Improvements in the Filtration of Water, Sewage and other Liquids.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 29th Oct., 1897--Accepted, 11th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Filtration of Water, Sewage and other
Liquids.
ANDREW JAMES BELL, Engineer of 41 Corporation St. Manchester and PETER
ADAM GARDNER BELL Engineer of 41 Corporation St. Manchester, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
Our Invention relates to the treatment of all classes of water sewage containing
matter which it is desirable to eliminate. The object of our invention is to obtain an
apparatus which will efficiently purify water sewage.
Our Invention consists of an improved method of washing filtering materials by
means of hollow radial arms having jets of water forced through, while the arms are
revolved through the filtering material. The radial arıns are fixed to a hollow shaft
into which water is introduced through holes, so placed as to revolve in a water
chamber which is connected to water supply.
Our Invention also consists of the method of making the water chamber & is
made by having a stuffing box & gland at both ends of chamber, through which the
hollow shaft passes, and which makes a watertight chamber and also leaves the shaft
free to revolve.
Our Invention further consists of the arrangement of carrying the hollow shaft by
means of footstep and bearings fitted with ball or roller bearings.
The hollow shaft is revolved by hand by means of wheel, or may be revolved by
means of gearing, worked by steam, hydraulic, or any other motive power.
Improvements in the Filtration of Water, Sewage and other
Liquids.
We, ANDREW JAMES BELL, and PETER ADAM GARDNER BELL, both of 41 Corpora-
tion Street, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers, 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 :-
Our invention relates to improvements in the filtration of water, sewage, and other
fluids which it is desirable to purify.
The object of this our invention is to obtain apparatus that will efficiently
eliminate all solid matter and impurities from the sewage or other liquids that
require to be rendered innocuous.
We attain this object by the means hereinafter described, reference being made to
the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a
11

page_text: front elevation of our improved filter. In this invention we employ filter beds that
are constructed of a steel shell as a in which gravel, sand or other filtering material
is placed, the floor of said shell being lined with concrete, and any preferred number
of strainers as b fitted therein. We place vertically in the centre of the shell a a
hollow shaft c which rests on a footstep e fitted with ball or other roller bearings, the
upper portion of said shaft passing through the roof of the shell a; said upper
portion of hollow shaft has holes formed therein and is enclosed in a water
chamber m that is fitted on the roof of the shell containing the filtering material and
connected to water supply pipe f. A stuffing box and gland are fitted at each end of
the water chamber through which the hollow shaft c passes, by which a watertight
chamber is formed and the shaft is free to revolve. We attach a series of radial arms
as g at different levels to the aforesaid shaft, said radial arms having water passages gl
formed therein which are connected with the water passage in the aforesaid vertical
hydraulic shaft c. We form holes as g² in the said radial arms through which jets of
water can be forced into the filtering material. The aforesaid hollow shaft c and
radial arms may be revolved either by hand or power, by means of a wheel as j
fitted to the top of said shaft or other suitable gearing. In applying our invention,
when it is required or necessary periodically to cleanse the filtering material the flow
of sewage or other polluted fluids in to the shell a from the inlet pipe is stopped
by the valvet being closed; the outlet valve u is also closed; clean water is intro-
duced under pressure from the supply pipe f into the water chamber m, enters the
vertical shaft c through the holes c¹ and is delivered from the holes gformed in the
radial arms g into the filtering material contained in the shell a and at the same time
clean water is forced upwards through the strainers b in the floor. The shaft a with
the radial arms g is revolved either by hand or power, which thereby agitates the
filtering material; the valve 8 is opened and the waste water and impurities are
carried off through the roof of the filtering chamber by the outlet pipe q. When the
filtering material is effectually cleansed the process of filtration may be continued by
closing the outlet valves and the supply valve vand opening the inlet valve t and
the outlet valve u. The herein before described apparatus for cleansing filtering
material may be applied to open or gravity filter beds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1st. In filter beds that are constructed with a shell or an equivalent for containing
filtering material for the purification of water, sewage, and other fluids the combina-
tion of a hollow hydraulic shaft centrally placed, that is capable of being revolved,
with a series of hollow radial arms fitted thereto and revolving at different levels, said
· radial arms having holes formed therein through which jets of water under pressure
from the aforesaid hollow shaft may be forced into the filtering material in the
manner and for the purpose substantially as herein before described.
2nd. In filter beds that are constructed with a shell or an equivalent for containing
filtering material in which a hollow hydraulic shaft with hollow radial arms is
employed the use of a water chamber as m in combination with said hollow shaft and
a connection with water supply, the upper projecting end of said hollow shaft having
holes formed therein and enclosed in the aforesaid water chamber by which water
under pressure is conducted through said shaft and radial arms and forced into the
filtering material in the manner and for the purpose substantially as herein before
described.
3rd. In filter beds that are constructed with a shell or an equivalent for containing
filtering material in which a hollow hydraulic shaft is employed the means of
supporting and fixing said hollow shaft substantially as described.
4th. In filter beds that are constructed with a shell or an equivalent for containing
filtering material for the purification of water, sewage and other fluids the combina-
tion therewith of a hollow hydraulic shaft that is capable of being revolved either by
hand or power, hollow radial arms fitted thereto and extending therefrom with holes

page_text: for the passage of water formed therein, ball or roller bearings for carrying or
supporting said shaft, a water chamber placed externally for the reception of the
upper projecting portion of said hollow hydraulic shaft in which holes are formed and
connection of said water chamber with water supply, all substantially as and for the
purpose herein before described.
5th. The means for cleansing filtering material employed for the purification of
water, sewage, and other fluids all as and for the purpose substantially as herein
before described.
day of October 1897.
THOMAS PRESCOTT
53 Arcade Chambers, St. Mary's Gate, Manchester.
Agent for the Applicants.