System for treatment of secondary sewage

Claim 2

A sewage treatment plant as specified in claim 2, wherein the reactor in disposed underground beneath the frostline.

Claim 3

A sewage treatment plant as specified in claim 2, wherein the reacting mixture in the pipeline is subjected to pressure in excess of atmospheric pressure during flow therethrough.

Claim 4

A sewage treatment plant as specified in claim 2, wherein the deflecting reactor passage includes fixed deflecting means for producing turbulence in the reacting mixture.

Claim 5

A sewage treatment plant as specified in claim 5 wherein the deflecting means for producing turbulence in the reactor have guiding surfaces for inducing rotary type flow of the mixture and for abruptly reversing the direction of rotary flow.

Claim 6

A sewage treatment plant for waste water comprising an elongated pipeline reactor for efficiently removing organic impurities from a waste water stream, said reactor including a plurality of elongated pipeline sections, means to inject a waste water stream into said pipeline reactor under hyperbaric pressure to fill said reactor and substantially plug-type flow in said reactor and thereby substantially eliminate back missing, means for introducing activated sludge into said pipeline reactor adjacent the inlet thereof to thereby enhance the reaction rate in the pipeline and thereby reduce the detention time of the waste stream passing through the reactor, means to inject sufficient gaseous oxygen into said pipeline reactor adjacent the inlet thereof to at least saturate the waste stream and to progressively reduce the BOD of the composite reactor stream as it passes through said pipeline reactor to the extent desired, said gaseous oxYgen, activate sludge and waste water passing through said pipeline reactor in concurrent fashion throughout a substantial length of the reactor, said pipeline reactor having a plurality of spaced mixing means to cause an increase in turbulent mixing of the waste water, activated sludge and oxygen as said components pass through the said reactor, means to receive the treated waste stream from said pipeline reactor and to concentrate the activated sludge therefrom, means to direct at least part of the concentrated activated sludge to the aforementioned sludge injecting means, said pipeline reactor being closed for substantially its entire length to thereby prevent the escape of undissolved gas from the reactor stream as it is being treated.

Claim 7

A sewage treatment plant for reducing the BOD of waste effluent comprising an elongated pipeline reactor including a plurality of elongated interconnected pipeline sections constructed to withstand hyperbaric internal pressure, pumping means to inject under hyperbaric pressure a waste effluent stream into said pipeline reactor so as to create substantially plug type flow through said reactor, storage means containing a supply of oxygen, means connected to said storage means for injecting gaseous oxygen into said pipeline reactor at a flow rate in part determined by the BOD of the waste effluent, means for introducing activated sludge into said pipeline reactor to enhance the reaction rate in the pipeline, said pumping means, said oxygen injecting means and said sludge introducing means creating a turbulent mixture of effluent, sludge and oxygen entirely filling said pipeline reactor for substantially its entire length so that intimate contact between said effluent stream, sludge and oxygen is improved and maintained throughout the length of the pipeline reactor, means to receive the treated waste effluent and to return at least a portion of the activated sludge in said treated waste effluent to the sludge-introducing means.

Claim 8

A sewage plant as defined in claim 8 in which at least a substantial portion of the pipeline reactor is located underground, whereby surface areas above the reactor may be used for other purposes.

Claim 9

A sewage plant as defined in claim 9, said reactor further comprising a plurality of linear pipeline sections, said linear sections disposed in closely spaced parallel trenches and being interconnected for continuous passage.

Claim 10

An out-of-sight sewage treatment plant, the major portion of which is located underground to thereby minimize the utilization of surface space, comprising an elongated pipeline reactor having a very large length to diameter ratio, said reactor including a plurality of elongated interconnected pipeline sections disposed beneath the surface of the ground, said reactor having an entrance communicating with a source of waste effluent, means to pump waste effluent from said source into said reactor under pressure, a liquid oxygen station positioned in close proximity to said reactor, means to vaporize said liquid and supply the resulting gas to said pipeline reactor, further means to introduce activated sludge into said reactor, said pumping means, introducing means and supply means filling said reactor for substantially its entire length with a turbulent mixture of waste effluent, activated sludge and oxygen so that contact therebetween is intimate and maintained throughout passage through said reactor and so that a continuous vapor phase is avoided and means to receive the treated effluent from said reactor.

Claim 12

The method defined in claim 12 including injecting sufficient oxygen to at least saturate the waste stream.

Claim 13

The method defined in claim 12 further comprising storing said oxygen in liquid form in the vicinity of the reactor, vaporizing said liquid as required and directing the vaporized oxygen to the reactor for injection.

Claim 14

The method of claim 12 further comprising inducing further turbulence in said reactor intermediate the ends thereof for further increasing the rate of microbial activity in said mixture.

Claim 15

The method of claim 12 including deaerating the liquid waste stream before it is pumped into said pipeline reactor.

Claim 16

A sewage treatment plant or treating municipal and/or industrial sewage, the major portion of which plant is located underground in a noninterfering and inconspicuous manner thereby conserving surface areas for recreational, business or other purposes comprising, an elongated pipeline reactor having a very large length to diameter ratio and including a plurality of elongated interconnected pipeline sections disposed beneath the surface of the ground in space saving array, the straight line distance between the entrance and exit of the pipeline reactor being considerably less than the overall length of the reactor, pumping means to inject a waste stream under hyperbaric pressure into said pipeline reactor ,to create substantially plug type flow through said reactor, means to inject activated sludge into said pipeline reactor to thereby provide a continuous supply of aerobic bacteria to said pipeline, means to inject oxygen into said pipeline reactor to at least saturate the waste stream, said pumping means and said oxygen and sludge injecting means substantially filling said pipeline reactor so that contact between said waste stream, sludge and oxygen is intimate and maintained throughout passage through said reactor.

Claim 17

A sewage treatment plant as defined in claim 17 in which certain of said pipeline sections have a linear configuration and are grouped in closely spaced parallel trenches, said sections being interconnected for continuous passage.

Claim 18

A treatment plant for the aerobic biological treatment of a liquid stream comprising a pipeline reactor forming a passage wherein reaction takes place between bacteria and organic components in said stream, said pipeline reactor including a plurality of elongated interconnected pipeline section, means to force a liquid stream having organic components through said sections under hyperbaric pressure to create substantially plug-type flow, means to introduce active bacteria into said reactor, means to inject oxygen into said reactor, said pipeline sections being arranged in economical and space saving array, the straight line distance between the entrance to said pipeline and the exit being less than the overall length of said pipeline reactor, means to receive treated liquid from said pipeline reactor, further means to separate active bacteria from said treated liquid and return said separated bacteria for introduction into said reactor.

Claim 19

A treatment plant as defined in claim 19 wherein at least some of said pipeline seCtions are linear in configuration and are disposed in a closely spaced parallel arrangement interconnected for continuous passage.

Claim 20

A treatment plant as defined in claim 19 wherein said pipeline reactor is located underground in a noninterfering and inconspicuous manner whereby the surface area above the reactor may be used for civic, business or other purposes.