Patent Publication Number: US-4485013-A

Title: Liquid separator and purification system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a liquid purification system and especially to a floating system adapted to aerate, cool and clean water in a large body of water. 
     In the past, a large variety of liquid purification systems have been provided for treating all types of liquids and especially for treating polluted water. In addition, various types of liquid cooling towers have been provided for heat exchangers for cooling of liquid which has been heated in industrial processes or in air conditioning equipment. Finally, there have been a large number of systems directed for removing oil, or other hydrocarbons, spilled on bodies of waters; and these frequently include skimmer type boats which skim the top of the water to remove floating oil which is then collected and removed to a storage tank. Another type of prior art skimmer utilizes a moving web moving through the surface of the water which captures oil but will allow the water to fall off. The oil is then squeegeed in some manner from the moving web. 
     The present invention is directed to a liquid purification system which is adapted to be floated from location to location for cleaning large volumes of liquid in a body of water, including aerating the liquid while acting as a trickle filter and as a filter for collecting fine particles and solid pollutants, along with hydrocarbons such as oil. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A liquid purification system is provided having a liquid collection unit for collecting liquid for purification. A liquid line feeds the collected liquid from the liquid collecting unit to a floating purification unit. A floating purification unit may be floated on pontoons or other flotation material on a body of water and is connected to the liquid line for receiving liquid from the liquid collection unit. The liquid is forced into a dispersion nozzle for dispersing into a fine spray onto one or more stepped towers, where it is allowed to trickle to the bottom of the tower onto a movable filter belt located below the towers for collecting the liquid therefrom to remove solid and hydrocarbon pollutants from the water. Means are provided for removing the hydrocarbons and solid pollutants from the filter belt into a collection container where it can be removed to shore. The liquid collection unit may have a screen filter for filtering large solid material from the filter system and may be adapted to float on the surface or below the surface at adjustable depths as desired. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the written description and the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the overall system; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the floating purification unit in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cutaway perspective of the liquid dispersant nozzle used in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a top elevation of a floating skimmer unit in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the skimmer unit of FIG. 4. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an overall liquid purification system 10 is illustrated having a liquid collection unit 11 connected by a liquid line 12 to a floating purification unit 13. The entire system floats on a body of water 14 which might be a lake, an industrial settling pond, or a cooling pond for a power plant, or the like. The liquid collection unit 11 has a flotation sphere 15 having an annular harness supporting a plurality of support lines 17 connected to a top clamping unit 18. The clamping unit provides an aperture 20 and a clamping bolt 21 having a small handle thereon for clamping the line 17 through the opening 20. The bottom of the sphere has an anchor bracket 22 having an anchor line 23 connected thereto and to an anchor 24 for holding the flotation sphere 15 in position on the body of water 14. The lines 17 pass through a plurality of apertures 25 in the line supporting harness and are connected to the collection unit screening box 26. The depth of the box 26 below the surface of the water is determined by the length the lines 17 are pulled through the opening 18 and clamped with a clamping bolt. A collection box 26 has large screened wire sides 27 attached to a square framework 28 with an inverted pyramid shaped collection unit 30 on the bottom of the box 26. A finer screen may be provided between the box 26 and the collection pyramid 30 for collecting debris. 
     It should be understood at this point that this is only one liquid collection unit of a series of different types for collecting liquid from different positions. A surface skimming unit is illustrated in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 and it should be clear that the unit in FIG. 1 can also be adapted to sit on the bottom of a lake, pond, or the like, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     The liquid pipe 12 had flexible connectors 31 connected to a more rigid, but still flexible, pipe 32 which may be inexpensive polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, or the like. The pipe 12 may be supported with auxiliary lines 33 connected to one or more auxiliary flotation spheres 34 having a bracket 35 for holding the line 33. The line 12 is connected to the floating liquid purification unit 13 rigid pipe 36 which connects into a housing 37, housing a small internal combustion engine driving a water pump drawing the water from the collection unit 11 through the pipe 12 to the floating purification unit 13. The engine is also used to rotate a power webbing or belt, as will be more fully described hereinafter in connection with FIG. 2. The liquid purification unit 13 has a plurality of pontoon type floats 38 supporting a framework 40 having an enclosed aeration and cooling tower 41 mounted on the top thereof and a filtration system in a casing 42. The system allows liquid to be picked up from different depths and different locations in a body of water and pumped to the purification system where the liquid is purified and fed back into the body of water. The unit advantageously can be moved from location to location to purify different portions of a pond, or the like. 
