System and method for preventing sediment formation in tank during heat extraction from wastewater
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat extraction systems for wastewater face inefficiencies and reliability issues due to sedimentation in tanks, which can lead to blockages and system failures, particularly when handling impure wastewater containing solid particles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of ejectors for compressed air in pump pits, buffer tanks, and collector tanks to create turbulence, preventing sedimentation by directing air flow away from the tank bottom and coinciding with wastewater flow, combined with a control system for managing air supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If wastewater is stored in tanks for heat extraction, then thermal energy can be efficiently extracted, but sedimentation occurs at the tank bottom causing blockages and system failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic air injection through ejectors to create intermittent turbulence in the tanks. This periodic action prevents continuous sedimentation by regularly disrupting particle settling, thereby maintaining system reliability while preserving thermal energy extraction efficiency over extended operational periods.
Solution Approach 2:
Compressed air is introduced through ejectors to create pneumatic turbulence in the wastewater tanks. This pneumatic action suspends solid particles and prevents them from settling at the bottom, eliminating blockages while allowing efficient heat extraction to continue uninterrupted.
2Reliability
If compressed air is supplied to create turbulence, then sedimentation is prevented, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ejectors are positioned to utilize the existing wastewater flow to activate compressed air release. The system self-regulates by using its own operational flow characteristics to trigger the turbulence-generating air injection, eliminating the need for external sensors or complex control mechanisms while maintaining effective sedimentation prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pneumatic ejectors that leverage the hydraulic flow of wastewater to automatically regulate compressed air discharge. This integration of pneumatic and hydraulic principles creates a self-regulating mechanism that prevents sedimentation without adding complex electronic controls or monitoring systems.
3Reliability
If ejectors are positioned to maximize turbulence, then sedimentation is reduced, but heat extraction efficiency may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Ejectors are strategically positioned at specific locations within the tanks where turbulence is most needed to prevent sedimentation, rather than distributing air injection uniformly throughout. This localized approach creates turbulence only in critical zones, preserving overall heat extraction efficiency while effectively preventing sediment accumulation at the bottom.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic rather than continuous air injection, creating turbulence pulses that are sufficient to prevent sedimentation without continuously disrupting the thermal exchange process. This periodic action maintains reliability by preventing sediment buildup while minimizing interference with heat extraction 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
Reduces sedimentation risk, maintains system efficiency, and prevents blockages, ensuring continuous operation and enhanced heat extraction capacity.
Implementation Method 1
The compressed air can therefore be supplied to each space with an ejector arranged therein in order to prevent solid particles from sinking to the bottom by means of turbulence, obtained by the supplied compressed air.
Implementation Method 2
at least one of the pump pit, the buffer tank or the collector tank comprises at least one ejector for compressed air arranged therein
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a system and a method for preventing sediment formation in at least one tank during heat extraction of thermal energy from wastewater from properties, which the system comprises; at least one pump pit, a wastewater inlet, a pump, a pump pit outlet and a drain opening, at least one buffer tank, and at least one collector tank 1, a heat exchanger, in the collector tank, a heat pump, and an accumulator for accumulating heat. To avoid sediment formation, at least one of the pump pit, the buffer tank or the collector tank comprises at least one ejector for compressed air arranged therein, which ejector is connected to a compressed air device for controlling the supply of compressed air to at least one of the at least one pump pit, the buffer tank or the collector tank through the at least one ejector.