Patent ID: 9327997
Filing Date: 2016-05-03
CPC Classification: B01D,C02F,F26B

Claim Text:
1. A water treatment system for treating a high volume of viscous sludge containing entrained solids in water by evaporating the water from the viscous sludge to produce water and dehydrated solids, the system comprising: a tank with an internal agitator adapted to receive the high volume of viscous sludge and to mix the sludge; an entry rotary meter adapted to receive the mixed sludge from the tank and to dispense metered quantities of the sludge into a subsequent dehydrator; at least one dehydrator with a receiving port for the metered sludge and adapted to heat the metered sludge to evaporate the water therefrom to produce dehydrated solids and a gas containing evaporated water and wherein the dehydrator comprises at least one screw conveyor in a hollow jacket with an inner sleeve and an outer sleeve, the at least one screw conveyor adapted to receive the metered sludge and move the metered sludge from an entry to an exit inside the inner sleeve while a heated medium moves in the outer sleeve surrounding the screw conveyor and wherein the at least one jacketed screw conveyor includes a screw with a hollow central core adapted to receive a heated medium to heat the screw conveyor and wherein the screw conveyors incline upwardly from horizontal distally from the receiving port and with a baffle adjacent to the exit of the inner sleeve for the discharge of the gas containing evaporated water therefrom; an exit rotary meter adapted to receive the dehydrated solids from the dehydrator for discharge from the system; a condenser associated with the dehydrator to receive the gas from the dehydrator and to condense the evaporated water from the gas into a liquid that is discharged from the system and provide dehydrated gas to a subsequent vacuum pump; and, a vacuum pump adapted to maintain a relatively static pressure below atmospheric in the tank and dehydrator and condenser.