Improvements in and in connection with the Furification of Sewage and Impure Waters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Dec., 18.03-Accepted, 21st Jan., 1899
Improvements in and in connection with the Furification of Sewage
and Impure Waters.
I, FRANK PULLEN CANDY, of Ivy Bank, Ashley Road, Altrincham, in the
County of Chester, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion to be as follows:-
In Letters Patent No. 8671 of 1894 granted to me I describe various methods
of showering water upon filter beds and my present invention relates in part to
means for imparting motion to a rotating or travelling sprinkling conduit.
The sewage and impure waters I will hereafter speak of as sewage.
I find that by employing a sprinkling conduit pivoted at one extremity so as
to reduce friction as much as possible, and preferably balancing the same, and by
causing the liquid to issue from the said conduit in jets, I can with a very small
head or pressure of sewage on the said jets cause the said conduit to rotate and
so shower the sewage automatically upon a filter bed, the whole apparatus being
constructed and combined in such a manner as to render it a practical method
for use in the purification of sewage and impure waters.
When filtering at high or considerable speeds say at the rate of about one
thousand gallons per square yard of filtering surface per twentyfour hours I find
no difficulty in obtaining sufficient motive power from the issuing jets of sewage
to rotate the said conduit but when a slow rate of filtration is employed I some-
times have to deliver the sewage to the said conduit in intermittent flushes in
order to obtain sufficient motive power; or I may deliver the sewage in one or
more large jets preferably from the extremity of the said conduit, or I may even
lengthen the conduit, and employ a subsidiary spreading conduit to distribute
the issued sewage over the filter bed.
I may employ more than one conduit, but so far I find only disadvantages
attendant upon the employment of more than one conduit. I preferably taper
the conduit and stay it from a vertical support attached at or about its central
pivot and also preferably stay the balance weight from the same support.
I further find that high winds may have a sufficiently retarding effect upon
the rotating conduit to stop or impede its movement and therefore preferably
balance the conduit as regards its wind resistance as well as regards its weight
and I may also employ a wind motor in connection with the said apparatus so
as to aid its rotation, the said motor may be either combined with or apart from
the apparatus, for instance I may mount a wind motor having curved vanes upon
an extension of the pivot of the sprinkling conduit, or I may place curved vanes
upon the said conduit and the balancing arm.
To balance the wind resistance I prefer to employ a movable or inclinable disc,
plate or the like.
I find also if the first perforations in the sprinkling conduit are placed as near
the pivot of the same as they might naturally be placed and the perforations are
increased in their correct ratio so as to proportionately supply the increased area
of filter bed that an increased length of conduit has to serve, that either the first
perforations are so small as to be extremely likely to choke up or the last per-

page_text: forations have to be so large that they would pass too much sewage, I therefore
preferably place the first perforations at a considerable proportionate distance
from the pivot of the conduit and so overcome the difficulty; I may not construct
a filter bed at the part over which the non perforated part of the arm passes.
In order to properly serve the filter bed the perforations in the said conduit
should be placed close together; I find about one inch apart to be suitable.
The filter bed I prefer to use is of course circular in shape and the said conduit
rotates above its surface.
I preferably provide the end or ends of the conduit removable so that the inside
may be cleaned; and preferably also provide air outlet pipe or vent or pipes
or vents from the conduit so as to allow air that may have been caried into the
conduit to escape, and I cause the sewage to enter the conduit so that as little
air as possible may be carried with it.
I sometimes attach one or more spreading or dash plates to the aforesaid
sprinkling conduit to further distribute the sewage over the filter bed.
The method I preferably employ for supplying sewage to the sprinkling con-
duit is to attach a vertical pipe with an enlarged mouth to the pivoted end of the
sprinkling conduit and at right angles thereto and deliver the sewage into the
said vertical pipe and thence into the conduit from a fixed overhead feeder; or
for large apparatus I may fix a tube through the said vertical pipe the bottom of
the tube being attached to the conduit and I pass a stationary sewage feeder loose
up through the said tube from below so that it delivers into the said vertical pipe
and feeds the conduit; the bearing of the conduit I then preferably make as a
ball bearing or as wheels running in or upon a circle of rails.
