# US 10,500,545 B2 · Siphon-type air diffusion device, membrane bioreactor, and water treatment method

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- Number: US 10,500,545 B2
- Document ID: US10500545B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/254,036
- Filed: 2019-01-22
- Published: 2019-05-23
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-22
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
- Inventors: Yunje Lee; Makoto Ideguchi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500545B2

## CPC

- B01D 65/02: Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration}
- B01F 23/23121: {having injection means, e.g. nozzles with circumferential outlet}
- B01F 23/23125: {characterised by the way in which they are assembled or mounted; Fabricating the parts of the diffusers}
- B01F 23/231265: {being tubes, tubular elements, cylindrical elements or set of tubes}
- C02F 3/1273: {Submerged membrane bioreactors}
- C02F 3/20: using diffusers
- C02F 3/208: {Membrane aeration (C02F3/201 takes precedence)}
- B01D 2315/06: Submerged-type; Immersion type
- B01D 2321/185: Aeration
- B01F 23/237611: {Air}
- B01F 35/71755: {using means for feeding components in a pulsating or intermittent manner}
- B01F 2101/305: {Treatment of water, waste water or sewage}
- C02F 2303/20: Prevention of biofouling
- C02F 2303/22: Eliminating or preventing deposits, scale removal, scale prevention (C02F1/042, C02F1/4602, C02F5/00 take precedence)
- Y02W 10/10: Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- B01F: MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING OR DISPERSING (mixing paints B44D3/06)
- C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes)
- Y02W: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT

## Abstract

A siphon-type air diffusion device for intermittently performing aeration, comprising: at least two siphon-type air diffusion pipes; and an air supply member that supplies air to the siphon-type air diffusion pipes, wherein the siphon-type air diffusion pipe includes a siphon chamber which includes a first siphon chamber and a second siphon chamber on the downstream side of the first siphon chamber, a communication portion which communicates the first siphon chamber and the second siphon chamber with each other, an air diffusion hole which is provided on the downstream side of the siphon chamber, a path which extends from the siphon chamber to the air diffusion hole, and a treatment water inlet which is provided on the upstream side of the siphon chamber, wherein the air supply member includes a distribution pipe which extends in an arrangement direction of the siphon-type air diffusion pipe, and an introduction portion which is branched from the distribution pipe and includes at least one air supply port supplying air to the siphon-type air diffusion pipe, wherein the distribution pipe is provided above the air supply port, and wherein in the air supply port of the introduction portion, the air supply port located at the uppermost position in the vertical direction is provided below a lower end of a partition wall dividing the siphon chamber and the path.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A siphon-type air diffusion device for intermittently performing aeration, comprising:
at least two siphon-type air diffusion pipes; and
an air supply member that supplies air to the siphon-type air diffusion pipes,
wherein each of the siphon-type air diffusion pipes includes
a siphon chamber which includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is on the downstream side of the first portion,
a communication portion which connects the first portion of the siphon chamber to the second portion of the siphon chamber,
an air diffusion hole which is provided on the downstream side of the siphon chamber,
a path which extends from the siphon chamber to the air diffusion hole, and
a treatment water inlet which is provided on the upstream side of the siphon chamber,
wherein the air supply member includes
a distribution pipe which extends in a direction in which the siphon-type air diffusion pipes are arranged, and
one or more introduction portions branched from the distribution pipe, wherein each of the introduction portions includes at least one air supply port supplying air to one of the siphon-type air diffusion pipes,
wherein the distribution pipe is provided above the air supply port, and
wherein in the air supply port of each of the introduction portions, the air supply port located at the uppermost position in the vertical direction is provided below a lower end of a partition wall dividing the siphon chamber and the path.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein the air supply port located at the uppermost position in the vertical direction is provided above a lower end of the path.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein the one or more introduction portions are provided so as to be located between two adjacent siphon-type air diffusion pipes, and
wherein the air supply port includes a notch portion formed at a portion facing the treatment water inlet of an end portion opposite to the distribution pipe in the introduction portion.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein air is supplied from the one or more introduction portions to each of the siphon chambers of at least two siphon-type air diffusion pipes adjacent to the one or more introduction portions.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein each of the introduction portions is a guide pipe having the air supply port provided at a lower end of the guide pipe.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein the minimum cross-sectional area of a passage of each of the introduction portions is in a range of 20 to 350 mm2.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein a plan view shape of the air diffusion hole is an elongated shape extending in the direction in which the siphon-type air diffusion pipes are arranged, and
wherein an area of a plan view shape of the air diffusion hole is 25 cm2 or less and a length of the plan view shape in the longitudinal direction is 25 cm or less.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein a ratio R (unit: m) calculated based on the following equation using the area of the plan view shape of the air diffusion hole satisfies a condition of 0.6 or more:
R=(Volume (unit: m3) of the siphon chamber)/(Area (unit: m2) of plan view shape of the air diffusion hole).

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein the introduction portions and the siphon-type air diffusion pipes are integrated with each other.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1,
wherein the distribution pipe and the siphon-type air diffusion pipes are integrated with each other.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A membrane bioreactor comprising:
the siphon-type air diffusion device according to claim 1; and
a membrane module which performs a membrane separation treatment on sludge-containing treatment water containing activated sludge.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

A water treatment method comprising:
performing an activated sludge treatment on raw water using activated sludge; and
performing a membrane separation treatment on sludge-containing treatment water obtained by the activated sludge treatment,
wherein the membrane bioreactor according to claim 11 is used in the membrane separation.