Water treatment system with prolonged aeration

• US 4,005,014 A
• Filed: 10/02/1975
• Issued: 01/25/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arnold Wikey
• Original Assignee: Arnold Wikey
• Inventors: Wikey, Arnold
• Primary Examiner(s): Spear, Jr., Frank A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spitzer, Robert H.
• Application Number:
  US05/618,885
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 204/149, 204/275, 204/277, 210/15, 210/63, 210/192, 210/220, 210/221 R, 210/7, 261/1, 261/77, 261/123, 261/DIG. 75
• US Class Current: 210/192
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231 by bubbling mixers with gas or liquid agitation, e.g. with air supply tubes B01F33/40
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/231122 the flow guiding elements being dome-shaped elements, i.e. for trapping air, e.g. cap-, umbrella- or inversed cone-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/237612 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/46104 Devices therefor; Their operating or servicing
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4672 by electrooxydation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/727 using pure oxygen or oxygen rich gas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46138 Electrodes comprising a substrate and a coating
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/202 Aeration by electrolytically produced oxygen bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/26 using pure oxygen or oxygen-rich gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

In a water treatment system, an electrolysis unit breaks water into its constituent gases of oxygen and hydrogen. Baffles capture and temporarily hold the resulting gas to prolong periods of aeration in the oxygen. Various vertical arrangements of baffles capture the gas escaping from the next lower baffles in a manner which assists in displacing slow moving water while resisting premature loss of oxygen to fast moving water.

Claims

1. A water treatment system for purifying and aerating water, by exposing the water to a pressurized oxygenated atmosphere,

said water treatment means comprising the combination of:

diffusion means for diffusing bubbles of oxygen in the water being purified and aerated,

baffle means comprising at least one inverted container,

said baffle means positioned a fixed distance below the surface of the water and arranged to capture the gases being diffused through the water,

said baffle means comprising means enabling the escape of said captured gases when the pressure due to the build up of gases within the baffle means exceeds the pressure due to the distance of the baffle means below the surface of the water, whereby the atmosphere of pressurized gases builds up in said baffle means,

aeration means for mechanically aerating the water within the pressurized gases in said baffle means,

said aeration means comprising pump and spray apparatus located under said at least one inverted container for spraying ambient water into the captured pressurized gases within said at least one inverted container, and

said diffusion means comprising electrolysis means located under said at least one inverted container,

said electrolysis means comprising platinum plated titanium electrodes, simultaneously providing an oxygenated atmosphere under said baffle means by breaking down the water into extremely small bubbles of its component gases, aerating the water by diffusion, and maintaining the pressurized gases in said baffle means.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein there is a vertically disposed plurality of said baffle means in said water, said baffle means being horizontally positioned to capture some of the gas escaping from lower baffles while enabling a direct assent of other escaping gases.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein there is a vertically disposed plurality of said baffle means with each succeeding baffle means being positioned to capture virtually all gas escaping from the next lower baffle means, and

wherein each of said baffle means is circular, each succeeding one of said baffle means in an ascending position in said vertical plurality has a diameter which is larger than the next lower baffle means and all of said baffle means are vertically aligned along a common axis, whereby gas escaping from the periphery of any baffle is captured by the next higher baffle.