Method and apparatus for processing waste water slimes of steel mill water treatment systems

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PROCESSING A STREAM OF WASTE WATER SLIMES OF STEEL MILL WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS WHERE THE WASTE WATER CONTAINS IRON OXIDES, LIQUID OILS, HEAVY OIL PARTICLES, AND A SLIME OF FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES OF WASTE MATERIALS AND WATER; COMPRISING FIRST SEPARATING LIGHTER COMPONENTS SUCH AS SAID LIQUID OILS AND SAID SLIMES AND MOST OF SAID WATER FROM HEAVIER COMPONENTS SUCH AS SAID OXIDES AND HEAVY OIL PARTICLES AND MUCH OF SAID FINE WASTE PARTICLES BY INTRODUCING THE INITIAL STREAM IN A TANGENTIAL, NON-TURBULENT, DOWNWARD FLOW IN A VERTICAL, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, DISCHARGING SAID HEAVIER COMPONENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESEL AND DISCHARGING SAID LIGHT COMPONNENTS AT THE TOP OF SAID VESSEL, CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF SAID WASTE WATER AND CONTENTS IN SAID VESSEL BY VARYING THE FLOW OF SAID DISCHARGING HEAVIER COMPONENTS AND BY VARYING THE ANGLE OF SAID INLET STREAM DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE HORIZONTAL AND TANGENTIALLY RELATIVE TO THE WALL OF SAID VESSEL, SECONDLY PASSING SAID HEAVIER COMPONENTS THROUGH A CLASSIFIER SO AS TO SEPARATE THE HEAVIER COMPONENTS STILL IN THE STREAM, MOSTLY OXIDES, FROM THE LIGHTER COMPONENTS WHICH ENTER THE CLASSIFIER, THIRDLY PASSING THE HEAVIER COMPONENT DISCHARGED FROM SAID CLASSIFIER THROUGH A COMBINED SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, WHILE FEEDING EXTRA WATER AND A SOLVENT FROM SAID HEAVY OIL PARTICLES INTO SAID SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, FOURTHLY PASSING THE HEAVIER COMPONENTS DISCHARGED FROM SAID SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, MOSTLY OXIDES, TO AN OXIDE STORAGE BIN; PASSING SAID LIGHTER COMPONENTS DISCHARGED FROM SAID VERTICAL GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, AND DISCHARGED FROM SAID CLASSIFIER, AND DISCHARGED FROM SAID COMBINED SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER TO A THICKENER WHEREIN THE REMAINING SOLIDS IN THE STREAM ARE SETTLED TO THE BOTTOM BY CONTINUOUS NON-TURBULENT AGITATION AND LIQUID OIL AND WATER ARE REMOVED AT THE TOP AND SEPARATED, PASSING THE SOLIDS DISCHARGED FROM SAID THICKENER BY MEANS OF A PUMP SERIALLY THROUGH A MAGNETIC SEPARATOR AND A CAKE FILTER DURING WHICH THE OXIDES REMOVED IN SAID MAGNETIC SEPARATOR ARE DISCHARGED TO SAID OXIDE STORAGE BIN, SAID CAKE FROM SAID FILTER IS DISCHARGED TO A FILTER CAKE STORAGE, AND THE FILTRATE FROM SAID FILTER IS DISCHARGED TO SAID THICKNER, WHEREBY WASTE WATER SLIMES ARE EASILY HANDLED, IRON OXIDES AND OILS AND LUBRICANTS ARE RECOVERED, SOLID WASTE VOLUME IS REDUCED AND CONCENTRATED, SEWER MAINTENANCE IS REDUCED, AND THE FINAL WATER DISCHARGED IS OF A CLEANLINESS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PROCESSING A STREAM OF WASTE WATER SLIMES OF STEEL MILL WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS WHERE THE WASTE WATER CONTAINS IRON OXIDES, LIQUID OILS, HEAVY OIL PARTICLES, AND A SLIME OF FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES OF WASTE MATERIALS AND WATER; COMPRISING FIRST SEPARATING LIGHTER COMPONENTS SUCH AS SAID LIQUID OILS AND SAID SLIMES AND MOST OF SAID WATER FROM HEAVIER COMPONENTS SUCH AS SAID OXIDES AND HEAVY OIL PARTICLES AND MUCH OF SAID FINE WASTE PARTICLES BY INTRODUCING THE INITIAL STREAM IN A TANGENTIAL, NON-TURBULENT, DOWNWARD FLOW IN A VERTICAL, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, DISCHARGING SAID HEAVIER COMPONENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID VESEL AND DISCHARGING SAID LIGHT COMPONNENTS AT THE TOP OF SAID VESSEL, CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF SAID WASTE WATER AND CONTENTS IN SAID VESSEL BY VARYING THE FLOW OF SAID DISCHARGING HEAVIER COMPONENTS AND BY VARYING THE ANGLE OF SAID INLET STREAM DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO THE HORIZONTAL AND TANGENTIALLY RELATIVE TO THE WALL OF SAID VESSEL, SECONDLY PASSING SAID HEAVIER COMPONENTS THROUGH A CLASSIFIER SO AS TO SEPARATE THE HEAVIER COMPONENTS STILL IN THE STREAM, MOSTLY OXIDES, FROM THE LIGHTER COMPONENTS WHICH ENTER THE CLASSIFIER, THIRDLY PASSING THE HEAVIER COMPONENT DISCHARGED FROM SAID CLASSIFIER THROUGH A COMBINED SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, WHILE FEEDING EXTRA WATER AND A SOLVENT FROM SAID HEAVY OIL PARTICLES INTO SAID SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, FOURTHLY PASSING THE HEAVIER COMPONENTS DISCHARGED FROM SAID SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER, MOSTLY OXIDES, TO AN OXIDE STORAGE BIN; PASSING SAID LIGHTER COMPONENTS DISCHARGED FROM SAID VERTICAL GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, AND DISCHARGED FROM SAID CLASSIFIER, AND DISCHARGED FROM SAID COMBINED SCRUBBER AND CLASSIFIER TO A THICKENER WHEREIN THE REMAINING SOLIDS IN THE STREAM ARE SETTLED TO THE BOTTOM BY CONTINUOUS NON-TURBULENT AGITATION AND LIQUID OIL AND WATER ARE REMOVED AT THE TOP AND SEPARATED, PASSING THE SOLIDS DISCHARGED FROM SAID THICKENER BY MEANS OF A PUMP SERIALLY THROUGH A MAGNETIC SEPARATOR AND A CAKE FILTER DURING WHICH THE OXIDES REMOVED IN SAID MAGNETIC SEPARATOR ARE DISCHARGED TO SAID OXIDE STORAGE BIN, SAID CAKE FROM SAID FILTER IS DISCHARGED TO A FILTER CAKE STORAGE, AND THE FILTRATE FROM SAID FILTER IS DISCHARGED TO SAID THICKNER, WHEREBY WASTE WATER SLIMES ARE EASILY HANDLED, IRON OXIDES AND OILS AND LUBRICANTS ARE RECOVERED, SOLID WASTE VOLUME IS REDUCED AND CONCENTRATED, SEWER MAINTENANCE IS REDUCED, AND THE FINAL WATER DISCHARGED IS OF A CLEANLINESS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE.

