Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Purifying Water.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 9th Dec., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Purifying
Water.
I, ALEXANDER THOMSON WALKER of Bath Road Reading in the County of
Berks Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the method
of and apparatus for purifying water containing organic impurities whether such
impurities be in mechanical suspension or in solution therein.
According to my said invention I cause the water to be purified to pass as
hereinafter described through a series of tanks or chambers containing appliances
and materials of the kinds hereinafter described and referred to by means of which
the impurities are eliminated from the water.
I first pass the water to be purified through an intake chamber or intake
chambers in which screens formed of wire gauze or wire netting or other suitable
reticulated or perforated or permeable material or materials are arranged trans-
versely to the direction in which the water flows. The said screens are arranged
so as to be capable of ready removal and replacement and by means of them the
grosser impurities mechanically suspended in the water are separated therefrom.
From the said intake chamber or intake chambers I convey the water by a pipes
or other suitable conduit or conduits provided with a suitable valve or valves into
a tank or chamber where the said water collects and from which it flows over a
wall or weir into a second tank or chamber containing a bed or layer or layers of
pure or clean furnace coke or other coke or other suitable carbonaceous material or
a mixture of such materials resting on loosely laid perforated bricks or blocks the
undersides of which are grooved or channelled to admit of free passage of the water
to an opening or openings in the lower part of one of the walls of the said tank or
chamber through which opening or openings the water passes into a third tank or
chamber in which the water rises until it overflows a wall or weir and enters a
fourth tank or chamber which contains a bed or layer or layers of the matter
known by the trade name of "polarite" in a granulated state resting on perforated
bricks or blocks grooved or channelled and laid similarly to those in the second
chamber. From the lower part of the said fourth chamber the water passes into a
fifth tank or chamber in which it rises and from which it passes over a wall or weir
into a sixth chamber in which is a bed or layer or layers of "polarite" in the form
of fine granules resting on loosely laid perforated and grooved or channelled bricks
from which chamber the water passes into a seventh tank or chamber containing a
bed or layer or layers of sand or shingle or both whence the purified water passes
into a reservoir where it collects and from which it is distributed as required by
pumping or otherwise.
Dated this 8th day of February 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Purifying
Water.
I ALEXANDER THOMSON WALKER of Bath Road Reading in the County of
Berks 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 :-
My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described in the method
of and apparatus for purifying water containing organic impurities whether such
impurities be in mechanical suspension or in solution therein.
According to my said invention I cause the water to be purified to pass as
hereinafter described through a series of tanks or chambers containing appliances
and materials of the kinds hereinafter described and referred to by means of which
the impurities are eliminated from the water.
I first pass the water to be purified through an intake chamber or intake chambers
in which screens formed of wire gauze or wire netting or other suitable reticulated
or perforated or permeable material or materials are arranged transversely to the
direction in which the water flows. The said screens are arranged so as to be
capable of ready removal and replacement and by means of them the grosser
impurities mechanically suspended in the water are separated therefrom. From
the said intake or intakes I convey the water by a pipe or pipes or other suitable
conduit or conduits provided with a suitable valve or valves into a tank or chamber
where the said water collects and from which it flows over a wall or weir into a
second tank or chamber containing a bed or layer or layers of pure or clean
furnace coke or other coke or other suitable permeable carbonaceous material or
a mixture of such materials resting on loosely laid or open jointed perforated
bricks or blocks the undersides of which are grooved or channelled to admit of
free passage of the water to an opening or openings in the lower part of one of
the walls of the said tank or chamber through which opening or openings the
water passes into a third tank or chamber in which the water rises until it overflows
a wall or weir and enters a fourth tank or chamber which contains a bed or layer
or layers of the matter known by the trade name of "Polarite" in a granulated
state resting on perforated bricks or blocks grooved or channelled and laid
similarly to those in the second chamber. From the lower part of the said fourth
chamber the water passes into a fifth tank or chamber in which it rises and from
which it passes over a wall or weir into a sixth chamber in which is a bed or layer
or layers of "polarite" in the form of fine granules resting on loosely laid or
open jointed perforated and grooved or channelled bricks from which chamber the
water passes into a reservoir where it collects and from which it is distributed as
required by pumping or otherwise.
The chambers and apparatus herein before described may be constructed and
arranged as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which they are shown as
applied to the filtration of water obtained directly from a river.
