Abstract: A method for drying and heating sludge to remove pathogens and to dry the sludge into a powder form in an elongate housing having an endless chain conveyor inside. The method includes slowly urging solid material from one end of the housing to the other with the conveyor which has outwardly extending scrapers. The method further includes heating the sludge and removing moisture laden air from within the housing with a fan. The stream of solid material is sequentially split, redirected, split, and redirected again when being urged through the housing by the scrapers. The scrapers may include specialized scrapers including plows, inclined paddles, and round rods. Mixing the stream of sludge avoids cold and hot spots, and build up of sludge on a floor of the housing during the process of heating and drying the sludge.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying and heating sludge to remove pathogens and to dry the sludge into a powder form which includes an elongate housing having an endless chain conveyor inside. The conveyor having outwardly extending scrapers for slowly urging solid material from one end of the housing to the other. The housing is heated to heat the sludge and a fan removes moisture laden air from within the housing. The scrapers are provided in rows and include specialized scrapers including plows, inclined paddles, and round rods to sequentially split, redirect, split, and redirect again the stream of sludge being urged through the housing. By so mixing the stream of sludge, cold and hot spots are avoided during heating and a build up of sludge on a floor of the housing is avoided.

Abstract: This invention increases the efficiency and flow rate of rotary drum filtration and makes possible the use of such filtration for volatile and high temperature materials. According to the invention a rotary drum filter unit operates continuously in a pressure vessel and solids are intermittently discharged from the vessel. The filtered solids are scraped from the drum periphery and dropped into a trough in the vessel communicating with a discharge passageway. When the passageway is filled with solids, a shroud, driven by a reciprocating ejector traps the solids in the passageway. The ejector compacts the trapped solids forming plugs which are sequentially discharged from the pressure vessel.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the removal or reduction of inorganic contaminants, hardness, radionuclides, organic contaminants, odor, turbidity, discoloration, and objectionable taste from water, subjects the water to lime-phosphate softening, aeration, sedimentation, filtration and ion exchange in an automatic cycle especially suited for home and small commercial usage. The raw water, such as well water, is first subjected to a cold lime softening and aeration treatment, then to a phosphate treatment followed by settling and filtering. The thus treated water is supplied to a pressurized tank feeding a conventional ion exchange water softening unit as the water is tapped for use. No heat input is needed but the treated water can be heated as desired for use. An electrical control system regulates the water and chemicals input agitation, aeration, the time of chemical treatment in successive stages and the maintenance of a desired head pressure for the treated water.

Abstract: A self-cleaning feeder for particulate material, such as dry lime powder, utilizes a spaced coil helical spring rotating in an upright annular passage between a pair of pipes to convey the material from a stock pile source, such as a drum container supporting the feeder in upright position, to an outlet in controlled amounts. The coil spring projects into the stock pile and has a laterally extended tail or finger stirring or agitating the material to maintain it in contact with the spring. The inner pipe is bottomed on a plate resting on the bottom of the supply container and the outer pipe is carried above the plate by a spider stand on the plate. An inclined chute or tray supported from the outer pipe receives the material to slide it into a tank or apparatus.

Abstract: A clarifier is provided with an elongated settling tank having an inlet at one end, an outlet at the opposite end, a generator producing air saturated liquid released near the inlet end of the tank to float lighter sludge to the top of the tank, suction heads removing settled out heavier sludge from the bottom of the tank, skimmers pushing scum or foam floating on top of the liquid in the tank to the overflow outlet near the inlet end of the tank, a travelling bridge moving the suction heads along the length of the tank, elongated outlets for clarified liquid projecting into the tank from the discharge end thereof, and outlets at different levels for discharge of clarified effluent and recirculating effluent. The recirculating effluent is pumped to a mixing device to be saturated with air and the air saturated effluent is discharged back into the inlet end of the tank.

Abstract: This invention relates to the art of vacuum pre-coat filtering to produce solids capable of being incinerated for their heat value and recovery of non-combustible solids. Specifically, the invention deals with rotary vacuum filtering apparatus containing a coating layer on the filter drum screen of a combustible non-fibrous particulate filter aid, preferably charcoal, which forms an efficient filter bed, is capable of being scraped from the bed in thin film form with the filtered out solids thereon and is capable of being incinerated eliminating heretofore necessary disposal expense.

Abstract: This invention provides a non-fibrous combustible filter aid for vacuum pre-coat filter units which is effective to maintain a filter bed coating on rotary filter drums just sufficiently porous to pass the liquid of a slurry while retaining the slurry solids thereon and is capable of being scraped off the bed in thin film form with the slurry solids thereon. The filter aid comprises relatively non-compressible non-fibrous granular charcoal or nut shell particles having a dry bulk density from about 0.3 to about 0.6 grams per cubic centimeter, a particle density of about 1.4 to 1.7 grams per cubic centimeter and a particle size range of 30 to 125 microns. The filter aid of this invention is capable of being burned with the solids deposited thereon to recover the heat value thereof or to dispose of the solids, is free from silicates or other non-combustible ingredients, and is devoid of fibers which will interfere with the proper operation of the filter unit.

Abstract: This invention provides a non-fibrous combustible filter aid for vacuum pre-coat filter units which is effective to maintain a filter bed coating on rotary filter drums just sufficiently porous to pass the liquid of a slurry while retaining the slurry solids thereon and is capable of being scraped off the bed in thin film form with the slurry solids thereon. The filter aid comprises relatively non-compressible non-fibrous granular charcoal or nut shell particles having a dry bulk density from about 0.3 to about 0.6 grams per cubic centimeter, a particle density of about 1.4 to 1.7 grams per cubic centimeter and a particle size range of 30 to 125 microns. The filter aid of this invention is capable of being burned with the solids deposited thereon to recover the heat value thereof or to dispose of the solids, is free from silicates or other non-combustible ingredients, and is devoid of fibers which will interfere with the proper operation of the filter unit.

Abstract: A portable removable sludge cleaner for tanks is provided in two sections, one of which rests on top of the tank and has a travelling bridge from which is suspended the second section. This second section is a suction head carrying frame unit deposited into one end of the tank with the aid of a crane or overhead pulley. The travelling bridge section is then deposited on top of the tank by the crane or pulley. The bridge is centered for balance during the mounting operation and after depositing on the tank, the bridge is moved over the suction head unit previously deposited in the end of the tank. Ramp hitches on the bridge then engage support pins on the head unit lifting its front end off of the bottom of the tank. Pipe couplings on the rear end of the unit are then connected to counterparts depending from the bridge to lift the rear end of the unit off of the tank bottom. The bridge travels on tracks provided by the frame and is propelled by a drive screw to traverse the length of the tank.

Abstract: Large settling tanks or clarifiers of the travelling bridge type are provided in easily assembled small component sections fitting a conventional size flat bed truck for shipment to a use site to be assembled on a concrete basin requiring only a lifting crane and a small assembly crew. The knocked down clarifier eliminates heretofore required on-site time consuming building by skilled personnel and makes possible factory prefabrication of all of the clarifier parts with the exception of the concrete basin.

Abstract: Solid contaminants are removed from tramp oil containing aqueous emulsions, the emulsions are separated into reusable constituents and the separated aqueous liquid is recycled. Apparatus and method are provided especially for reclaiming solvents, washing solutions, lubricating oil, cutting oil and the like from installations for cleaning, quenching or washing oil coated stampings, parts, and the like. Dirt, grit, scale and the like contaminants are filtered out from used industrial cleaning solutions, the liquid components are coalesced into reusable constituents and the aqueous component is continuously recycled for re-use without loss of dissolved chemicals or consumption of energy for heating or cooling.

