Process and apparatus for the purification of a natural body of water

{
  "publication_number": "US3755142A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Process and apparatus for the purification of a natural body of water",
  "abstract": "Process and apparatus for purification of pollutants in a natural body of water includes the introduction of pure oxygen into the water and thereafter agitating the water supersaturated with oxygen so as to effectively disperse the treated water and cause it to be mixed with the untreated water. The oxygen may be introduced directly into the body of water to be treated or into a tank whereafter the treated water is discharged into the water and subsequently agitated.",
  "claims": [
    "2. Process, according to claim 1, including the further step of collecting any excess amount of oxygen which may not have been dissolved with the water and thereafter directing the collected excess amount of oxygen back into the wake of the propeller.",
    "3. Process, according to claim 1, including the step of first introducing a quantity of water to be purified into a tank wherein the oxygen is dissolved into said predetermined quantity of water and including the further step of introducing the supersaturated water from said container into the body of natural water whereafter it is agitated so as to be dispersed throughout and mixed with the untreated mass of water.",
    "4. Process, according to claim 3, wherein said dissolving step includes the step of diffusing the oxygen into the predetermined quantity of water a location near the bottom of said tank.",
    "5. Process, according to claim 4, wherein said tank has a plurality of intercommunicating compartments, each with a diffuser located therein, and including the further step of aerating the oxygen-supersaturated water in each of said compartments before being allowed to flow into an adjacent compartment.",
    "6. Process, according to claim 4, including the further step of collecting any excess amount of oxygen which may not have been dissolved with the water in said tank and thereafter directing the collected excess amount of oxygen back to said location.",
    "7. Process, according to claim 6, wherein said tank has a plurality of intercommunicating compartments, each with a diffuser located therein whereby the water introduced thereinto is supersaturated with oxygen in the first one of said compartments, flows into the second one of said compartments, excess oxygen being collected therein and directed to the diffuser in said first compartment, and so on with respect to adjacent ones of said compartments.",
    "8. Apparatus for purifying the pollutants in a body of water comprising a container for the supply of liquid oxygen to its gaseous state both located on board a waterborne vessel propelled by means of at least one screw propeller; support means on the hull of said vessel for locating said propeller below the bottom of said hull, means located in the vicinity of said propeller for introducing gaseous oxygen directly into the water to be purified, and means for directing gaseous oxygen from said supply to said gaseous oxygen introduction means, said propeller being rotatable about an axis which is inclined sightly downward from the horizontal and said support means being elongated so as to position said propeller a predetermined depth into the body of water whereby the water, which is directly supersaturated with oxygen by said gaseous oxygen introduction means, may be effectively mixed with the surrounding mass of water not directly supersaturated as the water is agitated at a sufficient depth by means of said propeller.",
    "9. Apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein said means for introducing gaseous oxygen directly into the water comprises a diffuser means.",
    "10. Apparatus, according to claim 9, wherein a pair of said propellers is provided, said diffuser means comprising an elongated diffuser pipe associated with each said propeller.",
    "11. Apparatus, according to claim 9, wherein said diffuser means comprises a double-walled annular structure surrounding said propeller, the axis of said annular structure being coincident with said propeller axis and the inner wall of said diffuser having apertures therein whereby the gaseous oxygen may be introduced into the water therethrough and into the stream of turbulent water passing said propeller.",
    "12. Apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein said means for introducing gaseous oxygen directly into the water to be purified comprises a disperser means in the form of a tube having its open end located in the vicinity of said propeller.",
    "13. Apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein a floatable barge means is also provided and is propelled by means of said propeller, means on said barge means for capturing part of the excess gaseous oxygen which may not have been dissolved in the water, said capturing means comprising a recess formed by partition walls on the exterior of the bottom wall of said barge means for directing any excess gaseous oxygen collected in said recess back into said gaseous oxygen-introducing means.",
    "14. Apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein said gaseous oxygen introduction means comprises an autodisperser having a conduit section for directing gaseous oxygen toward one end thereof, and a cap section rotatably mounted at said one end, said cap section having a plurality of radially disposed grooves along one surface thereof facing said one end, whereby the gaseous oxygen is emitted through said grooves in a fine gaseous spray.",
    "15. Apparatus, according to claim 14, wherein said grooves are each bent toward a common direction so as to cause rotation of said cap in a direction opposite said common direction.",
    "16. Apparatus, according to claim 8, wherein said gaseous oxygen-introducing means comprises a horizontal blade member and a hollow tube having an open end secured to one side of said blade member at said open end, said blade member having streamlined flow surfaces and a hollow section at which said pipe open end is secured whereby gaseous oxygen, introduced into the hollow section by pressure, is aided in passing into the water by the negative pressure created therein during the water flow along said blade member surface.",
    "17. Apparatus, according to claim 16, wherein said hollow section is located at the aft end of said blade member.",
    "18. Apparatus, according to claim 16, wherein said hollow section is located between the fore and aft ends of said blade member and opens downwardly.",
    "19. Apparatus for purifying the pollutants in a natural body of water comprising a container for a supply of liquid oxygen and means for converting the liquid oxygen to its gaseous state both located on board a floatable barge means propelled by means of a propeller mounted on the hull of a waterborne vessel, means mounted at the forward end of said barge means introducing gaseous oxygen directly into the water to be purified, and conduit means for directing gaseous oxygen from said supply to said gaseous oxygen introducing means, said barge means forward end being inclined downwardly away from the horiZontal whereby the gaseous oxygen may be introduced into the propeller wake and be directed downwardly into the water by mean of said inclined forward end.",
