Sewage treatment system including effluent evaporator

Claim 1

IN A SEWAGE TREATMENT INCLUDING A TANK BURIED WITHIN THE GROUND AND HAVING AN INLET FOR RECEIVING SEWAGE WATER AND AN OUTLET FOR DISCHARGING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLEAR WATER EFFLUENT, AN IMPROVED DEVICE FOR EVAPORATING THE EFFLUENT INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE TUBULAR CONDUIT SYSTEM OF PLASTICS MATERIAL, SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM ARRANGED TO FROM A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT HORIZONTAL COIL BURIED WITHIN THE GROUND, SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM HAVING AN INLET END PORTION CONNECTED TO SAID OUTLET OF SAID TANK FOR RECEIVING THE EFFLUENT WITHIN THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CONDUIT SYSTEM AND FOR EXPOSING A SUBSTANTIAL SURFACE AREA OF THE EFFLUENT ALONG THE LENGTH OF SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM, SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM HAVING AN OUTLET END PORTION, MEANS FOR VENTING SAID OUTLET END PORTION TO THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE THE GROUND, AIR SUPPLY TUBE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM AT A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED INTERVALS ALONG SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING AIR FLOW WITHIN SAID AIR SUPPLY TUBE MEANS TO PRODUCE A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF AIR STREAMS INTO SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM, AND SAID AIR STREAMS BEING EFFECTIVE TO PRODUCE A LONGITUDINAL FLOW OF AIR IN A COMMON DIRECTION WITHIN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR VAPORIZING THE EFFLUENT WITHIN SAID CONDUIT SYSTEMS INTO THE FLOW OF AIR WITHIN SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM FOR DISCHARGE AS A VAPOR INTO THE ATMOSPHER THROUGH SAID OUTLET END PORTION OF SAID CONDUIT SYSTEM.

Claim 10

A method for evaporating an effluent discharged from the outlet of a sewage treatment tank buried within the ground, comprising the steps of arranging an elongated flexible tubular conduit system to form a substantially flat coil, positioning said coil in a substantially horizontal plane within the ground, directing the effluent into the lower portion of the conduit system to expose a substantial surface area of the effluent along the length of said conduit system, directing a flow of air into said conduit system at a plurality of longitudinally spaced intervals for producing a longitudinal flow of air in a common direction within the upper portion of said conduit system over the exposed surface of the effluent for vaporizing the effluent into the air within said conduit system, and venting the vapor upwardly to atmosphere through an outlet end portion of said conduit system.

Claim 11

A method for evaporating an effluent discharged from the outlet of a sewage treatment tank buried within the ground, comprising the steps of arranging an elongated flexible tubular conduit system to form a substantially flat coil, positioning said coil in a substantially horizontal plane within the ground, directing the effluent into the lower portion of the conduit system to expose a substantial surface area of the effluent along the length of said conduit system, directing a flow of air into said conduit system at a plurality of longitudinally spaced intervals for producing a longitudinal flow of air in a common direction within the upper portion of said conduit system over the exposed surface of the effluent for vaporizing the effluent into the air within said conduit system, and venting the vapor upwardly to atmosphere through an outlet end portion of said conduit system.