Abstract: A water purifier comprising a cylinder provided at its lower portion with an air chamber and water sucking holes and adapted to be intermittently supplied with compressed air and water, a honeycombed tube structure including a multiplicity of tubes arranged in a side-by-side relation concentrically around the cylinder and a protecting sleeve for protecting the honeycombed tube structure. The protecting sleeve may be provided on its outer peripheral surface with a buoyancy chamber. A plurality of units of water purifier may be arranged in stages. In some cases, the water purifier is placed to occupy the whole space of a water tank into which the water to be treated is introduced continuously.

Abstract: The method of feeding an insoluble organic solid material in the form of an organic resin or biological matter containing contaminating material such as radioactive waste from a nuclear facility or from treatment of animal or plant tissue in a laboratory or medical facility into a vessel containing water and to which ultraviolet light and ozone, preferably by sparging, are applied while the water is being agitated to distribute the ozone. The ozone oxidizes the organic resin or biological material, which disintegrates on oxidation substantially into water and carbon dioxide, leaving substantially no resin or biological material after treatment by the ultraviolet light and ozone for a prescribed period of time, and leaving the contaminant material as a precipitate or in solution in the remaining water or as an escaping gas, in any of which forms it can be readily separated from the water for disposal or further treatment.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for the purification of water by ultraviolet radiation.A pipe traversed by the liquid to be purified contains an ultraviolet lamp and an electrovalve electrically connected in series with the lamp and placed upstream of the latter. The resistance of the electrovalve is substantially equal to the load impedance of the lamp, the assembly being supplied with power by a solar collector.Application to the purification of water.

Abstract: The apparatus includes a separator (2) and a collector trough (3) which are driven by the movement of a ship (1) wherein according to the invention, the separator is constituted by a long narrow plate which extends along the outside of the ship and forms an acute angle .theta. relative to the direction of movement of the ship, said separator plate being associated with means which allow it to be kept partially submerged and being inclined at an angle of incident .alpha. relative to the surface of the water, the collector being constituted by a trough (3) placed against the side of the ship and communicating with an inner chamber. The invention applies more particularly to recuperating hydrocarbons split out at sea.

Abstract: A positive buoyancy programmed motion pool cleaning device is adapted for rolling operation under a floating pool cover so that encountered cover discontinuities such as folds, borders and tears do not interrupt and stop the operation of the device. The pool cleaning device is of the type that has two positive buoyancy portions, these portions typically being positioned fore and aft. At least one and preferably two inverted casters are utilized, the casters each preferably becoming the positive buoyancy portion of the cleaning device. Overall positive buoyancy of the cleaning device causes the caster to ride on the overlying cover at the cover pool interface. The caster is provided with a fairing to reduce drag. A ramp at the leading end of the caster on the upward edge of the inverted fairing allows encountered cover discontinuities to pass smoothly over the fairing to the upwardly exposed caster.

Abstract: A high gradient magnetic separating device contains a filter structure with a stack of wire screens, arranged closely, one behind the other, of noncorroding ferromagnetic material with a predetermined mesh size and wire thickness. The filter structure is arranged between two parts, forming the magnetic poles, of a ferromagnetic yoke of a magnetic device. The flow direction of the medium to be filtered through the filter structure and the direction of the magnetic field are arranged perpendicular to the wire screens.

Abstract: A positive buoyancy programmed motion pool cleaning device is adapted for rolling operation under a floating pool cover so that encountered cover discontinuities such as folds, borders and tears do not interrupt and stop the operation of the device. The pool cleaning device is of the type that has two positive buoyancy portions, these portions typically being positioned fore and aft. At least one and preferably two inverted casters are utilized, the casters each preferably becoming the positive buoyancy portion of the cleaning device. Overall positive buoyancy of the cleaning device causes the caster to ride on the overlying cover at the cover pool interface. The caster is provided with a fairing to reduce drag. A ramp at the leading end of the caster on the upward edge of the inverted fairing allows encountered cover discontinuities to pass smoothly over the fairing to the upwardly exposed caster.

Abstract: The invention provides for a hydrocarbon skimmer (10) interconnected to the floating roof (30) of a floating roof storage tank (300) wherein a liquid mixture of sour water (40) and hydrocarbons (50) are stored. The hydrocarbon skimmer (10) of the present invention is placed in a formed cavity (100) located on the underside (20) of the floating roof (30) wherein the cavity (100) extends above the surface of the floating roof (30) and is capable of collecting the hydrocarbons (50) from the liquid mixture. A funnel (40) is attached to the underside (20) of the roof (30) in the cavity (100) to extend downwardly into the liquid mixture wherein the funnel (140) has formed perforations (500) near the attachment of the funnel (140) to the underside (20) of the roof (30). A float (110) is operatively connected to the funnel (140) and selectively closes over the perforations (500) when the float (110) is in sour water (40) and opens over the perforations when the float (110) is disposed in hydrocarbons (50).

Abstract: A strainer mill mounted in the intake opening of an impeller pump in a swimming pool water circulating system, including a perforated strainer plate mounted transversely of the flow path of water into the impeller pump and a rotary cutter mounted on an extension of the impeller shaft on the intake side and in close proximity to the strainer plate for shredding leaves and other debris received from the swimming pool before entering the impeller pump. The strainer mill is also characterized by a collector receptacle having a sump and an inlet and outlet mounted in the flow path between the swimming pool and the strainer mill for collecting heavier and harder particles which cannot pass through the perforated strainer plate and which are thrown back by the rotary cutter blade.

Abstract: This invention provides an improved apparatus for the treatment of water to reduce the formation of scale in those mechanical devices that employ water and to enhance the service ability of liquids in other applications through the use of magnetic circuitry which maximizes the effectiveness of the magnetic flux upon fluids. The circuitry includes flat-ring true permanent magnets, collector disks with tapered transmission points, set air gaps and threaded concentrator cores. This invention makes it possible to tailor magnet spacing to meet a wide range of velocity and flow rate requirements through the use of flux separators of varying sizes and the interchangeability of the inner core.

Abstract: A magneto-electrochemical reactor for the treatment of water comprising a non-magnetic conduit provided with an inlet and outlet and a hydro-magnetic homopolar generator including a ferromagnetic armature centrally disposed inside said conduit and adapted to rotate with the fluid flow and generate an electric current by cutting a magnetic field with said armature. The current generated produces ferrous ferric oxide which offers a preferential surface for deposition of scaling forming cations such calcium and magnesium, and further, by forming a protective ferrous film on the heat transfer surfaces being protected.

Abstract: A rotary screen separator is described for separating liquids and solids from a slurry. The rotary screen separator includes a cylindrical straining screen rotatably mounted for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. The separator has a drive for rotating the straining screen at a constant low speed. The separator has a slurry feed means mounted within the interior of the straining screen for spreading the slurry into a thin curtain and directing the curtain downward against a downward moving portion of the straining screen to direct the slurry against the inner surface to enable liquid to pass through the screen to the outer surface and to push the solid materials forward along the inside surface to clean the inside surface. A compression roller is freely mounted within the straining screen for rolling with the moving screen to compress the solid material against the inner surface to remove additional liquid.

Abstract: This invention is directed to an adjustable-flow water conditioning device. More particularly, this invention is directed to a magnetic water conditioning device which can be manually adjusted to coordinate the conditioning effects of the device with the rate of water flow through the device. The invention is directed to a magnetic water conditioner comprising externally mounted means for permitting the distance and intensity of the magnetic field created within the conditioner by permanent magnets to be adjusted, without any disassembly of the device.

