Patent Application
20060219629
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid separators and, more particularly, to an oil and water separator. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “oil” shall mean any material that is immiscible with water.
II. Description of Related Art
In many manufacturing operations, such as those utilized by the automotive industry, debris together with oils must be cleaned from manufactured parts by directing power water sprays at the manufactured parts at a cleaning station. Such power industrial sprays effectively clean the parts, but result in an oil and water mixture which is then removed from the cleaning station.
Environmental laws and regulations, as well as general common sense, however, prevent the disposal of the oil and water mixture resulting from the cleaning operation into municipal sewage systems. Consequently, it is necessary to process the effluent from the cleaning station in an effort to separate the oil and water from each other, in order to recycle them separately.
There have been previously known oil and water separators for processing the effluent from industrial cleaning stations. However, these previously known oil and water separators have not proven wholly satisfactory in use.
One disadvantage of these previously known oil and water separators is that the tank utilized to separate the oil from the water typically includes an open top that is exposed to the atmosphere. In an industrial environment this kind of open-air tank acts as a trap for not only airborne pollution, but also small animals like bugs, spiders, mice and rats. Then, after extended usage, bacteria and other microbes in the atmosphere multiply within the oils and greases within the separator thus resulting in not only a foul smelling oil and water separator, but also a potential health hazard.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known oil and water separators is that such separators have been bulky in size. In many situations, however, factory floor space is limited thus rendering the use of such oil and water separators impractical.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known oil and water separators is that such oil and water separators have not proven wholly satisfactory in operation. Instead, even the “clean” water outlet from the oil and water separator oftentimes contains an unacceptably high level of oil contaminants.
The present invention provides an oil and water separator which overcomes all of the above-mentioned disadvantages of the previously known devices.
In brief, the oil and water separator of the present invention comprises a tank defining a tank chamber. A cover extends over and preferably covers the top of the tank chamber.
A supply pipe extends vertically with respect to the tank chamber. A lower end of the supply tank is open to and positioned adjacent the bottom of the tank chamber. Conversely, the upper end of the supply pipe is spaced upwardly from the cover. In addition, at least one, and preferably several, openings are formed through the supply pipe at a position between the bottom or lower end of the supply pipe and the cover.
An oil/water mixture inlet is fluidly connected to the upper end of this flow supply pipe. Preferably, a weir is fluidly disposed in between the oil/water mixture inlet and the supply pipe.
A water outlet housing having a water outlet chamber is positioned above the cover. This water outlet chamber is fluidly connected by a water collection pipe to a lower end of the tank chamber. Similarly, an oil outlet housing having an oil outlet chamber is also positioned above the cover. A bottom of the oil outlet chamber is open to the tank chamber. In order to remove the separated oil and water from the separator, an oil effluent conduit is fluidly connected to the oil outlet chamber and, similarly, a water effluent conduit is fluidly connected to the water outlet chamber.
In practice, during the inflow of an oil/water mixture into the oil/water mixture inlet, the weir produces an initial conglomeration of the oil particles before the mixture is introduced into the supply pipe. Thereafter, the oil/water mixture and the partly conglomerated oil particles flow downwardly through the supply pipe.
Since oil has a lesser density than water, the oil particles tend to float on water and, for that reason, do not reach the lower end of the supply pipe. Instead, the oil together with some intermixed water flows out through the openings in the supply pipe and into the tank chamber. Conversely, only water flows outwardly through the bottom of the supply pipe. Consequently, after a period of use, the liquid within the tank chamber is roughly defined into three layers. The bottommost layer comprises essentially pure water while the upper layer comprises largely conglomerated oils and greases. Lastly, the middle layer within the tank chamber comprises a mixture of oil and water and, as the oil separates from the water, the separated oil gravitates upwardly to form the oil-rich upper layer.
A water outlet housing having a water outlet chamber is positioned above the cover. This water outlet chamber is fluidly connected by a water collection pipe to the bottom of the tank chamber. Consequently, only essentially pure water flows from the bottom of the tank chamber, through the water collection pipe and into the water outlet chamber. A water effluent conduit then is fluidly connected to the water outlet chamber to remove the separated water.
Similarly, an oil outlet housing defining an oil outlet chamber is also positioned above the cover. This oil outlet chamber has its bottom open to the tank chamber so that the conglomerated oil and grease particles in the upper tank layer flow into the oil outlet chamber. An oil effluent conduit is then fluidly connected to the oil outlet chamber to remove the separated oil.
