Hot process settling tank having adjustable downcomer

Claim 2

The hot process water softener of claim 2 wherein the sheave mounted above said float comprises at least two sprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels having a smaller diameter than the other, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter supporting connecting means between said float and a first counterweight and the other sprocket wheel of larger diameter supporting connecting means between the movable conduit and a second counterweight, said sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotatably responding to rotation of said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter, whereby said sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotates when said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotates in response to vertical motion of said float, thereby causing magnification of the vertical movement of said movable conduit.

Claim 3

The hot process water softener of claim 2 wherein the sheave mounted above said first float comprises at least two sprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels having a smaller diameter than the other, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter supporting connecting means between said movable conduit and a first counterweight and the other sprocket wheel of larger diameter supporting connecting means between said float and a second counterweight, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotatably responding to rotation of said sprocket wheel of larger diameter, whereby said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotates when said sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotates in response to vertical motion of said float, thereby causing diminished vertical movement of said movable conduit.

Claim 4

The hot process water softener of claim 1 wherein the means for vertically regulating the length of said downcomer comprises: a. a movable conduit slidably mounted at the lower end of said downcomer said movable conduit having a rack fixedly mounted thereon; and b. a pinion gear having a shaft extending through the walls of said tank shaft said shaft rotatably mounted within said tank to provide for the free movement of said pinion gear, the teeth of said pinion gear mating with the teeth of said rack, whereby rotation of said shaft causes the vertical movement of said movable conduit thereby adjusting the distance between the downcomer and the upwardly diverging wall.

Claim 5

In a hot process settling tank having an upper reaction compartment and a lower settling compartment, said upper reaction compartment having a raw water inlet, means for adding water-treating chemicals to the raw water, means therein to heat said raw water, the chemicals reacting with the impurities in the heated raw water to produce treated water and precipitates, a downcomer extending from the upper reaction compartment into the lower settling compartment, said lower settling compartment having an upwardly diverging wall within the lower portion thereof, said upwardly diverging wall defining an upflow zone wherein a sludge blanket formed from accumulating precipitates collect, a sludge removal outlet in the lower portion of the lower settling compartment, and collector means for the remOval of clarified water from the upper region of the lower settling compartment, the improvement comprising a movable conduit extending from the lower end of said downcomer into the area of the upwardly diverging wall in the lower settling compartment, said movable conduit being slidably mounted at the lower end of said downcomer and means for vertically moving said movable conduit.

Claim 6

The hot process settling tank of claim 6 wherein said movable conduit is connected by means of a cable to a float mounted in a float guide in the upper reaction compartment, said float being responsive to fluid level changes in said upper reaction compartment, said cable guided by at least two sheaves one of which is mounted above said float and the other of which is mounted above the core of said downcomer, whereby said movable conduit moves vertically downward when said float rises vertically in said float guide thereby decreasing the distance between the downcomer and the upwardly diverging wall, and said movable conduit moves vertically upward when said float descends vertically in said float guide thereby increasing the distance between the downcomer and the upwardly diverging wall.

Claim 7

The hot process settling tank of claim 7 wherein the sheave mounted above said float comprises at least two sprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels having a smaller diameter than the other, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter supporting connecting means between said float and a first counterweight and the other sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotatably responding to rotation of said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter, whereby said sprocket wheel of larger diameter supporting connecting means between the movable conduit and a second counterweight, said sprocket wheel of layer diameter rotatably responding to rotation of said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter, whereby said sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotates when said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotates in response to vertical motion of said float, thereby causing magnification of the vertical movement of said movable conduit.

Claim 8

The hot process settling tank of claim 7 wherein the sheave mounted above said float comprises at least two sprocket wheels, one of said sprocket wheels having a smaller diameter than the other, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter supporting connecting means between said movable conduit and a first counterweight and the other sprocket wheel of larger diameter supporting connecting means between said float and a second counterweight, said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotatably responding to rotation of said sprocket wheel of larger diameter, whereby said sprocket wheel of smaller diameter rotates when said sprocket wheel of larger diameter rotates in response to vertical motion of said float, thereby causing diminished vertical movement of said movable conduit.

Claim 9

The hot process water softener of claim 6 wherein the movable conduit is moved vertically upward and downward by means of a rack and pinion gear, said rack being fixedly mounted on said movable conduit and said pinion gear having a shaft rotatably mounted to the walls of said tank and extending from said pinion gear through said wall external to said tank, the teeth of said pinion gear mating with the teeth of said rack, whereby rotation of said shaft induces vertical movement of said movable conduit thereby causing a change in the distance between the downcomer and the upwardly diverging wall.

Claim 10

In a process for treating water in a hot process water softener wherein heated water and chemicals are mixed and form a precipitant in an upper reaction compartment, said water and precipitant passing to a lower settling compartment where the precipitant settles out in the form of a sludge blanket and the treated water exits from said lower settling compartment after it passes through said sludge blanket, the improvement comprising adjusting the velocity of water flowing from the upper reaction compartment to the lower settling compartmeNt by movable conduit means located in the lower settling compartment, said movable conduit regulating the distance between the conduit and the walls of the lower settling compartment whereby the sludge blanket remains uniformly suspended in the lower settling compartment when water level changes occur in the upper reaction compartment.

Claim 11

The process in accordance with claim 11 wherein the adjustment of the velocity of water from the upper reaction compartment to the lower settling compartment is responsive to water level changes in said upper reaction compartment.