Patent ID: 9745217
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: C02F

Claim:
1. A lime stabilization system for treating liquid sludge comprising: (a) a reaction tank having a sludge inlet for receiving liquid sludge delivered to the reaction tank and a lime inlet for receiving lime delivered to the reaction tank; (b) means for thickening liquid sludge to a selected solids concentration; (c) liquid sludge delivery means for delivering thickened liquid sludge from said means for thickening liquid sludge to the reaction tank via the sludge inlet, including valve means for controlling the amount of thickened liquid sludge delivered to the reaction tank; (d) load cell means for measuring the amount of thickened liquid sludge in the reaction tank; (e) a lime container for containing lime for delivery to the reaction tank; (f) lime delivery means for delivering lime from the lime container to the reaction tank; (g) a computer connected to the load cell means of clause (d), the liquid sludge delivery means of clause (c), and the lime delivery means of clause (f), the load cell means conveying information indicative of the amount of thickened liquid sludge delivered into the reaction tank via one or more information delivery lines to the computer, the computer controlling the liquid sludge delivery means to deliver an amount of thickened liquid sludge to the reaction tank, the computer controlling the lime delivery means via one or more control lines to deliver an amount of lime to the reaction tank sufficient to produce a thickened liquid sludge/lime mixture having a pH that has reached a predetermined pH; (h) mixing means in the reaction tank connected to the computer, the computer operating the mixing means in the reaction tank for a predetermined period of time such that the pH of the thickened liquid sludge/lime mixture has uniformly reached the predetermined pH; and (i) discharge means for discharging the thickened liquid sludge/lime mixture from the reaction tank after the liquid sludge/lime mixture has been mixed for the predetermined period of time, wherein none of the thickened liquid sludge treated with lime in the reaction tank is supplied to the means for thickening liquid sludge during operation of the lime stabilization system for treating liquid sludge.