Abstract: A device for picking up oil floating on the surface of water, particularly heavy fuel oil and weathered crude oil, which device comprises;(a) a first rotatable drum (2) having corrugations (3) extending across its surface;(b) a second, smaller rotatable drum (11) having corrugations (12) extending across its surface adapted to mesh with the corrugations (3) of the first drum (2);(c) means for driving one or other of the drums;(d) a collector for recovered oil (14) mounted below the area where the gear teeth mesh, and(e) at least one float so that in use the device floats with the first larger drum (2) partially immersed in water and the second smaller drum (11) and collector (14) clear of the water.

Abstract: A filter apparatus for an aquarium combines mechanical, chemical, and biological filters in a structure which can be hidden from view under the gravel at the bottom of the tank. A generally horizontally extending upper wall and attached supporting sides cooperate with the bottom of the tank to define a dispersion chamber. A filter box is supported above the upper wall and defines a filter cavity for retaining mechanical and chemical filter material with an inlet in fluid communication with a portion of the tank above the upper wall and an outlet in fluid communication with the dispersion chamber. The upper wall has a plurality of apertures formed therein for substantially uniform dispersion of water from the dispersion chamber. A pump means circulates water from the tank through the filter material in the filter box, through the dispersion chamber and back to the tank through the gravel. The flow of clean water out of the apertures in the upper wall and up through the gravel achieves biological filtration.

Abstract: A wafer-like filter screen for whirlpool apparatus positioned across the water intake and removably secured thereto to prevent foreign objects being drawn into the interior of the apparatus.

Abstract: A filter for use with an aquarium is provided which is in direct fluid communication with the water of the aquarium, Only mechanical plug and socket type connections are used to connect the filter housing to a submersible centrifugal pump and to connect a closure member of the filter housing to a housing main body. No separate seal means are used. Inlet connecting means as well as outer connecting means of the filter housing are both provided in the closure member. Support means are provided to support the filter housing in such vertical position that the joint between the closure member and the housing main body of the filter housing just immerges into the water of the aquarium. Thus, the major portion of the filter housings projects above the surface of the water of the aquarium leaving a maximum of water volume accessible to fish and providing a field of view of maximum size. Thus, an extremely attractive, fail-safe and low cost filter is provided.

Abstract: In a device for separating a liquid, as a cutting oil, from a mixture of metal chips and larger pieces of metal, such as bar ends and scrap, there is provided structure for preliminarily separating larger pieces of metal from the entire mass prior to the separation of the oil from the chips. A centrifuge is provided having a drum with an intermediate perforated segment to permit the escape of oil therefrom while the chips move to the upper edge of the drum and thence outwardly to a receiving structure. A chute is provided for feeding the mixture to be separated into the central portion of the drum and a strong stream of air is caused to flow therethrough into the centrifuge. An opening is provided in the bottom of the chute intermediate its ends.

Abstract: A barrier for the containment and recovery of oil spilt on water comprises a first buoyant air chamber 1, a ballast water chamber 2, an oil and water discharge tube 3 and a second buoyant air chamber 6. The first air chamber 1 has a plurality of sections of reduced diameter 7, which together with the ballast water chamber 2 define a series of weirs for oil and water to pass into a gallery formed by the ballast water chamber 2, the oil and water discharge tube 3 and the second air chamber 6. Pumps 4 may be provided in the oil and water discharge tube 3 to remove oil from the gallery. The second air chamber 6 provides buoyancy to maintain the optimum configuration of the weirs.

Abstract: A vibratory screening machine as described separating solid particles from liquid in which a fine mesh screen (30) includes an inclined region extending upwardly to a discharge edge (34) over which solid material (36) separated by filtration can pass. Vibration of the screen (30) causes the solid particulate material to move towards the discharge edge (34).The screen (30) forms the base of a reservoir having sides (10) and a weir or dam (46) at the opposite end to the discharged edge (34).A suspension of liquid and solid particulate material is supplied to the machine along a pipeline (28) and is discharged onto the rear end of the screen (30) from a discharge head (24).One or more intermediate screens of a similar design are located above the main vibrating screen and above one another and the suspension of liquid and solid material discharged onto the first screen overflows onto the rear end of the screen immediately therebelow. Trays (68) and (70) are provided to catch liquid draining through.

