Fluidized bed reactor

Claim 2

A single unit fluidized-bed reactor for purification of waste water with biomass attached to carrier particles, comprising a reaction space equipped with a liquid distribution device above the bottom of the reaction space particularly suited for introduction of waste water in wide reactors to achieve uniform fluidization therein, said device consisting of a number of substantially horizontal pipes, each having in the under-surface a number of regularly distributed openings for downward introduction of a liquid, and on top of the reaction space united therewith a multifunctional three phase separator for complete separation of a gas-liquid-solids mixture leaving the reaction space, said three phase separator comprises a space for collection and accumulation of gas remaining or formed during biological waste water treatment provided with a gas outlet, and a liquid-solid separation compartment positioned and arranged to act on the liquid-solids mixture and provided with means to remove at least a part of the purified liquid and with means for complete return of the carrier particles overgrown with biomass into the reaction space by gravity, the gas oulet is provided with a means for increasing gas pressure in the gas collection and accumulation space, the three phase separator being construction and arranged so as to act on treatments involving large or small gas fractions in the reactor.

Claim 3

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 1 wherein the total area of the openings in the under-surface of the liquid distribution device is 15 to 200 square centimeter per square meter of the cross section of the reaction space.

Claim 4

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 2 wherein the total height H 5 of the three phase separator is 0.1 to 0.6 times the height H 1 of the reaction space.

Claim 5

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 1 wherein in the liquid distribution device the substantially horizontal pipes are equidistant and the openings in the under-surface of these longitudinal pipes are equidistant in the longitudinal direction of these pipes.

Claim 6

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 4 wherein in the liquid distribution device, the number of substantially horizontal pipes is 1.5 to 4 per meter of the diameter D 1 of the reaction space, the diameter of these pipes is 2 to 15 cm and the mutual distance L 5 between them is 25 to 100 cm.

Claim 7

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 4 wherein the total number of openings in the under-surface of the liquid distribution devices is 2.5 to 15 per square meter of the area of the cross section of the reaction space, the mutual distance L 4 between them in the longitudinal direction is 25 to 75 cm, and the diameter of the openings is 0.5 to 3 cm.

Claim 8

The reactor of claim 1 wherein the three-phase separator is comprised of a central cylinder having an outer wall and a truncated cone between the top of the reaction space and the bottom of the cylinder whereby the gas is recovered above the cylinder in the gas collection and accumulation space which space is separated from the liquid-solid separation compartment, the top of the cylinder adjoins a U-shaped cross-section chamber comprising two legs and a partition between these legs, and the solids and liquid overflow the top of the cylinder into one of said legs of said U-shaped cross-section chamber, the solids being returned by gravity from the bottom of the U-shaped chamber into the reaction space and the liquid is removed over the top of the other of said U-legs provided with a weir and means to remove at least a part of the liquid passing through the weir from the reactor.

Claim 9

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 7 comprising an annular cleft 13 having a side wall and situated in the one leg of the U-shaped chamber and a dome-shaped hood 12 and the diameter of the cylinder 4 is 0.5 to 0.8 times the diameter of the reaction space, the height H 2 of the side wall of the annular cleft 13 situated in the one leg of the U-shaped chamber is 0.05 to 0.3 times the height H 1 of the reaction space, the cross sectional area A 4 of the liquid-solid separation compartment 7 is 0.5 to 3 times the cross sectional area A 1 of the reaction space and the diameter of the dome-shaped hood 12 comprising the partition between the legs of the U-shaped chamber is such that the mixture of liquid and biomass attached to carrier particles flows with a velocity not greater than 5 cm per second into the liquid-solid separation compartment 7 via in succession the cylinder 4 and the annular cleft 13 between the dome-shaped hood 12 and the outer wall of the cylinder 4.

Claim 10

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 7 further including a return settled carrier particles channel 18 consisting of at least one conduit-pipe 14 externally placed along an outer wall of the reactor defining said reaction space starting from the bottom of the liquid-solid separation compartment 7 and debouching in holes in the outer wall of the reaction space.

Claim 11

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 7 wherein the bottom of the liquid-solid separation compartment is inclined at an angle (α) of at least 30°.

Claim 12

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 7 comprising a collection space 9 for liquid treated biologically wherein the volume of the collection space 9 for liquid treated biologically is 1 to 25% of the volume of the reaction space.

Claim 13

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 29 further including a return settled carrier particles channel 18 consisting of an internal peripheral cleft 14A terminating just above a peripheral triangular ledge 25, the internal peripheral cleft 14A being of small horizontal diameter as compared with the diameter D 1 of the reaction space.