The method of letting the sewage on in flushes, before referred to, is also
applicable to stationary spreading channels or the like as it avoids the tendency
of the small orifices or outlets thereof to become choked up and also prevents the
sewage in the said channels from freezing; in connection with the latter I pro-
vide one or more outlets from the said channels so that the sewage may readily
drain therefrom, or I employ deep and preferably protected channels without a
draining outlet.
I may warm the sewage before passing it on to a filter or into a tank.
I prefer to employ the following mechanism for sending sewage intermittently
onto a spreading conduit or channels, the arrangement being also applicable to
other purposes. I provide an outlet from a tank or chamber and furnish the
outlet with a valve which I connect to one end of a lever above and from the other
end of the said lever I support a vessel into which sewage runs, by means of a
suitable pipe or the like, from the said tank or chamber when the sewage shall
have risen to a pre-determined height therein; I also attach to or connected
with the said valve a float which will buoy up the said valve when once open but
will not open the valve when shut; I so balance the mechanism that when both
the said tank or chamber and vessel are empty of water the valve shall close; the
vessel I construct of such a size as to hold water sufficient by its weight to open
the valve when the chamber or tank is full of water and I also provide an outlet
which will allow the water that has run into the vessel to run out before or about
the time the sewage has run out of the said tank or chamber through the afore-
said valve. I preferably do not use a straight lever but so arrange it that the
leverage of the vessel shall increase as it descends: or instead of the aforesaid
float I may provide means whereby the said vessel shall be emptied of sewage
when the said tank or chamber is sufficiently empty; or I may dispense with the
said lever and vessel and use an additional float, the outlet from the valve being
carried up some little distance and a small draining outlet being also provided
from the said outlet so that the valve shall be opened suddenly when the required
quantity of sewage has run into the said tank or chamber.
Thated this Sucond dar of Wabruam 1808

page_text: :
Improvements in and in connection with the Purification of Sewage
and Impure Waters.
I, FRANK PULLEN CANDY, of Ivy Bank, Ashley Road, Altrincham, in the
County of Chester, Sanitary Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement:―
In Letters Patent No. 8671 of A.D. 1894 granted to me I describe various
methods of showering water upon filter beds and my present invention relates
more particularly to means for imparting motion to a rotating or travelling
sprinkling conduit.
The sewage and impure waters I will hereafter speak of as "sewage."
I find that by employing a sprinkling conduit pivoted at one extremity so as to
reduce friction as much as possible and preferably balancing the same and by
causing the liquid to issue from the said conduit in jets I can with a very small
head or pressure of sewage on the said jets cause the said conduit to rotate and
become selfpropelled and so shower the sewage automatically upon a filter bed,
the whole apparatus being constructed and combined in such a manner as to
render it a practical method for use in the purification of sewage and impure
waters.
When filtering at high or considerable speeds say at the rate of about one
thousand gallons per square yard of filtering surface per 24 hours I find no
difficulty in practice in obtaining sufficient motive power from this quantity of
sewage to rotate the said conduit, but when a slow rate of filtration is employed
such as would not by itself be sufficient to rotate the said conduit, I store the
sewage for a time and deliver it to the conduit intermittently so as to obtain
sufficient motive power. The rate of filtration which requires intermittent flush-
ing will depend mainly upon the size of the filter bed; with a bed of about ten
feet diameter and filtration at the rate of about 400 or 500 gallons per square
yard per 24 hours intermittent working I consider advisable, but it is not neces-
sary when the same bed is working at the rate of one thousand gallons per square
yard per 24 hours.
Or I may deliver the sewage in one or more large jets preferably from the
extremity of the said conduit, or I may even lengthen the conduit beyond the side
of the filter bed, and employ a subsidiary spreading conduit to distribute the
issued sewage over the filter bed, the sewage flowing from the said large jets into
the attached spreading conduits and thence on to the filter bed; this method is
especially advantageous when having to deal with sewage containing large solid
particles that cannot conveniently be removed previously, the few holes can be
inade of sufficient size to permit these particles to pass through easily.
I may employ more than one said conduit but except in the case of very large
filter beds I prefer to employ one conduit only, reaching across the filter bed and
pivoted at the centre, I divide the perforations along the whole length of conduit
and thus it balances itself; if required I stay or support the conduit as necessary.
I find that high winds have a retarding effect upon the rotating conduit unless
the same is balanced as regards its wind resistance.
