Water Clarifying Apparatus with Common Partition Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current water clarification systems combining dissolved air flotation and membrane filtration face inefficiencies in particle removal, clogging issues, and high operational costs due to independent management of processes and structural limitations, which hinder optimal hydraulic conditions and membrane performance.
Innovation Solution
A water clarification device with a common separation wall allowing direct passage of floated water to the filtration zone, enabling laminar flow and turbulent flotation, along with compartmentalized filtration zones and weirs for efficient fluid communication, facilitates optimal hydraulic conditions and reduces clogging by maintaining floc cohesion and using floated water for both filtration and backwashing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If membranes are located below the cake of floated water in the flotation zone, then membrane filtration can be performed, but clogging is generated by accumulation of micro bubbles in the filtration modules
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two distinct zones: a flotation zone for micro bubble separation and a filtration zone for membrane filtration. The common separation wall with opening at the bottom enables independent operation of each zone, allowing flotation to occur above while filtration occurs below, preventing micro bubble accumulation in membranes
Solution Approach 2:
The common separation wall acts as an intermediary structure between the flotation zone and filtration zone. The opening at the bottom of the separation wall serves as a mediator that allows water to pass from the flotation zone to the filtration zone while preventing direct contact between floated materials and membranes, thus avoiding clogging
2Reliability
If the height of water above the membrane stage is increased to limit clogging, then membrane performance is protected, but structure height becomes large
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing vertical height to protect membranes, the invention transitions to horizontal separation by creating distinct flotation and filtration zones side-by-side. The common separation wall with bottom opening enables this dimensional shift, allowing water to flow horizontally from flotation to filtration zone while maintaining compact vertical structure
3Productivity
If air injection is performed to enhance flotation, then particle removal efficiency is improved, but floated materials are resuspended increasing concentration near membranes
Solution Approach 1:
The flotation zone and filtration zone are segmented by the common separation wall, allowing air injection to occur in the flotation zone without directly affecting the filtration zone. The bottom opening in the separation wall ensures that air bubbles and floated materials are separated from the membrane filtration area, preventing resuspension near membranes
4Ease of manufacture
If dissolved air flotation and membrane filtration are managed independently, then each process can be optimized, but overall system efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges dissolved air flotation and membrane filtration into a single integrated device with a shared structure. The common separation wall with bottom opening physically connects both processes while allowing independent operation, enabling hydraulic optimization where flotation effluent directly feeds the filtration zone, improving overall system efficiency
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
This configuration enhances water treatment speed, reduces operational costs, and improves membrane performance by maintaining floc integrity and reducing membrane surface area requirements, achieving higher filtration flows and efficient clarification.
Implementation Method 1
Dissolved air flotation, often called DAF, is one of the clarification treatments used for the clarification of water... It generally involves a combination of different stages: coagulation in order to neutralize the surface charges of the colloids, and the adsorption of dissolved materials, flocculation allowing the agglomeration of the particles, an injection of pressurized water allowing the contact of the micro bubbles generated by the relaxation and the flocculated water, a separation allowing the separation of the floc and the clarified water
Implementation Method 2
Clarification by filtration on membranes uses filtration, ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes, which are characterized by a cut-off threshold making it possible to delimit a physical barrier, playing the role of a real sieve. Depending on their geometry and cut-off threshold characteristics, ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) membranes are particularly well suited to the clarification of water which contains particles such as suspended matter, microorganisms, etc.
Implementation Method 3
the common separation wall comprises in its lower part an opening allowing direct passage of the floated water towards the filtration zone... Ideally, the flow regime in the vicinity of this opening will be laminar
Implementation Method 4
turbulent flotation (US patent 5,516,433) which implements, at the base of the flotation zone, flow control and distribution elements allowing obtain a non-uniform flow rate upstream of these elements, this phenomenon generating an internal circulation
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention concerns a water clarifying device comprising a flotation zone (c), a membrane-based filtering zone (e) and extracting means (d), the flotation zone (c) and the membrane-based filtering zone (e) having a common partition wall (P), the common partition wall (P) including in its lower part an opening (o) directly allowing through flotated water towards the filtering zone (e), thereby feeding the membranes with flotated water from down upwards both in filtering phase and in backwashing phase.