Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering and Purifying Sewage or other Matters.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering and Purifying Sewage or
other Matters.
We, WILLIAM FLETCHER GOODHUE of 204 Grand Avenue, Consulting
Engineer, and CHRISTOPH PAULUS of 204 Grand Avenue, Real Estate Agent,
both in the City and County of Milwaukee, State of Wisconsin, United States of
America, 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 :-
The main object of our invention is to forcibly and continuously separate by
mechanical means the solid from the liquid constituents of sewage and other similar
matter.
It consists, essentially, of a cylinder or chamber provided with a reciprocating
strainer and with suitable connections and valves, whereby the sewage is fed into
said cylinder or chamber and the separated solid and liquid constituents are dis-
charged therefrom into suitable receptacles or conduits.
In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts in the several
figures.
Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation and vertical axial section of our improved
apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through one of the separating cylinders, and
Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the sludge valves with its actuating mechanism.
A A' represent two horizontal cylinders arranged in line with each other. They
are provided with screens B B', fitted and arranged therein in the manner of pistons.
They are mounted and fixed upon a piston-rod b, which passes through stuffing-
boxes in both ends of said cylinders and through an intermediate steam cylinder C,
within which is fitted and mounted upon said piston rod a piston D. These several
cylinders are connected and held firmly in place by tie-rods c c. The cylinders A A¹
are provided at the upper side of their outer ends with ports a a, which are
connected with the supply pipe or conduit E by branches E' E. These cylinders
are also provided on the under side with ports a¹ a' for the discharge of the sludge
at the outer ends and at their inner ends with ports a² a² for the discharge of the
liquid portion of the sewage from which the sludge has been separated. The
ports a² are connected with a discharge pipe F by branches F' F', and the ports a'
open into or are connected with suitable conduits or receptacles.
The branches E' E', through which the sewage is fed to the cylinders A A', are
provided with valves e el, which are operated by mechanism so arranged as to admit
the sewage alternately into said cylinders when the screen pistons B B₁ are at or
near the inner ends of their strokes. For this purpose we provide the valve stems
with crank arms ee, which are connected with slotted blocks e³ ³, adjustably
mounted upon a horizontally sliding rod e', which is supported in suitable bearings e³.
This rod is reciprocated by means of a lever G, fulcrumed to a block g, which is
adjustably mounted upon one of the tie rods c or upon any other suitable support.
This lever is provided with longitudinal slots at the ends, by means of which it is
pivoted at its lower end to a pin on a collar g', adjustably mounted upon the piston
rod b, and at its upper end to a pin on a sleeve adjustably mounted upon the recip-
rocating valve rod e'.
The valve of the engine by which the separator screens are operated may be
actuated by means of the same lever G. For this purpose we provide the valve
rod H with an adjustable collar h and connect it by a rod with said lever. To
give the proper movement to the valve, the connecting rod is pivoted by a crank-
pin in a longitudinal slot in said lever G. To allow for the arc motion of the

page_text: crank-arms in connecting them with the reciprocating rod e¹ we provide the
free ends of said crank-arms with crank pins, which engage with vertical slots
formed for their reception in lateral projections on the adjustable collars or
blocks e³.
The conduits or passages into which the discharge ports a' open are provided with
transverse slides K K', constituting the sludge valves. These valves are normally
closed by means of springs k and are opened against the opposing force of said
springs by means of hooks 1, 1, pivoted to depending arms L, L, mounted upon the
projecting ends of the piston-rod b and by blocks k¹¹ on the stems ² of said sludge
valves, the hooks / being arranged in their outward movement to engage with said
blocks and to release the same when the valves are fully opened by striking fixed
projections k³, as shown in Fig. 3. As soon as the hooks are released from the
blocks the valves are instantly closed by the action of the springs k k.
Our improved apparatus operates as follows:
The sewage entering the apparatus through the supply pipe E is admitted
alternately to the receiving ends of the cylinders A. A' by the valves ee. When the
piston D and the screens B B' are moved to the left into the position in which they
are shown in the drawings, the valve e is closed and the valve e' is opened, thereby
admitting sewage to the outer end of cylinder A' through the port a. In this
position of the separating screens the sludge-valve K' is closed while the valve K at
the opposite end of the apparatus is opened. Now as the piston D is reversed and
moves the screens B B' to the right the valve e will be opened and the valve e' will
be closed. The screen 6 advancing against the sewage contained in cylinder A',
permits the liquid portions thereof to pass through it into the inner end of the
cylinder, whence it escapes through the port a² and branch Finto the discharge
pipe or conduit F, the solid constituents of the sewage being carried to the outer
end of the cylinder, and the greater part of the liquid expressed therefrom is as the
screen B nears the end of its stroke discharged through the port a' by the opening
of the sludge-valve K', in the manner hereinbefore described. While the latter
operati on is going on in the cylinder A¹ the cylinder A is being filled with sewage,
and thus the operation goes on continuously, first one and then the other cylinder
being filled and the sludge being separated and discharged alternately in opposite
ends of the apparatus.
Various changes may be made in the details of our apparatus within the scope of
our invention. Where apparatus of small capacity is sufficient, a single acting
separator, like or similar to one end of the apparatus hereinbefore shown and
described, may be employed.
While we have shown and described our apparatus as specially designed for
operating upon sewage, we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves
thereby to such particular use, inasmuch as the apparatus may be applied with
advantage to the separation of the solid and liquid portions of a variety of matter
other than sewage.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a sewage separator, the combination of a cylinder or chamber connected at
one end with a sewage supply and having a sludge discharge port at the same end
and a liquid discharge port at the opposite end, and a reciprocating screen piston
adapted to said cylinder or chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
2. In a sewage separator, the combination of two cylinders or chambers connected
at one end with the sewage supply and having discharge ports for the sludge and
liquid at opposite ends thereof, reciprocating screens adapted to work within said
cylinders or chambers, and valves adapted to admit the sewage alternately to said
cylinders or chambers substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a sewage separator, the combination of two cylinders placed in line with

