Water polishing means for removing oil and other flotsam from water

Claim 1

Water polishing apparatus, comprising: an elongate tank with upstream and downstream ends, opposed side walls, and a bottom wall; an inlet at the upstream end of the tank for introducing a fluid and flotsam mixture into the tank to provide a mean fluid level in the upper portion thereof; a fluid outlet at the downstream end of the tank; a plurality of longitudinally spaced, vertical dams extending transversely of the tank and dividing it into longitudinallyspaced zones, said dams having upper, substantially horizontal edges spaced below the mean fluid level in the tank; a vertical weir in each zone extending from one side wall to the other and dividing the zones into upstream and downstream sections, each of said weirs having an upper portion projecting above the mean fluid level in the tank, and a lower edge spaced above the bottom wall, said weir being angularily positioned relative to the longitudinal axis of the tank and converging with a side wall at an acute angle to provide a collecting corner at the upstream side of the weir for receiving flotsam; skimming means at at least one of said collecting corners for removing flotsam from the surface of the fluid; scavenging means at one of the collecting corners downstream of a zone containing skimming means, for removing fluid and flotsam from the fluid surface, and including at least one pipe having an open upper end beneath the upper surface of the fluid in the tank, a fluid storage container, and first pump means between said pipe and the storage container for causing a mixture of air fluid and flotsam to flow from the fluid surface to the storage container; and a delivery system between the storage container and at least one of the zones for transporting said mixture to said zone for dispersion therein.