An Improved System and Apparatus for Purifying Sewage or other Foul or Waste Waters.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 5th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System and Apparatus for Purifying Sewage or other
Foul or Waste Waters.
I, EDWARD WILLIAM IVES of 2 The Strand, Derby in the County of Derby,
Civil 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 :-
In order that my invention may be the more readily understood and carried into
practical effect I have caused to be annexed to this Specification two sheets of
drawings the different figures and letters of reference upon which will be deemed
to form a part of this Specification.
Figure 1 is a general plan shewing my improved system and apparatus.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same on line a-a of Figure 1.
The object of my invention is to purify sewage or other foul or waste waters
and for this purpose I combine what is known as an "Ives" patent precipitating
tank as described in Letters Patent No. 13411 and dated July 11th 1893 having a
sludge settling tank over the same with an inverted conical bottom for the better
extraction of sludge and having a compressed air pipe or pipes in the vertical inlet
pipe for the purpose of aërating the sewage or foul or waste waters, together with a
filter bed or beds the filtering media of which consists of either sand, soil, pebbles
or what is known as magnetic proto oxide of iron together or separate in suitable
proportions according to the sewage or foul or waste waters to be treated.
I construct these filters either of a round, square, octagonal or other shape on
plan and form the bottoms of them of an inverted cone shape with a pipe or brick
or other inlet or manhole to let the sewage or foul or waste waters or tank effluent
into the filters. I carry the filtering media on iron, steel, brick, wood or other
suitable material with perforations in same to allow the water to percolate or rise
through the same, under this perforated plate or plates I place air pipes for the
purpose of driving air into the water as it rises and flows through the filter
or filters.
The sewage flows from an inlet A and storm overflow chamber B into a
disintegrating and screening chamber C entering the same at a tangent to the
outer wall and gyrates round and round carrying with it the floating solids which
are thrown against the bafflers D, D, until they are broken up and brought into
suspension fit for chemical treatment, the sewage or foul water forms a whirlpool
and gravitates through the pipe at E and is brought into contact with the chemicals
at F, the said chemicals or precipitant being contained in a cage or receptacle of
any suitable construction that will admit of their being readily dissolved or
intermingled with the sewage or foul or waste waters. By this arrangement the
solids are prevented from clogging the circular screen G and the whole of the
sewage matter is chemically treated, instead of the solids having constantly to be
scraped from the screen, carted away and buried as is usually the case; on account
of the circular motion given to the sewage the screen never becomes clogged.
After passing the chemicals at F the treated sewage is baffled and mixed up in the
mixing race H. It then flows into a sump at 1 and gravitates down the vertical
inlet pipe J and is brought into the centre of the precipitating tank in a vertical
direction at K. Inside this vertical inlet pipe at or about the bottom bend at L or
at the top of the inlet at M is placed a compressed air pipe for the purpose of
forcing air into the chemically treated sewage or foul water thus ensuring the
mixing and proper action of the chemicals and aërating of the sewage.

page_text: The natural upward flow of the sewage direct from the inlet pipe M is arrested
by the cover N and distributed over the main tank by the distributing arms and
cones O, O, it then rises up the main cylinder or tank P in an uniform upward flow
during this upward flow precipitation is taking place the solids falling (eventually
into the inverted conical sump Q) all new sewage having to pass through the main
cylinder or tank P, a natural filter is thus formed which materially assists the
settlement of all suspended matter. As the sewage gravitates to the top overflow
arms at R it gradually becomes clearer and clearer before passing into the aforesaid.
arms or channels. These overflow channels or arms are dome-shaped in section
and perforated and covered with a specially prepared filtering cloth to prevent any
scum or floating matter going off with the effluent and also to form an uniform
natural level by reason of the light flocculent matter usually found in effluents
clogging the cloths and causing the effluent to overflow in an uniform thin level
film, which materially assists the regular upward action of the water. As the
filtering cloths become clogged the water rises in the precipitating tank P until it
is about level with the top of the dome shaped arms or channels R thus indicating
to the attendant who would daily inspect the works that the cloths require changing
or washing.
