Patent ID: 7276154

Claim:
A settling grid separator for separating suspended solids within a liquid carrier comprising: a sludge-flocculating agent mixer capable of mixing a flocculating agent with an input sludge stream, said sludge stream having a plurality of solids suspended within a liquid carrier, said solids having a density greater than said liquid carrier; and a settling chamber fed by said mixed flocculating agent and said sludge stream, said settling chamber comprising a chamber having an upper and a lower portion and having a grid of traps between said upper and lower portions; and said traps comprising substantially inverted “V” or semi-circular shaped members within said settling chamber and forming a grid for water removal; and one or more of said traps having one or more trap pipes near a vertex of said inverted “V” shaped member or an apex of said inverted semi-circular member and optimally positioned and exiting externally from said settling chamber whereby said liquid carrier may escape external to said settling chamber substantially without said solids; and said chamber of said settling chamber and said traps constructed to minimize turbulence within said settling chamber whereby sedimentation or precipitation of said solids may occur toward said lower portion due to gravitational force; and a discharge chamber positioned in a sealed manner below said lower portion of said settling chamber and having one or more discharge valves capable of accumulating a cake of said solids and releasing at least a portion of said cake whereby said cake may be removed from said discharge chamber substantially without said liquid carrier and reused, recycled, or disposed of properly.