US3684092A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Sludge thickener and method
Assignee: Aqseptence Group GmbH
•
Filing: 1970-02-24
•
Granted: 1972-08-15
•
Expires: 1990-02-24
Abstract
Abstract The invention relates to a system for the thickening of sludges, in particular domestic sewage or industrial waste sludges. The system comprises two or more consecutively arranged thickening stages each consisting of one thickening tank or several parallel thickening tanks, and wherein the ratio of the largest inside diameter to the mean sludge level is larger than 1:1 in the first tank and smaller than 1:1 in the second tank relative to the direction of sludge flow.
Inventors
- 👤 Oswald Busse
- 👤 Hugo Klesper
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 03:47
CPC Classifications
C; C02; C02F; C02F11/00; C02F11/12; B; B01; B01D; B01D21/00; B01D21/30; B01D21/32; F; F21; F21V; F21V35/00
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
58 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and second tanks are cylindrical, and the ratio of the diameter of the first tank to its height up to said sludge level is greater than 2:1, and the ratio of the diameter of the second tank to its height up to said sludge level is between 1:5 and 1:2.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
21 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further including means for continuously conveying thickened sludge from said first tank to said second tank.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first tank further includes a stirring mechanism and said first sludge tank level maintaining means comprises measuring means responsive to torque acting upon said stirring mechanism.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said sludge level regulating means comprises means to regulate the amount of sludge conveyed to said second tank.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said sludge level regulating means is responsive to a torque dependent switch.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said sludge level regulating means is responsive to a level-regulating switch.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further including means to convey liquid overflow from said second tank to said first tank.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further including sludge inlet means provided approximately midway between the top and bottom of said second tank to receive thickened sludge conveyed from the first tank to the second tank.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said second tank includes a sludge distributor located centrally of said tank.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 further including means for introducing thickening aids into the sludge conveyed from said first tank.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first thickening tank includes a funnel-shaped sludge sump.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said second tank has a diameter of from 3 to 5 meters and a height of from b 6 to 9 meters.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second stage includes a plurality of said second tanks, and conduit means to convey sludge sequentially through said plurality of tanks.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
Apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said second tanks are fabricated of plastic material.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
128 words
A method of thickening a raw sludge comprising the steps of introducing a raw sludge in a first cylindrical settling zone, maintaining the depth of said sludge less than the diameter of said first cylindrical settling zone, removing thickened sludge from the bottom of said first zone, conveying said removed thickened sludge to a second cylindrical settling zone, maintaining the depth of said sludge sufficiently greater than the diameter of said second cylindrical settling zone such that the tendency for supernatant liquor above the sludge in said second tank to break through into the sludge outlet upon withdrawal of sludge from said tank is substantially lessened relative to withdrawal of the sludge from said first tank, and intermittently removing thickened sludge from the bottom of said second zone.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A method according to claim 16 wherein the thickened sludge is continuously removed from the first zone and intermittently removed from the second zone.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US1140131A
Cited
US2348125A
Cited
GB808906A
Cited
US2850449A
Cited
US3036713A
Cited
US3259566A
Cited
US3252896A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-08-15 | 1976-02-14 | 1976-08-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-08-15 | 1980-02-14 | 1980-08-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-08-15 | 1984-02-14 | 1984-08-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |