Device for increasing pH of an aqueous stream
AssigneeGreen Turtle Technologies Ltd.
InventorJoseph Monteith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device is provided for increasing the pH of an acidic aqueous stream, which may result from commercial activity in petroleum, mining, metal finishing and food processing sectors, among others. A container defines an upright reactor portion with a cross-section that increases upwardly, along with inlet and outlet conduits connected to an inlet and an outlet between which the reactor portion is located. The conical portion contains a bed of substantially water-insoluble alkaline salt particulate, such as MgO, the bed being such that, when the pH of the inflowing aqueous stream is below 7, contact between the particulate and the aqueous stream will raise the pH of the outflowing stream to a level above that of the inflowing stream.
Claims15
1-17. (canceled)
An apparatus for increasing the pH of an input aqueous stream, comprising:
- a container having an inlet opening and an outlet opening, the outlet opening being located higher than the inlet opening, the container having between said inlet and outlet openings a reactor portion with a substantially upright axis;
- an inlet conduit connected to said inlet opening and receiving said input aqueous stream;
- an outlet conduit connected to said outlet opening, the path defined by said inlet conduit having a highest inlet point and the path defined by said outlet conduit having a highest outlet point, the highest inlet point being above the highest outlet point, whereby the elevational difference between the highest inlet point and the highest outlet point establishes a hydraulic head promoting upward movement of the aqueous stream through the reactor portion of the container;
- and
- a bed of substantially water-insoluble alkaline salt particulate within said reactor portion of the container, the bed being such that, when the pH of the aqueous stream entering the container via said inlet opening is below 7, contact between the particulate and the aqueous stream is sufficient to raise the pH of the aqueous stream to a level above that of the aqueous stream prior to exiting said container via said outlet opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.