Abstract: An improved modular system of solids separation is described. In the invention, a settling tank is provided which consists of one or more hoppers having sloped sides downwardly to a drain. Liquids with entrained solids are permitted to accumulate within the hopper as the solids settle until the settling has been completed; whereupon a pump lowered into the liquid is used to decant the liquid. The pump is suspended from a flexible conduit and is lowered as the liquid level lowers so that it remains submerged until the pump reaches a predetermined level above the level of the suspended solids. The sludge is removed from the hopper by gravity flow by opening a drain valve in the bottom therein and an anti-vortexing cap is provided over the drain. The cap has sides which conform to the hopper vessels but slope in the opposite direction so that the lower edge of the cap side is a predetermined distance from the hopper side adjacent the drain.

Abstract: An apparatus for filtering a liquid slurry is described. The apparatus uses a pair of filter chambers formed by a pair of fixed plates, and a pair of opposed moveable plates. The moveable plates are moved into engagement with the fixed plates by the downward movement of a wedge member disposed between the plates and, the plates are bias so that when the wedge member is withdrawn, the plates will be drawn together opening the filter chambers. The chambers are sealed by opposed arcuate gaskets so that the sealing action is achieved by internal pressure rather than the pressure driving the plates together. A filter media is provided on a continuous roll which extends between the gaskets and is intended to carry the filter cake out of the chamber when the plates are separated whereupon the cake will be dropped from the filter media into a collection area so that the filter media can be reused.

Abstract: A modular sewage treatment plant is disclosed using a vessel adapted to contain the standard three phases of a sewage treatment, aeration, settling and clarification. The vessel of this invention uses an inverted, centrally located funnel section to received raw sewage to be treated at the upper opening, and to inject air, counter-currently, at a 180 degree angle to the descending sewage. The aerated sewage leaves the bottom of the aeration section and solids enter a settling section therebelow whereas water to be clarified rises around the outer surface of the funnel shaped aeration section. A hopper shaped bottom in the settling section is provided to facilitated solids removal and a weir system is provided on the upper surface of the clarification section to serve as a scum remover for the clarified water.