of, and Apparatus for, Separating Solid Matter from Sewage and other Liquids or Semi-liquids.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Method of, and Apparatus for, Separating Solid Matter from Sewage
and other Liquids or Semi-liquids.
I, WILLIAM PEARSON, of 5, Stirling Place, Valley Road, Shipley, in the County
of York, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a method of separating solid matter from sewage and
other liquids or semi-liquids in which it is contained and has for its principal
objects to reduce the space occupied by the treatment of sewage in settling-tanks.
and to avoid the loss of interest on capital involved in having the tanks idle whilst
the solids are being removed therefrom, and also the cost of such removal.
According thereto the solid matter is separated and removed from the sewage or.
other liquid or semi-liquid (hereinafter called liquid) in a continuous manner: the
liquid is discharged for treatment upon a travelling screen or strainer adapted to
retain the solid matter but to allow the purified liquid to pass through and provided
with buckets or blades adapted to carry the solid matter forward and drop it in or
upon a suitable device such as a trough for conveying it away, and the screen or
strainer is, in its movement, suitably cleaned, as by jets or streams of water so that'
the portion of the screen or strainer for the time-being in operation will always be
in a condition of efficiency.
Apparatus for carrying out this method, may be variously constructed. It may,
for example, comprise a hollow cylinder partially closed at its ends by annular
plates and having its periphery formed by metal rings secured together by cross-
bars, suitably arranged in two series to support on both sides a screen or strainer
of suitable material such as fibrous cloth, matting, wire netting or perforated metal,
placed between them. The cylinder may be mounted on rollers which, or some of
which may serve for rotating it about its own axis, being secured to shafts provided
with worm or other suitable driving gearing. A pipe for supplying the liquid
to be purified may be arranged through one of the open ends of the cylinders. The
longitudinal blades, vanes or buckets may be secured at equal intervals within and
along the periphery of the cylinder, having their outer edges in contact or nearly
so with the screen or strainer and making acute angles therewith or so arranged
or formed that as the cylinder rotates the blades, vanes, or buckets will, in passing
through the liquid, take up the solid matter therefrom and, on reaching a certain
height, drop it upon a stationary inclined trough arranged partly within the.
cylinder and passing out of the end remote from the supply-pipe, so as to deliver
the solid matter outside the cylinder. The cylinder may be arranged over a suit-
able conduit to convey away as required the purified liquid that passes through the
screen or strainer. In a suitable position, as at the return side of the cylinder,
there may be provided a perforated pipe parallel to the axis of the cylinder for dis-
charging upon the screen or strainer jets of water or air, which may be supplied
to the pipe under the requisite pressure from any convenient source.
It will be obvious that if desired a number of such cylinders may be arranged

page_text: in line, be driven by a common shaft or common shafts, and be provided with a
common cleansing pipe.
Dated this 20th day of January 1898
Method of and Apparatus for Separating Solid Matter from Sewage
and other Liquids or Semi-liquids.
I, WILLIAM PEARSON, of 5, Stirling Place, Valley Road, Shipley, in the County
of York, Engineer, 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 relates to a method of separating solid matter from sewage and
other liquids or semi-liquids in which it is contained and has for its principal
objects to reduce the space occupied by the treatment of sewage in settling-tanks
and to avoid the loss of interest on capital involved in having the tanks idle whilst
the solids are being removed therefrom, and also the cost of such removal.
According thereto the solid matter is separated and removed from the sewage
or other liquid or semi-liquid (hereinafter called liquid) in a continuous manner.
For this purpose the liquid to be treated is discharged upon a travelling screen or
strainer adapted to retain the solid matter but to allow the purified liquid to pass
through and provided with buckets or blades adapted to carry the solid matter
forward and drop it in or upon a suitable device such as a trough for conveying it
away, and the screen or strainer is, in its movement, suitably cleaned, as by jets
or streams of water so that the portion of the screen or strainer for the time being
in operation will always be in a condition of efficiency.
Apparatus for carrying out this method may be variously constructed.
In the accompanying illustrative drawings Fig. 1 shows partly in end view and
partly in cross section, Fig. 2 partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal
section one construction of apparatus according to this invention, Fig. 3 a part
longitudinal section showing the method of fixing the screen in place and Fig. 4
is a corresponding part end view. Fig. 5 is a detail view of parts hereinafter
referred to. Fig. 6 is a detail view showing a modified construction.
The construction of apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive comprises a hollow
cylinder 1 partially closed at its ends by annular plates 2 and having its periphery
formed by metal rings 3 that are provided with annular projecting flanges 3 and
are connected together by bars 4. The annular plates 2 may conveniently be made
in segments suitably fixed together as by bolts passing through flanges 2. The
bars 4 are screw threaded at their outer ends and provided with nuts 4", the inner
portions of the bars being provided with tubular distance pieces 4b the ends of
which abut against the inner sides of the annular plates 2 when the nuts 4ª are
tightened, whereby the parts are held securely together with the ends of the
cylinder at the required distance apart. The bars 4 with tubes 4b serve to support
in place around the cylinder a screen or strainer of suitable material such as
fibrous cloth, matting, wire netting or perforated metal which is suitably stretched
and secured in place. For this purpose the ends of the reticulated or perforated
material that are adjacent to the annular plates 2 are pressed against the inner

page_text: faces of such plates and around the bars 4 and tubes 4b, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,
by plates or blocks 6 which are themselves held radially in place by pins or studs 2"
fixed to or formed in one with the annular plates 2. The plates or blocks are
pressed outwards by tension bars 7 which are arranged in pairs the two bars of
each pair being jointed together by a pin 7". One end of each bar of a pair is
inserted into an opening provided in the corresponding plate or block 6 when the
bars are in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the arrangement being such
that when the bars are forced outwards into the position shown in full lines in
Fig. 3, the material forming the screen is stretched and secured by its ends being
pressed outwards tightly against the end plates 2. The bars 7 of each pair are
locked together in the full line position (Fig. 3) by pins 7b passed through holes
provided in the bars for that purpose. The bars 4 with tubes 4b instead of being
arranged in one series at equal radial distances from the centre of the cylinder, as
shown in Fig. 4, may if desired be arranged in two series at unequal radial distances
from the centre of the cylinder as shown in Fig. 6, the reticulated or perforated
material then passing between the two series of bars and tubes. The first described
arrangement however is preferred.
The cylinder is mounted by the flanged rings upon rollers 8 which serve for
rotating it about its axis, and which are secured to shafts 8" driven by suitable
means. These rollers are each provided with a central peripheral groove to receive
the flange 3 on the ring 3 at the corresponding end of the cylinder and with bear-
ing rims on each side of such groove, the arrangement serving as a guide to pre-
vent longitudinal displacement of the cylinder. The frictional contact between the
flanged rings 3 and the rollers 8 is usually sufficient to rotate the cylinder, but in
order to prevent slip and also to ensure that both ends of the cylinder shall revolve
together, i.e., so that one shall not over-run the other or cause a twisting strain on
the cylinder, the flange 3" of each ring 3 is formed as a toothed rack which gears
with teeth, studs or rollers 8b (rollers are shown) of corresponding pitch provided
in the middle of one of the rollers 8 at each end of the cylinder, the two geared
rollers being fixed upon the same shaft 8". All the bearing rollers may be geared
if desired. The ends of the shafts 8" are mounted in bearings 9 carried by girders 10
which may conveniently support the cylinder, over a suitable conduit A which
serves to convey away, as required, the filtered liquid that passes through the
screen or strainer 5. 11 is a pipe for supplying the liquid to be purified; it is
arranged through one of the open ends of the cylinder. 12 are longitudinally
arranged blades or vanes secured to lugs or brackets 2° fixed to or formed in one
with the plates 2 at suitable distances apart so that the said vanes are arranged at
equal intervals within and along the periphery of the cylinder with their outer
edges in contact, or nearly so, with the screen or strainer 5 and making acute
angles therewith so that as the cylinder rotates, the blades or vanes will, in passing
through the liquid, take up solid matter therefrom and, on reaching a certain
height, drop it upon a stationary inclined trough 13 arranged partly within the
cylinder and passing out of the end remote from the supply-pipe 11 so as to deliver
the solid matter outside the cylinder. Instead of blades or vanes, brackets or
equivalent devices may be provided within the cylinder for the purpose mentioned.
In a suitable position, as at the return side of the cylinder, there may be provided
a perforated pipe 14 arranged parallel to the axis of the cylinder for discharging
upon the screen or strainer 5, jets of water or air which may be supplied to the
pipe under the requisite pressure from any convenient source.
It will be obvious that if desired a number of cylinders constructed as described
may be arranged in line, be driven by a common shaft or common shafts, and be
provided with a common cleansing pipe 14.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. Separating solid matter from sewage and other liquids or semi-liquids by

page_text: discharging the latter upon a movable screen or strainer adapted to retain the solid
matter but to allow the liquid to pass through, and raising the solid matter from the
screen or strainer by rotary vanes, blades or buckets and dropping it into or upon
a device whereby it is conveyed away, substantially as herein described.
2. In apparatus for separating solid matters from sewage and other liquids or
semi-liquids, a rotary cylindrical screen or strainer adapted to retain the solid
matter but to allow the liquid to pass through and provided with vanes or their
equivalent arranged longitudinally within and along the periphery of the screen
or strainer so as to make an acute angle therewith the arrangement being such
that when sewage or other liquid or semi-liquid matter to be treated is discharged-
into the revolving screen or strainer, the liquid portion will pass through the
screen or strainer and the vanes will carry forward the solid portion and drop it
in or upon a trough or other suitable device for conveying it away, substantially
as described.
3. For separating solid matters from sewage and other liquids or semi-liquids,
apparatus constructed, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive; or modified accord-
ing to Figs. 6 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 17th day at October 1808
Dated ths 17th day of October 1808
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.