Secondary Compressed Air Lifter for Sludge Removal in SBR Reactors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing SBR reactors face issues with sludge particle discharge during clear water removal, leading to clogged infiltration systems and water pollution, as existing solutions only partially address the problem and require additional components or energy, failing to ensure complete and permanent sludge avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A secondary compressed air lifter is connected to the mammoth pump for clear water discharge, with a connecting pipe allowing for the removal of sludge deposits before actual clear water discharge, ensuring only cleaned water is pumped out, and utilizing an additional compressed air line to flush and clean the pipe system independently of excess sludge discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a check valve is installed in the inlet area of the pneumatic lift to reduce sludge particle ingress, then sludge discharge is reduced, but the check valve can easily be impaired or rendered inoperative by contaminants/blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful check valve component is completely removed from the system. Instead, the patent uses a timing-based control approach where the pneumatic lift is operated only during the settling phase when sludge has settled to the bottom, naturally preventing sludge particle ingress without requiring a mechanical check valve that could fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary settling of sludge particles before the clear water discharge phase begins. By controlling the timing of the pneumatic lift operation to occur only after settling is complete, the system ensures that sludge particles have already settled and will not be drawn into the discharge system, eliminating the need for protective check valves.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If an additional pipe and air line are used to empty the pneumatic lift pipeline before clear water discharge, then sludge particles are removed, but this creates turbulence that hinders the settling process and requires additional time
Solution Approach 1:
The pneumatic lift system operates in periodic cycles with distinct phases: a settling phase where sludge particles settle to the bottom, followed by a clear water discharge phase using the pneumatic lift. This periodic operation ensures that sludge removal occurs only after settling is complete, avoiding turbulence during the settling process while maintaining efficient sludge particle removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary settling of sludge particles before activating the pneumatic lift for clear water discharge. By controlling the timing so that settling occurs first and pneumatic lift operation follows only after settling is complete, the system removes sludge particles effectively without creating turbulence that would hinder the settling process.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the intake area of the mammoth pump is designed to reduce sludge ingress, then sludge discharge is reduced, but this design cannot permanently or controllably guarantee that no sludge can ingress during aeration
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a control unit that monitors and controls the operation of the pneumatic lift based on the treatment cycle phase. The control unit ensures the pneumatic lift operates only during the clear water discharge phase after settling is complete, providing feedback control that reliably prevents sludge particle discharge without depending on mechanical design limitations of the pump intake area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary settling of sludge particles before the pneumatic lift discharge phase. By controlling the timing of pneumatic lift operation to occur only after settling is complete, the system guarantees sludge-free discharge through process control rather than relying solely on mechanical intake area design, achieving permanent and controllable prevention.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If a secondary compressed air lifter is added to clean the mammoth pump before clear water discharge, then sludge particles are completely removed, but this requires additional components and energy input
Solution Approach 1:
The secondary compressed air lifter serves multiple functions: it acts as both an aeration device during the aeration phase and as a cleaning device for the mammoth pump discharge system before clear water discharge. By making the secondary pneumatic lift multi-functional, the system achieves complete sludge particle removal without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same component performs multiple roles in different phases of the treatment cycle.
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 effectively prevents sludge recontamination and ensures complete removal of sludge particles from the compressed air lifter, maintaining clear water quality and preventing system blockages, thereby enhancing the efficiency and reliability of wastewater treatment.
Implementation Method 1
an airlift pump (mammoth pump) for clear water extraction from the SBR reactor, to which an airlift pump is connected via a connecting pipe to another airlift pump for pumping out sludge particles
Implementation Method 2
it is introduced via aeration devices located on the bottom of the aeration tank. This breaks down the incoming compressed air into fine air bubbles, which are then fed into the wastewater. The subsequent upward movement of these air bubbles ensures continuous mixing of the wastewater with the activated sludge flocs.
Implementation Method 3
The settling phase then begins. During this time, the activated sludge settles to the bottom of the basin. The treated wastewater, now free of activated sludge, is located in the upper section, which is known as the clear water zone.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for optimizing a small wastewater treatment plant or small sewage treatment plant by avoiding or reducing the discharge of sludge particles in wastewater treatment plants, small wastewater treatment plants and small sewage treatment plants, as well as other technical installations, by means of a simple device consisting of a compressed air lift (mammoth pump) for clear water discharge [24], to which another compressed air lift (mammoth pump) [27, 39] is connected, which conveys the sludge particles [42] contained/deposited therein into the primary clarifier [31] or into another container or chamber before the clear water discharge from the compressed air lift for the clear water discharge [24].The invention further relates to a method for optimizing a small wastewater treatment plant by avoiding or reducing the discharge of sludge particles, preferably in wastewater treatment plants, small wastewater treatment plants, and other technical installations, characterized in that, prior to the actual discharge of the clear water, a second airlift pump [27, 39] connected to the airlift pump for the clear water discharge [24] conveys the sludge particles [42] contained/sedimented in the airlift pump for the clear water discharge [24] to another treatment stage [31] or another container or chamber by means of a corresponding control command. The control command is characterized in that the activation of the second airlift pump [27, 39] takes place before the actual discharge of the clear water.