Mobile sludge trailer and method of filling and emptying same

Claim 1

A trailer for receiving, transporting and unloading sludges which are at least partly biodegradable, comprising: (a) a frame; (b) a tank mounted on said frame, said tank being a double-frusto conical tank of substantially ovate cross-section mounted on said frame so that it may be bisected into two bilateral symmetric portions by a substantially vertical plane; said plane describing at least two intersecting lines disposed near the lower end of said ovate cross-section, said lines slopping downwards to their point of intersection, and said discharge means being disposed substantially at the point of intersection of said lines, said tank further comprising a substantially planar floor extending along said lines for the entire length of said tank and a plurality of parallel, substantially circular ring-shaped baffles disposed within said tank, said baffles extending from the top peripheral edge of said tank around said tank to points substantially parallel and spaced apart from said floor and having straightened lower edges parallel to said floor extending between said points to form at least one discharge chute defined between said baffles, opposing portions of the walls of said tank and said floor; (c) loading means for introducing sludge into said tank; (d) discharge means disposed at the bottom of said tank for allowing sludge to discharge from said tank; (e) pressurization means for pressurizing the head space of said tank to thereby increase the pneumatic and hydraulic pressure at said discharge means to facilitate more efficient discharge of the sludge therefrom; and (f) ejection means for ejecting fluid into said tank at the point of intersection of said tank and said discharge means, said ejection means injecting fluid under pressure into said tank toward said discharge means in the direction of discharge of sludge through said discharge means whereby said sludge is entrained in said fluid for discharge through said discharge means.