Waste water-oil separator

Claim 3

A water-oil separator apparatus comprising: a tank having an inlet chamber, a clear water chamber, and a settling chamber disposed between said inlet and clear water chambers; inlet means in said inlet chamber for feeding into said tank waste water containing oil, sand and other solid waste material; controllable inlet valve means for permitting the flow of waste water through said inlet means during a first, oil-collecting, operational phase and blocking the flow of water during a second, oil-removing, operational phase; outlet means for removing the water from said clear water chamber; controllable outlet valve means for permitting flow of clear water through said outlet means during said first phase and for blocking the flow during said second phase; controllable feed means for feeding liquid into the bottom of said settling chamber, only during said second phase and when an oil column of a predetermined height is floating on the surface of the liquid in said settling chamber, to elevate the level of liquid therein; baffle wall means disposed between said settling and clear water chambers and extending from the top of said tank to a point short of the bottom of said tank to provide a lower passageway for permitting only clear water to flow under said baffle wall means into said clear water chamber; first weir means in said clear water chamber for determining the maximum liquid level in said clear water chamber during said first phase; second weir means mounted in said settling chamber above said first weir means for permitting flow of oil over said second weir means only during said second phase when the level of the liquid in said settling chamber has been elevated to the height of said second weir means; means for removing the oil that flows over said second weir means during said second phase; mechanical means mounted in said tank for removing solid waste material from the bottom of said settling chamber after the oil has been removed from the settling chamber; and float switch means responsive to the difference in liquid levels on opposite sides of said baffle wall, and coupled to said controllable inlet and outlet valve means and to said controllable feed means, for automatically initiating the phase two operation when the liquid level in said settling chamber exceeds by a predetermined height that in said clear water chamber, and for terminating the phase two operation and initiating the phase one operation when the liquid levels in said settling and clear water chambers become approximately equal because of the removal of oil from the surface of the liquid in said settling chamber.

Claim 4

A water-oil separator apparatus comprising: a tank having an inlet chamber, a clear water chamber, and a settling chamber disposed between said inlet and clear water chambers; inlet means in said inlet chamber for feeding into said tank waste water containing oil, sand and other solid waste material; controllable inlet valve means for permitting the flow of waste water through said inlet means during a first, oil-collecting, operational phase and blocking the flow of water during a second, oil-removing, operational phase; outlet means for removing the water from said clear water chamber; controllable outlet valve means for permitting flow of clear water through said outlet means during said first phase and for blocking the flow during said second phase; controllable feed means for feeding liquid into the bottom of said settling chamber, only during said second phase and when an oil column of a predetermined height is floating on the surface of the liquid in said settling chamber, to elevate the level of liquid therein; baffle wall means disposed between said settling and clear water chambers and extending from the top of said tank to a point short of the bottom of said tank to provide a lower passageway for permitting only clear water to flow under said baffle wall means into said clear water chamber; first weir means in said clear water chamber for determining the maximum liquid level in said clear water chamber during said first phase; second weir means mounted in said settling chamber above said first weir means for permitting flow of oil over said second weir means only during said second phase when the level of the liquid in said settling chamber has been elevated to the height of said second weir means; means for removing the oil that flows over said second weir means during said second phase; mechanical means mounted in said tank for removing solid waste material from the bottom of said settling chamber after the oil has been removed from the settling chamber; and float switch means responsive to the difference in liquid levels on opposite sides of said baffle wall, and coupled to said controllable inlet and outlet valve means and to said controllable feed means, for automatically initiating the phase two operation when the liquid level in said settling chamber exceeds by a predetermined height that in said clear water chamber, and for terminating the phase two operation and initiating the phase one operation when the liquid levels in said settling and clear water chambers become approximately equal because of the removal of oil from the surface of the liquid in said settling chamber.

Claim 5

The water-oil separator apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said float switch means comprises: a U-shaped structural member having first and second legs extending downwardly on opposite sides of said baffle wall means; a first float fixed to the lower end of said first leg and floating in the liquid on one side of said baffle wall means; a switch actuator fixed to the lower end of said second leg; a second float floating in the liquid on the other side of said baffle wall; first and second switches mounted on said second float at different elevations; and circuit control means connecting said first and second switches to said controllable inlet valve means, controllable outlet valve means and to said controllable feed means for automatically switching the operation of the separator between said first and second phases.