space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines flocculation and decantation operations into a single reactor vessel. The flocculation zone contains a stirrer for mixing coagulated water with flocculant and ballast, while the decantation zone contains lamellae for separating treated water from sludge. This integration eliminates the need for separate flocculation and decantation reactors, reducing floor space while maintaining treatment effectiveness through functional zonation within one reactor.
2Loss of substance
If hydrocyclones are used for ballast recycling, then ballast separation is achieved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the high-energy hydrocyclone mechanical separation system with a flotation-based separation method. Air is injected into the sludge to generate bubbles that attach to ballast particles, causing them to float to the surface for removal. This substitution of mechanical centrifugal separation with pneumatic flotation significantly reduces energy consumption while achieving effective ballast separation and recycling.
3Ease of operation
If sludge scrapers and hoppers are used, then sludge extraction is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the complex sludge scraper and hopper components from the system. Instead, a simple sludge outlet positioned at the bottom of the reactor allows sludge to be extracted directly by gravity or pumping. This elimination of intermediate scraping and storage components simplifies the device structure, reduces operational complexity, and lowers installation costs while maintaining effective sludge removal capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves efficient liquid-solid separation with reduced space requirements, improved ballast recycling, and lower energy consumption, while eliminating the need for hydrocyclones and sludge scrapers, thus enhancing treatment performance and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
a flocculation-decantation device provided with means for distributing at least one flocculant reagent, means for distributing at least one ballast, means for extracting decantation sludge
Implementation Method 2
the step of flocculation is assisted by the adding of a ballasting material
Implementation Method 3
means for separating of said ballast contained in the ballasted sludge
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a water treatment plant comprising: means for supplying water for treatment, wherein said water has been coagulated previously, a flocculation-decantation device having means for dispensing at least one flocculant reagent, means for dispensing at least one ballast, means for extracting decantation sludge, means for discharging the treated water, means for separating said ballast contained in the ballasted sludge, and means for recycling the ballast that has been cleaned in this manner back into the flocculation-decantation device, characterised in that: said flocculation-decantation device has a single tank in the lower portion of which a stirring mechanism is arranged; wherein said single tank comprises slats in its upper portion; and said slats are separated from the stirring mechanism by a distance “d” which is between approximately 0.5 metres and approximately 3 metres. The invention also relates to a method using said plant.