Electrocoagulation system

• US 20040251213A1
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: New Earth Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New Earth Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, Kirk D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,682,492 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/748
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/46109 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/463 by electrocoagulation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46138 Electrodes comprising a substrate and a coating
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46152 characterised by the shape or form
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4611 Fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4613 Inversing polarity
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/46175 Electrical pulses
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/02 Fluid flow conditions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/024 Turbulent
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2301/026 Spiral, helicoidal, radial

Abstract

An electrocoagulation device for removal of contaminants from a treatment stream including an elongated fluid treatment path in contact with a plurality of electrode plates, and a power supply electrically connected to the plates, wherein the device is configured so that it can provide a variety of electric field regimes to the treatment stream as it passes along the treatment path, and so that it can provide a variety of flow regimes along the fluid treatment path.

Claims

1. An electrocoagulation system configured for treating a treatment stream, comprising:

a containment having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of plates carried within the containment and configured to provide distributed electrical potential to facilitate formation of an electric field within the containment through which the treatment stream passes;

an elongated fluid pathway configured to direct the treatment stream within the containment, extending from the inlet to the outlet, and in contact with the plurality of plates, said pathway being configured to create a multiplicity of flow regimes in the treatment stream;

a controllable power supply configured to provide variable electric potential to said plurality of plates, at least one plate acting as a cathode and at least one plate acting as an anode, and the system being configured so that a plurality of plates can act as the cathode and a plurality of plates can act as the anode;

the system being configured so that as a treatment stream transits the elongated pathway it can be subjected to a multiplicity of combinations of electrical field regimes and flow regimes, the electrical field regimes being variable independently of the plurality of flow regimes.

2. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elongated fluid pathway transits a plurality of zones, wherein the electric field regime can be altered in each zone so that it is different from another zone.

3. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the controllable power supply can output essentially constant power which is divided between zones, and the division between zones being changeable so that the field in an individual zone can vary while power remains essentially constant.

4. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the system is configured so that the electric field is pulsable.

5. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a fluid connection into the elongated fluid pathway intermediate the inlet and the outlet, whereby substances can be injected into and withdrawn from the treatment stream at a point intermediate ends of the elongated fluid pathway as it transits the elongated pathway.

6. An electrocoaguation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the elongated fluid pathway winds out from a central portion of the containment to an outer portion of the containment.

7. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the elongated fluid pathway has a spiraling configuration.

8. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 7, wherein the spiraling configuration is rounded.

9. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the elongated pathway reverses itself and winds back in upon itself to the central portion of the containment.

10. An electrocoaguation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to vary the output from the controllable power supply so that variation of the electric field regime to which the treatment stream is subjected is such that a substance in the treatment stream is exposed to a variety of electric field regimes as it transits the elongated pathway.

11. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a power storage device and configured to enable greater variation of electric field intensity from a given power supply.

12. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the power storage device comprises a capacitor.

13. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the crossectional area of the elongated fluid pathway along its length is non-constant, and wherein the elongated fluid pathway has at least one abrupt change in direction, whereby variation of the flow regimes through which the treatment stream passes is enhanced.

14. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the system is configured so that polarity of electrical power supplied to the system is reversible.

15. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the controllable power supply further comprises a plurality of switches so that current from the power supply is switchable, whereby the power supply can operate at a substantially steady state and the current output can be varied.

41. A system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a central manifold, and wherein the elongated fluid treatment pathway extends from at least one of a) a central portion within the containment to an outer portion of the containment;

and, b) said outer portion to said central portion.

16. An electrocoagulation system configured for remediation of a wastewater treatment stream, comprising:

a containment having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of electrically conductive plates, at least one of which is sacrificial, configured to provide a source of ions and of distributed potential;

an elongated fluid pathway disposed within the containment and extending from the inlet to the outlet, said elongated fluid pathway having along its length a non-constant cross-sectional area and said elongated fluid pathway having contact with at least one of said electrically conductive plates along a majority of its length;

a controllable power supply configured to provide variable and reversible electric potential to said plurality of electrically conductive plates, whereby at least two of said plates are configured to act as both a cathode and an anode by turns, and whereby a multiplicity of electric field regimes can be created along the elongated pathway through which the treatment stream passes,

the system being configured so that as the wastewater treatment stream flows along the elongated pathway it is subjected to a multiplicity of electric field regimes, and to a variety of fluid flow regimes.

17. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the plates are configured in a spiraling pattern.

18. A system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the spiraling pattern is rounded.

19. A system as set forth in claim 16, further comprising a connection intermediate the ends of the elongated pathway where through substances can be injected into and withdrawn from a treatment stream transiting the elongated pathway.

