US 5,814,216 A · Waste water contaminant segregating unit for sewer conduits

Abstract

The screening apparatus of the invention has a main cylindrical chamber linking a waste water inlet pipe to a refuse pipe and to an overflow outlet pipe. The waste water inlet pipe conveys water from a city sewer duct or the like, and this water is destined to be conveyed to a water treatment plant through the refuse pipe. However, during important storm water flow rate conditions in the waste water inlet pipe, the water level in the main chamber will rise since the refuse pipe will overflow due to a too large quantity of water. The screening apparatus includes a coaxial, cylindrical rotor defining a vertical through channel, and an annular grate being located intermediate the top and bottom of the main chamber and extending from the bottom edge of the rotor radially outwardly to the peripheral wall of the main chamber, where the annular grate is fixedly anchored. The rotor carries brooms adjacent the grate underface. Thus, when the water level rises, it passes through the grate to be effectively screened before it reaches the overflow pipe outlet, to be returned into the environment. The rotor can rotate under the power of the water flow, by means of downwardly projecting blades, so that the brooms will rotate to sweep the whole grate underface and help prevent clogging of the grate by macroparticles. The waste water pipe is connected to the main chamber in an eccentrical fashion, so as to create a water vortex when the water flows into the main chamber.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A screening apparatus to be serially mounted to a sewer conduit so as to be adapted to link a high-output waste water inlet pipe to a low-output refuse pipe and to an outlet pipe, the outlet pipe destined to become operational once the low-output refuse pipe overflows under storm water conditions, said screening apparatus comprising:

a) a main cylindrical chamber defining a flooring, a top wall and a cylindrical peripheral wall;
b) an annular grate coaxially located in said main chamber and fixedly attached to said peripheral wall at a position intermediate said flooring and said top wall, thus defining a lower portion under said grate and an upper portion over said grate in said main chamber, said grate being destined to screen rising water levels passing therethrough of any macroparticles contained in the water once the low-output refuse pipe is overloaded and water overflows under storm water conditions;
c) a main cylinder coaxially attached to said main chamber upper portion spacedly from said top wall;
said main cylinder defining a cylindrical wall, a through channel therein, an upper edge facing said main chamber top wall and a lower edge opposite said upper edge, said annular grate being adjacent to and extending from said main cylinder lower edge radially outwardly to said main chamber peripheral wall;
d) an inlet opening, destined to be fluidingly connected to the waste water inlet pipe, said inlet opening being eccentrically located on said main chamber peripheral wall in said main chamber lower portion;
e) at least one first refuse outlet opening destined to be fluidingly connected to the refuse pipe, said first refuse outlet opening being located in said main chamber lower portion;
and
f) an overflow outlet opening located on said main chamber peripheral wall, in said main chamber upper portion, and destined to be fluidingly connected to said outlet pipe.

5 more elements

A waste water macroparticulate contaminant segregating unit for use in a sewer conduit, said segregating unit defining a main upright cylindrical water chamber having:

(a) a high-output waste water inlet port, located at a lower portion of said upright chamber for fluid connection with an upstream waste water inlet pipe of the sewer conduit;
b) a first low-output outlet port, located at a bottom portion of said upright chamber for fluid connection with a first outlet pipe leading to a waste water treatment plant;
c) a second outlet means, located at an upper portion of said upright chamber and generally above the level of said inlet port, for fluid connection of water with a second outlet pipe leading to a downstream section of the sewer conduit network;
d) a stationary screen member, fixedly mounted into said main chamber intermediate said inlet port and said second outlet means, for allowing therethrough water while intercepting macroparticulate contaminants under stormwater flow conditions;
wherein said screen member is annular and consisting of a plurality of transverse elongated grate bars, each successive pair of grate bars being spaced by a spacing gap for upward water flow-through, each said spacing gap being small enough to screen macroparticulate contaminants;
said grate bars being generally radially oriented but with a slight tangential offset;
said screen annular section being downwardly radially outwardly inclined;
wherein said screen member becomes operational under stormwater conditions with the waste water inside said upright chamber rising under overflowing water conditions of said first low-output outlet port being overloaded by the stormwaters;
and
e) unpowered means for continuously self-cleaning the screen member from the intercepted macroparticulate contaminants under hydrodynamic forces whereby intercepted macroparticulate contaminants return to said first outlet port;
wherein due to the shape of said main chamber and the relative orientation of said inlet port, vortex water currents are generated beneath said screen member, said vortex currents promoting selective migration of the macroparticulate contaminants toward said low-output first outlet port.

8 more elements

A waste water macroparticulate contaminant segregating unit for use in a sewer conduit, said segregating unit defining a main upright cylindrical water chamber having:

(a) a high-output waste water inlet port, located at a lower portion of said upright chamber for fluid connection with an upstream waste water inlet pipe of the sewer conduit;
b) a first low-output outlet port, located at a bottom portion of said upright chamber for fluid connection with a first outlet pipe leading to a waste water treatment plant;
c) a second outlet means, located at an upper portion of said upright chamber and generally above the level of said inlet port, for fluid connection of water with a second outlet pipe leading to a downstream section of the sewer conduit network;
d) a stationary screen member, fixedly mounted into said main chamber intermediate said inlet port and said second outlet means, for allowing therethrough water while intercepting macroparticulate contaminants under stormwater flow conditions;
wherein said screen member is annular and consisting of a plurality of transverse elongated grate bars, each successive pair of grate bars being spaced by a spacing gap for upward water flow-through, each said spacing gap being small enough to screen macroparticulate contaminants;
said grate bars being generally radially oriented but with a slight tangential offset;
said screen annular section being downwardly radially outwardly inclined;
wherein said screen member becomes operational under stormwater conditions with the waste water inside said upright chamber rising under overflowing water conditions of said first low-output outlet port being overloaded by the stormwaters;
wherein due to the shape of said main chamber and the relative orientation of said inlet port, vortex water currents are generated beneath said screen member, said vortex currents promoting selective migration of the macroparticulate contaminants toward said low-output first outlet port and self-cleaning of said screen member.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Waste water contaminant segregating unit for sewer conduits

Life of this patent

Waste water contaminant segregating unit for sewer conduits

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20