Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Sludge from Depositing Tanks.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 30th Apr.. 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1895
_PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION=
Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Sludge from Depositing
Tanks.
I, JOSEPH THOMAS FORD BISHOP of The Chemical Club, Victoria Hotel,
Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for the removal of sludge and similar
matters from the bottoms of depositing tanks, and is especially applicable to those
tanks into which a continuous current of sewage, muddy liquors, and the like
enters for the deposition of the solid matters suspended therein. For some little
time past sludge has been removed from the bottoms of such tanks through a
perforated pipe travelling over the bottom of the tank and it is the object of this
invention to simplify and extend the use of the perforated pipe and to facilitate its
operation.
For the purpose of my invention I may employ a rectangular tank and discharge
the sludge through a transverse perforated pipe which is caused to traverse the length
of the tank during the period of discharge and then to return to its original position.
The sludge is delivered from the perforated pipe by means of folding pipes or hose,
by telescopic pipes, or by means of flexible hose capable of being rolled upon a
drum. If folding pipes or hose are used, they have, or are provided with, flexible
parts or joints which will enable them to fold or be folded approximately parallel
with the perforated pipe when that pipe is drawn towards the outlet and to open
out when the pipe is returned. Similarly, if telescopic pipes are used, they open
If flexible hose is
out or telescope with the motion of the perforated pipe.
employed, it may be wound on a drum and one end of the hose may be connected
In either case the
with the interior of the drum which has a trunnion outlet.
folding or telescopic pipe or the hose has one end connected with the perforated
pipe, and its other end to the sludge outlet.
To provide for the more convenient motion of the perforated pipe along the
bottom of the tank, I may connect its ends to cords or chains which pass in
opposite directions around guide pulleys in the bottom of the tank whence they
When the winch is rotated in
pass over vertical guide pulleys to a single winch.
one direction the perforated pipe is caused to travel towards the winch, and when
rotated in the opposite direction it is caused to travel away from the winch.
In conjunction with the perforated pipe a scraper may be employed which will
be in action when the pipe is being traversed forward, and be tilted, when the pipe
is being returned.
This scraper may also be advantageously used with perforated pipes used in
circular depositing tanks." The scraper is depressed when the apparatus is in
operation removing the sludge, but in the case of the circular tank, where the
motion of the perforated pipe is always in the same direction, there is no necessity
for tilting the scraper.
Dated this 29th day of June A.D. 1894.
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
+
Improvements in Apparatus: for Removing Sludge from Depositing
Tanks.
I JOSEPH THOMAS FORD BISHOP of The Chemical Club Victoria Hotel
Manchester in the County of Lancaster, Agent, 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 apparatus for the removal of sludge and similar, matters
from the bottoms of depositing tanks, and is especially applicable to those tanks
into which a continuous current of sewage, muddy liquors, and the like enters for
the deposition of the solid matters suspended therein. For some little time past
sludge has been removed from the bottoms of such tanks through a perforated pipe
travelling over the bottom of the tank and it is the object of this invention to
simplify and extend the use of the perforated pipe and to facilitate its
operation.
According to my invention where a perforated pipe is arranged to be drawn
over the bottom of a rectangular tank for the purpose of removing the sludge
therefrom I arrange for delivery of the sludge from the perforated pipe by means
of folding pipes or hose by telescopic pipes or by means of flexible hose capable
of being, rolled upon a drum. If folding pipes or hose are used, they have or are
provided with flexible parts or joints which will enable them to fold or be folded
approximately parallel with the perforated pipe when that pipe is drawn towards
the outlet and to open out when the pipe is returned. Similarly, if telescopic
pipes-are used, they open out or telescope with the motion of the perforated pipe.
If flexible hose is employed it may be wound on a drum and one end of the hose
may be connected with the interior of the drum which has a trunnion outlet.
either case. the folding or telescopic pipe or the hose has one end connected with
the perforated pipe and its other end to the sludge outlet.
In
In conjunction with the perforated pipe a scraper may be employed which will
be in action on one side of the pipe when it is being traversed forward, and be
tilted so as to act on the other side when the pipe is being returned.
This scraper may also be advantageously used with perforated pipes used in
circular depositing tanks. The scraper is depressed when the apparatus is in
operation removing the sludge, but. in the case of the circular, tank, where the
motion of the perforated pipe is always in the same direction, there is no necessity
for tilting the scraper.
Having thus described the nature of my invention I will proceed to describe the
manner, in which it is to be or may be performed. The accompanying drawings
illustrate certain of the arrangements herein before described and are referred to
in the following description by means of the letters marked thereon. Where two
or more views of one arrangement are shown in the said drawings the same letters
of reference are used to indicate the same parts in all of the several views.