     Turning now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a floating purification unit 43 is shown having a base or platform 44 supported by a plurality of flotation pontoons 45. The base 44 has a framework 46 mounted thereto which in turn supports a plurality of cooling aeration and purification towers 47. Each tower 47 is stepped with a plurality of steps which may have a grooved smaller stepped surface 50. Liquid is received from the liquid line 12 into the engine and pump housing 51 where it is pumped through a liquid line 52 below each of the towers 47 and into individual tower lines 53 and out the apex of each tower. The water is directed into a liquid dispersion nozzle 54 which disperses the liquid into a much finer spray for aerating and cooling the liquid which is then collected on the surface of each of the towers 47 and allowed to trickle down the roughened surfaces 50 over the larger steps 48. The dispersion, as well as the trickling, produces an aeration, cooling and a trickle filtration of the liquid. The nozzle 54 has a cup shaped member 55 which is identical to the nozzle in FIG. 3, except for the absence of the inverted pyramid 56 in FIG. 3. The cup member 55 has an adjustment rod 57 attached thereto and slides in a sleeve 58 mounted to a support bracket 60 supported on a support framework member 61. The rod 57 has a plurality of bores 62 passing therethrough so that a pin 63 can be slid through the bracket 58 through one of the openings 62 to position the dispersion nozzle 54 and cup 55 in different positions. The liquid trickling down the towers 47 falls on a filtered web or belt 64 which may be a seven strain belt made of any material desired which will catch and hold fine solid pollutants and capture hydrocarbons, such as oil, in the mesh of the belt. The belt is supported by an idler roller 64 on one end and a driving roller 66 on the other end, and may have idler rollers mounted therebetween if desired for additional support. The driver roller 66 is driven by belt 67 connected to a pulley on the engine in the engine housing 51. The idler roller 65 is mounted to a roller support bracket and journal 68 while the roller 66 is mounted to an L-shaped bracket and journal 70 mounted to the base 44. As the belt 64 rotates, it engages a belt cleaning element 71 at one end mounted to a bracket and journal 72 attached to the base 44, which has a cylindrical, rotatable brushing member for brushing the belts 64 to remove pollutants as well as to capture hydrocarbons and oily substances thereon. A squeegee blade 73 is mounted to a collection container 74 which in turn is connected to the base 44 and squeezes against the brush 71 to remove hydrocarbons or oily substances from the brush. In addition, the belt is further cleaned by the use of pipes 75 having a plurality of nozzles directed against one side of the belt. Pipe 75 is connected through a support pipe 76 mounted with a flange 77 to the base 44 and through a pipe 78 to the pump in the housing 51. The water falling from the towers 47 passes through the belts 64 and back into the body of water either through openings in the base 44 or off the edges of the base 44. Water is also squeegeed out by the idle roller 65 as it passes by the roller 65. Collected pollution material from belt 64 form sludge in the container 74 and may be pumped ashore through a line 75 for disposal. 
     Turning to FIG. 3, an alternate embodiment of the dispersion nozzle 76 is shown having an inverted cup dispersion surface 77 having a rod 78 attached thereto having a plurality of openings 80 therein and an inverted cone 56 mounted inside the cup 55 for dispersing the liquid being driven thereagainst from the outlets 81 of the pipes 53 of FIG. 2. 
     Turning to FIGS. 4 and 5, an alternate embodiment of a liquid collection unit 82 is shown having a U-shaped flotation body 83 connected with lines 84 to eyelets on the body 83. Additional lines 79 are connected to angled booms 89 so that the booms 89 and body 83 can be pulled through the water with the lines 84 and 79. The flotation portion 83 has a screened filter for collecting large solid particles mounted over the inverted pyramid or funnel-shaped collection portion 87 which is attached to the bottom of the U-shaped flotation unit 83. The funnel collecting unit 87 is connected to a flexible connector pipe 88 and to a liquid feeding line 90 which is then fed to the liquid purification unit 43 of FIG. 2. 
     It should be clear that this collection unit can be used simultaneously with the one shown in FIG. 1 for collecting liquids below, as well as along the surface of a body of water. In addition, this unit can be pulled by the lines 84 for movement along the surface and can have pontoon floats attached to the outlets 85 to block off an area along the surface of the body of water for directing liquid into the flotation collection unit 82. 
     It should be clear at this time that a liquid purification system has been provided which collects liquid to be purified from below the surface as well as along the surface of a body of water; and which aerates the liquid, cools the liquid and treats it with a trickle filter as well as removes fine solids and hydrocarbons therefrom. It should also be clear that the unit is specifically adapted to be moved from location to location around the body of water. The invention, however, is not to be construed as limited to the forms shown, which are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.