AU597256B2 - A chlorinator - Google Patents

Description

IIVAUSTLAL~

PATENTS ACT 1952 '"OMPLETE SPECD

(ORWGINAL)

Short Title: Int. CI:- FORGEFICE USE PATENT' (Ffi('j A C T SUBoC 1

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Application Number: Lodged: 'Complete Specification-Lodged: Accepted: Lapsed: Published: t'FPrioi ty.

Related Art: LODGED AT

SUB-OFFCL

-3 1 U 1986 Sydney I a I 14 'Nary'ue of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT BRIAN 0'LOUGHLIN 30 BLARNEY AVENUE, KIIARNEY HEIGHTS. NEW SOUTH WALES, 2087, AUSTRALIA BRIAN O'LOUGHIN BARKER-BLENK-NSH1P- -ASSIATE?&-. Bor--34---Ghatsivoodi, Address for Service:- Complete Specification for the invention entitled: A CHLORINAMIR The following statoment is a full description of this invention, Including the best method of performing it known to me,- Note: Th) description is to be typed In double spacing, pica type face, In an area not exceeding 250 mm in depth and 160 mm in width, on tough white paper of good qualty and It is to be Inserted inside this form.

14166/77-L 141 5677-L rinted by C. J, TtioMSON, Acting Commonwealth Government Printer, Canbetrr -2- A CHLORINATOR The present invention relates to chlorinators and in particular to those units of the type utilising a magazine of chlorine tablets.

Units in accordance with the present invention have been found to be particularly useful in the treatment of waste water although the invention is not restricted to this application.

Local health authorities usually prescribe a minimum concentration of chlorine for treated waste water and for example the New South Wales Department of Health prescribes .5 parts per million. It has been found difficult to consistently provide such concentration of chlorine in systems which cannot be regularly monitored and adjusted and which are subject to intermittent flow characteristics such as would be the case with a domestic waste water treatment system. It is known to provide a waste water chlorinator with vertically disposed magazines adapted to store chlorine tablets; the lower portion of said magazines being provided with vertical slits exposed to the waste water flow such that the greater the flow and hence the higher the level in the chlorinator tank the greater the number of chorline tablets in the magazine which will be exposed to such a flow.

Such units however have been found to be inadequate in a number of respects. Firstly when the flow through the chlorinator box is not at or near maximum at least the upper portion of the vertical i 'a slits in the magazine expose a number of chlorine tablets to the air thus permitting chorline to lea(' into the air and be thereby lost to the system with resultant inefficiency and expense. It is /3 j -3suspected that such degradation of tablets before they have had an opportunity to progress towards the lower extremity of the magazine additionally makes it difficult for the chlorinator to consistently impart the prescribed concentration of chlorine to waste water.

The present invention seeks to ameliorate one or more of the lastmentioned disadvantages with existing systems or at least to provide the consumer with a choice.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus for chlorinating waste water comprising a waste water inlet, a sump having an outlet above a minimum waste water level, a container which is arranged to con'ain a chemical in a tablet form and comprising a lower end portion which is arranged to be 0 9, 15 located below the minimum waste water level of the sump and which in use is arranged to expose only tablets in the lower end portion to waste water flowing into the sump from the inlet, without exposing them to air.

So One embodiment of the present invention will now s 20 be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a vertical section through a chlorinator in accordance with the present invention; So. Figure 2 is a side elevation of the chlorinator of S 25 figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view oz the chlorinator of S* figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a cut-away frontal elevation of the chlorinator of figures 1, 2 and 3.

