Patent Application
20160340203
This invention relates to systems, apparatus, and methods of treating industrial liquid, such as aqueous and other liquid streams containing organic and/or inorganic compounds, from a variety of sources including but not limited to industrial laundries, food processing, manufacturing plants, printing processes, and those industries where organic and/or inorganic matter is present in a wastewater or other liquid matrix.
Environmental regulations and growing concerns over the environment dictate the cleaning of industrial liquid streams, such as wastewater streams, for industrial processes such as industrial laundries, food processes, and automotive and other manufacturing and production systems. By way of example, industrial laundries produce effluents that include dirt, grease, and oils removed from soiled articles such as towels, linen, and clothing. Processing of wastewater effluents and similar liquid streams used to clean such articles may involve such steps as sedimentation, straining, flotation, filtration, coagulation, flocculation, among others, not necessarily in that order.
Suspended solid separators such as shaker screens are known for the removal of debris. Shaker screens may have one, two, three, or more decks for separating and classifying different size solids from one another or simply separating the solids from a main flow. When used for separating solids from aqueous and other liquid streams, shaker screens, despite their vibratory and/or rotational motion, can become partially clogged or “blinded” with semi-solids such as oil and grease that occlude in the screen openings and/or solid debris small enough to become stuck in but too large to pass through the screen openings. The oil, grease, debris, and other particles can agglomerate on the screen openings and quickly reduce the number of unblocked screen openings. As a result, the available surface area of unblocked screen openings decreases and lowers throughput. If left unattended, complete “blinding” (clogging) of the screen can result. Accordingly, it may become necessary to disrupt and temporarily suspend the liquid stream flow through the shaker screens while the solid separators are immobilized for screen cleaning and/or replacement. Such maintenance can result in production downtimes at relatively frequent intervals, which in turn reduce the efficiency of the process and increase production expenses.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a cleaning system is provided in a facility producing a liquid stream containing solids and/or semisolids (“(semi)solids”) that is passed through a separator including a vibratory screen with screen openings sized to allow the flow of the liquid stream through the screen while capturing the (semi)solids from the liquid stream. The cleaning system in the facility includes at least one cleaner element constructed and arranged in the separator to allow impact of the cleaner element against the vibratory screen to dislodge at least a portion of the (semi)solids occluded in the screen openings during use of the separator in the facility. The cleaner element is larger in size than the screen openings and is made at least in part of non-synthetic animal hide, synthetic animal hide, or a combination thereof.
In a second aspect of the invention, a process is provided for separating (semi)solids from a liquid stream. According to the process, the liquid stream is passed through a separator including a vibratory screen and a cleaning system. The vibratory screen has screen openings sized to allow the flow of the liquid stream through the screen while capturing the (semi)solids from the liquid stream. The cleaning system includes at least one cleaner element constructed and arranged in the separator to allow impact of the cleaner element against the vibratory screen to dislodge at least a portion of the (semi)solids occluded in the screen openings during use of the separator. The cleaner element is larger in size than the screen openings and is made at least in part of non-synthetic animal hide, synthetic animal hide, or a combination thereof.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a separator is provided that includes at least a vibratory screen and a cleaner element. The vibratory screen has screen openings sized to allow the flow of a liquid stream through the screen openings of the vibratory screen while capturing (semi)solids contained in the liquid stream. The cleaner element is constructed and arranged in the separator to allow impact of the cleaner element against the vibratory screen to dislodge at least a portion of the (semi)solids occluded in the screen openings during use of the separator. The cleaner element is larger in size than the screen openings and is made at least in part of non-synthetic animal hide, synthetic animal hide, or a combination thereof.
In an exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the cleaner element includes at least an inflatable bladder in a partially inflated state and a surrounding cover that is made at least in part of the non-synthetic animal hide, the synthetic animal hide, or the combination thereof.
In another exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the non-synthetic animal hide, the synthetic animal hide, or the combination thereof forms the outer surface of the cleaner element.
