Water Remediation Using Coagulation and Hydrocarbon Flotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial water sources often contain undesirable materials such as metals, organic debris, bacteria, dirt, and clay that foul and contaminate water, reducing its utility and increasing health hazards and cleanup costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that uses high velocity pumps to suspend solids in water, forming an emulsion with coagulant chemicals and hydrocarbon components to float solids to the surface for removal, utilizing coagulant chemicals and hydrocarbon components to form a slurry of suspended solids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional settling methods are used to remove solids from water, then solids are removed from water, but the process increases health hazards and cleanup costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (foam-generating agent) that mediates between the solids in water and the removal process. This agent creates foam that entraps solids and transports them to the surface, avoiding direct contact with hazardous settled solids and eliminating the need for manual cleanup operations that pose health risks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical settling and manual cleanup systems with a chemical-physical process involving foam generation. Instead of relying on gravity-driven settling that requires manual intervention and equipment cleanup, the system uses foam chemistry to automatically transport solids to the surface for easy removal
2Reliability
If water is stored in holding ponds to allow settling, then solids precipitate to the bottom, but this reduces the volume of water available for reuse and increases contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional settling approach by instead causing solids to rise to the surface through foam generation. Rather than allowing solids to沉淀 to the bottom where they contaminate the water column and reduce usable volume, the foam transports solids upward, leaving the bulk water volume clean and available for reuse
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts solids from the water column by incorporating them into foam structures. The foam-generating agent binds with solids and transports them to the surface where they can be removed, effectively extracting the contaminant phase from the water phase and maximizing the volume of clean water available for reuse
3Reliability
If manual cleanup operations are used to remove settled solids, then solids are removed from water, but this increases health hazards and operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service removal mechanism where foam automatically generates and transports solids to the surface without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates through continuous foam generation that captures and elevates solids, eliminating the need for manpower-intensive cleanup operations and complex equipment handling
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
Efficiently removes contaminants from water by floating them to the surface for easy collection, improving water quality and reducing cleanup costs and health hazards.
Implementation Method 1
coagulating the hydrocarbon components and solids to form a slurry of suspended solids
Implementation Method 2
floating the solids to an upper surface region of the water reservoir by bonding the hydrocarbon components to the solids
Implementation Method 3
emulsifying the solids with one or more coagulant chemicals and one or more hydrocarbon components to form an emulsion
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention relate to removing suspended and solids from water using coagulating chemicals to coagulate the solids and hydrocarbon components to float the coagulated solids and where the same are removed from a water reservoir by mechanical means such as skimming.