Abstract:
A mobile floating water treatment system comprising a plurality of floating barges coupled together wherein one or more barges includes at least one baffle through which water passes for treatment purposes. The baffle may include includes a substrate material suitable for treating contaminated water. The baffle may be selectively raised from an interior tank of the barges in order to add or subtract substrate material. The substrate material may include at least one of calcium carbonate, silicon dioxide, cadmium and bismuth. The mobile floating water treatment system may also comprise a tugboat for mobilizing the barges and a dredge for collecting contaminated water and distributing the water to the barges. The water treatment system may include one or more vessel or railcar located adjacent said barges into which contaminants separated from said water may be diverted for storage, transportation and disposal.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/985,882 filed Apr. 29, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Pollution of surface waters is a pressing issue worldwide. The water of many rivers, lakes, streams, canals, ponds and other waterways and reservoirs has become polluted to the point where it cannot support animal life and is entirely unsafe for consumption. A substantial portion of this pollution can be attributed to industrial and manufacturing processes, fossil fuel extraction and mining practices. In particular, polluted waters that are discharged into waterways and reservoirs may contain a wide variety of pollutants. Such pollutants include industrial waste, oil, coal slurry, coal ash, fly ash, bottom ash, toxic and heavy metals (including arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, thallium and vanadium, among others), radioactive materials, carcinogens, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), dioxins, sewage, bacteria, microbes, and other various pollutants. Further yet, these pollutants may become naturally transported from one geographical area to another and may also infiltrate into groundwater sources. 
         [0003]    Accordingly, a need exists for a flexible and scalable water treatment system capable of treating surface waters contained in waterways and reservoirs. A particular need exists for a water treatment system that is suitable for treating water in situ; for example, water that is flowing in a river. 
     
    
     
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1  is a schematic plan view of a water treatment system including a dredge, a plurality of barges and a tugboat in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a schematic plan view of a tugboat and dredge system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a schematic side view of a tugboat having a vacuum system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a schematic left side view of a water treatment system including a plurality of barges in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a schematic sectional side view of front rake barge of a water treatment system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 6  is a schematic sectional side view of a first intermediate box barge of a water treatment system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 7  is a schematic sectional side view of a second intermediate box barge of a water treatment system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 8  is a schematic sectional side view of rear rake barge of a water treatment system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures. 
         [0014]    The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 
         [0015]    The entire disclosures of (a) issued U.S. Pat. No. 8,974,672, filed on August 26, 2011 to Wayne R. Hawks entitled “Self-Contained Irrigation Treatment System,” (b) issued U.S. Pat. No. 9,011,681, filed on Sep. 26, 2012 to Wayne R. Hawks entitled “Self-Contained Irrigation Treatment System,” (c) pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/208,005, filed on Mar. 13, 2014 to Wayne R. Hawks entitled “System and Method for Treating Contaminated Water” are all incorporated in their entirety herein by reference. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1  generally illustrates one embodiment of the mobile floating water treatment system  10  of the present invention comprising a plurality of barges  12   a - 20   c.  The system  10  may optionally include a dredge  22  or suction device in communication with the system&#39;s  10  inlet end  24  and a tugboat  26  located proximate the system&#39;s outlet end  28 . As depicted, the system  10  may be connected to one or more other barges, vessels  30  and/or railcars  32  into which contaminants may be held and later transported. As will be discussed in further detail below, contaminated water enters the system  10  at the inlet end  24  and exits the system  10  at the outlet end  28 . Vessels  30  may be carried by a tugboat  27 . 
         [0017]    As depicted in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the system  10  includes fifteen (15) barges  12   a - 20   c.  In the embodiment, the barges  12   a - 20   c  are arranged in a configuration that is three (3) barges wide and five (5) barged deep. However, it will be appreciated that other numbers and configurations of barges are within the scope of the present invention. For example, in another embodiment (not shown), the system  10  may include forty (40) barges wherein the barges are arranged so that the system is five (5) barges wide and eight (8) barges deep. Multiple barges or systems may be optionally placed side-by-side across substantially the entire width of a body of water (e.g., a river). It will be understood that the system  10  may be mobile or may be held in place within a body of water. 
