System and method for maintaining water quality in large water bodies

• US 10,364,585 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2015
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crystal Image Technology Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Crystal Lagoons (Curacao) B.V. (Crystal Lagoons Corp.)
• Inventors: Fischmann, Fernando Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Keyworth, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/823,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20150345164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/001 Processes for the treatment of water whereby the filtration technique is of importance C02F1/44 takes precedence; construction of filters in general B01D24/00 - B01D41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/40 Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/52 by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities C02F1/463 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5245 using basic salts, e.g. of aluminium and iron
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5263 using natural chemical compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5272 using specific organic precipitants
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5281 Installations for water purification using chemical agents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/56 Macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/76 with halogens or compounds of halogens C02F1/4674 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/007 Processes including a sedimentation step
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/007 Contaminated open waterways, rivers, lakes or ponds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/42 from bathing facilities, e.g. swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/008 comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/08 Chemical Oxygen Demand [COD]; Biological Oxygen Demand [BOD]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/11 Turbidity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/15 N03-N
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/18 PO4-P
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/22 : O2
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/29 : Chlorine compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/36 : Biological material, e.g. enzymes or ATP
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/44 : Time
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 : Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/24 : Separation of coarse particles, e.g. by using sieves or screens
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 : Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1209 : Treatment of water for swimming pools filters B01D
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1281 : Devices for distributing chemical products in the water of swimming pools
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/16 : specially adapted for cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/1654 : Self-propelled cleaners

Abstract

The present application relates to an innovative and optimized method and system for maintaining water quality in water bodies such as excavated inland structures and floating structures with bottoms comprising flexible membranes, using a simplified economic filtration system and degreasing system that requires much smaller filtration equipment than conventional centralized filtration systems and provides for consumption of significantly lower amounts of energy. The method of the invention allows activating a chemical application system, mobile suctioning device, and/or degreasing system based on information regarding turbidity, the color of the bottom of the water body, and amount of greases on the surface water layer of the water body, to adjust the water quality parameters within their limits.

Claims

1. A system for maintaining water quality in a large water body comprising water contained in a container having a bottom, the system comprising:

a container that contains a water body;

a chemical application system for dosing a flocculant into the water, wherein the chemical application system applies a flocculant to the water in the water body to maintain turbidity of the water below 2 NTU;

a mobile suctioning device capable of moving along the bottom of the container and suctioning a portion of the water containing settled solids at the bottom of the container, wherein the mobile suctioning device is configured to be activated before an increase in color black component of the bottom of the container exceeds 30% on a CMYK scale and wherein the mobile suctioning device comprises suction points distributed along a bottom of the suctioning device constructed to concentrate suctioning power at the suction points and not resuspend more than 30% of the settled solids in an area of the bottom of the container where the mobile suctioning device moves along;

a control system configured and arranged to activate the operation of the suctioning device based on a determination of the color of the bottom of the container;

a filtration system comprising a filtration unit in fluid communication with the mobile suctioning device, wherein the filtration unit receives the portion of water suctioned by the mobile suction device;

a degreasing system, separate from the filtration system, comprising;

(a) a separation unit, including a degreaser and a screen or coarse filter, and

(b) skimmers in fluid communication with the body of water and the separation unit, the skimmers arranged and configured to provide a surface water flow from the water body to the separation unit, and

wherein the degreaser is an overflow apparatus for separating oils and greases from the water, the screen or course filter is arranged and configured for retaining large debris, and the degreasing system is capable of maintaining a top-most 1 cm surface water layer as having less than about 20 mg/L greases; and

one or more return lines for returning filtered water from the filtration unit and the degreasing system to the water body,

wherein the system is a closed system capable of maintaining water quality suitable for recreational uses.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the water body has a surface area of at least 7,000 m².

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the container comprises an excavated structure having walls to contain the water and a non-permeable flexible membrane covering the bottom of the excavated structure, the bottom having a slope that is about 20% or less and the walls having a slope that is greater than about 45%.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein soil forming a bottom of the excavated structure is compacted soil, the soil compacted to at least 80% of its relative density (RD) if a passage rate of the soil forming the bottom of the excavated structure through N^o 200 mesh is less than 12%.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein soil forming the bottom of the excavated structure is compacted soil, the soil compacted to at least 85% of its maximum dry density (MDD) if a passage rate of the soil forming the bottom of the excavated structure through N^o 200 mesh is greater than 12%.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the excavated structure has a top layer of soil removed, and wherein the removed top layer of soil is at least 5 cm.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to activate the chemical application system and the degreasing system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system is arranged and configured to receive information regarding water quality parameters, process the information, and activate the chemical application system and/or degreasing system to adjust the water quality parameters within predetermined limits.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system is an automated system that processes information.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system may be operated on site.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system may be operated remotely through an internet connection or other information-exchange system.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the control system is arranged and configured to receive information regarding the turbidity of the water and to activate the flocculant application to adjust the turbidity within a set limit.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the container has a color that provides a specific coloration to water in the water body.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the container has a white, yellow, or light blue color.

15. The system of claim 3, wherein the non-permeable flexible material comprises rubber, plastic, Teflon, low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamides, PVC, acrylics, or a combination thereof.

16. The system of claim 3, wherein the non-permeable flexible material has a thickness between about 0.1 mm and about 5 mm.

17. The system of claim 3, wherein the walls are covered with the non-permeable flexible material.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the suctioning device is supported over brushes to avoid damaging the bottom of the container.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the suctioning device is a self-propelled device.