Hydraulic sludge recovery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025099880-A1
Application number	US-202418889686-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 19, 2024
Priority date	Sep 22, 2023
Publication date	Mar 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A continuous backwash upflow media filter comprises a container having a conical bottom; a wastewater influent tube having an opening within the container; an effluent weir within the container and an effluent tube with an opening in the effluent weir; a reject weir within the container below the effluent weir and a reject tube with an opening in the reject weir; an inverted deflection cone within the container positioned below the opening of the wastewater influent tube forming an annular space between the inverted deflection cone and the conical bottom of the container; an airlift pipe having a lower opening below the inverted deflection cone and below the annular space; and a sludge lift tube having a lower opening inside the media-free cavity formed by the inverted deflection cone above the annular space and an upper opening adapted to discharge sludge out of the container.

First claim

1 . A continuous backwash upflow media filter comprising:
a) a container having a conical bottom; b) a wastewater influent tube having an opening within the container; c) an effluent weir within the container and an effluent tube with an opening in the effluent weir; d) a reject weir within the container and a reject tube with an opening in the reject weir, wherein the reject weir is positioned below the effluent weir; e) an inverted deflection cone within the container positioned below the opening of the wastewater influent tube forming an annular space between the inverted deflection cone and the conical bottom of the container; f) an airlift pipe having a lower opening below the inverted deflection cone and below the annular space, wherein the airlift pipe has an upper opening positioned below the effluent weir and above the reject weir; and g) a sludge lift tube having a lower opening inside the inverted deflection cone above the annular space, wherein the sludge lift tube has an upper opening adapted to discharge sludge out of the container.

2 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 wherein the lower opening of the sludge lift tube is positioned within a media-free cavity formed by the inverted deflection cone.

3 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 further comprising an air injection tube connected to the sludge lift tube.

4 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 further comprising a throttling valve controlling flow through the sludge lift tube.

5 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 wherein the sludge lift tube is movable so that the lower opening of the sludge lift tube is adjustable vertically within the inverted deflection cone.

6 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 wherein the length of the sludge lift tube is adjustable so that the lower opening of the sludge lift tube is adjustable vertically within the media-free cavity formed by the inverted deflection cone.

7 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 6 wherein the length of the sludge lift tube is adjustable automatically.

8 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional sludge lift tubes having lower openings inside the inverted deflection cone above the opening of the first sludge lift tube.

9 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 8 further comprising throttling valves controlling flow through the additional lift tubes.

10 . The continuous backwash upflow media filter of claim 8 further comprising air injection tubes connected to the additional lift tubes.

Assignees

• Univ Leland Stanford Junior

Inventors

• Tilmans Sebastien
• Khuntia Himanshu K
• Stedman Ken M

Classifications

• B01D24/4689

  Displacement of the filtering material to a compartment of the filtering device for regeneration · CPC title

• B01D2101/04

  Sand or gravel filters · CPC title

• B01D24/4668

  by moving the filtering element (B01D24/4605 and B01D24/4631 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01D24/44 Primary

  for discharging filter cake, e.g. chutes · CPC title

• B01D24/24 Primary

  Downward filtration, the container having distribution or collection headers or pervious conduits · CPC title