Claim 14

A single unit fluidized-bed reactor for purification of waste water with biomass attached to carrier particles, comprising a reaction space equipped with a liquid distribution device above the bottom of the reaction space particularly suited for introduction of waste water in wide reactors to achieve uniform fluidization therein, said device consisting of a number substantially horizontal pipes, each having in the under-surface a number of regularly distributed openings for downward introduction of the liquid, and on top of the reaction space united therewith a multifunctional three phase separation compartment for complete separation of the gas-liquid-solids mixture leaving the reaction space and for complete return of attached biomass into the reaction space, said three phase separation compartment being constructed and arranged so as to act on treatments involving variable gas fractions in the reactor, the three-phase separation compartment being comprised of a truncated cone-shaped element with its wide base towards the reaction space and a cylindrical element connected to the top of the truncated cone-shaped element to separate the gas in a gas phase compartment of the three-phase separation compartment, a liquid-solid separation compartment surrounding the exterior of the cone-shaped element and with said liquid-solid separation compartment provided with a weir at its upper end and a channel at its lower end which brings about communication between the reaction space and the liquid-solid separation compartment for upward passage of the mixture of liquid and carrier particles overgrown with biomass and for the return the separated solids by gravity to the reaction space and means to remove at least a part of the purified liquid flowing over the weir from the reactor.

Claim 15

A single unit fluidized-bed reactor for purification of waste water with biomass attached to carrier particles, comprising a reaction space equipped with a liquid distribution device above the bottom of the reaction space particularly suited for introduction of waste water in wide reactors to achieve uniform fluidization therein, said device consisting of a number substantially horizontal pipes, each having in the under-surface a number of regularly distributed openings for downward introduction of the liquid, and on top of the reaction space united therewith a multifunctional three phase separation compartment for complete separation of the gas-liquid-solids mixture leaving the reaction space and for complete return of attached biomass into the reaction space, said three phase separation compartment being constructed and arranged so as to act on treatments involving variable gas fractions in the reactor, the three-phase separation compartment being comprised of a truncated cone-shaped element with its wide base towards the reaction space and a cylindrical element connected to the top of the truncated cone-shaped element to separate the gas in a gas phase compartment of the three-phase separation compartment, a liquid-solid separation compartment surrounding the exterior of the cone-shaped element and with said liquid-solid separation compartment provided with a weir at its upper end and a channel at its lower end which brings about communication between the reaction space and the liquid-solid separation compartment for upward passage of the mixture of liquid and carrier particles overgrown with biomass and for the return the separated solids by gravity to the reaction space and means to remove at least a part of the purified liquid flowing over the weir from the reactor.

Claim 16

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 further including a roof 19 positioned over the reaction space so as to direct gas leaving the reaction space into the cylindrical element, the difference L 2 between the radii of the cross section area A 7 of the base of the truncated cone-shaped element and the cross sectional area of A 6 of the upperside of the roof 19 of the reaction space which roof is separated from the truncated cone-shaped element by a channel 18 which brings about the communication between the reaction space and the liquid-solid separation compartment, is at least 0.05 times the distance L 1 between the base of the truncated cone-shaped element and the roof 19, whereby the radius of A 7 is greater than the radius of A 6 .

Claim 17

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 14 wherein the difference L 2 between the radii of the area's A 7 and A 6 is 0.15 to 0.8 times the distance L 1 between the base of the truncated cone-shaped element and the upperside of the roof 19.

Claim 18

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 wherein the cross sectional area A 2 of the cylindrical element 17 is such that the gas velocity in the cylindrical element 17 is not greater than 10 cm per second.

Claim 19

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 wherein the length H 4 of the cylindrical element 17 is 0.05 to 0.2 times the height H 3 of the liquid-solid separation compartment 7.

Claim 20

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 wherein the cross sectional area A 3 of the liquid-solid separation compartment 7 is 0.4 to 3 times the cross sectional area A 1 of the reaction space.

Claim 21

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 including a roof 19 positioned over the reaction space and wherein the diameter of the cross sectional area A 6 of the upperside of the roof 19 of the reaction space, which roof is separated from the truncated cone-shaped element by a channel 18 which brings about the communication between the reaction space and the liquid-solid separation compartment, is 0.5 to 0.9 times the diameter of the cross-sectional area A 1 of the reaction space.

Claim 22

The fluidized-bed reactor of claim 13 wherein the total height H 5 of the three phase separation compartment 3 is 0.4 to 2 times the diamter D 1 of the reaction space.