I may employ a wind motor in connection with the said apparatus so as to aid
its rotation the said motor may be either combined with or apart from the
apparatus; for instance I may mount a wind motor having curved vanes of
well known type upon an extension of the pivot of the sprinkling conduit or, as
the equivalent of the said motor I may place on each side of the pivot curved
vanes upon the said conduit.
.

page_text: I find also if the first perforations in the sprinkling conduit are placed as near
the pivot of the same as they might naturally be placed and are of the correct
size to feed their part of the filter bed that they are so small as to be liable to
choke up, I therefore place the first perforation at a considerable distance from
the pivot of the conduit, for instance. from eighteen inches, to three feet away; I
may not construct a filter bed at the part over which the non-perforated portion
of the conduit passes.
In order to properly serve the filter bed the perforations in the said conduit
should be placed close together, I find about one or two inches apart to be suitable.
The filter bed I prefer to use is of course circular in shape and the said conduit
rotates above its surface.
I provide the end or ends or other suitable part of the conduit removable 80
that the inside may be cleaned and I may also provide air outlet pipe or pipes
from the conduit so as to allow air that may have been carried into or confined.in
the conduit to escape. The said removable end or ends to the conduit is of the
greatest importance as I find that a considerable growth or deposit forms on the
inside of the conduit and that this growth or deposit becomes detached from time
to time and the detached pieces would choke up the perforations in the conduit
and prevent the arm from properly working unless the said growth or deposit is
periodically removed.. I may form the said removable end or ends of a plug
which screws into the conduit or I may use a hinged door fastening with a bolt
and thumb screw or I may use other convenient arrangement.
The air vent pipe or pipes I place at the top part of the conduit, preferably
at the ends thereof, and carry the said air pipe or pipes up to or above the level
of the head of water that is necessary to cause the conduit to rotate.
The method I employ for supplying sewage to the sprinkling conduit. is to
attach a vertical pipe with an enlarged mouth at the pivoted part of the sprinkling
conduit and at right angles thereto and I deliver the sewage into the said vertical
pipe, and thence into the conduit, from a fixed overhead feeder.
Figure I of the drawing attached hereto illustrates a self propelled sprinkler
in position. A is the sprinkling conduit pivoted at B on a vertical shaft running
on ball bearings contained in the protecting tube C to which is attached a base Ď
so that the bearing can be firmly connected to the bed. E, F is the filter bed, H are
removable ends to the sprinkling conduit and K the air vent pipes. L is the
vertical pipe with enlarged mouth into which the sewage is delivered from the
overhead feeder M which is connected to the sewage carrier N.
The method of letting the sewage on to the filter bed in flushes is also applicable
to stationary spreading channels or the like as it avoids the tendency of the small
or shallow orifices or outlets thereof to become choked up and also prevents the
sewage in the said channels from freezing.
I store the sewage in stationary spreading channels placed above and across the
filter bed and hinge them so that they act as tippers in manner well known, each
channel being, of course, fed from a main supply and sending its contents on to
the filter bed in flushes when full. I prefer to place the said flushing channels
at a distance of about six inches apart so as to cover the bed as nearly as possible
and I also preferably form the top of the filter bed in a series of furrows running
parallel with and between the said flushing channels so as to further aid the
spreading of the sewage over the bed. I do not consider that this method of
flushing channels is as effective as the self-propelled sprinkling conduit before
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A self propelled sprinkling conduit working by an intermittent feed of
11 uhatantialle as and for the nurnoses described

page_text: 2. A self propelled conduit discharging into a subsidiary spreading conduit
attached thereto substantially as described.
3. The combination with a rotating sprinkling conduit of a wind motor sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
4. In connection with sprinkling conduits removable parts to enable the inside
of the conduits to be cleaned.
5. In connection with sprinkling conduits, air vent pipes substantially as and
for the purposes described.
6. For feeding self propelled sprinkling conduits the combination of overhead
feed pipes delivering into vertical pipes attached to the said conduits substantially
as described.
7. Self propelled sprinkling conduits arranged and connected substantially
as described and illustrated with reference to Figure I.
8. For delivering liquid in intermittent flushes to filter beds, stationary spread-
ing channels acting as tipping flushers substantially as described.
Dated this First day of December 1898.
F. PULLEN CANDY