Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
  • B01D17/02—Separation of non-miscible liquids
  • B01D17/0208—Separation of non-miscible liquids by sedimentation
  • B01D17/0211—Separation of non-miscible liquids by sedimentation with baffles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D17/00—Separation of liquids, not provided for elsewhere, e.g. by thermal diffusion
  • B01D17/02—Separation of non-miscible liquids
  • B01D17/0217—Separation of non-miscible liquids by centrifugal force
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D21/00—Separation of suspended solid particles from liquids by sedimentation
  • B01D21/0039—Settling tanks provided with contact surfaces, e.g. baffles, particles
  • B01D21/0054—Plates in form of a coil
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D21/00—Separation of suspended solid particles from liquids by sedimentation
  • B01D21/0087—Settling tanks provided with means for ensuring a special flow pattern, e.g. even inflow or outflow
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D21/00—Separation of suspended solid particles from liquids by sedimentation
  • B01D21/26—Separation of sediment aided by centrifugal force or centripetal force
  • B01D21/265—Separation of sediment aided by centrifugal force or centripetal force by using a vortex inducer or vortex guide, e.g. coil
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J8/00—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes
  • B01J8/005—Separating solid material from the gas/liquid stream
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01J—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
  • B01J8/00—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes
  • B01J8/08—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with moving particles
  • B01J8/12—Chemical or physical processes in general, conducted in the presence of fluids and solid particles; Apparatus for such processes with moving particles moved by gravity in a downward flow
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03B—SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS
  • B03B5/00—Washing granular, powdered or lumpy materials; Wet separating
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/14—Flotation machines
  • B03D1/1493—Flotation machines with means for establishing a specified flow pattern
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/14—Flotation machines
  • B03D1/24—Pneumatic
  • B03D1/242—Nozzles for injecting gas into the flotation tank
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/02—Froth-flotation processes
  • B03D1/028—Control and monitoring of flotation processes; computer models therefor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
  • B03D—FLOTATION; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION
  • B03D1/00—Flotation
  • B03D1/14—Flotation machines
  • B03D1/1431—Dissolved air flotation machines

