Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering and Purifying or Clarifying Water.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1893-Accepted, 15th July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering and Purifying or
Clarifying Water.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Andrew Howatson of 165 Avenue du
Roule, Neuilly, (Seine) in the Republic of France Engineer) 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 improvements hereinafter described in the arrangement
and construction of filters or apparatus for purifying and clarifying water for
domestic and other purposes and for filtering and purifying waste water discharged
from factories, sewage water and the like.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in elevation and partly in
vertical section an example of an apparatus constructed according to this invention.
Figure 2 represents the apparatus in plan the upper part being removed so as to
shew the arrangement of the horizontal partitions or platforms supporting the
filtering material.
Figure 3 illustrates in vertical section a detail of one of the said platforins.
In these drawings, which are given merely as examples shewing how this
invention may be carried out in practice without limiting myself to the details of
construction, a is a chamber of suitable dimensions corresponding to the amount of
water to be treated. In this chamber are provided two or more horizontal
partitions or platforms but the apparatus may be constructed with only one
such platform in certain cases. Each platform is constructed as represented in
Figures 2 and 3 being constituted by a cast iron plate or plates p provided with
grooves p. Upon this plate is laid a sheet p" of aluminium perforated with holes m
and the bottoms of the grooves are likewise perforated with numerous small holes m¹.
This arrangement enables the water flowing through the perforations in the
aluminium to flow in a horizontal direction under the perforated sheet p₁ supporting
the filtering material.
Above the upper platform there is an agitator d preferably formed by two arms
arranged at right angles, each arm being provided with a number of vertical pins
or teeth d flattened at the lower extremity and so arranged that when the agitator
has described one complete revolution the whole of the surface of the material has
been acted upon, the teeth on each of the arms being arranged with this object
slightly farther from the centre than those on the preceding arm and that in the
movement of rotation about the centre each tooth does not follow in the path of
the corresponding tooth carried by the preceding arm being separated therefrom
by about one quarter of the distance between the teeth.
These four arms are supported by a screwed shaft & working in a nut d
provided at its upper extremity with a hand wheel d¹¹ by means of which rotary
motion can be imparted to the agitator. The whole of this apparatus rests upon
wo U shaped girders arranged in the direction of the diameter of the vessel. A
wooden platform or staging e reached by means of a ladder e¹ and provided with a
ailing e" is placed above the chamber a.
The water to be filtered enters through a flanged union f and after ascending a

page_text: pipe is discharged into the filter through a valve f", controlled by a float and
escapes at g after passing through the layers of filtering material (not 'shewn in
the drawing) placed upon the platforms bb'. The filter can be started and stopped
as required by means of a cock g'.
.
The column of water in the pipe f extends through a pipe fill provided with a
cock at h and communicating with a tube h' through which a certain quantity of water
passes into a cask or receptacle containing sulphate of alumina or other
material capable of facilitating or accelerating the clarification of the water. The
water charged with this material flows from the receptacle " through a pipe 111
which conducts it into a sheet metal chamber ; where it mingles with the main
body of the water to be filtered supplied through the valve f directly into this
chamber from which the mixture overflows into the filtering chamber a.
By means of a cock k water is enabled to be supplied to the space between the
two platforms bb' for the purpose of cleaning the filter and a cock ¹ admits water
to the underside of the lower platform b¹. A cleaning out or discharge valve is
provided at " between the two platforms and four discharge valves
arranged externally immediately above the filtering material on the upper platform
and can be worked from the staging or platform e.
are
The action of this apparatus is as follows. The water being supplied at fand
the cocks k and being closed the water overflows into the chamber ; where it
mixes with the required quantity of sulphate of alumina or other suitable material
supplied with the water passing through the receptacle ". It then passes through
the first filtering layer and through the orifices or perforations m in the aluminium
sheet p" and through the orifices m' in the platform b. The water then descends
between the two platforms passing through the second filtering layer and through
the aluminium sheet and orifices in the lower platform 6' and is discharged at g
and g¹.
In order to clean the upper filtering layer the float valve f" and cock glare
closed and the valves k and are opened. The water then passes through
the filtering layer in an upward direction and readily removes the substances or
matter in suspension deposited thereon and escapes through the valves 171
To facilitate the discharge of the deposited matter the screw d¹ and consequently
the agitator d are caused to describe five or six revolutions; the teeth or pins on the
latter entering the upper part of the filtering layer stir it and assist in detaching
the matter deposited thereon. Before recommencing to work the filter, the water
passing through the second layer is allowed to flow off for some time through the
cock k".
The lower filtering layer is cleaned in the same manner by opening the cocks k
and but in this case the agitator is not required to facilitate the removal of the
deposited matter the greater part of which remains in the upper part of the
apparatus. Before allowing the filtered water to proceed to the place where it is
required after cleaning the filter the water is allowed to flow away or run to waste
for a short time through the cock g".
Carbon or charcoal powder or dust may be employed as a filtering material
having a clarifying effect or crushed or broken flint or in general any pulverulent
insoluble material capable of producing the agglomeration of the organic and other
matter held in suspension. In a general way these pulverulent materials may be
employed for the clarification of the water either in a separate vessel or apparatus
suitably arranged for mixing and decanting operations previously to the filtering or
they may be employed in the filter itself according to the quantity of powder to be
used corresponding to the condition of the liquid. Each molecule or particle of
the dust or powder employed must correspond with a certain quantity of water
which is distributed at the same time and the mixture of powder and water after
decantation is filtered through a filtering layer or it may be filtered directly without
decantation.
It is evident that the arrangement of the pipes and of the staging and of the
accessory parts as well as the material employed in the construction and the

page_text: dimensions of the parts represented in the drawing may be modified without
affecting the principle of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The arrangement of the clarifying apparatus with two or one partitions or
platforms substantially as herein before described with reference to the accom-
panying drawings.
2. In a clarifying apparatus, and for supporting the filtering material, platforms
or horizontal partitions of cast metal plates provided with grooves presenting a
number of perforations and covered with a perforated sheet of aluminium sub-
stantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. The employment as filtering material of carbon or charcoal powder or dust,
broken flint or in general any insoluble pulverulent material capable of producing
the agglomeration of the organic matter and other matter in suspension.
4. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improvements in
apparatus for filtering and purifying or clarifying water substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of June 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.