Process for oxidizing organic residues in an aqueous stream

Abstract

Abstract An apparatus for oxidizing organic residues in an aqueous stream, comprising a chamber having a top, a bottom, an inlet for introducing a liquid thereinto, and an outlet for removing liquid therefrom, a plurality of dividers in the chamber between the inlet and the outlet dividing the chamber into a plurality of subchambers, a plurality of ultraviolet lamps in the subchambers, means for directing liquid flow through the chamber in a serpentine fashion, a plurality of separate subcovers over the subchambers and the lamps, which subcovers may be individually opened and closed, conductors for supplying electrical current to the lamps, and means for interrupting the flow of current to the lamps under each subcover when the subcover is open while simultaneously permitting such current flow to lamps which are not under an open subcover. Also disclosed is a method for the photolytic oxidation of organic residues in an aqueous stream, comprising the steps of introducing the aqueous stream into a chamber through an inlet, wherein the chamber is divided into a plurality of subchambers, providing at least one ultraviolet lamp in each of the subchambers, directing the liquid stream through the chamber from subchamber to subchamber, introducing an oxidizing agent into the aqueous stream, irradiating the aqueous stream containing the oxidizing agent in the subchambers by means of the lamps, providing at least one separately-openable cover over each subchamber, separately monitoring the operating condition of the lamps in each subchamber, disabling the lamps in one of the subchambers and servicing the lamps while the lamps in other of the subchambers are enabled and the aqueous stream continues to pass through the chamber, and oxidizing substantially all inorganic impurities in the stream in the other subchambers while servicing the disabled lamps.

Inventors

• 👤 Leland G. Cole
• 👤 Gordon N. Cole

Bibliographic Details