Back to results
US 7,622,025 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for decontamination of fluid
AssigneeArs USA LLC
InventorsAndrew Polnicki, Giselher Klose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to methods and devices for the decontamination of fluid, particularly the removal of heavy metals and/or arsenic and/or their compounds from water, by means of electrolysis, wherein the water to be purified subjected to electrodes of different polarities. The invention can include means for control of the pH of the fluid. The invention can also include control systems that allow self-cleaning of electrodes, self-cleaning of filters, and automatic monitoring of maintenance conditions.
Claims19
An apparatus for the removal of a contaminant from fluid, comprising:
- a) A reactor, comprising:
- i) A reactor container suitable for containing a quantity of the fluid;
- ii) An anode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the anode subsystem;
- iii) A cathode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the cathode subsystem;
- and
- iv) A power supply subsystem in electrical communication with the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem, and adapted to supply an electrical voltage between the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem, wherein the power supply subsystem comprises:
- iv.a) An electrical detector, indicating current below a threshold, or voltage above a threshold;
- iv.b) A source of electrical energy supplying the electrical voltage at either of two opposing polarities;
- and
- iv.c) A control system, responsive to the electrical detector, causing selection of one of the two polarities of the source of electrical energy;
- and
- b) A flock removal system, having an inlet port in fluid communication with the reactor, adapted to substantially remove flock formed from electrochemical combination of contaminant with material from the anode subsystem, and haying an outlet port.
9 more elements
An apparatus for the removal of a contaminant from fluid, comprising:
- a) A reactor, comprising:
- a.i) A reactor container suitable for containing a quantity of the fluid;
- a.ii) An anode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the anode subsystem;
- a.iii) A cathode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the cathode subsystem;
- and
- a.iv) A power supply subsystem in electrical communication with the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem, and adapted to supply an electrical voltage between the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem;
- and
- b) A flock removal system, having an inlet port in fluid communication with the reactor, adapted to substantially remove flock formed from electrochemical combination of contaminant with material from the anode subsystem, and having an outlet port, wherein the flock removal system further comprises:
- b.i) A filter subsystem;
- b.ii) A source of backwash fluid;
- b.iii) A distribution system, adapted to place the source of backwash fluid in fluid communication with the fluid outlet of a filter subsystem;
- and
- b.iv) A contaminant removal port, in fluid communication with the fluid inlet of the filter subsystem, adapted to allow fluid flow therethrough when the source of backwash fluid is flowing through the filter subsystem.
10 more elements
An apparatus for the removal of a contaminant from fluid, comprising:
- a) A reactor, comprising:
- i) A reactor container suitable for containing a quantity of the fluid;
- ii) An anode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the anode subsystem;
- iii) A cathode subsystem mounted with the reactor container such that fluid in the reactor container will be in contact with at least a portion of the cathode subsystem, wherein the cathode subsystem comprises an electrode comprising carbon or an alloy thereof;
- and
- iv) A power supply subsystem in electrical communication with the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem, and adapted to supply an electrical voltage between the anode subsystem and the cathode subsystem;
- and
- b) A flock removal system, having an inlet port in fluid communication with the reactor, adapted to substantially remove flock formed from electrochemical combination of contaminant with material from the anode subsystem, and having an outlet port.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.