In still another exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the non-synthetic animal hide, the synthetic animal hide, or the combination thereof includes at least a plurality of panels stitched together.
In a further exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the cleaner element is in the form of a spheroid, ellipsoid, or polyhedron.
In still a further exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the facility is an industrial laundry and the liquid stream includes at least an aqueous effluent from a washing apparatus.
In yet another exemplary embodiment of any and/or each of the above aspects, the cleaner element comprises a cover with a surface roughened by abrasion of the cover against the vibratory screen, the roughened surface including protuberances extending generally outward and having a diameter smaller than the screen openings.
Other aspects of the invention, including apparatus, devices, systems, separators, processes, and the like which constitute part of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments.
The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The drawings, together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the exemplary embodiments and methods given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In such drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments and methods of the invention. It should be noted, however, that the invention in its broader aspects is not necessarily limited to the specific details, representative materials and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described in connection with the exemplary embodiments and methods.
The inflow port 18 empties the incoming liquid stream (or influent flow) into an upper housing 20 enclosing a first circular chamber. The upper housing 20 sits on and is connected to a lower housing 22. A base 24 with a vibratory mechanism is positioned below the upper and lower housings 20, 22, and includes spring-like elements 26 that support the housings 20, 22. The vibratory mechanism of the base 24 may cause the upper and lower housings 20, 22 to undergo high frequency oscillation or reversals in direction) in directions that may include side to side, up and down, and/or rotationally back and forth. Solid separators 16 are well known and may include, but are not limited to, those commercially available from Sweco, Giant Finish, Inc., Kemco and Systems, Thermal Engineering of Arizona, Inc., among others.
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Another potential benefit of selecting animal hide, especially leather, for the surrounding cover 42 and using an underinflated inner bladder 44 is that repeated impact, such as in a scrubbing manner, of the cleaner elements 40 against the screens 34 abrades the animal hide. The resulting abraded surface of the animal hider thereby develops thin protuberances 50 (
The structure and materials of the cleaner elements 40 may resemble those of conventional soccer balls and volleyballs, with the covers 42 of the cleaner elements 40 comprising a plurality of panels 46 stitched together with stitching 48, such as nylon thread. However, the sizes of the cleaner elements 40 are typically smaller than those of conventional soccer balls and volleyballs. A set of laces or lacing 52 is shown on one of the panels, although it should be understood that the laces 52 may be present on two, three, four, or more panels distributed about the surface of the cover 42. The laces 52 improve the scrubbing action of the cleaner elements 40.
The cleaner elements 40 can be enhanced through cleaning procedures (e.g., sanitizing) or treated (e.g., embedded) with antimicrobial substances. The use of such antimicrobial substances is especially desirable in connection with the use of exemplary embodiments in food processing industries.
A process according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be explained in connection with the drawings. The liquid influent containing the (semi)solids is directed from the industrial washing machine 12 of the facility 10 through the conduit 14 to the inflow port 18 of the solid-liquid separator 16 of the facility 10. The vibratory screen 34 separates suspended (semi)solids too large to pass through the openings of the screen mesh 38 from the liquid influent as the influent flows from the upper housing 20 chamber through the screen mesh 38 into the lower housing 22 chamber. The vibratory motion imparted by the vibrating mechanism of the base 24 causes the separated (semi)solids not clogging the vibratory screen 34 to move outward to the periphery of the screen 34 and discharge through the solids discharge throat 28. The remainder of the liquid stream with any suspended (semi)solids too small to be filtered by the vibratory screen 34 is discharged as a liquid effluent through the liquid discharge throat 30 for further processing or disposal. Such further processing may involve, for example, sedimentation, straining, flotation, further filtration, coagulation, flocculation, among other steps, not necessarily in that order. Although not shown, additional processing steps may be interposed between the industrial washing apparatus 10 and the suspended solid separator 14. While this exemplary embodiment has been described and illustrated in connection with an industrial washing apparatus, it should be understood that the process may be practiced in accordance with other applications and in other industries, such as food processing, manufacturing and processing plants, printing, and those industries where organic and/or inorganic matter is present in a wastewater matrix.
