Sewage treatment

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATING OF POLLUTED TURBID LIQUIDS WHICH INCLUDES A TANK FOR HOLDING A BODY OF SUCH LIQUID AND HAVING A BOTTOM PROVIDING A SEDIMENT-RECEIVING SUMP IN THE CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF AND A SURROUNDING SEDIMENTRECEIVING FLOOR SECTION; A MARGINAL WALL SYMMETRICAL IN PLAN RISING FROM SAID BOTTOM; A CLARIFIED EFFLUENT OVERFLOW MEANS AT THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID MARGINAL WALL DETERMINING THE NORMAL SURFACE LEVEL OF THE BODY OF LIQUID UNDERGOING TREATMENT WITHIN THE TANK; A CLARIFIED LIQUID OUTFLOW MEANS LEADING FROM SAID OVERFLOW MEANS TO A REGION OUTSIDE OF SAID TANK; A SEDIMENTDISCHARGE MEANS LEADING FROM SAID SUMP TO A REGION OUTSIDE OF THE TANK; A FEED INFLOW CONDUIT HAVING A FEED DISCHARGE SECTION SYMMETRICALLY LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO SAID MARGINAL WALL AND DISPOSED FOR SUBMERGEDLY AND LATERALLY DISCHARGING INCOMING FEED LIQUID INTO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE BODY OF LIQUID UNDERGOING TREATMENT WITHIN THE TANK; AN OPEN-TOP AND OPEN-BOTTOM SHELL SYMMERTRICAL IN PLAN AND SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID FEED DISCHARGE SECTION AND PROVIDING AND INITIAL RECEIVING SECTION FOR RAPIDLY SETTLING SOLIDS GRAVITATING FROM THE LATERAL DISCHARGING OF INCOMING FEED LIQUID BECAUSE OF SAID SHELL BEING OF INTERNAL DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE EXTERIOR DIMENSION OF THE FEED DISCHARGE SECTION, THE UPPER EDGE OF WHICH SHELL TERMINATES AT ELEVATION SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE FEED DISCHARGE SECTION BUT AT ELEVATION SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN THAT OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SEDIMENT-RECEIVING FLOOR SECTION, WHICH SAID SHELL IS SUPPORTED AND POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO SAID TANK IN A MANNER WHEREBY THERE SAID SEDIMENTRECEIVING SUMP HAS EXTENT BELOW THE LOWER PORTION OF THE SHELL AND WHEREBY THERE IS LEFT AND PROVIDED A RESTRICTED SEDIMENT TRANSFER AREA LEADING FROM THE SURROUNDING SEDIMENT-RECEIVING FLOOR SECTION OF THE TANK BOTTOM PAST THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID SHELL INTO SAID SEDIMENTRECEIVING SUMP; A BAFFLE MEMBER PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS PARTIAL PARTITION SYMMETRICAL IN PLAN, SUPPORTED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP AND ARRANGED WITH RESPECT THERETO SO THAT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE BAFFLE MEMBER REACHES TO AN ELEVATION HIGHER THAN THE LIQUID SURFACE LEVEL WHILE THE LOWER END OF THE BAFFLE MEMBER REACHES TO A LOW ELEVATION WITHIN THE TANK BUT TERMINATES SPACEDLY ABOVE THE FLOOR OF THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK, WHICH SAID BAFFLE DIVIDES THE INTERIOR OF THE TANK INTO AN AERATION COMPARTMENT WITHIN THE BAFFLE MEMBER AND A CLARIFICATION COMPARTMENT OUTSIDE OF SAID BAFFLE MEMBER AND WITHIN THE MARGINAL WALL OF THE TANK, WHICH SAID AERATION COMPARTMENT IS OF LARGE VOLUMETRIC CAPACITY AS COMPARED WITH THAT OF SAID CLARIFICATION COMPARTMENT, THERE BEING LEFT A PASSAGE AREA BETWEEN THE LOWER END PORTION OF THE BAFFLE MEMBER AND THE LOWER INTERIOR PORTION OF THE TANK WHEREBY THERE IS PROVIDED AN OUTWARDLY LOCATED UPFLOW TRANSFER AREA FOR THE PASSAGE OF AERATED LIQUID FROM THE AERATION COMPARTMENT INTO THE CLARIFICATION COMPARTMENT AND WHEREBY THE SAME TRANSFER AREA PROVIDES FOR THE DOWNWARD AND INWARD MOVEMENT OF SETTLING FINE SOLIDS FROM THE CLARIFICATION COMPARTMENT TO AND UPON THE AFOREMENTIONED SEDIMENT-RECEIVING FLOOR SECTION; AIR DIFFUSER MEMBERS DISPOSED WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE AERATION COMPARTMENT FOR DISTRIBUTIVELY DELIVERING AIR RELEASED THEREFROM THROUGHOUT THE LOWER REGION OF SAID AERATION COMPARTMENT AT ELEVATION SPACEDLY ABOVE SAID SEDIMENTRECEIVING FLOOR SECTION; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID AIR DIFFUSER MEMBERS; A BEARING SUPPORT MEMBER STATIONARILY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO THE TANK; A MAIN SUPPORT BEARING MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEMBER; A TURNABLE BEARING MOUNTED ON SAID MAIN SUPPORT BEARING AND LOCATED AT ELEVATION HIGHER THAN THAT OF SAID LIQUID SURFACE LEVEL; MOTIVATED SPEED-REDUCING AND POWER-TRANSMISSION MECHANISM MFOR IMPARTING TURNING MOVEMENT TO SAID TURNABLE BEARING MEMBER ABOUT A VERTICALLY-EXTENDING AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY CONCENTRIC WITH RESPECT TO SAID FEED DISCHARGE SECTION; AND DEPENDING MEANS DERIVING CARRYING SUPPORT FROM SAID TURNABLE BEARING MEMBER AND IN TURN CARRYING AND SUPPORTING THEREFROM OUTWARDLY-EXTENDING RAKECARRYING ARMS EQUIPPED WITH SEDIMENT-ENGAGING RAKING BLADES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM AND PROVIDED FOR PROGRESSIVELY IMPELLING SETTLED SOLIDS FROM DIVERSE PORTIONS OF THE AFOREMENTIONED SEDIMENT-RECEIVING FLOOR SECTION TO AND INTO THE AFORESAID RESTRICTED SEDIMENT-TRANSFER AREA LEADING FROM SAID SEDIMENT-RECEIVING FLOOR SECTION PAST THE LOW EDGE PORTION OF THE SHELL FOR ULTIMATE RECEPTION WITHIN THE SEDIMENT-RECEIVING SUMP.