CA2038620A1 - Method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating soils or any other solid mixtureInfo
- Publication number
- CA2038620A1 CA2038620A1 CA 2038620 CA2038620A CA2038620A1 CA 2038620 A1 CA2038620 A1 CA 2038620A1 CA 2038620 CA2038620 CA 2038620 CA 2038620 A CA2038620 A CA 2038620A CA 2038620 A1 CA2038620 A1 CA 2038620A1
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- Prior art keywords
- solvent
- solid mixture
- chamber
- nozzle
- high pressure
- Prior art date
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- Extraction Or Liquid Replacement (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
There is disclosed a method for removing soluble constituents in solid mixtures which consist of injecting a solvent at a high pressure to a slurry of the solid mixture moving along a flow path. An apparatus embodying this method is also disclosed which includes a reactor having a high pressure chamber which comprises at least one nozzle surrounding the flow path of the slurry through which the solvent is injected. Each nozzle is composed of two cylindrical components spaced from each other, the separation between them defining a plurality of axially aligned circumferential openings through which the solvent is injected. A system comprising such an apparatus may further comprise filtering means to separate the soluble constituents from the cleaned solid mixture.
There is disclosed a method for removing soluble constituents in solid mixtures which consist of injecting a solvent at a high pressure to a slurry of the solid mixture moving along a flow path. An apparatus embodying this method is also disclosed which includes a reactor having a high pressure chamber which comprises at least one nozzle surrounding the flow path of the slurry through which the solvent is injected. Each nozzle is composed of two cylindrical components spaced from each other, the separation between them defining a plurality of axially aligned circumferential openings through which the solvent is injected. A system comprising such an apparatus may further comprise filtering means to separate the soluble constituents from the cleaned solid mixture.
Description
2~86~
, , METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WASHI~7G OR
DECONTAMINATING SOILS OR ANY OTHER SOLID MIXTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention The present invention relateæ generally to a method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating and more particularly to a method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating constituent in a slurry or a solid mixture.
Description of the Prior Art Rotating trommel are the only method known to the inventor at this time, whereas the material is introduced into a rotary drum and tumbled with water or solvents for a period of time, then rinsed and disposed of. This method is not onl~ very expensive but also inefficient.
Prior art systems ~or cleaning solid mixture~ or soil have the drawback o~ requiring ~n extensive amount o~
liquid and large equ.ipment, for example, when k~ated in a conventional sy~tem one ton o~ material would requi.re larye arnount~ of liquid and s~veral hours of treatment with several rinses to obtain ~atisfactory results.
There~ore, the systems are very expensive to capitalize and operate. It is to overcome these shortcomings in the prior art that the present invention has been developed.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatu~ for cleaning or decontaminating a solid mixture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide ,' . : :
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a new and improved system for cleaning or decontaminating constitutents in a solid mixture in a more economical and time-e~ficient manner.
It is still another subject of the presenf invention to improve upon current methods and apparatu~ for cleaning soils by providing an economic and efficient method to accomplish sameO
The apparatus of the present invention can be used in the method of the invention for removing constituents in solid mix~ures and includes a reactor which is a high pressure chamber in which water or solvent can be desirably exposed to a moving slurry of the solid mixture or headstock material in a high pressure environment to accelerate the cleaning of desired portions of the solid mixture. In so doing, the constituents of the mixture are instantaneously removed leaving a clean solid mixture.
When using the apparatus of tha present invention in an expanded sys~em to actually separate tha constituent from the solid material, the solution can be decanted, then filtered to separate the contaminant~ from the water or solvent. The process, of course, occurs in a continuou~
manner and in many application~, the wa~er or ~olvent can be regenerated for reuse with incoming solid materials.
More particularly, the apparatus of tha present invention in which the method is practiced includes a reactor or high pressure chamber having a flow path therethrough to accommodate the passage of solid material.
The chamber included at least one circumferential nozzle surrounding tha flow path through which high pressure solvent can be injected into the flowing solid material to accelerate the cleaning and removing of constituents in the solid material.