page_text: each other and provided with reciprocating screens adapted to work within the same,
a steam-cylinder provided with a piston connected with the rod upon which said
screens are mounted and arranged to actuate the same, a sewage supply pipe
or conduit connected with said separator-cylinders, valves arranged to admit
the sewage alternately thereto, liquid and sludge ports and connections at opposite
ends of the cylinders, and sludge valves arranged to be opened at the proper time
to discharge the sludge from said cylinders, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
4. In a sewage separator, the combination of a separating chamber or cylinder
provided with a reciprocating screen adapted to work therein and having sewage
supply and sludge discharge ports at one end and a liquid discharge port at the
opposite end, a supply valve, and a sludge valve with mechanism arranged to
open and close the same alternately, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
5. In a sewage separator, the combination of a separating cylinder, a steam
cylinder placed in line therewith, a piston rod common to said cylinders, a piston
mounted upon said rod in the steam cylinder, and a screen mounted thereon in the
separator-cylinder, a sewage supply connection with one end of the separator cylinder,
a liquid discharge connection with the opposite end of said cylinder, and a sludge
discharge valve communicating with the feed end of said separator cylinder, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
6. In a sewage separator, the combination of a pair of separator-cylinders and an
interposed steam-cylinder placed in line with each other and provided with a
common piston-rod, a piston mounted upon said rod in the steam-cylinder, and
screens mounted thereon in the separator cylinders, a sewage supply pipe connected
by branches with said separator cylinders, a liquid discharge pipe or conduit
connected by branches with the opposite ends of said cylinders, feed valves placed
in the branches of the supply pipe or conduit, and connections between said valves
and the piston-rod, whereby they are alternately opened and closed and sewage is
admitted first into one and then the other separator cylinder, substantially as and
for the purposes set forth.
7. In a sewage separator, the combination of a separator-cylinder and a steam
cylinder located in line with each other and provided with a common piston-rod, a
piston mounted upon said rod in the steam cylinder, and a screen mounted thereon in
the separator cylinder, a supply pipe connected with one end of the separator
cylinder and provided with a feed valve, a liquid discharge pipe or conduit leading
out of the opposite end of said cylinder, and connections between said feed-valve and
piston rod, whereby the sewage is intermittingly admitted into said separator cylinder,
substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
8. In a sewage separator, the combination of a cylinder provided with a recipro-
cating piston-rod and a screen mounted thereon within said cylinder, a sewage
supply connection provided with a feed valve communicating with one end of said
cylinder, a sludge-discharge port leading out of the same end of the cylinder and
provided with a valve, and connections between the piston rod and feed and
discharge valves, whereby the latter are alternately opened, substantially as and for
the purposes set forth.
9. In a sewage separator, the combination of a separating cylinder or chamber
provided with a reciprocating rod, a screen mounted upon said rod within said
cylinder, a supply connection with one end of said cylinder, provided with a feed
valve, a sludge-discharge port opening out of the same end of the cylinder and
provided with a valve, a spring normally closing said valve, and a hook pivoted to
the piston rod and arranged to engage with a projection on the sludge-valve stem so
as to open said valve at the proper time, substantially as and for the purposes set
forth.
10. In a sewage separator, the combination of a separating cylinder or chamber
provided with a reciprocating piston-rod, a screen mounted upon said rod within said
cylinder, a sludge discharge port opening out of said cylinder and provided with a

page_text: slide valve, a spring normally closing said valve, a hook pivotally connected with
said piston-rod and arranged to engage with a projection on said valve stem and to
open said valve, and a relatively fixed projection by which said hook is tripped and
released from the projection on the valve stem at the proper point, substantially as
and for the purposes set forth.
11. In a sewage separator, the combination of separator cylinders, an interposed
steam cylinder in line therewith, a piston rod upon which the steam piston is mounted,
screens mounted upon said piston-rod within the separator-cylinders, sewage supply
connections communicating with said cylinders and provided with feed valves, a
sliding rod connected with crank arms on the feed valve stems, and a lever pivotally
connected at one end with the piston rod and at the opposite end with said sliding
valve rod, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
12. In a sewage separator, the combination, with a steam cylinder provided with
a piston and piston rod, of a separator cylinder in line therewith, a screen mounted
upon said piston-rod within the separator cylinder, a sewage supply pipe provided
with a feed valve, connected with one end of the separator-cylinder, a reciprocating
rod parallel with said piston rod and connected with a crank arm on the feed valve
stem, a lever fulcrumed to a suitable support and pivotally connected with the piston
rod on the one hand and said sliding valve rod on the other hand, and a rod con-
necting said lever with the stem of the steam valve, substantially as and for the
purposes set forth.
13. In a sewage separator, the combination of a cylinder provided with an actuating
piston and piston-rod, a separator cylinder, a screen mounted upon said piston rod
within said separator cylinder, a sewage supply connection with one end of the
separator-cylinder, provided with a feed valve, a reciprocating rod parallel with the
piston rod, adjustably connected with a crank arın on the feed-valve stem, and a lever
fulcrumed to an adjustable support and adjustably pivoted on opposite sides thereof
to said piston rod and reciprocating valve rod, substantially as and for the purposes
set forth.
Dated this 19th day of September 1892
F. W. BARKER,
Applicants' Agent.