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4 44 4 4 4 444 4 44 44 4 4444 4 44 44 4 4 44 4 44 4 4 4 4441 44 I 4 4 -4 According to figures 1 4 there is provide6 a chlorination reservoir 1 having an inlet2 and an outlets 3 and 3Aadapted to receive treated effluent and discharge chlorinated effluent respectively. A circular section magazine 4 is disposed through the upper surface of the reservoir and extends downwardly into sump uL should be appreciated that sump 5 will remain charged with waste water despite possible intermittent flow from inlet 2 having regard to the fact that the lowest portion of the inlet 2 and outlets 3 and 3Aare above the level of such sump. In this embodiment thn the inlet is considerably higher k the outlets in order to preclude the possibility of reverse flow. Water passes from the inlet to the reservoir via a vertical passage (not shown) outside the magazine but incorporated in the main casing. Apertures (not shown) are provided adjacent the lower extremity of magazine 4 in the end plate and below the minimum water level 6 in the sump of the reservoir 1 such that when the chlorinator is in operation the apertures will never permit contact between chlorine tablets (not shown) in the magazine and air which may be present in the reservoir 20 ab,)ve level 6.

The apertures do however permit leaching of chlorine from the tablets to waste water flowing through the reservoir. It has been found tChat utilising tablets of approximately 75 millimetres diameter by 33 millimetres depth with 850-890 grams per kilogram of available chlorine and a magazine of 86 millimetres internal diameter 36 I j '4 III11-1" l 0 88 0* 810 44 (4' 08 circular apertures of 7.8 millimetres diameter disposed around the bottom plate of the magazine are adequate to provide a parts per million concentration of chlorine to waste water intermittently introduced into the chlorinator at a maximum rate of 250 litres per hour.

It has been found that with a configuration as above described it is possible to vary the concentration of chlorine by raising or lowering the bottom of the magazine and hence the bottom plate with respect to the equilibrium water level in the sump.

For example rather than changing the diameter of the 7.8 millimetre apertures in the bottom plate it has been found that raising the bottom plate of the magazine with respect to the equilibrium water level in the sump is all that is required to achieve a .2 part per million concentration of chlorine rather than .5 part .15 per million. Presumably this effect occurs due to the greater or lesser number of chlorine tablets in the magazine which are exposed to water as of course the water level in the magazine corresponds to that in the sump despite the fact thf.t no tablets in the magazine apart from the bottom tablet are actually exposed to the main flow of water through the reservoir.

The magazine is provided with an air tight cap 9 to facilitate re-charging of the magazine with chlorine tablets and to exclude contact between the stored chlorine tablets and the atmosphere. The reservoir itself is furthermore a sealed ;it with the exception of the inlet 2 and outlets 3 and 3A.

/6 -6 It has been found that despite intermittent flog treated effluent emerging from outlets 3 and 3Amaintains a relatively consistent concentration of chlorine. It is thought that this consistent concentration may be the result of a number of fact'ors. Firstly the reservoir is relatively small in relation to the amount of waste water which mzy pass through the units. Secondly as no chlorine is leaching from the tablets into the air ,available chlorine at the point of contact between tablets and water should remain relatively consistent.

It should be appreciated that various configurations for chlorinators may be devised without departing from the scope and intendment of the present invention and for example the apertures in the end plate of the magazine may extend through the vertical portions of the magazine provided such vertic-al portions remain below the ~o0 15 minihun water level in the reservoir at all times. The minimum level in the reservoir may of course be controlled by wiers or other means apart from the mere location of the inlet and outlet.

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Claims (3)

1. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the container comprises a cap which is arranged to provide an air tight seal once the container is filled with chemical 15 tablets.
2. 3. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the lower end portion of the container comprise, apertures which are arranged to permit transfer of the 'o chemical from the tablets to the waste water. S' 20 4. An apparatus according tU any preceding claim wherein the container comprises a cylindrical magazine extending upwardly from the bottom of the sump. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the sump comprises two outlets each at opposing ends 4 0 25 thereof.
3. 6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim 44 wherein the minimum water level of waste water in the sump 4464 is changed in order to facilitate the maintenance of different concentrations of the chemical in the waste water, ,L 30 7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim wherein the chemical is chlorine. Dated this 25th day of October 1989 BRUAN O'LOUGHLIN By their Patent Attorneys S, GRIFFITH HACK CO. 0336s:JM