Abstract: The invention relates to a water surface cleaner method and apparatus for suctioning flotage such as oil, pollutants, floating debris and the like from water surfaces. A water guide passage extends between front and rear ends of a floating body. Exhaust flow of a pump generates an effective surface current in front of the body and through the passage. A flotage collecting section is provided at the rear end of the water guide passage. Buoyant means support the flotage collecting section at and under the water surface. A propeller system is connected to a radio control receiver provided on said body.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises a settler and a piping for discharging clarified water, mounted on a floating means. The settler is encompassed by an enclosure and has a plurality of parallel inclined passages for upwardly passing therethrough water from a water basin and for enabling said particles suspended in the water to settle on the walls of the passages and subsequently slide down into the water basin. In accordance with the invention, the enclosure is at its bottom portion divided by vertical partition walls into cells which communicate with the inlet openings of the settler passages and are adapted to dispersely admit water into the settler. The apparatus comprises also a collector adapted to uniformly collect water flowing out of the settler, which collector is a system of horizontal channels forming a single channel communicating with said piping.

Abstract: A concavo-convex reaction member for use in a device for centrifuging separation into a receiver of a heavier, particulate constituent of a fluid system from a lighter, fluid constituent, the system swirling downwardly in a chamber wherein the member is disposed to reflect a swirl of the lighter constituent upwardly after separation of a portion of the heavier constituent with particles of the heavier constituent tending to settle on the member and to become mixed with the upward swirl, the member providing a convex, downwardly and outwardly sloping upper surface which sheds such particles downwardly into the receiver and providing a concave surface disposed toward the receiver to obstruct movement of separated heavier constituent upwardly therefrom.

Abstract: The invention relates to a filter for purifying a fluid containing ferromagnetic particles.The filter comprises a cylindrical envelope containing steel beads between which the fluid to be purified passes, and a device, at the periphery of the envelope, for magnetizing the beads. It also comprises at least one plate for supporting the beads, which is pierced with holes and arranged transversely at a certain height in the envelope. The fluid is introduced and discharged by means of pipes, one of which opens in the envelope below the plate for supporting the beads, and the other of which passes through the bed of beads, from the bottom, and opens above the bed of beads and below the top of the envelope of the filter.The invention applies in particular to the filtration of the pressurized water of a nuclear reactor using pressurized water.

Abstract: The invention describes a device for recovering oil floating on the surface of water. The device is a floating vessel which is maneuverable at will in order effectively to recover all of an oil slick floating on the surface of the water. The device includes paddle wheel means to skim the oil from the surface of the water. The oil so picked up is propelled up guide plates, and over weirs, with a plurality of said wheels being arranged in sequence. The wheels are of different diameter but rotate at the same speed in order to provide separation of oil and water picked up by the device, and the device is also arranged to discharge the oil into a means from which the oil can readily be transported away from the device.The device may be provided with an additional wheel and screen for picking up debris floating on the surface of the water, and to separate that debris from the oil and water picked up by the device by leaving it on the screen.

Abstract: Apparatus for extracting material floating on the surface of a fluid having waves thereon is provided comprising means (20) for causing the waves to break, means (36) for directing the broken waves to induce a downward flow of surface fluid and the material thereon, means (34) for discharging the downward flow of fluid and said material a preselected distance below the surface of the fluid, and means (20, 22) for containing the discharged material. In a particular embodiment, a submerged refractive structure in the form of a dome-shaped shell (20) is provided to cause the waves to break. Guide vanes (36) direct the broken surface waves into a centrally disposed vertical standpipe (34) where the fluid and the entrained floating material flows downward and is then discharged at the bottom of the shell. The material accumulates at the upper interior portion (22) within the shell. An access opening (50) is provided through the wall of the shell to facilitate removal of the material accumulated within the shell.

Abstract: A full jacket-worm centrifuge is disclosed for continuous separation of water-sludge mixtures. The centrifuge has a cylindrical drum jacket with a conically tapered portion in a direction of a solid matter discharge. A worm conveyor having cylindrical and conical portions is arranged within the drum jacket. Between a slurry inlet on the drum jacket and the solid matter discharge a liquid separation product discharge is arranged. Between this liquid discharge and the solid matter discharge a cross-sectional constriction is provided having a plate extending radially to a point spaced from an interior side of the drum jacket. Means are provided to control a differential speed between the drum jacket and worm conveyor or solid matter quantity supplied per unit of time to the centrifuge according to torque of the worm conveyor, solid matter concentration in the solid matter discharge, or solid matter concentration in the liquid separation product discharge.

Abstract: An improved filter bucket for a flight conveyor having two sides and a bottom with an integral rake edge. Numerous equally spaced apart arcuately curved wires are fixed to and supported by longitudinally extended cross bars in a grid fashion to form the generally concave bucket bottom interior surface. The wires extend beyond the cross bar at the leading edge of the bucket to form a rake edge for engaging and retaining material conveyed. Perforated sides with numerous holes formed therethrough of diameter equal to the bottom grid spacing wires provide for a uniform filtering action filtering action through the bottom and sides of the bucket.

Abstract: A backpressure grid plate is provided for a pressure filtration system of the type comprising a housing with an inlet and outlet for conducting fluid to be treated, a filter disposed in the housing between said inlet and outlet, and a backpressure grid means arranged between the filter and the inlet. The backpressure grid means comprises a plate containing minute openings which are equal in size and distributed unevenly over the surface area of the plate in such manner that the surface distribution density of the openings is lowest within an inner impact area of the plate which receives inflowing fluid to be filtered and is highest within a proximity area of the plate located immediately adjacent to and surrounding the impact area. The surface distribution density of the openings within an outer area surrounding the proximity area is lower than that of the proximity area and higher than that of the impact area.

Abstract: A method of separating oil and other floatatable debris from the sand on a beach by localized flooding of the beach is disclosed. Suitable large diameter conduits are provided to introduce large quantities of water to a selected area of the beach, the water mixing with the sand and causing oil and other debris on or buried in the sand to float, and thus to rise toward the surface of the sand. A second flooding operation refloats the debris and a skimmer mechanism then removes the floating oil and other material while allowing the water to return to the beach area. The water supply is provided by means of suitable conduits carried by a truck, tractor, or other beach vehicle. In the preferred embodiment, the water required for flooding is obtained from the ocean by an extension of the supply conduits, with the forward motion of the tractor providing the required water flow through the conduits to the area to be cleaned.

Abstract: A device for treating fluids passing therethrough with a pulsed DC magnetic field includes a cylindrical conduit of nonmagnetic material in which there is captively held a plurality of adjacently contacting solid ferromagnetic but unmagnetized spheres. At opposite ends and surrounding the cylindrical conduit is a pair of annular pole pieces made of a ferromagnetic material between which there is circumferentially wound an activating coil supplied with pulsed DC from a power supply. The interrupted DC field provides, in connection with the pole piece and spheres, a tortuous path through the treating device where the magnetic field is concentrated at the nodes defined by the pole pieces and the spheres through which the magnetic flux path is completed from pole piece to pole piece. In the preferred embodiment the device is employed for the magnetic treatment of water passing through the cylindrical conduit.

Abstract: Immiscibility between polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) substances and retrofilled non PCB transformer dielectrics allows for the mechanical separation of the PCB substances from the retrofilled dielectrics. Sedimentation, filtration and centrifugation can be employed in the separation process.

Abstract: The invention relates to a separator for separating a mixture of two immiscible liquids of different densities, one of these being dispersed in the other. The separator which includes, superposed in a cylindrical tank, an injection chamber for injecting the mixture disposed between a coalescence chamber and a collecting chamber for collecting the dispersed component. The injection chamber (2) communicates with the coalescence chamber (3) via an annular passage (72) formed between the wall of the tank (1) and the periphery of a deflector (7) which separates said chambers and is also surmounted by funnels (70) which make the coalescence chamber communicate with the collecting chamber. The invention applies in particular to the treatment of bilge water on board ships or to the treatment of ballast water on board oil tankers.