Fluidized bed reactor with means for ensuring homogeneous distribution of the fluid to be treated

Claim 1

In a fluidized bed reactor for the biological treatment of fluids, particularly liquids, and more particularly water, said reactor being of the type containing granular treating material through which the fluid to be treated passes upwardly, thereby fluidizing said treating material, and during which biological treatment is achieved, the improvement of means for ensuring a homogeneous distribution of the fluid into the bottom of said granular treating material, said means comprising: granular transfer material positioned beneath said granular treating material; a single housing defined by plural superposed enclosures including a lower enclosure containing said granular transfer material and at least one upper enclosure containing said granular treating material; means for introducing the fluid to be treated into said granular transfer material at a speed and under conditions sufficient to impart movement thereto causing uniform distribution of the fluid and uniform diffusion thereof upwardly into said granular treating material at a speed sufficient to achieve fluidization thereof; and said lower and upper enclosures being dimensioned such that said granular transfer material is prevented from being fluidized upwardly and is not involved in the biological treatment of the fluid.