Apparatus for separating sludge, oil and the like from contaminated water

Claim 1

Apparatus for separating sludge, oil and the like from contaminated water, comprising: (a) a process tank having walls separating the tank into first and second compartments, one of said walls being substantially vertical and having an opening at the lower portion thereof to permit passage of the contaminated water from the first to the second compartment, and another of said walls being mounted in said tank intermediate the upper and lower portions of said tank, being positioned at an incline and being connected to the lower extremity of the first of said separating walls; (b) an inlet mounted with said tank for carrying the contaminated water into the first compartment; (c) a first outlet mounted with said tank for removing separated oil and the like from the first compartment; (d) a second outlet mounted with said tank for removing the treated water from the second compartment; (e) a third outlet mounted with said tank for removing separated sludge and the like from the second compartment; and (f) a plate pack mounted on the inclined wall in said tank to slope downward from a first to a second end, said pack having side walls, a top and a bottom connected to said side walls and forming a conduit for carrying the contaminated water from the first to the second end, said second end being mounted near the opening through said one wall in said tank, and a plurality of corrugated plates mounted one above the other and extending between said side walls to provide a plurality of passageways, said plates being sufficiently displaced from one another to permit laminar flow of the water through the passageways and the corrugations of said plates defining a plurality of upper and lower channels generally parallel with said other of said walls, the water passing from the first to the second compartment by flowing downwardly through the passageways and lower channels, the oil and the like separating from the water during such passage rising and flowing upwardly through said channels and out the first end, the sludge, and the like settling from the water during such passage and flowing out the second end, the ends of the plates disposed in the second end forming a plane which lies substantially vertical and substantially coplanar with said one of said walls when said pack is mounted on said inclined wall for substantially reducing clogging of the passageways during separation of the sludge from the water when flowing through said pack, the uppermost part of said pack being above the level of said inlet.