, -~)3~20 , SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invnetion relates to a method of dissolving a soluble constituent from a solid mixture comprising the 6teps of establishing a flow path for the solid mixturel providing a source of solvent, establishing a member with a chamber therein in said flow path in communication with the source of solvent, and delivering the solvent at a high pressure to the chamber such that the solvent will impact the solid mixture and dissolve the soluble constituent thereofO
This method is performed via a system for dissolving a soluble cons~ituent of a solid mixture comprising in combination:
a flow line for the solid mixture, first delivery means for delivering a supply of the solid mixture to the flow line~
a chamber member in said flow line including nozzle means for injecting solvent into the solid mixture passing along said flow line, and second delivery means for delivering the solvent to the nozæle mean~ in the chamber mer~ber under a high pressure to di6solve the soluble cons~ituent and form a ~olution of solvent and solid mixture.
The high pressure chamber has been designed so that, depending upon the difficulty in cleaning or decontaminating constituent of the headstock ma~erial, a plurality o axially aligned circumferential nozzles could be incorporated whereby the flow of headstock material is serially impacted by high pressure water or solvent. The number of ~uch circumferential nozzles is determined by the particular headstock material being treated and, accordingly, can be regulated depending on a particular application.
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203~0 , When removing oil or con~tituent Erom solid mixture~, various combinations of the aforedescribed reactor may be utilized or a plurality of one type of reactor ma~ be utili~ed in series to attain a desir~d r~ult.
Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawingfi, and from the appended claimg.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention incorporated into a system for decontaminatinq soils or any other solid mixtures, Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken along line 2-2 of Fig.1, Fig. 3 is a further enlarqed section similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the circum~erentîal nozzle utilized in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 4 i8 a ~ragmentary side elevation o~ the male component of khe circumferential nozzle utillzed in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 5 is bottom plan view of ~he male component illuskrated in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the female component of the circumferential nozzle utilized in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the female component illustrated in Fig. 6, ' ,. .
~03~0 Fig. 8 is an exploded pro~pective view with part~
removed of the high pre ~ure chamber o~ ~he pre~ent invention, Fig. 9 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing a plurality of circumferential nozzles incorporated into the high pressure chamber, Fig. 10 is a section taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 9, Fig. 11 is a fragmentary prospective view of the male component of the circumferential nozzle, Fig. 12 is a fragmentary prospective view of the female component of the circumferential nozzle, Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken through a portion of the circumferential nozzle illustrating the interrelationship of the male and female componen~s, Fig. 14 is a box flow diagram illustrating the steps involved in u~ilizing the method of the present invention in a method of decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture.
DESCRIPTION OP~ THE PREFERRED EM~ODIMENTS
Re~erring ~ir~t to Figure 1, a lixiviating ~ystem 20 for separating precious metals from a mineral mixture is illustrated and includes the high pressure chamber or reactor 22 of the present invention. It further includes first delivery means consisting in a slurry hopper 24 with sLurry pump means 26 for pumping a headstock material into the high pressure chamber, a solvent tank 28 with high pressure pump means 30 for pumping the solvent into the high pressure chamber, a discharge tank 32 for receiving solvent treated headstock material, a filteriny device 34 for separating the barren pulp from .. : , ::; . ~ ,: . , ::
2038~2~
the pregnant filtrate, and a precipitating apparatus 36 for precipitating the desired precious metal from the filtrate. The system illustrated can be cloeed by providing a return lins 38 for ~eeding barrsn filtrate, after the precious met~l has been precipitated there~rom, back to the solvent tank 28.
First delivery means consist of the material hopper feeder 24 which can be any appropriately sized tank preferably ma~e of a noncorrosiva material having a feed bottom operatively connected to the trommel 26 so that the material can be fed into the high pressure chamber 22 via a rubber hose flow line 40 at a pressure less than 5 psi. The solvent tank 28 is also preferably of the hopper bottom type and is operably connected via a tubular flow line 44 to the high pressure pump 30 which preferably is a noncorrosive stainless steel triplex-type solution pump. The solvent could be any material having the ability to wash the identified soluble constituent.
By way of example, if the constituent was oil, hot water would be a suitable solvent. The outlet from the high pressure pump 30 is connected to the high pressure chamber 22 via second delivery means consisting of a high pressure braided 1ex.ible flow line o~ hose 46 which includes a pressure gauge 48 for indicating the pressure of the solv0nt therein.
