Electrocoagulation treatment process
AssigneeWater Tectonics, Inc.
InventorsJames Mothersbaugh, Marvin Eugene Hancock
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Abstract
A method of improving electrocoagulation (“EC”) treatment processes for treating waste water and similar applications. The method includes providing a variable power supply that outputs an alternating current (“AC”) to one or more EC treatment cells. The alternating current from the variable power supply is rectified before delivery to the EC cell. As an intermediate step between the variable power supply and rectification, the method described and claimed here uses a variable step down transformer to modify the output delivered to the EC cell.
Claims10
An improved electrocoagulation (“EC”) treatment process, for treating waste water, comprising:
- providing a variable power supply that outputs an alternating current (“AC”), the variable power supply being adjustable from 0 to 480 volts alternating current (“VAC”) in response to the EC treatment process;
- connecting a variable step down transformer with a multiple tapped secondary winding to the variable power supply;
- using the variable step down transformer to pass the AC current output provided by the variable power supply to a rectifier, the variable step down transformer being independently adjustable in response to the EC treatment process;
- rectifying the output of the variable step down transformer from AC to direct current (“DC”);
- delivering the rectified DC current to at least one EC treatment cell having a plurality of sandwiched plates, for use in inducing electrocoagulation in the waste water;
- using the rectified DC current delivered to the EC treatment cell to create alternating positive and negative charges on the sandwiched plates;
- and
- passing the waste water across the sandwiched plates within the cell and periodically reversing polarity of the sandwiched plates as waste water is passed across the plates.
An improved electrocoagulation (“EC”) treatment process, for treating waste water, comprising:
- providing a variable power supply that outputs an alternating current (“AC”);
- connecting a variable step down transformer with a multiple tapped secondary winding to the variable power supply;
- using the variable step down transformer to pass the AC current output provided by the variable power supply to a rectifier;
- rectifying the output of the variable step down transformer from AC to direct current (“DC”);
- delivering the rectified DC current to at least one EC treatment cell having a plurality of sandwiched plates for use in inducing electrocoagulation in the waste water;
- using the rectified DC current delivered to the EC treatment cell to create alternating positive and negative charges on the sandwiched plates;
- and passing the waste water across the sandwiched plates within the cell and periodically reversing polarity of the sandwiched plates as waste water is passed across the plates, including
- sensing residual AC current values and DC current values from the rectified output of the transformer and creating a power quality factor based on the ratio of the residual AC and DC current, and adjusting the transformer output based on the value of the power quality factor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.