Bisected Torus Dewatering Bag for Sludge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dewatering methods for aqueous particulate suspensions, such as sludges and slurries, require large surface areas and are inefficient in removing water, leading to hazardous semi-solid crusts and challenges in handling and disposal, especially in arid regions where water reuse is desirable.
Innovation Solution
A dewatering bag with a bisected torus design featuring a permeable non-conductive base material and integrated cathode elements, allowing for electro-osmosis-driven water removal through an anode, which reduces water content and facilitates safer handling and reuse of materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional hydraulic dewatering or electrokinetic materials are used, then water can be removed from the suspension, but a large surface area is required to function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat filter presses to a three-dimensional tubular bag configuration. The tubular bag provides internal surface area through its cylindrical structure, allowing water to be removed through the wall thickness while maintaining a compact footprint. This dimensional change enables significant water removal capacity without proportionally increasing the ground surface area occupied.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular bag is suspended within a support structure that occupies minimal space. The bag itself is a self-contained unit that can be hung vertically, nesting the dewatering function within a compact spatial envelope. This allows the system to achieve large effective filtering area through the tubular geometry while occupying small footprint area on the ground.
2Quantity of substance
If water is removed from the suspension, then the volume for transportation and disposal is reduced, but a semi-solid crust forms on the surface which is dangerous
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular bag acts as a flexible containment structure that allows water to be removed through its permeable wall while maintaining structural integrity. The flexible nature of the bag prevents the formation of hard crusts by allowing the material to conform and drain uniformly, eliminating the dangerous semi-solid surface crust that forms with conventional open-air dewatering methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag wall is made of permeable material that allows water to pass through while retaining particulate matter. This controlled permeability enables water removal without forming surface crusts, as the water drains through the entire structure rather than evaporating from the surface and forming hazardous deposits.
3Weight of moving object
If the bag is suspended by the first end with the aperture held open, then the distribution of weight is spread over a large circumference, but the structure must support the suspended load
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed to distribute the suspended load uniformly around the aperture circumference. By creating an equipotential support configuration where the load is evenly distributed, no single point bears excessive stress, and the overall structural strength requirements are minimized while achieving optimal weight distribution.
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 bisected torus design enhances water removal efficiency by doubling the voltage gradient and providing additional filtration surfaces, reducing the volume and hazard of dewatered materials, while allowing for easier cleaning and reuse of the bag.
Implementation Method 1
The electrodes operate to cause water to move from an anode sheet toward a cathode sheet/filter, thence out of the suspension, thereby drying out the suspension.
Implementation Method 2
an electrokinetic process of removing water
Implementation Method 3
the wall being permeable to water but impermeable to substantially all of the particulate material
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
A method of dewatering an aqueous suspension of particulate material is disclosed. The method comprises selecting a bag (10) having walls comprising a non-conductive base material, said walls being permeable to water but not the particulate materials. The bag defines an aperture at both ends to allow material to be added and removed from the bag, with the aperture at a first end of the bag (10) being larger than that at a second end. The bag (10) is suspended by the first end of bag (10) in such a manner that the aperture is held open. Within the first aperture, the second end is secured whereby the second aperture is also held in an open configuration. In this manner the suspended bag (10) forms a bisected torus having a trough portion to receive a material to be dewatered. The material to be dewatered is then added to the trough portion and water from the suspension allowed to drain out of the bag