DRYING OF SEWAGE
Year: 1886

page_text: I, VERNON LESLIE EDEN MILLER of No.
Doctor Johnson's Buildings Inner
Temple London Barrister at Law do hereby declare the nature of iny invention for
THE DRYING OF SEWAGE to be as follows:-
A plan or method for drying sewage by passing hot or cold air through it by
suction.
The sewage by suitable arrangements will be run into an air-tight tank or
reservoir herein after called a "tank" the tap of which may be strengthened by
eing made in a spheroidal form and this tank at convenient places will be fitted
with two pipes one of them to be used as an exhaust pipe for extracting or
exhausting the air on the surface of the sewage and the other as an inlet pipe for
hot or cold air to be carried or directed thereby to the bottom of the sewage. The
opening for receiving the sewage will be fitted with an air-tight door or lid which
will be closed before commencing to dry the sewage and suitable entrances will be
made in the tank for extracting the dried sewage which when the apparatus is at
work will be closed by air and water-tight doors.
The exhaust pipe will be attached to a fan or other apparatus worked by steam
or otherwise for extracting the air from the necessary space that must intervene
between the sewage and the top or roof of the tank.
The vacuum thereby created will be refilled by the air from the inlet pipe
passing through the sewage from the sides or bottom of the tank. Thus there will
be a constant current of air through the sewage so long as the exhaust fan or other
apparatus is working At the same time by thus reducing the density of the air in
the upper portion of the tank its drying power is increased.
The hot or cold air entering at the inlet pipe will be directed so as to be distri-
buted over the largest surface of the bottom of the tank and the sewage lying on
it so that all this air will be drawn or sucked through the body of the sewage-
The plan for effecting this will be by mechanical arrangements either by splitting
up the air within the tank and guiding it by pipes or other appliances to the
bottom and along the surface of the bottom of the tank in contact with the Sewage
either by perforated pipes in as many directions as experience may prove to be
advantageous or by means of a perforated false bottom of the tank or by any other
contrivances due precautions being taken to prevent the appliances in either case
being choked by sewage matter.

page_text: VERNON LESLIE EDEN MILLER 2 Dr. Johnsons Buildings Temple Barrister-
at-law. I do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention consists of a plan or method of drying sewage, by means of
evaporation & absorbtion which evaporation & absorbtion is caused or produced by
passing atmospheric or other air through the sewage in the manner & by means
of the apparatus hereinafter described.
The apparatus consists of a reservoir or tank bereinafter called a "tank" con-
structed & fitted in the following manner.
The tank which should be of a size suitable for the amount of sewage to be dealt
with at one time must except as hereinafter mentioned be air tight & be fitted with
an air tight door or doors or other suitable contrivance for filling & emptying it, it
is also fitted with two (or more) pipes hereinafter called the exhaust & supply pipes
respectively & more fully described below.
The exhaust pipe must at one end be connected with the top or upper part of the
tank (namely that portion between the surface of the sewage & the roof or top of
the tank when the tank is charged) the other end of the exhaust pipe must be
attached to an air pump, exhaust fan or other apparatus for extracting the air or
vapour out of the space intervening between the surface of the sewage & the top
or roof of the tank.
The supply pipe or pipes starting from some point or points outside the tank
& above the level of the surface of the sewage in the tank must be continued from
that point into the tank through the side or other convenient point down to the
bottom or some other suitable point in the tank below the surface of the sewage,
at which point it must be joined to a series of perforated pipes radiating in various
directions over the bottom of the tank or in any other positions below the surface
of the sewage.
Instead of the above mentioned pipes the air may be distributed through the
sewage by any other suitable mechanical means as for example by a perforated
false bottom.
In any case means must be provided for closing or otherwise protecting as by
covering with filtering material, the holes in the perforated pipes or any other
holes intended for air to pass through into the sewage so as to prevent the pipes
or other arrangements becoming choked whilst the machine is not at work.
The air holes or perforations may be closed by any suitable mechanical means
but I recommend one of the following plans as the most convenient.
1st. In the case where the perforated pipes are in contact with the bottom or
sides of the tank the perforations may be closed by making the pipes revolve on
suitable joints into such a position that the holes are in contact with the bottom
or side of the tank, which will sufficiently close them.
2nd. When owing to the number of perforations or positions of the pipes this
cannot be done the perforated pipes may be each enclosed in another similarly

page_text: perforated, which must fit so as to be capable of revolving round the first men-
tioned perforated pipe, then by slightly turning this outer pipe the holes in the
perforated pipe will be closed.
In both cases the pipes may be turned by fitting cog wheels to the movable
parts of the pipes & either by other cog wheels or by any other suitable con-
trivance locking the whole series of movable pipes together & attaching to one of
these cog wheels a pivot or shaft which is produced through the side or other
suitable point in the tank to some point where it can be turned by means of a
handle or lever attached thereto.
The process of working is as follows-
The tank should after closing the holes in the perforated pipes be partly filled
with sewage through the door above mentioned, sufficient space being left between
the surface of the sewage & the hole into the exhaust pipe to prevent any of the
sewage being drawn up the pipe in an unvaporised state, then having closed the
door the pump. must be set in motion & the air partly extracted out of the space
between the surface of the sewage & the roof of the tank when on the holes in
the perforated pipes being opened the weight of the atmosphere will force air down
the supply pipe through the sewage & into the space in the upper part of the tank
out of which the air was pumped & so by keeping the air or vapour pumped out
of the sd upper part of the tank a continuous stream of air of any desired tem-
perature may be maintained down the supply pipe through the holes in the
perforated pipes & then right through the body of the sewage which will by means
of the partial vacuum maintained by the pump & the constant current of air
passing through it be rapidly dried up & the water either converted into vapour or
absorbed by the air & pumped out of the tank the more or less dry residue alone
being left.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The drying of sewage by drawing or propelling air through it into a partial
vacuum by means of atmospheric pressure as & in the manner herein before more
particularly described.
2. The combination of tank & fittings hereinbefore described.