Abstract: Spilled liquid hydrocarbon products ranging from crude oil to refined fractions and discrete compounds are converted from a liquid to a gel or to a semi-solid or solid state by contacting a liquid petroleum product with a slurry of cryogenically comminuted polymer particles in a liquified refrigerant gas. The technique is particularly appropriate for control of oil spills in a water environment wherein the oil is either floating on or dispersed in water. Contact of the polymer particles with liquid hydrocarbons results in virtually instantaneous solvation of the polymer in the hydrocarbon to produce a cohesive gel or a semi-solid to solid material at a polymer concentration ranging generally from about 0.2% to 1% for gel formation and from about 1% to 30% for formation of a semi-solid to solid material based on hydrocarbon weight.

Abstract: There is described a pool chlorinator which uses granular chlorine. The chlorinator has a sealed chamber having a container for the granular chlorine. The container has a vertically moving sleeve forming the side wall and a fixed platform forming the bottom. Water from th pressure side of the pool pump flows across the top of the platform to dissolve the chlorine granules and form a bridge of caked chlorine material in the sleeve above the water. The sleeve is lowered incrementally each time the pump is turned on to move the caked material into dissolving contact with the flowing water.

Abstract: A chlorinator including a housing adapted to be submerged below the pool deck of a swimming pool, including a lower liquid chamber and an upper control chamber, and a chlorine container depending from the control chamber into the liquid chamber, a water inlet line extending through the pool wall below the normal water level of the pool communicating with the housing and the chlorine container, and a liquid outlet conduit connecting the lower liquid chamber to the return line on the downstream side of a Venturi orifice within the return line for discharging chlorine-treated water from the liquid chamber into the return line on the discharge side of the pump into the swimming pool.

Abstract: A device for use in water drains provided with an outer drain grating for preventing accidents and coarse material falling into the drain. The device is intended for separating and collecting particulate impurities, such as sand, wooden pegs and leaves, and also oil and other liquid impurities passing through the grating. To this end, the device includes a holder ring intended to be mounted under the drain grating, and carrying the combination of a coarse-filtering and protecting means and a fine-filtering means. The coarse-filtering and protecting means is cup-shaped and arranged in the holder ring, while the fine-filtering means comprises a filter bag of a flexible and water-permeable cloth or fabric material arranged around the holder ring. The holder ring is preferably funnel-shaped and provided with a mounting flange arranged to be firmly clamped beneath the drain grating, and the coarse-filtering and protecting means comprises preferably a wire basket.

Abstract: A device and method for the treatment of a fluid with magnetic lines of force are disclosed. The device comprises an elongated outer casing and at least two spaced-apart elongated magnet assemblies positioned therein to form at least one laminar passageway for said fluid. Each magnet assembly comprises at least one tier of at least two permanent magnets or at least two magnetic sections of a single permanent magnet arranged in coaxial line in N--N and S--S relation. The ends of each tier of magnets or magnetic sections are supported by support members and, when said tier contains more than one magnet, the length of said tier is supported between its ends. The magnet assemblies are positioned so that the polarities of adjacent polar ends of magnets or magnetic sections in one of said magnet assemblies are unlike the polarities of the oppositely disposed adjacent polar ends of magnets or magnetic sections in a spaced-apart magnet assembly.

Abstract: A self-cleaning screen and method for screening water for hydraulic turbine intake diversions is disclosed. A check dam is established across a river on the downstream side of a side channel weir which is at a lower elevation than the dam. A fish transport trough is laterally spaced from the weir at a lower elevation and has an inlet upstream of the weir and an outlet downstream of the dam. A screen having a concave profile is connected between the weir and the trough to remove debris from water flowing over the weir. Water flowing through the screen enters a separate channel under the screen for diversion to a hydraulic turbine inlet water application. Intermittent surges of water over the weir flush debris off the edge of the screen into the trough to clean the screen.

Abstract: A method for simultaneously extracting and recovering 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and phenol from aqueous effluent streams by liquid-liquid extraction using methyl isobutyl ketone.