Underground effluent disposal-delivery system

• US 5,196,125 A
• Filed: 08/15/1991
• Issued: 03/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: O'BRIEN, O'BRIEN & GRAGG
• Original Assignee: O'BRIEN, O'BRIEN & GRAGG
• Inventors: O'Brien, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Robert A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REIFSNYDER, DAVID A
• Application Number:
  US07/745,570
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 210/170, 210/510.1, 210/747, 210/767, 210/796, 239/200, 239/201, 239/547, 239/145, 239/450
• US Class Current: 210/747.1
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 25/06 Watering arrangements making use of perforated pipe-lines located in the soil
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2203/005 the liquid being ozonated
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/0328 by purging the pipe with a gas or a mixture of gas and liquid
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/006 Water distributors either inside a treatment tank or directing the water to several treatment tanks; Water treatment plants incorporating these distributors, with or without chemical or biological tanks for settling tanks B01D21/24
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/046 Soil filtration
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

A system for subsurface treatment and disposal of wastewater is described. The system comprises the conveyance of secondarily or tertiarily treated water through closed pipes having walls which are permeable to water. The invention further comprises the cleaning of the conveyance pipe via the introduction of compressed air which expands the pipe and removes debris.

Claims

1. A process for upgrading and disposing of wastewater taken directly from a wastewater treatment facility, said process comprising conveyance of said wastewater through a closed, subsurface pipe which allows the conveyance of said wastewater through the walls of said pipe, wherein said conveyance occurs essentially uniformly over the length and surface area of said pipe, and wherein said pipe is periodically cleaned by removing water from said pipe and increasing air pressure in said pipe to at least about 20 psi.

2. The process, according to claim 1, wherein said pipe is cleaned by increasing the air pressure within said pipe to between about 100 psi and about 120 psi.

3. The process, according to claim 1, wherein said process further comprises ozonation of said wastewater before conveyance through said pipe.