The discharge tank 3Z i8 al50 of the hopper bottom type a~d is disposed in alignment with a discharge line or tube 50 which may be rubber or of any other suitable material so as to receive the effluent from the high pressure chamber and temporarily store the same. The filtering device 34 may be of the conventional belt type and rinses and separates the solids from the slurry.
The cleaned Rolids are disposed and the liquids are pumped to filtering system 36 to be separated and reclaimed.
, : , :
~ 2V38~2~) The filtering systern 36 can be o any conventional system of decan~ation and final ~iltering to reclaim the water or solvent and return it to the feed tank 28.
The high pressure chamber 22 of t~le pres.en~
invention is best seen in Figs. 2-6 to have a square tubular main body S2 with a cylindrical passage 54 ~herethrough adapted to receive and retain a male and a female component 56 and 58 respectively of a circu~ferential nozzle 60. The male and female components are retained in position within the main body 52 by ~op and bottom end plates 62 and 64 respec~ively which are secured to the opposite ends of the main body by bolt-type, threaded fasteners 66. As is best illustrated in ~ig. 2, the top and bottom plates each have a circular centrally located opening 68 ~herethrough with a peripheral shoulder 70 formed around the opening along the innermost Eace of the plate. The peripheral shoulders 70 have a diameter equal to that of the passage S4 through the tnain body and are adapted ~o receive the outermost ends o~ the male ~nd female comporlents.
The outermost ends o~ the male and female components are in~ernally threaded at 72 and adapted to receive a threaded nipple having a connection surface th~reon so that the niple 7~ associated with the male component S6 can be clamped to the hose 40 from the slurry pump 26, and the nipple 76 on the female component 58 can be clamped to the hose 50 passing to the discharge tank 32.
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The main body 52 also includ~s a lateral internally threaded opening 78 which communica~es with an enlargeà
compartment B0 surrounding the passage 54 through the main body at approximately the longitudin~l ~enter of the main body. The compartment 80 also surrounds the juncture between the male and female components 5~ and 58 respectively of th~ circumferential nozzle 60 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. The lateral internally threaded opening 78 threadedly receives a nipple 82 having a union portion 84 thereo adapted to receive one end of the pressure braided ~lexible line 46 that communicatefi with the outlet from the high pressure pump 30 It-will, therefore, be appreciated tha~ solvent can be fed by the high pressure pump 30 into the compartment 8~
surrounding the juncture between the male and female components of the circumferential nozzle via the la~eral opening 78. A pair of o-rings 86 are also disposed in the main body in circular channels surrounding the passage 54 through'the main body, at opposite ends thereof. The -o-rlngs are frictionnally engaged wi~h the male and fernal~
components to provide a fluid-tigh~ seal between kh~e c4mponents and the wall o ~he passage 54 through the main body.
Referring more particularly to Figs. 3-7, which illustra~e the male and female components 56 and 58 respectively of the circumferential nozzle 60J it can be seen that the male component S6 comprises an elongated ,cylinder having the aorementioned outer end for connectlon to the nipp}e 7~ with its innermost end ~8 bein~ of .
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generally frusto-conical configuration having a ~pered surface 90 formingl by the way of exarnple, approximately a 45 degree angle with ~he lon~itudinal axis of tr,c component.
A protruding ring 92 i5 machined into or weldcd to thc tapered surface adjacent the outer cylindrical wall of ~he male component so that the male compon~nt can be appropriately spaced from the emale component in a manner which will become more clear hereinafter.
The female component 58 is likewise of cylindrical configuration having i~s outer end internally tllreaded to receive the niple 76 and having its innermost end 94 of a concave frusto-conical configuration with a plurality of teeth 96 formed along the innermost end. The teeth define inwardly convergent channels 98 therebetween. ~he channels, of course, are in fluid communication with the compartment 80 formed in the interior of the main body 52 50 that solven~ fed under pr~ssure into the compartment will flow through the channels in a convergent manner toward the longitudinal central core of the female component.
As is best appreciated by reference to Fig. 3, whe'n the male component 56 and female component 58 are abutted in the passage 54 oE the main hody 52 of thc high pressure chamber, the protruding ring 92 will about the inncrmost surfaces of the teeth 96 s~ as to retain a fixed spaciny between the male and female components. This Lixed spacing defines an annular generally frusto-conically shapped passage 10~ through which solvent can be fed to the longitudinal core of the nozzle ~0 wherein i~ can impact the slurry material being passed though the high pressure chambc r .