         [0018]    The barges  12   a - 20   c  may be a combination of two types of barges, namely, rake barges  12   a - 12   c  and  20   a - 20   c  and box barges  14   a - 18   c.  As demonstrated, the rake barges  12   a - 12   c  and  20   a - 20   c  are placed at the inlet and outlet ends  24  and  28  of the system  10  and the box barges  14   a - 18   c  are placed therebetween. The rake barges  12   a - 12   c  and  20   a - 20   c  may each be constructed of a hull having a slanted or angled wall  34  located at their bow or stern, respectively. The rake barges  12   a - 12   c  and  20   a - 20   c  may have any length, width, and depth. In one embodiment, rake barges  12   a - 12   c  and  20   a - 20   c  having a length of around 195 feet long, a width of around 35 feet, and a cargo hold depth of around 13 feet. The box barges  14   a - 18   c  are generally box-shaped having upright walls at their bow and stern. The box barges  14   a - 18   c  may also have any length, width, and depth. In one embodiment, box barges  14   a - 18   c  may have a length of around 200 feet long, a width of around 35 feet wide, and a cargo hold depth of around 13 feet. In the illustrated embodiment, the barges  12   a - 20   c  are arranged and connected such that water being treated flows from the front barges  12   a - 12   c  to the first intermediate barges  14   a - 14   c  to the second intermediate barges  16   a - 16   c  to the third intermediate barges  18   a - 18   c  to the rear barges  20   a - 20   c  and then optionally to the tugboat  26 . Barges  12   a - 14   c  may be adapted for removing the most substantial contaminants  200  from the water. Such substantial contaminants may include, but are not limited to, oil, benzene molecules, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), heavy metals and large solids from the water. Depending upon the concentration of contaminants, barges  18   a - 20   c  may be adapted for subsequent treatment and polishing of the water. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates one configuration of tugboat  26  having a vacuum system  132  disposed thereon. In addition, tugboat  26  may carry dredge  22  in such a manner that dredge  22  may be transferred from tugboat  26  to the water surface. Dredge  22  will then be able to move to the front of the barge assembly for collecting contaminates  200  from the water to be distributed to the present mobile floating water treatment system  10  for treatment (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a side view of tugboat  26  showing vacuum system  132  comprising one or more inlet port  134  for water flowing into the vacuum system  132 , and a first port  136  and one or more second ports  138  for discharge of the water out of the vacuum system  132 . Operation of the vacuum system as it applies to the present invention is described in more detail below. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a barge assembly of the present mobile floating water treatment system  10 . As shown, the sequential order of the barges in this embodiment are as follows: front barge  12   a,  first intermediate barges  14   a,  second intermediate barge  16   a,  third intermediate barge  18   a,  and rear barge  20   a.    
         [0022]      FIG. 5  demonstrates the construction of the front rake barges  12   a - 12   c.  As shown, each of the front rake barges  12   a - 12   c  includes at least one inlet port  36  through which contaminated water  37  enters the barges  12   a - 12   c.  The inlet ports  36  may be in fluid communication with a dredge  22  located at the floor of the body of water and/or another suction or skimming devices located at the top surface of the water or between the top surface of the water and the floor of the body of water. The dredge may be an IMS 7012 Versi-Dredge, an IMS 5012 Versi-Dredge, an SRS Crisafulli or any other suitable dredge. Depending upon the specific gravity of the contaminants, the contaminants may be located at various depths in the water. For example, some contaminants (e.g., heavy metals) may have a specific gravity greater than water and are therefore located on or near the floor of the body of water, whereas, some contaminants (e.g., petroleum products) may have a specific gravity less than water and are therefore located on or near the top surface of the water and other contaminants may have a specific gravity that is similar to water and are therefore located between the top surface of the water and the floor of the body of water. Depending upon the types (and depths) of contaminants present in the water, suction or intake devices, nozzles and/or hoses may be located at various depths in order to pull in contaminants located at the various depths. The suction devices may be adjusted vertically and maintained at a generally desired height through the intake or discharge of ballast. In any case, the suction devices may be in fluid communication with the inlet ports  36  of the system  10 . 