Abstract: A longitudinally elongated settling tank with a converging longitudinal hopper bottom along the length thereof has a longitudinally elongated travelling bridge reciprocating continuously or intermittently through a relatively short stroke between the inlet and outlet ends of the tank from which depends a plurality of longitudinally spaced sludge pick-up heads each sucking sludge from a zone in the bottom of the tank during a preset cycle. Liquid fed into one end of the tank forms a settling pond from which clarified liquid flows over longitudinal weirs at the opposite end of the tank. In a preferred embodiment a first pick-up head serves the inlet end zone of the tank in which the heavier sludge settles from the pond, a second pick-up head serves the middle zone of the tank while a third pick-up head serves the outlet end zone of the tank.

Abstract: A longitudinally elongated settling tank with a converging longitudinal hopper bottom along the length thereof has a longitudinally elongated travelling bridge reciprocating continuously or intermittently through a relatively short stroke between the inlet and outlet ends of the tank from which depends a plurality of longitudinally spaced sludge pick-up heads each sucking sludge from a zone in the bottom of the tank during a preset cycle. Liquid fed into one end of the tank forms a settling pond from which clarified liquid flows over longitudinal weirs at the opposite end of the tank. Because of the short stroke of the bridge, the tank can be reinforced with internal framework between the paths of the suction heads permitting use of lighter sheet metal for the tank. A skimmer is automatically lowered into the top of the pond as the bridge advances to sweep oil, scum, and other material floating on the pond into an outlet and is retracted above the pond on the return stroke of the bridge.

Abstract: A rotary vacuum filter apparatus has a filter drum with a rotating hollow through axle carrying radial pans arranged to scoop up filtrate in the bottom of the drum and raise the filtrate to a level for draining into the axle through holes so arranged as to prevent drainage of filtrate back into the drum. A pump draws air from the drum through the axle at high velocity providing an air lift sweeping the filtrate out of the axle for discharge from the filter unit. Two diametrically opposed pans spanning substantially the entire length of the drum can radiate from opposite sides of the axle or a plurality of diametrically opposed pairs of pans can be mounted along the length of the axle and radiate therefrom in circumferentially offset positions to provide a more continuous scooping action in the bottom of the drum and the axle can be drained from one or both ends.

Abstract: Filter drums of desired diameters and axial lengths are built up from cylindrical modules supported in end-to-end relation on a through axle. Each module has a cylindrical frame composed of end rings connected by and supporting a ring of circumferentially spaced longitudinal bars. A grid formed in the flat by welding spaced parallel transverse ribs to underlying spaced parallel longitudinal rods is rolled into a cylindrical shape and wrapped around bars of the module with the rods of the grid forming hoops which are welded to the bars. The through axle has end heads and intermediate spiders mounted thereon. The outboard rings of the modules forming the end sections of the drum are secured to the heads and the inboard rings of these end modules are secured to the end rings of the intermediate modules with spider legs on the axle secured to one ring of an adjacent pair of rings.

Abstract: A process for clean-up of pollutant ladent water of the type characteristically produced in conventional container manufacturing installations. Such waste water is derived typically from water based printing ink wash-up and/or starch adhesive wastes. The process produces highly purified, optionally colorless water adapted for re-use and/or discharge. The process employs chemical treatment of such a starting aqueous waste to facilitate removals of colloidal particles and heavy metals followed by physical removal of suspended solids. Optionally, the resulting treated water is further subjected to decolorization.

Abstract: A system for cleanup of waste waters of the type characteristically produced in food-processing operations. Such waste waters typically contain significant amounts of fat and grease materials of animal and plant origin together with other contaminants. Such a starting waste water is charged to the system at a non-uniform rate as generated and is continuously first chemically treated in two successive zones, then is passed into a quiescent holding zone wherein settling can occur and wherein variations in waste water input volume or output volume can be smoothed out. Fluid from the bottom regions of such holding zone is continuously charged at a uniform rate to an operating rotary vacuum filter assembly to accomplish separation of solids. The product water is highly purified.