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' ' " ' 386~0 An alternative embodiment 102 of th~ high prc~ssure chamber is illu~trated in Figs. 8-13 with this embodimen~
including a plurality o~ axially aligned no~les 1~
adapted to serially inject the solvent in~o the slurry material as it passes through the chamber 102.
Referring first to figs. 8 and 9, this embodiment of the high pressure chamber can also be seen t~ include an elongated main body 106 of generally square cross section having a longitudinally ~xtending cylindrical passage 108 therethrough~ A top plate 110 and bo~ton pla~e 112 are also provided to hold the working components of the nozzles in position within the main body and each included threaded bolt-type fasteners 114 to rele~sably retain the plates on opposite ends of the main body 106~ ~he top and bottom plates haYe centrally disposed clrcular openings 116 therethrough which receive the threaded nipples 79 and 76 for connection to the hose 40 from the slurry pump 26 and the hose 50 passing to the discharge taDk 32 respectivel~.
The multiple nozzle embodiment 10~ of khe pressu~e chamber included a male and emale component 11~ and 120 respec~ively identical ~o t:hat previously described in connection with the single nozzle embodiment but in addition includes a plurality o~ combination c~mponents 122 having a lower male end 12~ and an upper female end 126 identical to the lower end of the male componen~ 118 and the upper end ~f the female componen~ 120, respectively.
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2~3~20 The com~ination componenks lZZ are adapted ~o b~
stacked between the male and ~emale components 11~ and 1~0 respectively 50 as to crea~e a plurality of axially spaced and aligned frustoconical passages 128 at the junctures between the combination components and at the junctures between the combination components and the adjacent male and female component~. In the disclosed embodiment, there are four circumferential nozzles formed by various components.
The main body 106 has a lateral internally threaded-opening 130 adapted to receive the nipple 82 which is connected to the braided flexi~le line 46 from the high pressure pump 30, and this opening is in communication with an enlarged compartment 132 formed in the interior of the main body by a circumferential recess in the wall of the passage 108. The diameter of the inner passage 108 in the main body is slightly larger that the out~r diameter sf the nozzle components 118, 120 and 122 and a retaining cylinder 134 is positioned within the passage between the, main body and ~he components o~ the circumf~rential nozzle~. 'rhe retaining cylinder~ 13q has a plurality o~
longitudinally extended circumferentially spaced elongated slots 135 provided therein which communicate with the compartment 132 formed in the main body and with radially inwardly convergent slots 138 between teeth 140 on the remale and combination components of the nozzle. In this manner, solvent that i5 fed to the cvmpartment 132 through ~ , ' """"' ' ~
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~3~62~1 -the lateral openin~ 130 can flow through t~le slvts 136 and into the convergent slots 138 betweerl the ~eeth 14 on the nozzle components into the frusto-conical passages 128 for impact with the slurry material which passes axially though the nozzle components. O-rin~3s 142 are properly positioned to provide pressure seals between the main body 106, the retaining cylinder 134, and the male and female components 118 and 120 respectively of the nozzle structure.
The method of the present invention is best described by reference to figs. 1 and 14. The method is primarily concerned with washing a constituent in a solid mixture by exposing the solid mixture to solvent at a high pressure but the method is best understood by reference to a clea~ing system for separating contaminants from their solid mixtures.
Such a system is diagramatically illustrated 1n ~ig.l and shown in the form of a box flow diagram in fig. 14.
In a typical processing or cleaning systern, dirt rom contaminated sites is fed into the hooper 24. Thq- , dirt is drawn from the hooper bottvm oE the hooper 24 arld ~ed into ~rommer 26.
The slurry from the troomel is gravity fed into the high pressure chamber 22 along the longitudinal axis thereof so that it initially flows into the male component 56 of the circumferential nozzle 60 and subsequently flows out of the chamber through the female component 58.
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2~86213 . .