One, two, three, four, or more cleaner elements 40 are loaded in the separator 16 prior to feeding the influent flow into the separator 16.
The inventor has found that the animal hide material, especially in a partially inflated state, allows the cleaner elements 40 to possess sufficient mass and surface area to clean with little or reduced damage to the vibratory screen 34. The inventor also has found that the use of such cleaner elements 40 is superior in several respects to solid rubber balls. Although solid rubber balls as the cleaner elements impact the screen 34 and marginally break down and dislodge greases, debris, and other particles occluded in the screen 34, the relatively heavy weight, hardness, and elasticity of rubber balls cause them to bounce and rebound within the chambers with high energy. Problematically, the forceful and high speed impact of rubber balls against the screen 34 can cause wear and tear and eventually failure of the screen 34, as well as erosion to the rubber balls and damage to other components of the separator 16. To address these problems, it may become necessary to suspend the liquid influent stream into the industrial washing machine 16 (or other apparatus) to allow its disassembly for repair, upkeep, and maintenance, such as replacement of screens and/or substitution of new rubber cleaner balls. Such suspensions and machine stoppage, if conducted at relatively frequent intervals, can result in long downtimes that deleteriously lower throughput and increase expense. It is believed that the use of the cleaner elements 40 described herein significantly reduces the need for such maintenance.
The following examples are provided by way of description and are not necessarily limiting of the scope of the invention and the exemplary embodiments described herein.
A vibratory shaker screen to remove lint and other debris prior to wastewater pretreatment was placed in an 80,000 gallon per day industrial laundry that washed a variety of inputs from uniforms to shop towels. Federally mandated changes to the time of surfactant required a plant based material be used. This caused the shaker screen to become blinded with grease and particles bound to the grease on a daily basis and the requirement that manpower be used to clean it along with chemicals and water.
An 11 inch spheroid was placed into the intake vessel side of the shaker screen. The spheroid was partially inflated and had a leather surface coated with a rubberized abrasive coating that quickly wore off in use. The spheroid with the exposed leather cover continued to operate in place. The amount of time spent cleaning the screen was reduced to once every two weeks. Cleaning was performed to check the operation of the screen and rinse the ball.
A comparative test was conducted on a shaker screen for a period of two weeks at an industrial laundry. A 6″×6″ section was marked off and cleaned to remove all apparent surface debris. The screen was then put into operation without cleaner elements and operated for a period of one work week. The debris in the aforementioned area was removed and weighed. 40.6 grams of debris was captured on the screen. The device was placed into use and the screen restarted and ran for a second one-week period. The same procedure was followed with a result of 19.5 grams of debris captured on the screen. This is an increased efficiency of 52%
A vibratory shaker screen to remove lint and other debris prior to wastewater pretreatment was placed in a 100,000 gallon per day industrial laundry that washed a variety of inputs from uniforms to shop towels. Federally mandated changes to the time of surfactant required a plant based material be used. This caused the shaker screen to become blinded with grease and particles bound to the grease on a twice daily basis and the requirement that manpower be used to clean it along with chemicals and water.
An 11 inch spheroid that was partially inflated and had a leather cover was placed into the intake vessel side of the shaker screen. The spheroid operated in place. The amount of time spent cleaning the screen was reduced to once a week. Cleaning on a weekly basis was performed to check the operation of the screen and rinse the ball.
The foregoing detailed description of the certain exemplary embodiments has been provided for the purpose of explaining the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. This description is not necessarily intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed. The specification describes specific examples to accomplish a more general goal that may be accomplished in another way.
Only those claims which use the words “means for” are to be interpreted under 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph. Moreover, no limitations from the specification are to be read into any claims, unless those limitations are expressly included in the claims.
