Diffuser conduit joint

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers
• that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections is through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling,
• wherein first and second matingly compatible coupling sections are axially engageable and have first and second opposed sealing member contacting surfaces positioned in relation to the coupling sections for entering into engagement with, and generating compression forces against, when the coupling is in partially made up condition, a sealing member that forms a seal within the coupling prior to or upon full make up of the coupling,
• wherein the locking projection and locking receptacle array are in position for the locking projection to pass in and out of registry with a plurality of the locking receptacles during relative rotation of the coupling sections when the coupling is in partly made up condition, and
• wherein the locking receptacle array is in position for the locking projection to enter a selected one of the plurality of locking receptacles after the sealing member contacting surfaces enter into engagement with the sealing member and during movement of the coupling sections from partially made up condition to fully made up condition.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections is through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling,
• wherein the couplings include a sealing member and the first and second matingly compatible coupling sections include sealing member confining and contacting surfaces,
• wherein the coupling sections are connectable with one another by movement in which the coupling sections advance from partly made up to fully made up condition,
• wherein the locking receptacles are positioned for the locking projection to pass in and out of registry with a plurality of the locking receptacles during relative rotation of the coupling sections when the coupling is in partly made up condition,
• wherein the coupling includes a retaining member that connects said coupling sections to one another in both partly and fully made up conditions but affords freedom of movement of these sections in a range of movement from partly to fully made up condition throughout which the sealing member confining and contacting surfaces are held sufficiently close together to maintain confinement of the sealing member between said surfaces, and
• wherein said range includes positions corresponding to partly and fully made up condition of the coupling in which the locking projection respectively is not and is within a selected one of the plurality of locking receptacles.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers
• that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections is through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling,
• wherein the first and second matingly compatible coupling sections are axially engageable and respectively have first and second opposed sealing member contacting surfaces that are spaced apart in a generally radial direction,
• wherein the sealing member contacting surfaces are positioned to enter into engagement with, and to establish at least partly radial compression forces against, a sealing member that forms a seal within the coupling while generating a generally radial counter-force in the sealing member which acts upon the coupling sections during make up of the coupling, and
• wherein the locking receptacle array, the locking projection and the remaining structure of the coupling sections are so oriented that, after establishment of said radial compression forces but prior to full make up of the coupling, the locking projection may be caused, through relative rotation of said projections and array and through relative movement of the projection and array in a generally axial direction, to pass through a plurality of rotational positions that are in registry with different locking receptacles in the array and to enter a selected one of the locking receptacles.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers
• that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections is through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling,
• wherein the first and second matingly compatible coupling sections are axially engageable, are not portions of the conduits and are formed at least in part of synthetic polymeric material and have first and second sealing member contacting surfaces,
• wherein the sealing member contacting surfaces and at least one sealing member are positioned in the coupling to form a seal within the coupling,
• wherein the sealing member or members have dimensions of both generally axial length and radial height, when viewed in section in a plane which includes the member central axis or axes,
• wherein the at least one locking projection is formed of synthetic polymeric material, extends at least partly in a generally axial direction, has an axial dimension which is less than the axial length of the sealing member, and has a predetermined thickness measured in a generally peripheral direction in the coupling,
• wherein adjacent locking receptacles in the locking receptacle array have common walls formed of synthetic polymeric material and with predetermined thickness measured in a generally peripheral direction in the coupling,
• wherein the array extends with its receptacles distributed in a generally peripheral direction across a given angular interval about a central axis of the coupling and is positioned so that a different locking receptacle in the array is in registry with the locking projection for each of a plurality of different relative rotational positions of the coupling sections, and
• wherein the locking receptacle array is oriented so that the locking projection may, on establishment of a desired relative rotational alignment of conduits connected by the coupling, enter at least one selected locking receptacle.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers
• that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections is through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling,
• wherein the coupling comprises a locking projection array having a plurality of locking projections, of molded material, having a fixed position with respect to at least one of the coupling sections at least when the coupling is fully made up,
• wherein the locking projection array extends with its projections distributed in a generally peripheral direction across a given angular interval about a central axis of the coupling,
• wherein the locking receptacle array includes locking receptacles of molded material and extends with its receptacles distributed in a generally peripheral direction across a given angular interval about a central axis of the coupling and positioned so that at least two different locking receptacles in the locking receptacle array are in registry with at least two locking projections for each of a plurality of different relative rotational positions of the coupling sections, and
• wherein the number of locking projections is at least about 20% less than the number of locking receptacles in the respective arrays.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• wherein at least a portion of these gas-tight connections are through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections that are members separate from the conduits, include conduit-engaging portions and are fixedly engaged with the conduits through said conduit-engaging portions, said first and second coupling sections being adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• and wherein the projection and receptacles are relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers that must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduit strings including conduit segments that respectively
• connect with the floor of a wastewater treatment tank through floor-mounted supporting stands that accommodate longitudinal motion of the gas distribution conduit segments relative to the stands and afford expansion or contraction of the overall lengths of the respective strings or of the overall lengths of groups of segments in the strings,
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• at least a portion of these gas-tight connections being through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up, and
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• wherein the projection and receptacles are relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling.

Wastewater treatment apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of oxygen-containing gas diffusers that
• must extend substantially horizontally in at least one horizontal direction for proper operation of the diffusers when they are discharging oxygen-containing gas into wastewater in which the diffusers are submerged,
• and a plurality of gas distribution conduits that respectively
• connect with the floor of a wastewater treatment tank through floor-mounted supporting stands that accommodate longitudinal motion of the gas distribution conduit segments relative to the stands,
• support the diffusers,
• supply oxygen-containing gas to the diffusers, and
• have gas-tight gas transmission connections with each other or with manifolds for passage of the gas,
• at least a portion of these gas-tight connections being through couplings each having
• first and second matingly compatible coupling sections adapted for relative rotation with respect to each other, when said coupling is not fully made up,
• at least one locking projection associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to one of the coupling sections, at least when said coupling is fully made up,
• a locking receptacle array including locking receptacles associated with, and having a fixed position with respect to, the other coupling section, at least when said coupling is fully made up, the projection and receptacles being relatively moveable from a non-engaged condition to an engaged condition during make up of the coupling, and
• at least one retaining member which engages the coupling sections and restrains them from separating when the coupling is fully made up, and restrains the coupling sections without longitudinally compressing the gas distribution conduits intermediate the connections.