Clarifier for liquids laden with suspended matter

Clarifier for liquids laden with suspended matter, combining techniques of flotation clarification and clarification by filtration on backwashable filter medium and comprising:

• an outer, first, cylindrical tank (4) which has a number of compartments in the form of ring sectors, the said compartments each comprising a horizontal divider or bottom (13) defining, with the bottom (11) of the tank (4), at least one receptacle (60) for the filtered liquid, the said horizontal divider (13) acting as a support for a filter medium (14) and being fitted with means (15) intended to allow the liquid after filtration through the said filter medium, to pass into the said receptacles (60);
• a central, second, cylindrical tank (1) for collecting the filtered liquid, roughly coaxial with the first and at least one collector for connecting the at least one receptacle with said central tank(1);
• an intermediate tank (2), formed between the outer tank (4) and the central tank (1) and roughly coaxial therewith;
• a means (5) for recovering and collecting the floated matter;
• means (19) for the feed of pressurized backwash liquid to the filter medium;
• a hood (26) for recovering the washing liquid after it has passed through the filter medium (14);
• a rotary bridge (8) which can rotate above the collection of cylindrical tanks (1, 2, 4) and from which are suspended, on the one hand, the means (5) for recovering and collecting the floated matter and, on the other hand, the hood (26) for recovering the liquid used for backwashing the filter medium, and finally the said means (19) for feeding pressurized washing liquid;
• characterized in that it further comprises a compartment for introducing the liquid that is to be clarified, this compartment being positioned between the intermediate tank (2) and the central tank (1) and feeding the outer tank (4) centrally with liquid laden with suspended matter, the said compartment being itself fed with liquid that is to be clarified from the outside via a number of inlets (3).