Figure 1 of the said drawings is a plan of the said chambers and apparatus.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same taken on the line A Figure 1 and
Figure 3 is a transverse section of one of the chambers taken on the line B
Figure 1.
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 show respectively in plan view side view end view and
transverse section one of the perforated and grooved or channelled bricks or
blocks herein before referred to.
In the following description of the said drawings the parts thereof are referred
to by the letters marked thereon. The same letters of reference indicate the same
parts in all the figures on which they are marked namely Figures 1, 2 and 3.
a a are the intakes which are open to or in communication with the river. bare

page_text: the removable screens of wire gauze or netting or other suitable reticulated or
perforated or permeable material mounted in the said intakes which screens
intercept the grosser impurities mechanically suspended in the water passing
through them. ccare pipes by which the water from the intakes is conveyed to
the filtering chambers and d d are valves by means of which the flow of water
through the said pipes is governed or controlled as required. efghijk are the
several chambers of the filtering apparatus which chambers are formed by dividing
a tank or sunken area by means of walls l m n o p q. are the outer walls of the
tank. The walls l n p are built of less height than the outer walls rr in order that
the water may flow over the said walls from the chambers egi into the chambers fhj
in which the filtering material is placed and the bottoms of which are covered with
loosely laid or open jointed perforated bricks or blocks. Neither the said filtering
material nor the said bricks or blocks are shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 but a
perforated brick or block of suitable form is shown drawn to a large scale in
Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 as hereinbefore stated. The dividing walls moq are built of
sufficient height to prevent the passage of water over them and openings s s are
formed in the lower parts of the said walls to admit of the passage of water from
the chambers fhj into the chambers gik. tt are pipes furnished with valves u u
by means of which the chambers may be emptied of water when necessary.
The filtering material with which the chamber is charged is pure or clean
furnace coke or other coke or other carbonaceous material having about
the same degree of porosity or permeability as coke. The filtering material with
which the chambers h and j are charged is polarite. The lowermost portions of
the beds of polarite in the said chambers should consist of pieces of larger size.
than the upper portions of the perforations in the bricks covering the bottoms of
the said chambers in order that the pieces of polarite may not pass through the
said perforations. The other portions of the said beds may advantageously
consist of pieces or granules of smaller size say about one eighth of an inch
diameter.
་
The method of using the apparatus hereinbefore described and its action are as
follows;-
Perforated bricks formed as herein before described or of other suitable form are
laid as herein before described in the bottoms of the chambers fhj. Coke or other
suitable permeable material is placed in the chamber and polarite is placed in
the chambers h and j. The apparatus is then ready for use and water is admitted
by opening the valves dd. The water so admitted rises in the chamber e and flows
over the wall and descends through the bed of coke in the chamber f and passes
therefrom through the openings s, s in the wall m into the chamber g where it rises
and overflows the wall n and passes through the bed of polarite in the chamber h
and through the openings s, s in the foot of the wall o into the chamber i from
which it passes over the wall p through the bed of polarite in the chamber and
through the openings ss in the foot of the wall q into the chamber k from which it
is drawn or allowed to pass as required for distribution. When the polarite in the
chambers requires to be cleansed it is thrown into the chambers 9 and i and
there washed.
It is advantageous to make the chambers hj of such depth that the bed of
polarite in each of them will not be less than about two feet six inches deep and it
is also advantageous to provide for the passage of the water through a total depth
of not less than about five feet of polarite.
Where it is practicable to make the pits in which the chambers are formed of
such depth that the required depth of polarite can be placed in one chamber the
chambers i and ; will not be needed and consequently a considerably smaller area
will suffice for the filter.
By placing the filtering material in chambers of considerable depth and com-
paratively small superficial area as hereinbefore described I effect great economy
of space and obtain a much more rapid rate of filtration than can be obtained in
filters constructed in the ordinary manner.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
understood that my invention is not restricted to the use of chambers of any
particular form or area nor to any particular number of chambers nor to any of the
details hereinbefore described but I declare that I claim.
First; The filtration of water by causing it to pass through a bed of coke or
other porous carbonaceous matter and afterwards through a bed or beds of polarite of
considerable depth and comparatively small superficial area substantially as herein-
before described.
Secondly-Apparatus or arrangements for the filtration of water consisting of
a chamber containing coke or other porous carbonaceous matter which chamber
communicates at the lower part with another chamber which communicates at the
upper part with a chamber containing polarite.
Thirdly-The arrangement of filtering chambers and intermediate chambers
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Eighth day of November 1893.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.