Reactor tank

• US 9,034,180 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brisben Water Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Ecosphere Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: McGuire, Dennis
• Primary Examiner(s): Griffin, Walter D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen, Cameron J
• Application Number:
  US14/252,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20140290957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 210/748.01, 210/638, 210/660, 210/205, 210/177, 210/190, 210/721, 210/665, 210/702, 210/748.02, 210/243, 210/153, 166/90.1, 166/267, 422/20, 422/22, 422/127, 422/128, 422/186
• US Class Current: 210/153
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/283 using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/32 with ultraviolet light
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/36 ultrasonic vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/385 by centrifuging suspensions centrifuges B04B
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/40 Devices for separating or removing fatty or oily substances or similar floating material cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like materials E02B15/04; devices in sewers for separating liquid or solid substances from sewage E03F5/14, e.g. for use in drains leading to the sewer E03F5/16
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/441 by reverse osmosis
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/444 by ultrafiltration or microfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4602 for prevention or elimination of deposits
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/4672 by electrooxydation
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/5236 using inorganic agents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2001/46119 Cleaning the electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/20 Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/008 Mobile apparatus and plants, e.g. mounted on a vehicle for biological treatment C02F2203/008
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2201/4617 DC only
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/16 Regeneration of sorbents, filters
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 9/00 Multistage treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2607 Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations

Abstract

Disclosed is an improved water treatment cavitation reactor cone. The tank operates on a continuous flow of fluids which are subjected to ultrasonic waves in combination with a high level of injected ozone. The treatment tank includes a tangential inlet that induces a rotating flow into the tank thereby increasing the mixing of the ozone within the effluent. The effluent is further treated with DC current. The treatment tank provides a cost efficient and environmentally friendly process and apparatus for cleaning and recycling fluids as contaminated as frac water, used to stimulate gas production from shale formations, as well as other types of fluids having various levels of contaminants such as aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and suspended solids. The calcium carbonate scaling tendency is reduced to an acceptable level without the use of acids, ion exchange materials, or anti scaling chemicals which is of economical and environmental significance and benefit.

Claims

1. A cavitation reactor cone for water treatment comprising:

a generally cone shaped tank having an upper portion, a lower portion and a conical intermediate portion located between said upper and lower portion, said upper portion being circular in cross section and having a first diameter, said conical intermediate portion being circular in cross section, said conical intermediate portion having a diameter that is equal to the diameter of the upper portion at a first end a smaller diameter equal to the diameter of the lower portion at a second end;

said upper portion of said tank including an inlet sized and configured to introduce effluent tangentially into said tank whereby a rotating flow is induced in said effluent and further including an outlet located is said lower portion;

said upper portion further including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers directed at the effluent within said tank;

said tank further including a plurality of electrodes supported within said tank, said electrodes being electrically connected to a positive charge of a DC power supply, and said cone shaped tank being electrically connected to a negative charge of a DC power supply.

2. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 1, wherein ozone is mixed with the effluent prior to introduction into said tank.

3. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2, wherein said plurality of ultrasonic transducers are equally spaced around the circumference of the upper portion of said tank.

4. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 3, wherein there are three ultrasonic transducers that are spaced 120 degrees apart from one another.

5. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2 wherein said plurality of electrodes are cylindrical rods that extend through said upper portion and extend partially through said conical intermediate portion.

6. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2 further including a plate attached to the upper portion of said tank, said plate supporting said electrodes that are electrically connected to the positive charge of a DC power supply.

7. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 6 wherein said conical intermediate portion includes an annular ring mounted on an interior surface of said conical intermediate member, said annular ring providing additional support for said electrodes.

8. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 7 further including a plurality of braces each connecting a pair of cylindrical rods to one another thereby providing additional stability to said electrodes.

9. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2 wherein each of said ultrasonic transducers is mounted adjacent to an electric heating device.

10. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 9 wherein said heating device is in the form of an annular ring.

11. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 10 wherein each one of said ultrasonic transducers and each one of said heating devices is contained within a housing to form an assembly that is sized and configured to be attached to said tank with fastening elements.

12. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2 wherein said lower portion of said tank includes an additional ultrasonic transducer.

13. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 12 wherein said lower portion being generally circular in cross section and having a first end attached to said conical intermediate portion and a second opposite and sealingly attached to said additional ultrasonic transducer.

14. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 13 wherein said outlet is located in a side wall of the lower portion of said tank.

15. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 12 wherein said additional ultrasonic transducer is mounted adjacent to an additional electric heating device.

16. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 15 wherein said heating device is in the form of an annular ring.

17. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 16 wherein said additional ultrasonic transducer and said additional heating device are contained within a housing to form an assembly that is sized and configured to be attached to said tank with fastening elements.

18. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 2 wherein said tank is mounted on a transportable truck trailer.

19. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 18 wherein said truck trailer further includes an additional holding tank having electrically charged plates, an oxygen generator, an ozone generator, an electrical generator, and a plurality of DC power supplies wherein the treatment tank is capable of disinfecting water.

20. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 19 configured such that the disinfected water is injected into a geological formation to hydro frac gas formations.

21. The cavitation reactor cone of claim 18 wherein said truck trailer further includes a second treatment tank, an additional holding tank having electrically charged plates, an oxygen generator, an ozone generator, an electrical generator, a plurality of DC power supplies, micron particulate filters, centrifugal filters, and a sand and media tank, wherein the treatment tanks are capable of processing frac flow back water and produce both water and clean brine that are free from bacteria.