~ hile passing ~hrough the chamber, ~he slurry is exposed to and impacted circumferenLially by high pr~ssure solvent fed thereto through the braided line 4~. lrhe nozzle 60 discharges the solvent into the path of the slurry at relatively high pressures preferably in the 1,000 to 2,000 psi range. Higher pressures may improve the cleaning rate, but it has been found that the wear and tear resulting from abrasion on the internal surface of the nozzle components does not justify the gain that might be obtained from the higher pressures. In fact, i-t has been found that 9S-99~ efficiency can be obtained with the single nozzle embodiment in the pressure ranges identified above and, accordingly, higher pressures are not deemed necessary. ~y utilizing the multiple nozzle embodiment 102, optimal cleaning can be obtained with a single pass even on the more difficult to clean materials.
The slurry leaving ~he high pressure chamber 22 through the female component is directed into the discharge tank 32 with the contaminants in solution. Thc slurry is allowed ~o be discharged from th~ dis~harge kank through its hopper bottorn and directed into a filtering device 3 which separates the sol.id~ rorn ~he solution. The solids can be discarded. The solution in turn is fed into the filtering apparatus 36 which in the flow diagram of ~ig. 14 is disclosed as being a decantation and filtering system of a convelltional type.
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The contaminants can then be refined in conventional manner and sold.
The system can be made into ~ closed system by taking the solvent remaining after ~he final filtering process and returning it back into the solvent tank 28.
Accordin~ly, it will be appreciated that a cleaning system for solid mixtures of dirt bearing contaminant has been disclosed which utilizes the method of the present invention ~or improving thecleanin~J efficiency and rate of the desired solid mixture. With the exception of the disclosed procedure for exposing the slurry to high pressure solvent, the steps illustrated in connection with the removal of a specific contaminant from a slurry including oil and grease, are well known in the art. The method and apparatus of the present inven~ion for cleaning a desired constituent from a solid mixture utilizin~ high pressure solvent, however, is ~elt to provide distinct advantages over prior art systems for separating desired components f rom solid mix~ures. "
It will be appLeciated frorn the de6cription v~ ttle method and apparatus of the present invention that lar~e savings in time and capital expenditurcs can be realized over prior art systems in tha-t a substantially reduced volume of solvent and wash water are required. ~he time savings is a result of the continuous relatively fa~t pace nature of the system and ~rom the fact tha~ the high 1~
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20386~a , pressure solven~ dissolves the d~sir~d corl~Li~uen~ o~ ttle slurry at much more rapid rate than in convcntional sys~ems for performing the same function.
Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been madc by way of example, and changes in detail or structare may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claim~.
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, , METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WASHI~7G OR
DECONTAMINATING SOILS OR ANY OTHER SOLID MIXTURE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention The present invention relateæ generally to a method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating and more particularly to a method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating constituent in a slurry or a solid mixture.
Description of the Prior Art Rotating trommel are the only method known to the inventor at this time, whereas the material is introduced into a rotary drum and tumbled with water or solvents for a period of time, then rinsed and disposed of. This method is not onl~ very expensive but also inefficient.
Prior art systems ~or cleaning solid mixture~ or soil have the drawback o~ requiring ~n extensive amount o~
liquid and large equ.ipment, for example, when k~ated in a conventional sy~tem one ton o~ material would requi.re larye arnount~ of liquid and s~veral hours of treatment with several rinses to obtain ~atisfactory results.
There~ore, the systems are very expensive to capitalize and operate. It is to overcome these shortcomings in the prior art that the present invention has been developed.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatu~ for cleaning or decontaminating a solid mixture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide ,' . : :
203~6~
a new and improved system for cleaning or decontaminating constitutents in a solid mixture in a more economical and time-e~ficient manner.
It is still another subject of the presenf invention to improve upon current methods and apparatu~ for cleaning soils by providing an economic and efficient method to accomplish sameO
The apparatus of the present invention can be used in the method of the invention for removing constituents in solid mix~ures and includes a reactor which is a high pressure chamber in which water or solvent can be desirably exposed to a moving slurry of the solid mixture or headstock material in a high pressure environment to accelerate the cleaning of desired portions of the solid mixture. In so doing, the constituents of the mixture are instantaneously removed leaving a clean solid mixture.