         [0023]    As depicted in  FIG. 5 , upon entering the front barges  12   a - 12   c  through the inlet ports  36 , the contaminated water  37  passes through a first tank  38  and then a first baffle  40  that can contain one or more substrates, such as silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). cadmium (Cd) and bismuth-210 (Bi). The first baffle  40  can be moved up and down and may be raised from the interiors of the barges  12   a - 12   c  through hatches  42 . In addition, one or more gates  44  located underneath the first baffle  40  may be raised so that the water  37  is diverted underneath the first baffle  40 . Upon passing through or underneath the first baffle  40 , the water  37  passes into a second tank  46  and then through a second baffle  48  which may also contain one or more substrates like the first baffle  40 . Like the first baffle  40 , the second baffle  48  can be raised and lowered and may be raised from the interiors of the barges  12   a - 12   c  through hatches  50 . Again, gates  52  located underneath the second baffles  40  may be raised and lowered so that the water can be diverted through and/or underneath the second baffle  48 . Upon passing through or underneath the second baffle  48 , the water  37  passes into a third tank  54 . The third tank  54  can include oil snouts  56 . As water  37  passes through the oil snouts  56 , the oil snouts  56  separate and capture oil and benzene (C 6 H 6 ) molecules from the water  37 . The oil and benzene collected by the oil snouts  56  may be diverted, via vacuum pressure, from outlet ports  84  to the side barges, vessels  30  and/or railcars  32  for storage, transportation, disposal and/or reuse (see  FIG. 1 ). The water  37  then exits the barges  12   a - 12   c  through outlet ports  86 , which are in communication with inlet ports  58  of the first intermediate barges  14   a - 14   c.    
         [0024]      FIG. 6  illustrates the first intermediate barges  14   a - 14   c  into which the water  37  flows upon exiting the front barges  12   a - 12   c.  The construction of the first intermediate barges  14   a - 14   c  may be similar in nature to the construction of the front barges  12   a - 12   c.  As such, the water  37  in barges  14   a - 14   c  passes through a fourth tank  60  and then a third baffle  62  that can contain one or more substrates, such as silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ), cadmium (Cd) and/or Bismuth-210 (Bi). The third baffles  62  can also be moved up and down and may be raised from the interiors of the barges  14   a - 14   c  through hatch  64 . Alternatively, one or more gate  66  located underneath third baffle  62  may be raised so that the water  37  may be diverted underneath the third baffle  66 . Upon passing through or underneath the third baffle  62 , the water  37  passes into a fifth tank  68  and then through a fourth baffle  68  which may also contain one or more substrates like the other baffles  40 ,  48  and  62 . Like the other baffles  40 ,  48  and  62 , the fourth baffle  70  can be raised and lowered and may be raised from the interior of barges  14   a - 14   c  through one or more hatch  72 . Again, one or more gate  74  located underneath the fourth baffle  70  may be moved to divert water  37  underneath the fourth baffle  70 . Upon passing through or underneath the fourth baffle  70 , the water  37  passes into a sixth tank  76 . Like the third tank of barges  12   a - 12   c,  the sixth tank  76  may include one or more oil snouts  78 . As water  37  passes through the oil snouts  78 , the oil snouts  78  separate and capture oil and benzene (C 6 H 6 ) molecules from the water  37 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the oil and benzene collected by the oil snouts  78  may be diverted, via vacuum pressure, from outlet ports  80  to the side barges, vessels  30  and/or railcars  32  for storage, transportation, disposal and/or reuse. The water  37  exits the barges  14   a - 14   c  through one or more outlet ports  82 , which are in fluid communication with one or more inlet ports  88  of the second intermediate barges  16   a - 16   c.    
         [0025]      FIG. 7  shows second and third intermediate barges  16   a - 16   c  and  18   a - 18   c,  which may be of identical construction. Upon entering the second and third intermediate barges  16   a - 16   c  and  18   a - 18   c  through the inlet ports  88 , the water  37  passes through a seventh tank  90  which may include calcium carbonate  92  therein. Concrete containment basins (CCBs) or other suitable containers  94  may be included within the seventh tanks  90 . In one embodiment, the containers  94  each include a filter  96  which may be in the form of a hanging bag containing pollutant collection substrates such as silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ). cadmium (Cd) and Bismuth-210 (Bi) to absorb chloride ions (Cl − ) and neutrons, including neutrons of barium (Ba). As shown using arrows indicating the flow of the contaminated water  37 , at least a portion of the water  37  flowing through the seventh tank  90  may flow through the containers  94  and be exposed to the one or more substrates in the hanging bags  96 . After flowing through the seventh tanks  90 , at least a portion of the water  37  passes through a fifth baffle  98  that may also include one or more substrates, such as silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ), calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) and cadmium (Cd). The other portion of the water  37  may pass underneath the fifth baffle  98  through one or more stainless steel screens  100  that contain palladium (Pd) or other suitable substances having a desired treating effect or material property. 