Figure 1 of the said drawings is a plan of a rectangular depositing tank or
precipitation tank on the bottom of which is mounted a travelling perforated pipe
into which sludge or precipitate deposited on the bottom of the tank enters in
passing from the tank an arrangement of folding pipes for conducting the sludge
to the sludge outlet being illustrated in connection with the said travelling pipe.
Figure 2 is a transverse section of the tank drawn to a larger scale showing the
sludge removal arrangements in elevation.
Figures 3 and 4 are details hereinafter referred to.
a is the tank. b is the perforated sludge pipe which is mounted on wheels b' b
supported by rails a' a' and is capable of being caused to travel over the bottom

page_text: b
of the tank by means of chains connected to the said pipe and passing over pulleys
and worked by means of a winch as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings
accompanying the Specification of Patent No. 17335 of 1893 or as illustrated in
Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings accompanying the Specification of Patent
No. 23155 of 1893 or by any other suitable arrangement. The perforations or
openings through which the sludge enters the pipe b and which are not shown in
the accompanying drawings are made in the underside thereof and may be circular
or of the form of longitudinal slits or of any other form which will admit of free
passage of the sludge into the said pipe. c is a pipe which constitutes the outlet
for the sludge and is provided with a valve c.de are the folding pipes by which
the sludge is conducted from the perforated pipe to the sludge outlet c.
b
In order
to obtain lightness combined with stiffness I prefer to make the said pipes de of
strips of sheet steel bent to the form of a tube having a flange projecting from
one side thereof as illustrated in Figure 3 which is a transverse section of one of
the said pipes drawn to a larger scale. The joints by which the pipes d and e are
connected together and to the pipes b and c are so formed as to admit of the said
pipes de swivelling or turning in a horizontal plane in order that they may follow
the motion of the perforated pipe 6 while it is passing from end to end of the tank.
A suitable form of swivel joint for the said pipes is illustrated in Figure 4 which
is an enlarged section of the joint connecting the pipes d and e. The said joint
consists of light cast metal elbows f g furnished with flanges fg for connection
to the pipes de the elbow ghaving a flanged socket g2 with which the end of
the elbow engages. Near the end of the said elbow f is a flange which may
bear on the flange on the socket g² or on packing interposed between the two
flanges as shown at h. The two elbows thus engaged together are held in place by
means of a rod i one end of which is screwed into a boss o² in the elbow g and
secured by means of a nut ¹ and the other end of which passes through and is
capable of turning in a stuffing box f³ formed in the elbow fand is furnished with
lock nuts i². For the purpose of diminishing strain on the joints due to the weight
of the pipes d e and their connections attach a float j to a projection g³ formed in
the elbow which float supports the said pipes when the tank is charged with
liquid. At other times the said pipes may be supported by a chain connected to
the tank wall or by some other simple and convenient means.
The broken lines
at the lower part of Figure 1 indicate the position of the pipes de when the
travelling perforated pipe has just passed the sludge outlet c.
ن
Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of a precipitation
tank illustrating an arrangement of telescopic pipes for connecting the travelling
perforated sludge pipe to the sludge outlet of the tank. Referring to the said
Figure 5k is the tank. I is the perforated sludge pipe. m is the sludge outlet.
поря
are the telescopic pipes which connect the pipe with the outlet m.
o are stuffing boxes formed respectively at the ends of the telescopic
pipes o p q o p² are wheels which support the ends of the pipes and rest on a
rail the face of which is flush with the surface of the bottom of the tank. In
this arrangement and in the other arrangements hereinafter described the travelling
perforated sludge pipe is supported by wheels travelling on rails as described with
reference to the perforated pipe b illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and may be moved
as required by means similar to those referred to in connection with the description
of the said Figures 1 and 2. When the perforated pipe is being moved from the
position illustrated in the drawing towards the opposite end of the tank the pipe n
passes into the pipe o which passes into the pipe p which passes into the pipe q in
the same manner as the tubes of a telescope while it is being closed and when the
said perforated pipe is being moved in the opposite direction the set of telescopic
pipes-no p is extended the communication between the perforated pipe and the
sludge outlet m being thus maintained irrespectively of the position of the perforated
pipe 7.
The pipes n o p are made as light as possible and in order to prevent wear and
tear of the stuffing boxes the said pipes are preferably covered with sheet copper

page_text: or other material the surface of which will not be readily acted on by the liquid in
the tank.