20. A system as set forth in claim 16, further comprising a connection facilitating separation of gasses from the treatment stream.

21. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the elongated pathway reverses direction on itself so as to flow through at least a portion of an electric field regime in each of two different directions.

22. A system as set forth in claim 17, wherein the pathway is a spiral which reverses on itself.

23. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the controllable power supply is switchable, and configured so that current in the system can be turned on and off to at least a portion of the plates while separately turned on and off to another portion of the plates.

24. A system as set forth in claim 23, wherein the controllable power supply is configured so that polarity of electrical current in the system can be reversed in at least a portion of the plates while polarity is not reversed in at least a portion of the plates.

25. A system as set forth in claim 24, wherein the system is configured so that the magnitude of at least one of the current and the voltage can be varied from one non-zero value to another non-zero value in at least a portion of the plates.

26. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the system is configured to enable the treatment stream to be subjected to a pulsitile electric field intensity.

27. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the plates are divided into a number of zones wherein an electric field created in one zone can be energized at levels different from that of another zone.

28. A system as set forth in claim 27, wherein the number of zones is one of 2, 3, and 4 zones.

29. A system as set forth in claim 16, comprising a plurality of elongate fluid pathways in separate containments powered by a single controllable power supply.

30. A system as set forth in claim 28, wherein the system further comprises switches enabling current to be switched from one zone to another.

31. A system as set forth in claim 30, where said switches are configured in an H-bridge configuration.

32. A system as set forth in claim 30, wherein said switches are solid state devices.

33. A system as set forth in claim 30, wherein said switches can control supplied electrical current as to being on and off and as to polarity of said current in at least a portion of said plates.

34. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein a plurality of plates are directly energizable from the controllable power supply and a plurality of plates are energizable through an electrolytic property of fluid of the treatment stream.

35. A system as set forth in claim 34, wherein said plates directly energizable comprise two plates, with a plurality of additional plates energizable via the treatment stream.

36. A system as set forth in claim 34, wherein said plates directly energizable are within a first zone of a plurality of zones of plates and the plurality of plates energized indirectly through the treatment stream are within a second zone of said plurality of zones.

39. A system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising the process steps of providing different electric field intensities at a plurality of places along the elongated fluid pathway at a given time and varying the field intensities at the plurality of places at least once during a period of time wherein a constituent molecule of the treatment stream transits the elongated fluid pathway.

37. An electrocoagulation system configured to enable remediation of variable wastewater treatment streams, comprising:

a containment configured for containing a treatment stream under a pressure different from atmospheric pressure, having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of sources of distributed potential, at least one being configured to be able to act as a cathode and at least one being configured to be able to act as an anode;

a controllable switching power supply configured to be able to provide power so as to provide a variable electric field to the treatment stream within the containment;

an elongated fluid pathway disposed within the confinement and extending from the inlet to the outlet, the elongated fluid pathway being in fluid contact with said sources of electrical potential along a majority of its length and being of non-constant cross-sectional area and having at least one abrupt change in crossectional area and at least one abrupt flow direction change;

wastewater treatment streams traveling along the elongated pathway being subjectable to a multiplicity of electrical field and fluid flow regimes.

38. An electrocoagulation system configured to treat a treatment stream by at least the following process steps:

confining the treatment stream to an elongated fluid pathway

subjecting the treatment stream to a multiplicity of electric field regimes during transit along the elongated fluid pathway, the electric field regimes being controllably alterable for improved treatment of the treatment stream;

subjecting the treatment stream to changing flow regimes during transit along the elongated fluid pathway, the flow regimes and the electric field regimes cooperating to give improved treatment results.

40. An electrocoagulation system configured to enable treatment of a variable treatment stream, comprising:

a containment having an inlet and an out let and an elongated fluid pathway from the inlet to the outlet;

means for providing distributed potential and an electric field in the treatment stream along a majority of the elongated fluid pathway;

means for controllably altering the electrical field along the elongated fluid pathway, whereby the treatment stream is subjected to a multiplicity of electric field regimes as it transits the elongated fluid pathway;

means for providing a plurality of fluid flow regimes which the treatment stream is subjected to as it transits the elongated pathway,

the system facilitating improved adaptability to variation in the treatments stream, and also being adjustable to facilitate better treatment of a given treatment stream.

42. A system as set forth in claim 40, further comprising a central manifold, and wherein the elongated fluid treatment pathway extends from at least one of a) a central portion within the containment to an outer portion of the containment;

and, b) said outer portion to said central portion.