Piston Press Air Management for Sludge Deodorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing mechanical dewatering process for treatment plant sludge, such as Dehydris™ Twist, generates harmful odors and clogs the drainage system due to natural airflow circulation, which requires excessive ventilation and deodorization, and is inefficient in managing airflow and clogging.
Innovation Solution
A piston press with a pipe system that separates and channels air and water, using a bifurcation to manage airflow and prevent air circulation in the water discharge branch, along with an air injection system to unclog drains and promote suction, and control valves to manage airflow and water circulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a natural circulation vent or orifice is used to enable air circulation between the pressing chamber and outside, then the pressing chamber can be supplied with air and emptied of air during operation, but odors and pollutants are emitted into the environment during pressing and emptying operations
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful air currents carrying odors are extracted from the pressing chamber and directed through a dedicated pipe to an air outlet, separating the odor management function from the natural circulation vent system
Solution Approach 2:
A pipe system acts as an intermediary between the pressing chamber and the environment, channeling odorous air currents through a controlled path to an air outlet, preventing direct emission into the surrounding environment
2Productivity
If the cylinder is opened during emptying operation to discharge product, then the product can be discharged from the pressing chamber, but odors are generated in the ambient air around the press
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe remains continuously connected to the pressing chamber throughout all operations including emptying, ensuring that odorous air currents are continuously channeled to the air outlet without interruption or release to the environment
Solution Approach 2:
The pipe system serves as an intermediary that maintains a sealed connection between the pressing chamber and the air outlet, preventing direct exposure of ambient air to odors during product discharge
3Object-affected harmful factors
If excessive ventilation air is used to dilute and treat contaminated air, then odor propagation is reduced, but the volume of air requiring treatment and deodorization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The odorous air currents are extracted and concentrated into a dedicated pipe system leading to a specific air outlet, rather than being diluted throughout the entire room volume, reducing the total air volume requiring treatment
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 solution effectively reduces odor propagation, minimizes drainage clogging, and optimizes airflow management, improving the dewatering process by enhancing odor control and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a bifurcation arranged in order to separate the air and the water moved through the at least one mixed part
Implementation Method 2
an air injection system comprising a compressed air tank, this injection system being arranged in order to inject a (preferably calibrated) volume of compressed air into a pipe toward the pressing chamber
Implementation Method 3
at least one displacement of the piston in a first direction that reduces the volume of the pressing chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a piston press of the type used in the field of the dehydration of products to be dehydrated such as sludge from a purification plant. More particularly, it relates to a piston press including a pressing chamber supplied with sludge and able to manage air streams that it generates, and to a method for using such a press. In a preferred mode of embodiment, the piston press includes a pipeline having a water removal branch and arranged so as to remove water extracted during a sludge-pressing operation, and an air circulation branch that can channel the volumes of air circulating in the press during the operation thereof, so as to direct the vitiated air, i.e. air that has been brought into contact with the sludge during the implementation of the press, towards a deodorization system.