Claim 3

An apparatus system for processing a stream of waste water slimes of steel mill water treatment systems where the waste water contains iron oxides, liquid oils, heavy oil particles, and a slime of finely divided particles of waste materials and water; comprising a generally cylindrical separator vessel with its axis vertical; a waste water inlet pipe positioned to introduce said stream into the top of said vessel generally tangentially thereof, means for adjusting said inlet pipe inclined downwardly at an angle to the horizontal between about 12* and about 45*; means for adjusting said pipe at varying distances from the wall of said separator vessel; means for overflow from said separator vessel communicating with a thickener; a discharge outlet near the bottom of said separator vessel; means for controlling the flow through said outlet; means communicating from said discharge outlet to the inlet end of a classifier; means for conducting the overflow of lighter components from said classifier to said thickener; means for conducting heavier components from said classifier to the inlet end of a combined scrubber and classifier; means for introducing scrubbing water and solvent to said combined scrubber and classifier; means for conducting the overflow of lighter components from said combined scrubber and classifier; means for conducting heavier components from said combined scrubber and classifier to an iron oxide storage bin; means for skimming oil from the top of said thickener; means for draining water from the top of said thickener; means for passing the heavier components from the bottom of said thickener successively through a magnetic separator and a cake filter; means for transferring the separated particles from said magnetic separator to said iron oxide storage; means for transferring the filter cake from said filter to a filter cake storage; and means communicating between said filter and said thickener to transfer the filtrate from said filter to said thickener.

Claim 4

An apparatus system for processing a stream of waste water slimes of steel mill water treatment systems where the waste water contains iron oxides, liquid oils, heavy oil particles, and a slime of finely divided particles of waste materials and water; comprising a generally cylindrical separator vessel with its axis vertical; a waste water inlet pipe positioned to introduce said stream into the top of said vessel generally tangentially thereof, means for adjusting said inlet pipe inclined downwardly at an angle to the horizontal between about 12* and about 45*; means for adjusting said pipe at varying distances from the wall of said separator vessel; means for overflow from said separator vessel communicating with a thickener; a discharge outlet near the bottom of said separator vessel; means for controlling the flow through said outlet; means communicating from said discharge outlet to the inlet end of a classifier; means for conducting the overflow of lighter components from said classifier to said thickener; means for conducting heavier components from said classifier to the inlet end of a combined scrubber and classifier; means for introducing scrubbing water and solvent to said combined scrubber and classifier; means for conducting the overflow of lighter components from said combined scrubber and classifier; means for conducting heavier components from said combined scrubber and classifier to an iron oxide storage bin; means for skimming oil from the top of said thickener; means for draining water from the top of said thickener; means for passing the heavier components from the bottom of said thickener successively through a magnetic separator and a cake filter; means for transferring the separated particles from said magnetic separator to said iron oxide storage; means for transferring the filter cake from said filter to a filter cake storage; and means communicating between said filter and said thickener to transfer the filtrate from said filter to said thickener.