Apparatus and method for recovering pollutant liquids
AssigneeEmtek Incorporated
InventorHarold W. Solomon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Hydrocarbons and other hazardous liquid pollutants, which are lighter than water, leaking or spilling from containers and entering the water table are intercepted by at least one deep driven, small diameter, well. The perforated casing of the well admits water. A water pump in the bottom of the casing establishes and maintains a predetermined water level below the water table level to create a cone of depression therearound, by gravity flow free of any centrifugal separation forces. The pollutant fills the cone and is periodically pumped into a recovery tank by a pump/sensor assembly supported by a winch at the level of the apex of the cone.
Claims12
An automatic, pollutant recovery system for use in recovering pollutant from a recovery well in an area known to have pollutant spilled into the ground water, said system comprising:
- an apertured, screen-like, well casing having a side wall with holes therein, extending from ground level down to substantially below the static water table to allow free movement of water and pollutants into the well;
- a submergible, draw-down, electrically powered pump submerged at the bottom of said well and having a water discharge conduit for discharging water therefrom;
- water discharge control means including said pump and a pump switch for controlling the flow of water from said well to establish and maintain by gravity flow a predetermined water level at a spaced distance below the static water table and thereby establish and maintain a cone of depression encircling said well without centrifugal separation;
- a pollutant recovery tank;
- combined pollutant pump and sensor means including an electrically powered pollutant pump, a pump switch and sensors, responsive to pollutant level to actuate said switch, supported in said well at the level of the apex of said cone of depression and at the water level maintained by said draw down pump and by said water discharge control means, for sensing a low level water/pollutant interface and energizing said pollutant pump to pump pollutant into said tank while permitting the water/pollutant interface to rise and for sensing a high level water/pollutant interface and de-energizing said pollutant pump.
Apparatus for automatically recovering pollutant, of the type lighter than water, which is spreading through water bearing beds, or stratums, with the natural flow of ground water into the water table said apparatus comprising:
- a perforated well casing extending from ground level down to below the static water table, in the path of said pollutant;
- a submergible water pump proximate the bottom of said casing, said pump having a discharge conduit leading to above ground level;
- water pump control means including a drive motor for said pump, a float switch within said casing and an electric control circuit including said switch and said motor for establishing and maintaining a predetermined water level range in said casing to create a cone of depression therearound;
- a pollutant recovery tank proximate the top of said well casing;
- a pollutant pump and sensor housing supported within said well casing in said predetermined water level range, said housing containing a pollutant pump in the upper portion thereof and both a high level pollutant/water interface sensing switch and a low level pollutant/water interface sensing switch in the lower portion thereof;
- and control circuit means including the drive motor of said pollutant pump, both of said pollutant/water interface sensing switches and a source of electricity for actuating said pump when said low level switch is closed and deactuating said pump when said high level switch is closed.
Apparatus for automatic petroleum recovery spilled into, or leaked into, the underground water table, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one perforated casing, having a side wall with apertures therein, lining a deep driven well from ground level down to below the static water table, and in the path of the natural flow of ground water into said water table;
- water pump means including an electrically powered, draw-down, pump in the bottom of said well casing controlled by a float switch for intermittently discharging water therefrom to establish and maintain by gravity flow, a cone of depression therearound with an apex at a predetermined level therewithin below the level of said water table;
- a petroleum recovery tank;
- petroleum pump and level sensing means including a petroleum pump, and level sensing switches within said casing and supported at the apex of said cone of depression, for sensing the build-up of a layer of petroleum on said water to a predetermined level, pumping said petroleum into said recovery tank and halting said pumping when said layer of petroleum is substantially pumped into said tank;
- and a control circuit including the motor of said petroleum pump, said level sensing switches and a source of electricity.
The method of recovering lighter than water pollutants which have spilled or leaked into the water table which comprises the steps of:
- driving a deep well in the path of the flow of said pollutant to a depth well below the normal level of the static water table;
- pumping the water in said well from proximate the bottom thereof to maintain a cone of depression therearound, at a predetermined level so that said pollutant collects in said cone;
- supporting a pollutant pump, at the level of the base of said cone of depression with the discharge thereof leading to a pollutant recovery tank;
- automatically actuating said pump when the level of a layer of pollutant, supported on water at the base of said cone, reaches a predetermined low level for recovery into said tank and until said pollutant level in said well rises by water pressure and buoyancy to a higher predetermined level in said well;
- and
- automatically deactuating said pump at said higher predetermined level.
A combined pollutant pump and sensor assembly for use in recovering liquid pollutant from a recovery well said assembly comprising:
- an elongated, housing of relatively small diameter adapted to be lowered into a production well;
- said housing having a side wall with a plurality of apertures therein for admitting liquid;
- said housing having a pollutant pump in the upper portion thereof, with inlet ports and a discharge conduit leading to a tank, sensor means in the lower portion thereof for sensing a water/pollutant interface and control means including an electric circuit, a pump motor and a pump sensor responsive to said sensor means for closing said circuit to actuate said pump when pollutant is sensed in said well to pump said pollutant out of said well, into said tank said sensor means not responding to the presence of water in said well.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.