         [0026]    Upon passing through the fifth baffle  98  or the one or more screen  100 , the water  37  enters an eighth tank  102  which, like the seventh tank  90 , may include calcium carbonate  92  and containers  94  therein having hanging one or more substrate bags  96 . As shown, at least a portion of the water  37  passing through the eighth tanks  102  may flow through the containers  94  and be exposed to the substrates in the hanging bags  96 . After flowing through the eighth tank  102 , at least a portion of the water  37  passes through a sixth baffle  104  that can contain one or more substrates similar to the other baffles  98 ,  70 ,  62 ,  48  and  40 . The other portion of the water  37  may pass underneath the sixth baffle  104  through stainless steel screens  106  that contain palladium (Pd) or other suitable substances having a desired treating effect or material property. 
         [0027]    Upon passing through the sixth baffles  104  or screens  106 , the water  37  enters a ninth tank  108 , which, like the seventh and eighth tank  90  and  102 , may also include calcium carbonate  92  and containers  94  therein having hanging substrate bags  96 . As shown, at least a portion of the water  37  passing through the ninth tank  108  may flow through the containers  94  and be exposed to the substrates in the hanging bags  96 . After flowing through the ninth tank  108 , the water  37  exits via outlet ports  110 . In the case of the second intermediate barges  16   a - 16   c,  the water  37  then flows into inlet ports  88  of the third intermediate barges  18   a - 18   c.  In the case of the third intermediate barges  18   a - 18   c,  the water  37  then flows into one or more inlet ports  112  of the rear barges  20   a - 20   c  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0028]    As depicted in  FIG. 8 , upon entering the rear barges  20   a - 20   c  through the one or more inlet port  112 , the water  37  passes through a tenth tank  114  and then screens  116  located under a diverting wall  118  into an eleventh tank  122 . The inlet ports  112  may be equipped with backflow prevention devices  120 , one-way valves or check valves in order to prevent the water  37  in the rear barges  20   a - 20   c  from reentering the third intermediate barges  18   a - 18   c.  After flowing through the eleventh tank  122 , at least a portion of the water  37  passes through a seventh baffle  124  that may contain one or more substrates similar to baffles  40 ,  48 ,  62 ,  70 ,  98  and  104  described above. The other portion of the water  37  may pass underneath the seventh baffle  124  through one or more screens  126 . As shown, the tenth, eleventh and twelfth tanks  114 ,  122  and  128  may additionally include calcium carbonate  92  or other substance located therein suitable for polishing the water  37 . The rear barges  20   a - 20   c  include outlet ports  130  through which the water  37  may be discharged. The rear barges  20   a - 20   c  may be placed under vacuum by the vacuum system  132  located on the tugboat  26  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0029]    Upon discharge from the rear barges  20   a - 20   c,  the water  37  can be diverted in the vacuum system  132  after it is received in one or more inlet ports  134  of the vacuum system  132  as best illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Vacuum system  132  may be disposed on the tugboat as shown in  FIG. 3 , or may alternatively be disposed on one of the barges of the system or another vessel. The water may also be diverted to a sampling device to ensure it has been properly treated. The chemical properties of water  37  may be constantly monitored in the sampling device (not shown) during its treatment and depending upon the flow rate of water through the system and the types of pollutants in the water, the amount and volume of treatment chemicals can be adjusted by increasing, decreasing the amount or changing the type or order of the treatment chemicals. The process of adjusting the treatment chemicals can optionally be automated and undertaken by a computerized system. The computerized system may be connected to a sampling device (not shown) and real-time adjustment of the treatment process may be made. As shown in  FIG. 2 , from the vacuum system  132 , some or all of the treated water may be discharged from a first port  136  and diverted to other barges (not shown) or railcars (not shown) for transport to other sites, for example to fracking sites. Likewise, some or all of the treated water may be discharged from second ports  138  and diverted back to the body of water (e.g., river) downstream or upstream from the area of treatment depending upon the direction of travel of the system  10 . 
         [0030]    It will be appreciated that other water treatment systems and methods may be provided on the barges  12   a - 20   c.  For example, the barges  12   a - 20   c  may be equipped with additional filters, aerators, basin, substances, chemicals and other systems depending upon the type of contaminants present in the water being treated. 
         [0031]    From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting. It will also be appreciated the components of the system need not be in the order shown in the figures and described above. Rather, depending upon the water to be treated, the components may be aligned or arranged in a different order. In some embodiments, some of the components may be bypassed if certain types of treatment are not necessary. In other embodiments, the water may be cycled through one or more of the components multiple times in order to achieve necessary purification levels. 
         [0032]    The constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including” and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.