Definitions

• THIS INVENTION relates to material treatment apparatus.
• material treatment apparatus comprises a housing having an axis, and means defining a liquid flow path in the housing between an inlet and an outlet characterized in that the flow path at least in part extends angularly as it extends axially.
• the defining means may define axially spacea regions of the flow path, the flow paths in the regions extending angularly as they extend axially.
• the defining means may comprise an helical wall.
• the radially outer edge region of the wall may comprise a channel.
• the channel may communicate with a separate outlet at its lower end.
• treatment material e.g. a gas and/or a liquid into the flow Path.
• treatment material e.g. a gas and/or a liquid into the flow Path.
• Fig. 1 is a side view of a material treatment apparatus with some parts omitted;
• Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1 on an enlarged scale with the omitted parts inserted;
• Fig. 3 is a perspective view of part of Fig. 1 with part removed for clarity;
• Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 5;
• Fig. 5 is a side view of a modification
• Fig. 6 is a schematic view
• Fig. 7 illustrates a treatment system
• a material treatment apparatus 10 comprises a generally cylindrical housing 11 having a central axis and a peripheral wall 12 and closed by end walls 13, 14.
• An L-shaped tube 9 Upstanding centrally from the bottom wall 13 is a tube 15 closed at its upper end 16.
• An L-shaped tube 9 has a central vertical leg 17, which is open at its lower end and which extends sealingly through the top wall 14, and a horizontal leg 18 arranged for connection to a source of reduced pressure or vacuum apparatus indicated schematically at 19.
• An axially extended spiral or helix 20 is located in the housing 11.
• the spiral has a downwardly and outwardly
• the wall 21 stops short of the inner surface 24 of the wall 12 and is continued by an L-shaped
• the spiral 20 stops short of end wall 13 and a plate 34 in housing 11 forms the bottom end of volume 30.
• the wall 21 and channel 25 thus define with the housing 11 a volume 30 which is closed apart from the inlet to pipe 17.
• a wall 36 extends between two adjacent turns of the spiral to close the spiral at the top so that between the wall 14 and the spiral 20 is a closed volume 37.
• a closed volume 33 is between plate 34 and wall 13. Volumes 37, 33 are not in communication with volume 30. In use the volume 30 is normally filled with material being treated.
• the channel 25 communicates with a closed container 27 having an outlet 28 through the wall 12.
• Material to be treated can be introduced at the top of the volume 30 through one or more, three shown in Fig. 1, inlet pipes 31 which extend through the top wall 13 (Fig. 2) or side wall 12 (Fig. 1) and sealingly into an upper region of the volume 30 between adjacent turns of the spiral.
• the material introduced at inlet 31 descends through the volume 30 following initially an axially extended helical path in a region 70 associated with leg 17, then through a region 71 between the tube 15 and the leg 17 in which the flow is less spatially controlled, and then in an axially extended helical path in a region 72 around the tube 15 to the outlet 32.
• the angular motion of the material produces a radial pressure difference so that pressure is less at a radially inner region than at a radially outer region so that gas in the material tends to migrate towards the inner region, as indicated schematically by bubbles 33 Fig. 7.
• Air or other gas may be supplied to the volume 30 through inlet nozzles 40 extending from pipe 41 having closable flow control valve 42. There may be one or more nozzles 40 at each of one or more axial locations. The added air or other gas attracts light particles or bubbles of gas or dissolved gas and assists in transporting this to a radially inner region.
• Farther liquid e.g. a defoaming agent
• nozzles 43 There may be one or more nozzles 43 at each of one or more axial locations.
• Samples of the mixture in the volume 30 can be taken through closable sample outlets 45 at one or more axial locations.
• the apparatus may be used in a variety of ways.
• the input material may be a mixture of liquid and solid material. As this input liquor descends, solids which are heavier than the liquid will tend to engage the wall 21 and pass therealong into the channel 25 and be carried by the spiral motion of tne mixture to the container 27 for removal and, where appropriate, further treatment e.g.
• the input mixture is thus clarified and the clarified liquor is removed through the outlet 32 either by gravity or a pump 50.
• the input liquor is the effluent from another process e.g. paper-making or china clay blending or treatment
• the clarified liquid may be returned to that process for re-use, possibly after further treatment e.g. passing through a cyclone separator.
• liquid-solid mixture contains so-called flotables, these may be removed through pipe 9 due to the reduced pressure in the pipe 9.
• air or other gas is introduced at 40 to attract particles in the mixture and cause them to float and thus rise up the housing 41 and be removed by the suction in pipe 9.
• this could be applied to an input mixture of water and titanium dioxide.
• One example of a solid-liquid mixture is water with sand and/or river mud.
• the input material is a liquid- liquid mixture e.g. water and solvent.
• air or other gas can be introduced at 41 , and/or a defoaming agent at 43, to cause the solvent to rise and be removed through the pipe 9.
• the input material is a liquid-gas mixture e.g. liquid and absorbed air.
• the air may be caused to separate out wholly or in part by the angular movement of the mixture along the spiral or air or other gas can be introduced e.g. in the form of bubbles to remove the air from the mixture and thus through the pipe 9.
• the rate of flow of input material through the volume 30 can be controlled bv a flow meter and valve 60 which can be at the input or outlet end, and the input material could be pumped in by pump 61.
• the arrangement is compact by comparison with a long settling tank; for example the diameter of the housing 11 may be between 3.3 metres to 5.7 metres (8ft to 12ft) with an axial length of 5.7 metres.
• the apparatus has been illustrated in a vertical position, this is not essential and the housing 11 may have other orientations.
• the gas can simply pass tnrough pipe 9.
• the arrangement can be constructed for particular uses.
• Foe example the spiral region above tube 15 can be principally for removal of gas and the spiral region along tube 15 primarily for
• the wall 21 can be at different angles to the axis in different apparatus or have a varying angle at different axial positions in an apparatus 10.
• a filter for solids can be incorporated.
• a filter 49 Fig. 4 formed as a circular tray 51 can be disposed above outlet 32 and have a plurality of sectors 52 which contain for example sand to act as a filter.
• the tray 51 is rotated step-by-step by motor 53, say one complete revolution in 24 hours, and is a cover 34 for one sector so that the sand in that sector can be
• the treatment of the input liquor may as above be by both dissolved air flotation and sedimentation.
• the Treatment may be sedimentation only and in this case the air inlet(s) could be omitted and the tube 13 extend up to the wall 14
• effluent from source 30 Fig. 7 can receive added air at 31, these components passing through an in-line mixer 32, the output then receiving added polymer at 33 before passing to inlet pipes 31.
• the clarified liquid is removed at 84 as above and the solid residues (say 10% by volume) can be removed, passed through a centrifugal separator 85, then an air dissolving tube 86 and the output of this fed back to the inlet 31 or to the inlet to the mixer 32,
• the tube 15 could be moveable up and down

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Physical Water Treatments (AREA)
• Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
• Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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• 1991
  • 1991-03-27 GB GB919106574A patent/GB9106574D0/en active Pending
• 1992
  • 1992-03-26 WO PCT/GB1992/000558 patent/WO1992017260A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 1992-03-26 AU AU14332/92A patent/AU1433292A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1992-03-26 EP EP92907503A patent/EP0595816A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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