Rotating Gate Floats for Floating Material Recovery
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for recovering floating materials on liquid surfaces, such as scum and oil, face challenges in efficiently collecting materials that tend to flock and aggregate, often getting caught at the gate portion and requiring larger separators due to excessive water intake when the gate portion is lowered.
Innovation Solution
A device with a vertically movable gate portion supported by gate floats and main floats with blade-like projections that rotate to rake and gather materials, maintaining the gate portion near the liquid level and preventing aggregation by crushing and separating floating materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the gate portion is lowered to recover liquid-level floating materials, then the recovery quantity increases, but water flows in a larger quantity requiring a larger separator
Solution Approach 1:
The float is divided into multiple segments (first float, second float, third float) arranged radially around the gate portion. Each segment independently rakes floating materials toward the gate portion, enabling efficient recovery without lowering the gate portion and thus preventing excessive water intake.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade-like projections on the floats perform preliminary raking and gathering of floating materials before they reach the gate portion. This preliminary action concentrates the materials at the gate portion, allowing the gate to remain at liquid level while still achieving high recovery efficiency.
2Productivity
If floating materials are allowed to move to the gate portion, then recovery is enabled, but materials flock and aggregate between floats becoming unrecoverable
Solution Approach 1:
The floats are designed to rotate around the gate portion, creating dynamic movement that continuously disrupts and prevents the formation of stable bridges or aggregates between floats. This rotational dynamics ensures floating materials are continuously conveyed to the gate portion without getting trapped.
Solution Approach 2:
Blade-like projections are specifically positioned on the outer circumferential parts of the floats where materials are most likely to aggregate. These localized blades actively break up and separate floating materials at critical points, preventing flocking while maintaining overall recovery efficiency.
3Quantity of substance
If a raking/gathering arrangement is used to prevent gate portion lowering, then water intake is reduced, but floating materials likely to flock are not effectively recovered
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves from a two-dimensional raking surface to a three-dimensional radial arrangement of multiple floats rotating around the gate portion. This dimensional change creates comprehensive coverage and enhanced gathering capability that effectively handles materials prone to flocking while maintaining the gate portion at liquid level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system combines multiple functional elements (multiple radial floats, blade-like projections, rotational movement) into a composite raking mechanism. This composite structure synergistically prevents water intake while effectively recovering even aggregated floating materials, overcoming the limitations of simple raking arrangements.
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 solution allows for reliable and efficient recovery of scum and oil by maintaining a constant liquid level and preventing materials from bridging between floats, enhancing raking and gathering efficiency and reducing the need for large separators.
Implementation Method 1
a recovery portion (2) which recovers floating materials on the liquid surface (liquid level) by a buoyant force of the float from a gate portion (21)
Data Source
AI summary
A device has a gate portion for recovering floating materials on liquid surfaces and for following vertical movement of the liquid level. Gate floats around and rotatable about the gate portion retain the gate portion near the liquid level. Main floats outside the gate floats support a recovery portion. A blade-shaped projection on an outer circumferential part will rotate along the liquid level. A driving device rotates the gate float, with loads of the driving device being supported by the main floats.