A better understanding of the present invention will be had upon reference to the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:
With reference to the drawing, a preferred embodiment of an oil and water separator 10 according to the present invention is shown. The oil and water separator 10 includes a generally rectangular tank 12 defining a tank chamber 14. A cover 16 extends over and preferably covers the tank chamber 14. Additionally, a removable center portion 18 of the cover 16 is preferably upwardly concavely curved as best shown in
At least one and preferably two supply pipes 20 are mounted to the tank 12 so that the supply pipes 20 extend generally vertically with respect to the tank 12. A lower end 22 of each supply pipe 20 is open to the tank chamber 14 adjacent a bottom 24 of the tank chamber 14. Conversely, the upper ends 26 of the supply pipes 20 extend upwardly above the cover 16.
The supply pipes 20 are preferably spaced apart and generally parallel to each other and are preferably mounted adjacent one side 21 of the tank 12. A horizontal supply pipe 28 then extends across and fluidly connects the upper ends 26 of the supply pipes 20 together.
An oil/water mixture inlet 30 (
A weir 32 is provided on each side of the oil/water inlet 30 so that each weir 32 is fluidly positioned in between the inlet 30 and one of the supply pipes 26. The operation of the weir will be subsequently described.
With reference now particularly to
A water outlet housing 40 defining a water outlet chamber 42 is mounted on the center removable portion 18 of the cover 16. A water collection pipe 44 has its lower end 46 fluidly opened to the tank chamber 14 adjacent the tank bottom 24. In addition, as best shown in
An upper end 48 of the water collection pipe 44 is open to the water outlet chamber 42. Additionally, a water effluent conduit 50 (
An oil outlet housing 54 defining an oil outlet chamber 55 is also mounted to the cover 16 and preferably adjacent the water outlet housing 40 and near or at the top of the concave portion 18 of the cover 16. A bottom of the oil outlet chamber 55 is open to the top of the tank chamber 14 through a spout 58. An oil effluent conduit 60 (
In operation, an oil/water mixture is pumped into the water/oil inlet 30 where the influent first flows across the weirs 32 and into the horizontal supply pipe 28. In doing so, the weirs 32 cause an initial separation of the oil from the water and partial conglomeration of the oil particles by maintaining a substantially constant and minimal thickness of the influent flow over the weirs 32.
After flowing over the weirs 32, the influent passes into the supply pipes 20. As is well known, oil has a lower density than water and, for that reason, floats on top of the water. Consequently, after extended use of the oil and water separator 10, a conglomeration 70 of oil will form at a position aligned with the oil outlet port 62. Consequently, as the continuing influent passes downwardly from the upper end 26 of the supply pipe and through the conglomerated oil 70, the conglomerated oil will effectively capture at least a portion of the oils from the influent.
A portion of the oil/water mixture, although with a lesser concentration of oil, passes through the oil conglomeration 70 through the supply pipe 20. However, the flow rate of the influent into the inlet 30 is maintained so that the oil/water mixture does not reach the bottom 22 of the supply pipes 20. Instead, the now lower oil concentration oil/water mixture flows outwardly through the openings 34 formed in the supply pipes 20.
After reaching equilibrium, the fluid contained within the tank chamber 14 is roughly divided into three different layers. The lowermost layer 72 comprises essentially pure water which flows outwardly through the bottom 22 of the supply pipes 20. This relatively pure water 72 is conveyed up through the water collection pipe 44 to the water outlet chamber 42 and out through the water effluent conduit 60 in the desired fashion.
An oil/water emulsion strata 74 is then positioned immediately above the water layer 72. The oil/water strata 74 contains the mixture of oil and water under emulsion form, received through the openings 34 in the supply pipes 20. Once the oil/water mixture flows out through the openings 34 and into the middle strata 74, the oil particles, due to their lower density than water, continue to separate from the ambient water. In doing so, water flows downwardly, as indicated by arrow 76, into the lowermost water strata 72. Simultaneously, the lighter oil particles gravitate upwardly as indicated by arrow 78 then agglomerate and form an upper oil layer 80 within the tank chamber 14.
This upper oil layer 80 is fluidly open to the oil outlet chamber 55 through the spout 58. Furthermore, the upwardly concave portion 18 of the housing cover 16 channels the flow of separated oil into the oil outlet chamber 55. The separated oil is then removed from the oil outlet chamber 55 through the oil effluent conduit 60 and either recycled or disposed of in any conventional fashion.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention provides a simple and yet highly effective oil and water separator which is particularly useful for industrial applications. Having described my invention, however, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without deviation from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.