When using the apparatus of tha present invention in an expanded sys~em to actually separate tha constituent from the solid material, the solution can be decanted, then filtered to separate the contaminant~ from the water or solvent. The process, of course, occurs in a continuou~
manner and in many application~, the wa~er or ~olvent can be regenerated for reuse with incoming solid materials.
More particularly, the apparatus of tha present invention in which the method is practiced includes a reactor or high pressure chamber having a flow path therethrough to accommodate the passage of solid material.
The chamber included at least one circumferential nozzle surrounding tha flow path through which high pressure solvent can be injected into the flowing solid material to accelerate the cleaning and removing of constituents in the solid material.
, -~)3~20 , SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invnetion relates to a method of dissolving a soluble constituent from a solid mixture comprising the 6teps of establishing a flow path for the solid mixturel providing a source of solvent, establishing a member with a chamber therein in said flow path in communication with the source of solvent, and delivering the solvent at a high pressure to the chamber such that the solvent will impact the solid mixture and dissolve the soluble constituent thereofO
This method is performed via a system for dissolving a soluble cons~ituent of a solid mixture comprising in combination:
a flow line for the solid mixture, first delivery means for delivering a supply of the solid mixture to the flow line~
a chamber member in said flow line including nozzle means for injecting solvent into the solid mixture passing along said flow line, and second delivery means for delivering the solvent to the nozæle mean~ in the chamber mer~ber under a high pressure to di6solve the soluble cons~ituent and form a ~olution of solvent and solid mixture.
The high pressure chamber has been designed so that, depending upon the difficulty in cleaning or decontaminating constituent of the headstock ma~erial, a plurality o axially aligned circumferential nozzles could be incorporated whereby the flow of headstock material is serially impacted by high pressure water or solvent. The number of ~uch circumferential nozzles is determined by the particular headstock material being treated and, accordingly, can be regulated depending on a particular application.
: ~ :
203~0 , When removing oil or con~tituent Erom solid mixture~, various combinations of the aforedescribed reactor may be utilized or a plurality of one type of reactor ma~ be utili~ed in series to attain a desir~d r~ult.
Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the drawingfi, and from the appended claimg.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention incorporated into a system for decontaminatinq soils or any other solid mixtures, Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken along line 2-2 of Fig.1, Fig. 3 is a further enlarqed section similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the circum~erentîal nozzle utilized in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 4 i8 a ~ragmentary side elevation o~ the male component of khe circumferential nozzle utillzed in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 5 is bottom plan view of ~he male component illuskrated in Fig. 4, Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the female component of the circumferential nozzle utilized in the high pressure chamber, Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the female component illustrated in Fig. 6, ' ,. .
~03~0 Fig. 8 is an exploded pro~pective view with part~
removed of the high pre ~ure chamber o~ ~he pre~ent invention, Fig. 9 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing a plurality of circumferential nozzles incorporated into the high pressure chamber, Fig. 10 is a section taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 9, Fig. 11 is a fragmentary prospective view of the male component of the circumferential nozzle, Fig. 12 is a fragmentary prospective view of the female component of the circumferential nozzle, Fig. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken through a portion of the circumferential nozzle illustrating the interrelationship of the male and female componen~s, Fig. 14 is a box flow diagram illustrating the steps involved in u~ilizing the method of the present invention in a method of decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture.
DESCRIPTION OP~ THE PREFERRED EM~ODIMENTS
Re~erring ~ir~t to Figure 1, a lixiviating ~ystem 20 for separating precious metals from a mineral mixture is illustrated and includes the high pressure chamber or reactor 22 of the present invention. It further includes first delivery means consisting in a slurry hopper 24 with sLurry pump means 26 for pumping a headstock material into the high pressure chamber, a solvent tank 28 with high pressure pump means 30 for pumping the solvent into the high pressure chamber, a discharge tank 32 for receiving solvent treated headstock material, a filteriny device 34 for separating the barren pulp from .. : , ::; . ~ ,: . , ::
2038~2~
the pregnant filtrate, and a precipitating apparatus 36 for precipitating the desired precious metal from the filtrate. The system illustrated can be cloeed by providing a return lins 38 for ~eeding barrsn filtrate, after the precious met~l has been precipitated there~rom, back to the solvent tank 28.
