Improvements in Water Purifiers and Sludge Separators.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Oct., 1887
Complete Specification Left; 14th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Water Purifiers and Sludge Separators.
I GEORGE RODGER of No. 63 Queen Victoria Street London E.C. Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
An apparatus for the purification of water or other liquid from which it is desired
to separate suspended matter. To effect this a series of corrugated or plain plates are
arranged in pairs or otherwise in such a manner and at such an inclination as that
when the suspended matter has been deposited upon the plates it shall slide downwards
in a direction at right angles to the main current of the fluid to be purified and thus
reach a position where will not interfere with or be liable to be carried onwards by
the said fluid. By this arrangement the effluent water will be less liable to be re-fouled
after it has parted with its suspended matter than with any apparatus hitherto
designed.

page_text: I, GEORGE RODGER, of 63 Queen Victoria Street, London E.C. Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My Invention relates to that class of apparatus which are used for clarifying and
purifying water and other liquids; for example, it relates particularly to that type
of apparatus employed for the decantation of water, holding in suspension, matters
obtained by the action of a suitable re-agent or re-agents.
According to my Invention I employ an arrangement of tanks or vessels in one
or more of which are placed a series of plates, preferably corrugated and having their
corrugations running at right angles to the main current of the water to be freed
from sludge. The plates are inclined at any suitable angle so that the deposited
matters upon them may slide downwards to a point where they shall be out of the
current of the effluent water, and thus the re-fouling of the liquid which has already
parted with its suspended matter is avoided.
In order that my invention may be fully understood, I shall proceed with the aid of
the annexed sheets of drawings which make a part of this specification, to particularly
describe the same. The drawings are marked with letters and figures corresponding
with those used in the following description and the same letters and figures are used
to denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the several figures and views of
the Drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a sectional front elevation of an apparatus constructed according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional end elevation of the apparatus.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of the apparatus taken at a Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a plan showing the water tank and part of the re-agent tank.
Figures 5 to 10 inclusive are diagrams showing in elevation and plan respectively
various modifications in the arrangement of the plates in an apparatus according to
my Invention.
Figure 11 is a detail showing the means I prefer to employ for supporting the
separating plates.
Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the Drawings illustrate a complete apparatus constructed,
and provided with the improvements, according to my Invention. The said apparatus
is composed of a vessel A containing the separating plates B B¹ and arranged as
hereafter described, a water tank a, re-agent tanks dd, water supply pipe b, re-agent
supply pipe m having a regulating float l, mixing pipe c and discharge, outlet g. The
plates B B are arranged in two sets in the vessel A, and so as to leave an inlet space E

page_text: at one end of the vessel and an outlet space F at the other end of the vessel. The sets
of plates B B are set in the vessel A at opposite angles to each other and are
supported in the vessel by means of notched angle irons J, as shown at Figure 11, the
lower ends of the plates resting in the notches; the plates at the bottom of the
series being supported by the notched bars J¹. This arrangement ensures the proper
spacing of the plates B. The upper ends of the plates rest upon the sides of the
vessel A, the top plates being supported by small distance pieces placed in the spaces
between the plates. The lower part of the vessel A is provided with three sludge
chambers K K K having sludge cocks II' 1'; namely, a sludge chamber K is provided
below the inlet space E, (which space is provided with perforated plates n to distribute the
incoming water,) a sludge chamber K below the plates BB and common to them,
and a sludge chamber K' below the outlet space F. Just below the discharge
outlet g there is a screen, or strainer which serves to regulate the flow of water to the
discharge outlet g.
The water to be purified enters the regulating tank a through the ball valve a¹ and
then passes down through the pipe into the mixing pipe c, together with the
re-agents from the tanks d d. On issuing from the pipe c and entering the space E
of the vessel A, the mixture of water and re-agents rises in the space E and passes
between the separating plates B B' to the space F and then escapes through the
discharge outlet g having left the precipitated lime and other matter upon the
plates B B. When the deposit on the plates B B₁ has become thick enough,
the deposit slides down into the spaces H at the sides of the vessel A and into the
sludge chamber K' from whence it is removed by means of the sludge cock I. Any
precipitated matter that passes the plates B B' sinks to the sludge chamber K² at the
bottom of the space F and is removed therefrom by the sludge cock I³.
.
The re-agent is fed from the tanks d d to the mixing pipe through the flexible
tube m, the upper end of which is provided with a float of any known suitable form
having perforations'm' through which the re-agent enters. The pipe m thus regulates
the flow of the re-agents.
I would have it understood that my Invention is not limited to any particular
number of series of plates B, as one, two or more series may be used, for example
in the diagrammatic views Figures 5 and 6 an apparatus with one set of plates is
shown and in Figures 7 and 8 an apparatus with two sets of plates is shown. Also
the arrangement of the plates B in the vessel A may be modified: for example the
plates B B may be arranged as shown in the diagramatic views Figures 9 and 10,
namely one set B may be arranged in A form and the other set of plates B' arranged
in V form. In all these examples the fall of the deposit is across or at right angles
to the flow of the water. In the diagrammatic views Figures 5 to 10 inclusive the
arrows show the direction of flow of the water and the arrows s show the direction
of fall of the deposit.
The plates may be plain, or corrugated and of thickness to stand reasonably straight
in their place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
First. In apparatus for clarifying and purifying water of the type herein described,
the arrangement by which the water is caused to flow in a plurality of streams,
separated from each other by the plates thereof, and the matters precipitated on said
plates gravitate in a direction which is not opposed to that of the water, to a point
out of the current of the said streams; substantially as set forth.
Second. In apparatus for clarifying and purifying water of the type herein described
the arrangement by which the water is caused to flow in a plurality of parallel
streams, separated from each other by the plates thereof, from one side or end of the
vessel in which the said plates are contained to the opposite side or end of the said
vessel, the said plates being inclined or so disposed that the matter deposited on the
plates falls therefrom substantially as set forth.

page_text: .
Third. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improved
apparatus for decanting and clarifying liquid holding solid matter in suspension,
herein described and shown in Figures 1. 2. 3 and 4 of the Drawings hereto
annexed.
Fourth. In apparatus of the type herein specified a vessel having a water inlet
space E, a series of plates B, and a water outlet space F, arranged as set forth with
reference to Figures 5 and 6 of the Drawings.
Fifth. In apparatus of the type herein specified a vessel having a water inlet
space E, two series of plates B B₁, and a water outlet space F, arranged as set forth
with reference to Figures 7 and 8 of the Drawings.
Sixth. In apparatus of the type herein specified a vessel having a water inlet
space E, and plates B B³, arranged in a plurality of series and a water outlet space F,
as set forth with reference to Figures 9 and 10 of the Drawings.
Seventh. In apparatus of the type herein specified the means herein described with
reference to Figure 11 of the Drawings for supporting the plates.
Dated this 12th day of Ini 1882
GEORGE RODGER.
By Cheesbrough & Royston,
15, Water Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents.