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US 10,751,673 B2Granted
Aerating lance assembly and aeration tank incorporating same
AssigneeAerofloat (Holdings) Pty Ltd
InventorsRaymond Anderson, Michael Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to the field of fluid aeration and, in particular, fluid aeration in a tank of the type having a fluid aerator or aerators requiring removal for cleaning and/or maintenance. The aeration tank of the present invention may be a Moving Bed Bioreactor or Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) tank forming part of an MBBR wastewater treatment system, although the aeration tank of the present invention may also have utility in other applications. The invention further relates to an aerating lance assembly for use in an aeration tank.
Claims17
A lance assembly for an aeration tank holding liquid to be aerated, said lance assembly including:
- at least one lance pipe which when fully inserted through an aperture in a side wall of the tank extends into the tank, the lance pipe positioned relative to an operating liquid level of the tank such that the lance pipe is at least partially immersed in said liquid when the tank is filled to the operating liquid level, wherein at least a portion of the lance pipe at or adjacent an aerating end thereof includes a means of introducing air into the liquid to thereby aerate the liquid;
- and
- pipework associated with the lance pipe that includes:
- a pipe union which, when disconnected, enables the at least one lance pipe to become retrievable from the pipework,
- an adaptor associated with the side wall aperture of the tank, the adaptor configured to accommodate and at least partly support the at least one lance pipe when in the fully inserted position, the adaptor and the at least one lance pipe creating a seal when the at least one lance pipe is inserted to an extent that causes its aerating end to be located downstream of the adaptor such that liquid from inside the tank is prevented from exiting the tank through the side wall aperture
- a means of restricting a supply of air into the lance pipe, the means of restricting the supply of air located upstream of the pipe union,
- a means of restricting flow of liquid in an upstream direction through the pipework, the means of restricting the flow of liquid being inoperable when the lance pipe is in the fully inserted position, wherein the means of restricting the flow of liquid is located downstream of the pipe union and the means of restricting the supply of air and upstream of the adaptor,
- an isolation spacer located downstream of the pipe union and upstream of the means of restricting the flow of liquid, the isolation spacer including a seal that restricts the flow of liquid in the upstream direction through the pipework during retrieval of the lance pipe after the means of restricting the supply of air is operated to restrict the supply of air into the lance pipe and after the pipe union is disconnected to enable retrieval of the lance pipe, the isolation spacer configured to accommodate the inserted lance pipe and enable retrieval of the lance pipe to a position in which the aerating end of the lance pipe is located upstream of the adaptor and the means of restricting flow of liquid, and downstream of the seal, to enable the means of restricting the flow of liquid to be operated to restrict the flow of liquid therethrough.
5 more elements
A method of removing, from an aeration tank, a lance pipe assembly including pipework and a lance pipe that is immersed in liquid and configured to aerate the liquid with air directed into the pipework from an external air supply, the method including:
- providing the pipework at an entry point for said lance pipe into the tank such that said lance pipe extends substantially horizontally, said entry point including an aperture in a side wall of the tank and an associated adaptor, the adaptor and the lance pipe seal creating a seal when the lance pipe is inserted to an extent that causes an aerating end of the lance pipe to be located downstream of the adaptor such that liquid from inside the tank is prevented from exiting the tank through the side wall aperture said entry point being below an operating liquid level of the tank, said pipework including a first valve which when closed restricts the air supply to the lance pipe, a valve union upstream of the first valve which when opened enables removal of the first valve and associated downstream pipework, a second valve located downstream of the first valve which when closed restricts flow of liquid in an upstream direction through the pipework, and an isolation spacer and pipe union disposed between the first and second valves, the pipe union, when disconnected, enabling the at least one lance pipe to become retrievable from the pipework;
- closing the first valve to restrict air supply downstream of the first valve;
- opening the valve union to enable removal of the first valve and associated downstream pipework;
- disconnecting the pipe union to enable retrieval of the lance pipe;
- retrieving the lance pipe and a portion of the pipework between the disconnected pipe union and opened valve union such that the aerating end of the lance pipe is retrieved beyond the second valve and into the isolation spacer;
- and
- closing the second valve to restrict liquid flow out of the tank beyond the second valve.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.