After the effluent has left the precipitating tank it is run along the clarifying
race S, this race is partially filled with coke, broken tile or brick, pebbles, ballast
and sand, the top layer being sand laid on an incline, the deepest part being at T
and running down to a point at U, as the sand becomes clogged the effluent water
rises until it reaches the level of the overflow weir at V thus indicating to the daily
attendant that the sand requires cleaning. After passing along the clarifying race
the effluent passes over a weir at W and down a shaft or the like W' and into the
bottom of the filters through an inlet at W, at this point air is forced into the
water under the bottom of the filtering media by air pipes X for the purpose of
aërating and oxidizing the same, the main air supply pipes are indicated by
reference X on the drawings, the effluent then flows upward well charged with air
through the filtering material Y runs into the overflow arms at Z and is carried
away in a purified condition by the outlet pipe 1.
The filtering media are either coke sand, gravel, pebbles, broken brick or tiles or
what is known as proto oxide of iron or oxide of iron, together or separately in
different grades as already stated and laid in courses of different thicknesses
according to the effluent to be treated, and carried upon suitable perforated flooring
or bearers 9. The filters are constructed in duplicate if required one being at work
whilst the other is rest revivifying, one special feature in constructing the filters as
shewn is that not only is air drawn in as they are emptied but when they are started
to work the air at the bottom of the filters is forced through the same thus
ensuring a thorough aëration. The said filters are emptied by pumping or suction
through pipes 10, every 12 or 24 hours or more or less as desired and the water
from the same is run back into the screening chamber C for re-treatment. Another
feature in constructing tanks and filters as shewn and herein described is that
only from 12" to 18" of full is required whereas in other filters at least 4'-6" of
fall is necessary, thus in a great many cases pumping the sewage can be dispensed
with.
The sludge is extracted from the bottom of the "Ives" tank by the sludge
suction pipe 2, the bottom of this pipe being cone shaped as shewn at 3 to give a
greater area of suction and to ensure the perfect removal of sludge, the sludge is
run into a settling tank 4 having an inverted cone shaped bottom 5, about once per
day, it is then allowed to settle twenty-four hours or so and the supernatent water
is run off by drawing out the pegs at 6, this supernatent water running to the
chemicals at F for re-treatment through the tanks and filters as hereinbéfore
described thus ensuring the whole of the sewage or other foul water being properly
purified, the sludge is taken from the settling tank 4-5 by pumping syphoning or
gravitation through the pipe 7.
By treating the sludge in the manner described herein I estimate that it contains

page_text: at least 15% less water than by any other system without pressure. There being
no moving parts to get out of order either in the tanks or filters there will be
consequently a very small amount of working expense.
The method of working my improved apparatus is approximately speaking as
follows:-
:―
Once a day the chemicals are re-placed and the pegs drawn out at 6 for the
purpose of running all the supernatent water from the sludge in the top settling
tank 4 back to the chemicals at F to be re-treated, the sludge from the bottom of
the precipitating tank is then pumped into the sludge settling tank 4-5, when
doing this the first few strokes of the pump will bring effluent water this is directed
by a short canvas hose 8 to the chemicals F for re-treatment as before described,
when the sludge begins to come it is directed into the settling tank 4-5 and left to
settle till next day. The filter that has been at work is then pumped empty the
water from same is run into the screening chamber C and re-treated as before, the
effluent from the tank before pumping commences is directed into the empty filter
that has been at rest; this is all that is required and for a 100,000 gallons plant
will occupy only two hours daily.
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 :-
1. In a system or apparatus for purifying sewage or other foul or waste waters
the employment of a filter or filters having an inverted cone-shaped bottom or
bottoms, an inlet shaft or the like W₁, inlet W, filtering media Y carried upon
suitably perforated flooring or bearers, the effluent to be filtered passing through
the said filtering media in an upward direction and passing along overflow arms or
carriers Z to the outlet 1, compressed air for the purposes of aëration or oxidization
being introduced at the inlet and other suitable points in the interior of the said
filter or filters below the filtering media, substantially as herein described and
illustrated by the accompanying sheets of drawings.
2. The improved system and apparatus for purifying sewage or other foul or
waste waters consisting of screening chamber C, chemical cage or precipitant F,
baffling race H, precipitating tank P, with air or compressed air inlet and sludge
settling tank 4-5, clarifying race or races S, filter or filters with compressed air
inlet pipes below the filtering media, and overflow arms or carriers Z to outlet 1
with their various parts respectively and substantially as described herein and
illustrated by the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Dated this 29th day of October 1894.
W. SWINDELL,
Agent for the Applicant.