Surface Wasting System with Bellows Seal for Selective Foam Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wastewater treatment systems struggle with selective removal of floating materials and foam, often inadvertently removing well-settling organisms and lacking self-adjusting flow control, leading to inefficiencies and operational challenges.
Innovation Solution
A surface wasting system with a chamber, sump, and expandable waterproof bellows, coupled with a float for self-regulating overflow and a solids-handling pump for controlled removal of waste, ensuring only surface materials are removed and maintaining a consistent liquid level, optionally incorporating a ballast recovery system for magnetite recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If surface wasting systems are used to remove floating materials, then foam control is improved, but well-settling organisms are inadvertently removed
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the waste removal process into two distinct pathways: a surface wasting system for removing floating materials and foam, and a solids handling system for removing settled solids. The surface wasting system includes a surface waste collector with a sump and pump, separate from the main solids handling infrastructure. This segmentation allows selective removal of surface contaminants without disturbing well-settling organisms in the activated sludge.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface waste collector acts as an intermediary device between the surface waste and the pump. It includes a sump that collects surface waste and a pump that selectively pumps only the surface waste through the surface waste collector, preventing mixing with the activated sludge. This intermediary mechanism ensures that only surface materials are removed while preserving the biological treatment process integrity.
2Productivity
If pumps are installed at the bottom of treatment vessels to remove excess biological growth, then treatment efficiency is improved, but floating materials cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the waste removal function into two separate systems: a solids handling system with pumps located at the bottom of treatment vessels for removing excess biological growth, and a surface wasting system with surface waste collectors for removing floating materials. This spatial and functional segmentation allows each system to optimize its specific function without interfering with the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface wasting system operates in a different vertical dimension by collecting waste at the surface level rather than at the bottom level. The surface waste collectors are positioned to intercept floating materials at the liquid surface, creating a separate removal pathway that complements the bottom-mounted solids handling system.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fixed surface wasting systems are installed, then foam removal is achieved, but flow control is inadequate and not self-adjusting
Solution Approach 1:
The surface waste collector is designed as a self-regulating system where the pump automatically adjusts its operation based on the presence and quantity of surface waste. The pump activates when surface waste is detected and deactivates when the surface is clear, eliminating the need for external flow control mechanisms. This self-service capability provides automatic flow control while maintaining effective foam removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface waste collector incorporates feedback control through the pump's automatic activation and deactivation based on surface waste conditions. The system continuously monitors the surface waste presence and adjusts pump operation accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains optimal foam removal while preventing excessive pumping.
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 system provides selective and efficient surface waste removal with self-regulating overflow control, minimizing entrapment of floating matter and maintaining treatment efficiency, while allowing for recovery of valuable materials like magnetite, thus enhancing operational stability and resource recovery.
Implementation Method 1
a float coupled to the inner conduit and configured to vertically displace the inner conduit responsive to a change in a level of liquid in the sump
Implementation Method 2
an expandable waterproof bellows having a lower end coupled to the outer conduit above the first seal and an upper end coupled to the inner conduit, the waterproof bellows forming a second seal between the outer conduit and the inner conduit
Implementation Method 3
a solids-handling pump included in the chamber, the solids-handling pump configured to remove waste solids and liquid from the sump
Implementation Method 4
a gravity drain configured to remove waste solids and liquid from the sump
Implementation Method 5
a magnetic separator configured to recover magnetite from waste solids collected from the surface of the liquid by the surface wasting system
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for removing waste materials from the surface of liquid in a liquid treatment system. In one example a surface wasting system comprises a chamber including a sump, an outer conduit coupled by a first seal to an upper wall of the chamber, an inner conduit axially disposed within the outer conduit, the inner conduit in contact with a surface of a liquid in a treatment vessel of the liquid treatment system, an expandable waterproof bellows having a lower end coupled to the outer conduit above the first seal and an upper end coupled to the inner conduit, the waterproof bellows forming a second seal between the outer conduit and the inner conduit, and a float coupled to the inner conduit and configured to vertically displace the inner conduit responsive to a change in a level of liquid in the sump.