Process for treating water

Claim 1

The method of treating sewage to eliminate pollutants therefrom; Comprising the steps of: a. Feeding the sewage into a reservoir to a desired level to obtain a hydraulic head of 15 to 25 feet behind a wave gate outlet means which leads to a pool area having a beffle-like floor design, filling the pool area to a predetermined level of 6 to 8 feet in depth with water, said sewage or mixtures thereof with the outlets therefrom closed, said desired level being 20 to 25 feet above the normal quiescent level of the water, said sewage or mixtures thereof in said pool area; b. Lifting the wave gate for a predetermined time interval of 5 to 20 seconds and at a predetermined rate of speed of 300 to 500 feet per second, said wave gate outlet being located at the lower portion of the gate to cause a sudden surge of sewage effluent under the influence of the hydraulic head; c. Directing the water upwardly with a deflector to form a translatory wave of the spilling breaker type 4 to 5 feet in height which moves across the pool area, aerating the sewage by dissolving large quantities of air therein by the wave action and simultaneously breaking up particles to promote more effective aeration and removing activated sludge settling from the sewage, said activated sludge containing said pollutants.

Claim 2

The method of treating sewage to eliminate pollutants therefrom; Comprising the steps of: a. Feeding the sewage into a reservoir to a desired level to obtain a hydraulic head of 15 to 25 feet behind a wave gate outlet means which leads to a pool area having a beffle-like floor design, filling the pool area to a predetermined level of 6 to 8 feet in depth with water, said sewage or mixtures thereof with the outlets therefrom closed, said desired level being 20 to 25 feet above the normal quiescent level of the water, said sewage or mixtures thereof in said pool area; b. Lifting the wave gate for a predetermined time interval of 5 to 20 seconds and at a predetermined rate of speed of 300 to 500 feet per second, said wave gate outlet being located at the lower portion of the gate to cause a sudden surge of sewage effluent under the influence of the hydraulic head; c. Directing the water upwardly with a deflector to form a translatory wave of the spilling breaker type 4 to 5 feet in height which moves across the pool area, aerating the sewage by dissolving large quantities of air therein by the wave action and simultaneously breaking up particles to promote more effective aeration and removing activated sludge settling from the sewage, said activated sludge containing said pollutants.

Claim 8

The method of treating sewage effluent containing about 95 percent water and about 5 percent solids to eliminate pollutants therefrom; Comprising the steps of: a. Periodically causing wave moVements of predetermined characteristics in a first channel area having an upstream and downstream area and containing sewage to maximize the amount of oxygen dissolved therein and to break up particles of matter to smaller sizes, said waves being formed at the upstream area at the rate of 2 to 3 per minute and characterized as being translatory waves 4 to 5 feet in height of the spilling breaker type which curl over enclosing an air pocket that explodes during breaking to intermittently mix air and sewage effluent, precipitating out pollutants as sludge over a plurality of baffles arranged in the first channel area, removing the sludge from the system and feeding the downstream effluent from the first channel area to a second channel area; b. Periodically causing wave movements of predetermined characteristics in the second channel area in substantially the same manner and having substantially the same characteristics as the waves in (a) to maximize the amount of oxygen dissolved therein and foster the consumption of organic matter by bacteria, adding lime to the channel area to cause precipitation of phosphates over a plurality of baffles arranged in the second channel area removing the precipitated material from the system and feeding the downstream effluent from the second channel area to a third channel area; c. Periodically causing wave movements of predetermined characteristics in the third channel area in substantially the same manner and having substantially the same characteristics as the waves in (a), passing the waves over fill means which effectively break up the waves into smaller particles thereby removing and capturing ammonia from the effluent which continues to flow downstream, and chemically treating the effluent in the third channel area to produce purified water.

