Electrocoagulation system

• US 7,682,492 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: New Earth Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: New Earth Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, Kirk D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilkins, III; Harry D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith; Nicholas A.
• Application Number:
  US10/817,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20040251213A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,181 Days
• Field of Search: 205/676, 210/748, 204/228.1, 204/229.4, 204/230.2
• US Class Current: 204/230.2
• 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 container having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of plates positioned in the container to at least partially define a pathway from the inlet of the container to the outlet of the container through which the treatment stream passes, the plurality of plates forming at least two sets of electrodes;

a power supply configured to provide electric potential to the plurality of plates, wherein the polarity of each of the at least two sets of electrodes is controllable independently from each other; and

wherein the electrocoagulation system is configured so that as the treatment stream moves along the pathway the treatment stream is subjected to a plurality of electric field regimes which plurality of electric field regimes includes a non-constant current density when operated under steady-state operation.

2. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the treatment stream passes though a plurality of zones each of which includes an electric field regime from the plurality of electric field regimes, wherein the electric field regime in each of the plurality of zones is controllable independently of each other.

3. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the power supply is configured to output substantially constant power divided between the plurality of zones, and wherein a portion of power sent to each of the plurality of zones is changeable so that the electric field regime in each zone is variable while the power provided by the power supply remains substantially constant.

4. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of electric field regimes is pulsable.

5. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a fluid connection positioned between the inlet of the container and the outlet of the container and though which substances can be injected into and withdrawn from the treatment stream.

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

7. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the 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 pathway winds back from the outer portion of the container to the central portion of the container.

10. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a power storage device that provides electric potential to the plurality of plates.

11. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the power storage device comprises a capacitor.

12. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the pathway along its length is not constant, and wherein the pathway has at least one abrupt change in direction to enhance variation of the flow of the treatment stream as it passes through the container.

13. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of plates form at least three sets of electrodes.

14. An electrocoagulation system as set forth in claim 13, wherein the power supply further comprises a plurality of switches so that current from the power supply to the at least three sets of electrodes is switchable, wherein the power supply is configured operate at a substantially steady state and the current output to the at least three sets of electrodes is variable.

37. 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 container to an outer portion of the container;

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

41. A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of plates forming the at least two sets of electrodes have a non-constant surface area, and wherein the non-constant current density is a result the non-constant surface area of the at least two set of electrodes.

43. A system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising one or more flow guide members along the pathway which at least partially electrically shield a portion of the pathway and contribute to forming the plurality of electric field regimes, said flow guide members being a dielectric or a conductor having a higher resistance than the plurality of plates.

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

a container having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of electrically conductive plates, at least one of which is sacrificial, the plurality of electrically conductive plates defining a pathway from the inlet of the container to the outlet of the container through which the wastewater treatment stream passes; and

a power supply configured to provide variable and reversible electric potential to the plurality of electrically conductive plates, wherein at least two of the plurality of electrically conductive plates are configured to reversibly act as both a cathode and an anode so that the wastewater treatment stream is subject to a plurality of electric field regimes having a reversible polarity and a non-constant current density under steady state operation as it flows along the pathway; and

wherein a cross-sectional area of the pathway along its length is not constant so that the wastewater treatment stream is subjected to a variety of fluid flow regimes as it flows along the pathway.

16. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the plates are configured in a spiraling pattern.

17. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the spiraling pattern is rounded.

18. A system as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a connection positioned between the inlet of the container and the outlet of the container and through which substances can be injected into and withdrawn from the wastewater treatment stream.

19. A system as set forth in claim 15, further comprising a connection facilitating separation of gasses from the treatment stream.

20. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the pathway directs the wastewater treatment stream through at least one of the electric field regimes from the plurality of electric field regimes in two different directions.

21. A system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the pathway has a spiral shape which reverses on itself.

22. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the power supply is configured so that power can be turned on to at least a portion of the plurality of electrically conductive plates while separately turned off to another portion of the plurality of electrically conductive plates.

23. A system as set forth in claim 22, wherein the power supply is configured so that a polarity of the electric potential to at least one portion of the plurality of electrically conductive plates is reversible while a polarity of the electric potential to at least another portion of the plurality of electrically conductive plates remains constant.

24. A system as set forth in claim 23, wherein the system is configured so that the magnitude of at least one of a current and a voltage of the electric potential is changeable from one non-zero value to another non-zero value in at least a portion of the plurality of electrically conductive plates.

25. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the system is configured to pulse the intensity of at least one of the plurality of electric field regimes.

26. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the plates are isolated into a plurality of zones, wherein at least one of the plurality of zones includes at least one of the plurality of electric field regimes, and wherein at least one of the plurality of zones is energized at a power level different from a power level in another of the plurality of zones.

27. A system as set forth in claim 26, wherein the plurality of zones includes two, three, or four zones.

28. A system as set forth in claim 15, comprising a plurality of containers each of which is configured as recited in claim 15, the plurality of containers being powered by a single power supply.

29. A system as set forth in claim 27, wherein the system further comprises switches enabling power to be switched from one of the plurality of zones to another one of the plurality of zones.

30. A system as set forth in claim 29, where said switches are configured in an H-bridge configuration.

31. A system as set forth in claim 29, wherein said switches are solid state devices.

32. A system as set forth in claim 29, 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.

33. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein at least two plates from the plurality of electrically conductive plates are powered by the power supply and at least two plates from the plurality of electrically conductive plates are powered by way of an electrolytic property of the treatment stream.

34. A system as set forth in claim 33, comprising a plurality of zones, and wherein the at least two plates powered by the power supply are in one zone from the plurality of zones and the at least two plates powered by way of the treatment stream are in another zone from the plurality of zones.

42. A system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the non-constant current density is a result of a non-constant surface area of the plurality of electrically conductive plates defining the pathway though which the wastewater treatment stream passes.

44. A system as set forth in claim 15, further comprising one or more flow guide members along the pathway which at least partially electrically shield a portion of the pathway and contribute to forming the plurality of electric field regimes, said flow guide members being a dielectric or a conductor having a higher resistance than the plurality of plates.

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

a container configured for containing a treatment stream under a pressure different from atmospheric pressure, the container 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 and a non-constant current density to the treatment stream within the container, and wherein a polarity of at least one of the plurality of sources of distributed potential is controllably reversible from a polarity of another of the plurality of sources;

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 cross-sectional area and at least one abrupt flow direction change; and

wherein the wastewater treatment streams traveling along the elongated pathway are subjected to a multiplicity of electrical field and fluid flow regimes, including the non-constant current density.

45. A system as set forth in claim 35, further comprising one or more flow guide members along the elongated fluid pathway which at least partially electrically shield a portion of the pathway and contribute to forming the multiplicity of electric field and flow regimes, said flow guide members being a dielectric or a conductor having a higher resistance than the plurality of plates.

36. An electrocoagulation system configured to provide improved adaptability in treating variations in a wastewater treatment stream, comprising:

a container having an inlet and an outlet 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 a polarity of the electric field along the elongated fluid pathway, whereby the treatment stream is subjected to a multiplicity of electric field regimes having a non-constant current density and a different polarity as it transits the elongated fluid pathway; and

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

38. A system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising a central manifold, and wherein the elongated fluid treatment pathway extends from at least one of a) a central portion within the container to an outer portion of the container;

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

46. A system as set forth in claim 36, further comprising one or more flow guide members along the elongated fluid pathway which at least partially electrically shield a portion of the pathway and subjecting the treatment stream to a pulsitile field intensity, said flow guide members being a dielectric or a conductor having a higher resistance than the plurality of plates.

39. An electrocoagulation system comprising:

a container having an inlet and an outlet;

a plurality of electrically-isolated zones corresponding with a plurality of electric fields, wherein each of the plurality of electrically-isolated zones includes at least one of the plurality of electric fields, wherein the power level of each of the plurality of electric fields is controllable independently of the power level of the other electric fields so as to produce a non-constant current density among the plurality of electric fields, and further wherein the polarity of each of the plurality of electric fields is controllable independently of the polarity of the other electric fields; and

wherein the container is configured to direct a treatment stream through the plurality of electrically-isolated zones to facilitate removal of impurities from the treatment stream.

40. An electrocoagulation system comprising:

a container having an inlet and an outlet;

wherein the container is configured so that a treatment stream enters the container at the inlet, travels through the container, and exits at the outlet;

wherein the treatment stream spirals around a center of the container as the treatment stream moves through the container; and

wherein the electrocoagulation system is configured to subject the treatment stream to an electric field having a non-constant current density as the treatment stream passes through the container to facilitate removal of impurities from the treatment stream.

47. A system as set forth in claim 40, further comprising one or more flow guide members along a pathway of the treatment stream which at least partially electrically shield a portion of the pathway and contribute to the non-constant current density, said flow guide members being a dielectric or a conductor having a higher resistance than the plurality of plates.