    "20. Apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein said gaseous oxygen-introducing means comprises a wide diffuser plate and an elongated connector for mounting said plate below the depth of said propeller.",
    "21. Apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein said gaseous oxygen-introducing means comprises a plurality of elongated diffuser pipes disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of said barge, manifold and support pipes mounted at opposite ends of said pipes, said conduit means communicating with said manifold means, and supporting plates secured to the opposite ends of said manifold and support pipes for mounting them to said barge.",
    "22. Apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein said gaseous oxygen-introducing means is pivotally mounted at the forward end of said barge whereby it may be moved out of the water in a direction away from said barge forward end.",
    "23. Apparatus, according to claim 22, wherein a cable is provided and secured at one end to said gaseous oxygen-introducing means, the other end of said cable being wound around a winch means located on said barge, whereby said gaseous oxygen-introducing means may be moved in a direction toward said barge forward end upon the winding of said winch after it is so moved out of the water.",
    "24. Apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein said means for introducing gaseous oxygen directly into the water to be purified comprises a disperser means in the form of a tube having its open end located in the vicinity of said propeller.",
    "25. Apparatus, according to claim 19, wherein said barge means is provided with means thereon for capturing part of the excess gaseous oxygen which may not have been dissolved in the water, said capturing means comprising a recess formed by partition walls on the exterior of the bottom wall of said barge means for directing any of said excess gaseous oxygen collected in said recess back into said gaseous oxygen-introducing means.",
    "26. Apparatus for purifying the pollutants in a natural body of water comprising a container for a supply of liquid oxygen located on board a waterborne vessel propelled by means of a rotatable screw propeller, support means on the hull of said vessel for locating said propeller at a distance below the bottom of said hull, disperser means in the form of a tube having its open end located in the vicinity of said propeller for introducing liquid oxygen directly into the wake of said rotatable propeller which liquid oxygen will vaporize as it is released under a high pressure and velocity.",
    "27. Apparatus for purifying the pollutants in a natural body of water comprising a container for a supply of liquid oxygen and means for converting the liquid oxygen to its gaseous state both located on board a waterborne vessel propelled by means of a screw propeller mounted thereon, a water suction tube and a suction pipe on said vessel for introducing water from the natural body of water into a tank on board the vessel from the top bottom thereof, conduit means interconnecting said supply with said diffuser means, the water within said tank being supersaturated with oxygen by said diffuser means and being discharged into the natural water body through a discharge pipe connected therewith, said oxygen-supersaturated water being dispersed throughout the body of water by means of the turbulence created by said movable propeller.",
    "28. Apparatus, according to claim 27, wherein said tank is separated by transverse partition walls into a plurality of interconnected horizontally related compartments, said diffuser means comprising diffusers located near the bottom of each said compartment, the first one of said compartments having a water inlet and the last one of said compartments having an outlet, each of said compartments other than said first one having a pump connected therewith, and each of said compartments havinG means for directing water to flow upwardly from each of said compartments, into the tops of each adjacent compartment, and downwardly therethrough between said inlet and said outlet whereby the water is oxygenated in sequence by means of each of said diffusers, and said pumps serving to direct any excess oxygen from said compartments to the diffuser of an adjacent compartment to thereby insure that the water in said last compartment is more fully oxygenated than any of the remaining compartments.",
    "29. Apparatus, according to claim 28, wherein said directing means comprises longitudinal partition walls extending between opposing forward and aft walls in each said compartment and at a distance from the tops and bottoms of each said compartment, and walls being provided inclined upwardly toward the tops of each adjacent compartment extending between each said longitudinal partition and the side walls of each said compartment, said transverse partition walls extending between each said compartment top and said compartment bottom and extending between said longitudinal partition walls in each compartment whereby the water may be made to flow downwardly in each said compartment between said longitudinal partition walls and upwardly along said inclined walls to the top of an adjacent compartment.",
    "30. Apparatus, according to claim 27, wherein said diffuser means comprises a plurality of diffuser pipes, several of which are connected to said supply by said interconnecting means, and a pump means being provided in the vicinity of said several diffusers for directing any excess oxygen to the remainder of said diffuser pipes.",
    "31. Apparatus, according to claim 27, wherein said tank is separated by transverse partition walls into a plurality of interconnected horizontally-related compartments, the first one of said compartments having a water inlet and the last one thereof having a water outlet, said diffuser means being located within said last compartment, and each said compartments having a mechanical aerator associated therewith so as to aerate the water in each said compartment as it flows from inlet to outlet.",
    "32. Apparatus, according to claim 31, wherein partition walls are provided in each said compartment spaced from and parallel to the bottoms thereof thereby forming upper and lower sections, an aerator cone provided on each said parallel partition wall located beneath said aerator, and passage means provided between compartments permitting water to flow between inlet and outlet whereby the water flow through said tank is confined to each of said lower compartment sections and is partially drawn up into said upper compartment sections upon rotation of said aerators to thereby aerate the water in each said compartment."
  ],
  "cpc": [
    "C02F 3/207",
    "B01F 23/23316",
    "B01F 23/2332",
    "B01F 23/23341",
    "B01F 23/23366",
    "B01F 23/454",
    "B01F 27/113",
    "B01F 27/60",
    "B01F 27/80",
    "B01F 33/503",
    "C02F 3/26",
    "C02F 7/00",
    "Y02W 10/10"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "WHIPPLE W"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1971-05-21",
  "publication_date": "1973-08-28",
  "grant_date": "1973-08-28",
  "priority_date": "1971-05-21",
  "application_number": "US-3755142D-A",
  "family_id": "22514443",
  "citations": [
    "US302326A",
    "US3123652A",
    "US3505213A",
    "US3671022A"
  ]
}