Sludge thickener apparatus and method

Claim 1

A method for separating a relatively solids-free effluent and a relatively high solids concentration thickened underflow from a feed comprising a solid-liquid mixture of sufficiently high solids concentration to be a hindered settling material, said method comprising feeding said mixture to and treating said mixture in a thickening apparatus comprising (I) a first horizontal section consisting of a plurality of inclined passageways, (II) a second horizontal section coextensive with and below said first section, said second section consisting of a compressive thickening zone in which solids concentration is increased by the compressive effects of (a) the solids-liquid mixture upon itself in said zone and (b) vertically projecting horizontally moving members therein, (III) effluent removal means above said first horizontal section, (IV) thickened underflow removal means below said second horizontal section, and (V) means for introducing influent hindered settling solids feed between said first and second horizontal sections whereby incoming feed partitions itself into a heavier fraction immediately being distributed at the top of said compressive thickening zone for further thickening and a lighter fraction immediately rising through said inclined passageways, said inclined passageways being adapted to receive a predominantly upflowing liquid from said feed mixture and to form a presettled solids deposit which flows downwardly into said compressive thickening zone, the solids concentration and flow rate of feed being adapted to provide relatively slow liquid upflow rates and relatively long solids detention time in said compressive thickening zone with a resultant enhancement of solids liquid separation efficiency relative to solids loading rate, the remainder of said method comprising removing from the top of said apparatus a relatively solids-free effluent and from the bottom of said apparatus a thickened high solids concentration underflow.

Claim 2

A method for separating a relatively solids-free effluent and a relatively high solids concentration thickened underflow from a feed comprising a solid-liquid mixture of sufficiently high solids concentration to be a hindered settling material, said method comprising feeding said mixture to and treating said mixture in a thickening apparatus comprising (I) a first horizontal section consisting of a plurality of inclined passageways, (II) a second horizontal section coextensive with and below said first section, said second section consisting of a compressive thickening zone in which solids concentration is increased by the compressive effects of (a) the solids-liquid mixture upon itself in said zone and (b) vertically projecting horizontally moving members therein, (III) effluent removal means above said first horizontal section, (IV) thickened underflow removal means below said second horizontal section, and (V) means for introducing influent hindered settling solids feed between said first and second horizontal sections whereby incoming feed partitions itself into a heavier fraction immediately being distributed at the top of said compressive thickening zone for further thickening and a lighter fraction immediately rising through said inclined passageways, said inclined passageways being adapted to receive a predominantly upflowing liquid from said feed mixture and to form a presettled solids deposit which flows downwardly into said compressive thickening zone, the solids concentration and flow rate of feed being adapted to provide relatively slow liquid upflow rates and relatively long solids detention time in said compressive thickening zone with a resultant enhancement of solids liquid separation efficiency relative to solids loading rate, the remainder of said method comprising removing from the top of said apparatus a relatively solids-free effluent and from the bottom of said apparatus a thickened high solids concentration underflow.