First delivery means consist of the material hopper feeder 24 which can be any appropriately sized tank preferably ma~e of a noncorrosiva material having a feed bottom operatively connected to the trommel 26 so that the material can be fed into the high pressure chamber 22 via a rubber hose flow line 40 at a pressure less than 5 psi. The solvent tank 28 is also preferably of the hopper bottom type and is operably connected via a tubular flow line 44 to the high pressure pump 30 which preferably is a noncorrosive stainless steel triplex-type solution pump. The solvent could be any material having the ability to wash the identified soluble constituent.
By way of example, if the constituent was oil, hot water would be a suitable solvent. The outlet from the high pressure pump 30 is connected to the high pressure chamber 22 via second delivery means consisting of a high pressure braided 1ex.ible flow line o~ hose 46 which includes a pressure gauge 48 for indicating the pressure of the solv0nt therein.
The discharge tank 3Z i8 al50 of the hopper bottom type a~d is disposed in alignment with a discharge line or tube 50 which may be rubber or of any other suitable material so as to receive the effluent from the high pressure chamber and temporarily store the same. The filtering device 34 may be of the conventional belt type and rinses and separates the solids from the slurry.
The cleaned Rolids are disposed and the liquids are pumped to filtering system 36 to be separated and reclaimed.
, : , :
~ 2V38~2~) The filtering systern 36 can be o any conventional system of decan~ation and final ~iltering to reclaim the water or solvent and return it to the feed tank 28.
The high pressure chamber 22 of t~le pres.en~
invention is best seen in Figs. 2-6 to have a square tubular main body S2 with a cylindrical passage 54 ~herethrough adapted to receive and retain a male and a female component 56 and 58 respectively of a circu~ferential nozzle 60. The male and female components are retained in position within the main body 52 by ~op and bottom end plates 62 and 64 respec~ively which are secured to the opposite ends of the main body by bolt-type, threaded fasteners 66. As is best illustrated in ~ig. 2, the top and bottom plates each have a circular centrally located opening 68 ~herethrough with a peripheral shoulder 70 formed around the opening along the innermost Eace of the plate. The peripheral shoulders 70 have a diameter equal to that of the passage S4 through the tnain body and are adapted ~o receive the outermost ends o~ the male ~nd female comporlents.
The outermost ends o~ the male and female components are in~ernally threaded at 72 and adapted to receive a threaded nipple having a connection surface th~reon so that the niple 7~ associated with the male component S6 can be clamped to the hose 40 from the slurry pump 26, and the nipple 76 on the female component 58 can be clamped to the hose 50 passing to the discharge tank 32.
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The main body 52 also includ~s a lateral internally threaded opening 78 which communica~es with an enlargeà
compartment B0 surrounding the passage 54 through the main body at approximately the longitudin~l ~enter of the main body. The compartment 80 also surrounds the juncture between the male and female components 5~ and 58 respectively of th~ circumferential nozzle 60 which will be described in more detail hereinafter. The lateral internally threaded opening 78 threadedly receives a nipple 82 having a union portion 84 thereo adapted to receive one end of the pressure braided ~lexible line 46 that communicatefi with the outlet from the high pressure pump 30 It-will, therefore, be appreciated tha~ solvent can be fed by the high pressure pump 30 into the compartment 8~
surrounding the juncture between the male and female components of the circumferential nozzle via the la~eral opening 78. A pair of o-rings 86 are also disposed in the main body in circular channels surrounding the passage 54 through'the main body, at opposite ends thereof. The -o-rlngs are frictionnally engaged wi~h the male and fernal~
components to provide a fluid-tigh~ seal between kh~e c4mponents and the wall o ~he passage 54 through the main body.
Referring more particularly to Figs. 3-7, which illustra~e the male and female components 56 and 58 respectively of the circumferential nozzle 60J it can be seen that the male component S6 comprises an elongated ,cylinder having the aorementioned outer end for connectlon to the nipp}e 7~ with its innermost end ~8 bein~ of .
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~, ~3~6~
generally frusto-conical configuration having a ~pered surface 90 formingl by the way of exarnple, approximately a 45 degree angle with ~he lon~itudinal axis of tr,c component.