Where I connect the travelling perforated sludge pipe with the sludge outlet of
the tank by means of a flexible hose and a drum I form the drum of large diameter
(say from 3 feet to 5 feet) and of such length that the whole length of the hose
may be coiled on it in one layer and I make one of the trunnions of the drum
tubular and connect it both with the hose and with the sludge outlet the said
trunnion thus forming a portion of the means of communication between the
perforated pipe and the sludge outlet. And I so gear or connect the drum by
means of toothed wheels or otherwise with the winch or other apparatus by means
of which the perforated pipe is moved over the bottom of the tank that by the
turning of the said winch the said hose will be wound on or unwound from the
drum at the required rate relatively to the rate of motion of the perforated sludge
pipe and according as the said pipe is approaching or receding from the sludge
outlet. Where the drum is arranged outside the tank in such a position that its
axis is at a lower level than that of the liquid in the tank the hollow trunnion of
the drum with which the connecting hose communicates may constitute the outlet
for the sludge passing through the said hose.
A convenient arrangement in conjunction with a travelling perforated sludge
removal pipe of a scraper capable of being tilted to one or other side of the sludge
pipe according to the direction in which the said pipe is to be moved is illustrated
in Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings. Figure 6 represents the
perforated pipe and scraper and the tilting arrangements in side elevation and the
tank in transverse section. Figure 7 represents the perforated pipe and a portion
of the tank in section taken on the line X X Figure 6 the scraper and tilting
arrangements being in end elevation Figure 8 represents the said parts and a
portion of the tank in plan. Referring to the said figures r is the perforated sludge
pipe which is secured at its ends to carriages mounted on wheels which run on
rails set in the tank bottom. The scraper consists of a metal bars having a strip
of india rubber s' secured to it which bar is carried by rings s s² 83 s fitting loosely
on the pipe r. The rings which are nearest the ends of the said piper have
arms formed on them to the outer ends of which arms are respectively con-
pected the ends of chains passing over pulleys t¹ t2 uu² the pulleys t¹² being mounted
in a standard and the pulleys u u², in a standard w which standards are secured to the
pipe. The chains attached to the arms ss are connected together where they are
supported by the pulley u' and the chains attached to the arms ss are connected
together where they are supported by the pulley a². In using this arrangement the
scraper s s¹ is required to be on the side of the pipe which is the rearward side
relatively to the direction in which the said pipe is to be moved. Thus when the
said pipe is to be moved in the direction of the arrow in Figure 7 the scraper is
required to be in the position there shown. When the said pipe has been moved in
one direction to the end of the tank and it is required to be moved in the reverse
direction the scraper is drawn under the pipe ŕ to its opposite side by pulling the
chains attached to the arms on the side to which the scraper is to be brought.
Thus if the scraper which is shown on the right hand side of the pipe in Figure 7
is required to be brought to the left hand side the chains passing over the
pulleyst must be pulled to cause the scraper to pass underneath the piper to
that side of it. When the scraper has thus been moved in either direction to the
required extent its motion is arrested by stops a secured to the piper against
which stops the arms s4s or se s bear according as the scraper is on one or other
side of the pipe.
1 do not limit myself to the use of the materials hereinbefore stated for the
scrapers nor to the forms illustrated as they may be made of wood or any convenient
material and of any suitable shape. Neither do I limit myself to the precise
arrangement herein before described for tilting or reversing the scrapers as the
details of the said arrangement may be considerably varied.
Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings represents a transverse section of a

page_text: In the
travelling perforated sludge removal pipe provided with a fixed scraper which is
suitable for use where the sludge removal pipe is required to act only while moving
in one direction as in a circular tark where the said pipe is carried by a vertical
rotatory shaft in which case there is no necessity for tilting the scraper.
said Figure 9 the perforated pipe is marked and the scraper which is shown as
made in one with the pipe is marked z. The scraper extends along the whole
length of the pipe and forms a lip on one side of the opening or row of openings
therein.
==
===
The use of scrapers in conjunction with travelling perforated sludge removal pipes
is very advantageous as they tend to prevent water and very thin sludge from
passing into the said pipes.
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 I
claim is :-
First. The connection of a travelling perforated sludge removal pipe with the
sludge outlet of a precipitation tank by means of folding or jointed pipes sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
Secondly. The connection of a travelling perforated sludge removal pipe with
the sludge outlet of a precipitation tank by means of telescopic pipes substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying
drawings.
Thirdly. The connection of a travelling perforated sludge removal pipe by means
of a flexible hose with a drum having a hollow trunnion which constitutes the sludge
outlet of a precipitation tank or communicates therewith the said drum being so
geared with or connected to the mechanism by which motion is imparted to the
perforated pipe that the said hose is coiled on the drum or uncoiled therefrom
according to rate and direction of motion of the said pipe.
Fourthly. The combination with a travelling perforated sludge removal pipe
arranged to be moved to and fro over the bottom of a precipitation tank of a
scraper capable of being tilted or turned so as to act on either side of the said pipe
according to the direction in which the said pipe is required to move substantially
as hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. The combination of a scraper with a travelling perforated sludge
removal pipe substantially as herein before described and illustrated in Figure 9 of
the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 30th day of April 1895
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.