Claim 9

The method of treating sewage effluent containing about 95 percent water and about 5 percent solids to eliminate pollutants therefrom; Comprising the steps of: a. Periodically causing wave moVements of predetermined characteristics in a first channel area having an upstream and downstream area and containing sewage to maximize the amount of oxygen dissolved therein and to break up particles of matter to smaller sizes, said waves being formed at the upstream area at the rate of 2 to 3 per minute and characterized as being translatory waves 4 to 5 feet in height of the spilling breaker type which curl over enclosing an air pocket that explodes during breaking to intermittently mix air and sewage effluent, precipitating out pollutants as sludge over a plurality of baffles arranged in the first channel area, removing the sludge from the system and feeding the downstream effluent from the first channel area to a second channel area; b. Periodically causing wave movements of predetermined characteristics in the second channel area in substantially the same manner and having substantially the same characteristics as the waves in (a) to maximize the amount of oxygen dissolved therein and foster the consumption of organic matter by bacteria, adding lime to the channel area to cause precipitation of phosphates over a plurality of baffles arranged in the second channel area removing the precipitated material from the system and feeding the downstream effluent from the second channel area to a third channel area; c. Periodically causing wave movements of predetermined characteristics in the third channel area in substantially the same manner and having substantially the same characteristics as the waves in (a), passing the waves over fill means which effectively break up the waves into smaller particles thereby removing and capturing ammonia from the effluent which continues to flow downstream, and chemically treating the effluent in the third channel area to produce purified water.

Claim 16

A method for increasing the oxygen concentration of a sewage effluent stream to enhance the biological attack of microorganisms on the biodegradable sewage by mixing said sewage effluent with air and a body of water, said body having an upstream and downstream area and at the upstream area, producing translatory waves of the spilling breaker type which curl over enclosing an air pocket which explodes during breaking to intermittently mix sewage air and water; Comprising the steps of: a. Feeding and storing the sewage effluent containIng about 95 percent water and about 5 percent solids in a reservoir at a predetermined level of 20 to 25 feet above the normal quiescent level of the water in said body of water to provide a hydraulic head of stored sewage effluent of 15 to 25 feet, said reservoir being separate from said body of water and comprising discharge means for releasing a controllable amount of said stored sewage effluent water from the reservoir to said body of water; b. Successively opening and closing said discharge means at a rate of two to three times per minute for intermittent release of a controllable amount of said stored sewage effluent under the pressure of said hydraulic head, into said body of water, from beneath the surface of said body of water, said body of water in the area of wave generation being 6-8 feet in depth; c. Directing each controllable amount of said released sewage effluent against a deflector so that the released water flows diagonally upward toward the surface of said body of water to form a translatory wave of the spilling breaker type 4 to 5 feet in height and a movement of water in the downstream direction, said water flowing at a linear velocity over said bottom surface at a rate of 300 to 400 feet per minute and withdrawing treated sewage from the body of water substantially enriched in oxygen concentration.

Claim 17

A method for increasing the oxygen concentration of a sewage effluent stream to enhance the biological attack of microorganisms on the biodegradable sewage by mixing said sewage effluent with air and a body of water, said body having an upstream and downstream area and at the upstream area, producing translatory waves of the spilling breaker type which curl over enclosing an air pocket which explodes during breaking to intermittently mix sewage air and water; Comprising the steps of: a. Feeding and storing the sewage effluent containIng about 95 percent water and about 5 percent solids in a reservoir at a predetermined level of 20 to 25 feet above the normal quiescent level of the water in said body of water to provide a hydraulic head of stored sewage effluent of 15 to 25 feet, said reservoir being separate from said body of water and comprising discharge means for releasing a controllable amount of said stored sewage effluent water from the reservoir to said body of water; b. Successively opening and closing said discharge means at a rate of two to three times per minute for intermittent release of a controllable amount of said stored sewage effluent under the pressure of said hydraulic head, into said body of water, from beneath the surface of said body of water, said body of water in the area of wave generation being 6-8 feet in depth; c. Directing each controllable amount of said released sewage effluent against a deflector so that the released water flows diagonally upward toward the surface of said body of water to form a translatory wave of the spilling breaker type 4 to 5 feet in height and a movement of water in the downstream direction, said water flowing at a linear velocity over said bottom surface at a rate of 300 to 400 feet per minute and withdrawing treated sewage from the body of water substantially enriched in oxygen concentration.