WATER TREATMENT DEVICES

• US 20150218024A1
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acqualogic
• Original Assignee: Acqualogic, Inc.
• Inventors: HAASE, PETER HELLER, LEVY, ROSS HARLEN
• Granted Patent: US 9,505,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/00 Filters with filtering elements stationary during filtration, e.g. pressure or suction filters, not covered by groups B01D24/00 - B01D27/00; Filtering elements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/00 Large containers component parts, details or accessories B65D90/00; construction or assembling of bulk storage containers employing civil engineering techniques in situ or off the site E04H7/00; gas holders of variable capacity F17B; vessels for containing or storing compressed, liquefied or solidified gases F17C
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/16 flexible B65D88/34 - B65D88/78 take precedence; hoppers B65D88/26
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 88/1612 Flexible intermediate bulk containers [FIBC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2203/006 details of construction, e.g. specially adapted seals, modules, connections
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2203/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/14 Maintenance of water treatment installations
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/04 using trickle filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/10 Packings; Fillings; Grids packing elements in general B01J19/30, B01J19/32
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/105 Characterized by the chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/109 Characterized by the shape C02F3/104 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/284 using anaerobic baffled reactors
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/2846 using upflow anaerobic sludge blanket [UASB] reactors
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/286 including two or more steps
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/343 Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport movable roof parts E04B7/16; floatable buildings B63B; small prefabricated buildings, transportable as a whole, E04H1/12; small garages E04H6/02; tents or canopies, in general E04H15/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/34305 telescopic
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 15/28 Umbrella type tents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49616 : Structural member making

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include water treatment systems and components for water treatment systems that possess a collapsed and an expanded configuration, that can be easily transported in the collapsed configuration and expeditiously set up in the field into their expanded configuration. The embodiments include trickle filter/clarifier combinations, upflow anaerobic digester reactors, recirculating anaerobic digesters and their components. In preferred embodiments the volume of the expanded configurations is at least four times the volume of the collapsed configurations.

Claims

1. A water treatment system configured as a vertically stacked trickle filter-clarifier combination having a reservoir assembly, the reservoir assembly comprising:

a reservoir with an upper trickle filter compartment and a lower clarifier compartment, the reservoir having a collapsed configuration with a first volume and an expanded configuration with a second volume, wherein the second volume is at least 4 times larger than the first volume;

a separator located between the upper trickle filter compartment and the lower clarifier compartment; and

a drain configured as a conduit between the upper trickle filter compartment and the lower clarifier compartment.

2. A water treatment system as in claim 1, further comprising a floor located below the lower clarifier compartment.

3. A water treatment system as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the separator, the drain and the floor is integrated with the reservoir into a single unit.

4. A water treatment system as in claim 1, further comprising:

a biological medium carrier within the upper trickle filter compartment, wherein the biological medium carrier has a collapsed configuration with a first volume and an expanded configuration with a second volume.

5. A water treatment system as in claim 4, wherein the biological medium carrier is integrated into a single unit with the upper trickle filter compartment.

11. A water treatment system as in claim 1, wherein the reservoir assembly comprises a flexible sheet construction.

12. A water treatment system as in claim 1, wherein the reservoir assembly comprises an accordion construction.

13. A water treatment system as in claim 1, wherein the reservoir assembly comprises a telescope construction.

14. A water treatment system as in claim 1, further comprising a support frame configured to support the reservoir assembly, wherein the support frame has a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration.

15. A water treatment system as in claim 14, wherein the support frame comprises

an upright central support member;

and

at least one set of radial support cross members, moveably connected with the central support member in an umbrella configuration.

16. A water treatment system having a biological medium carrier as in claim 4, further comprising:

a support frame configured to support the reservoir assembly, the support frame having a collapsed configuration and an expanded configuration and having an upright central support member with at least one set of radial support cross members moveably connected with the central support member in an umbrella configuration; and

the biological medium carrier being connected with radial support cross members.

17. A water treatment system as in claim 15, wherein the radial support cross members are length-adjustable.

6. A water treatment system configured as a recirculating anaerobic digester having a reservoir assembly, the reservoir assembly comprising:

a sequence of consecutive upflow anaerobic digester reservoirs with a first reservoir and a last reservoir, the digester reservoirs having a collapsed configuration with a first volume and an expanded configuration with a second volume, wherein the second volume is at least 4 times larger than the first volume;

at least one conduit from an upper level in each reservoir, except the last reservoir, to a lower level in a consecutive reservoir;

a water inlet connected with the first reservoir; and

a water outlet connected with the last reservoir;

the reservoirs and the at least one conduit providing a flow path for water from the water inlet to the water outlet.

7. A water treatment system as in claim 6, wherein at least one digester reservoir and at least one conduit have been integrated into a single unit.

8. A water treatment system as in claim 6, wherein the at least one conduit is formed by a channel between seams connecting two adjacent reservoirs.

9. A water treatment system configured as an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor having a reservoir assembly, the reservoir assembly comprising:

a reservoir having a collapsed configuration with a first volume and an expanded configuration with a second volume, wherein the second volume is at least 4 times larger than the first volume;

at least one baffle configured as a guide to a gas outlet for methane gas produced during operation of the water treatment system;

a water inlet connected with the reservoir at a lower level;

a water outlet connected with the reservoir at an upper level; and

a gas outlet connected with the reservoir at an upper level.

10. A water treatment system as in claim 9, wherein the at least one baffle is integrated with the reservoir into a single unit.

18. A method for erecting a water treatment system configured as a vertically stacked trickle filter-clarifier combination, comprising the steps of:

providing a reservoir assembly for the water treatment system in a collapsed configuration;

the reservoir assembly comprising

a reservoir with an upper trickle filter compartment and a lower clarifier compartment, the reservoir having a collapsed configuration with a first volume and an expanded configuration with a second volume, wherein the second volume is at least 4 times larger than the first volume;

a separator located between the upper trickle filter compartment and the lower clarifier compartment; and

a drain configured as a conduit between the upper trickle filter compartment and the lower clarifier compartment;

expanding the reservoir assembly from the collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration;

providing components for a support frame;

erecting the support frame; and

connecting the reservoir assembly with the support frame.