Water treatment pond, system and method of use
OwnerCory ALBERS, Bernard AMELLinventors
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Abstract
A pond receives a flow of contaminated water into the pond substantially tangential to a volume of clarified water which is stored in the pond and which is largely quiescent. The tangential inflow overcomes a large rotational inertia in the stored volume of clarified water and establishes a slow spiral flow path about the periphery of the pond and inwards to a central outlet. The clarified stored water is discharged ahead of the inflowing contaminated water increasing the residence time of the contaminated water in the pond and permitting contaminants to receive at least partial treatment, such as settling of sediment, in the pond.
Claims28
A pond for receiving and flowing an inflow of contaminated water therethrough, the pond comprising:
- a pond basin for substantially containing the inflow of contaminated water, the pond having a pond volume comprising at least a resident volume being initially substantially quiescent and having a large rotational inertia prior to receiving the inflow of contaminated water;
- an inlet for introducing the inflow of contaminated water to the pond substantially tangential to a periphery of the pond, thereto;
- and
- an outlet positioned at about a centre of the pond for discharging at least a portion of the pond volume therethrough, the outlet being at an elevation above a bottom of the pond for maintaining the at least a resident volume in the pond, the discharging of the at least a portion of the pond volume therefrom and the inflow of contaminated water at the inlet causing the pond volume to flow in a spiral flow path from the inlet to the outlet,
- wherein at least a portion of the resident volume is directed to the outlet, ahead of the inflow of contaminated water, a hydraulic retention time of the contaminated water in the pond being sufficiently long so as to permit removal of at least a portion of the contaminants therein and to discharge a substantially clarified water stream at the central outlet.
A method for clarifying an inflow of contaminated water therein to a pond, the pond having a substantially clarified, resident volume of water having a large rotational inertia and being substantially quiescent therein, the method comprising:
- flowing the inflow of contaminated water through an inlet, substantially tangential to a periphery of the resident volume of water for displacing at least a portion of the resident volume of water toward a central outlet;
- and
- continuing to flow the inflow of contaminated water through the inlet for overcoming the large rotational inertia of the resident volume of water and expanding an initial tight leading edge vortex to form an expanding spiral flow path for directing at least a portion of the resident volume of water toward the central outlet,
- wherein
- the inflow of contaminated water overcomes the large rotational inertia of the resident water for expanding the expanding spiral flow path to flow substantially about the periphery of the pond and slowly to the central outlet, increasing a hydraulic retention time of the inflow of contaminated water within the pond permitting removal of at least a portion of the contaminants therein to the pond.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.