A protruding ring 92 i5 machined into or weldcd to thc tapered surface adjacent the outer cylindrical wall of ~he male component so that the male compon~nt can be appropriately spaced from the emale component in a manner which will become more clear hereinafter.
The female component 58 is likewise of cylindrical configuration having i~s outer end internally tllreaded to receive the niple 76 and having its innermost end 94 of a concave frusto-conical configuration with a plurality of teeth 96 formed along the innermost end. The teeth define inwardly convergent channels 98 therebetween. ~he channels, of course, are in fluid communication with the compartment 80 formed in the interior of the main body 52 50 that solven~ fed under pr~ssure into the compartment will flow through the channels in a convergent manner toward the longitudinal central core of the female component.
As is best appreciated by reference to Fig. 3, whe'n the male component 56 and female component 58 are abutted in the passage 54 oE the main hody 52 of thc high pressure chamber, the protruding ring 92 will about the inncrmost surfaces of the teeth 96 s~ as to retain a fixed spaciny between the male and female components. This Lixed spacing defines an annular generally frusto-conically shapped passage 10~ through which solvent can be fed to the longitudinal core of the nozzle ~0 wherein i~ can impact the slurry material being passed though the high pressure chambc r .
~. .
' ''' '' '''`~
' ' " ' 386~0 An alternative embodiment 102 of th~ high prc~ssure chamber is illu~trated in Figs. 8-13 with this embodimen~
including a plurality o~ axially aligned no~les 1~
adapted to serially inject the solvent in~o the slurry material as it passes through the chamber 102.
Referring first to figs. 8 and 9, this embodiment of the high pressure chamber can also be seen t~ include an elongated main body 106 of generally square cross section having a longitudinally ~xtending cylindrical passage 108 therethrough~ A top plate 110 and bo~ton pla~e 112 are also provided to hold the working components of the nozzles in position within the main body and each included threaded bolt-type fasteners 114 to rele~sably retain the plates on opposite ends of the main body 106~ ~he top and bottom plates haYe centrally disposed clrcular openings 116 therethrough which receive the threaded nipples 79 and 76 for connection to the hose 40 from the slurry pump 26 and the hose 50 passing to the discharge taDk 32 respectivel~.
The multiple nozzle embodiment 10~ of khe pressu~e chamber included a male and emale component 11~ and 120 respec~ively identical ~o t:hat previously described in connection with the single nozzle embodiment but in addition includes a plurality o~ combination c~mponents 122 having a lower male end 12~ and an upper female end 126 identical to the lower end of the male componen~ 118 and the upper end ~f the female componen~ 120, respectively.
.. .
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2~3~20 The com~ination componenks lZZ are adapted ~o b~
stacked between the male and ~emale components 11~ and 1~0 respectively 50 as to crea~e a plurality of axially spaced and aligned frustoconical passages 128 at the junctures between the combination components and at the junctures between the combination components and the adjacent male and female component~. In the disclosed embodiment, there are four circumferential nozzles formed by various components.
The main body 106 has a lateral internally threaded-opening 130 adapted to receive the nipple 82 which is connected to the braided flexi~le line 46 from the high pressure pump 30, and this opening is in communication with an enlarged compartment 132 formed in the interior of the main body by a circumferential recess in the wall of the passage 108. The diameter of the inner passage 108 in the main body is slightly larger that the out~r diameter sf the nozzle components 118, 120 and 122 and a retaining cylinder 134 is positioned within the passage between the, main body and ~he components o~ the circumf~rential nozzle~. 'rhe retaining cylinder~ 13q has a plurality o~
longitudinally extended circumferentially spaced elongated slots 135 provided therein which communicate with the compartment 132 formed in the main body and with radially inwardly convergent slots 138 between teeth 140 on the remale and combination components of the nozzle. In this manner, solvent that i5 fed to the cvmpartment 132 through ~ , ' """"' ' ~
: .
.:
~3~62~1 -the lateral openin~ 130 can flow through t~le slvts 136 and into the convergent slots 138 betweerl the ~eeth 14 on the nozzle components into the frusto-conical passages 128 for impact with the slurry material which passes axially though the nozzle components. O-rin~3s 142 are properly positioned to provide pressure seals between the main body 106, the retaining cylinder 134, and the male and female components 118 and 120 respectively of the nozzle structure.
The method of the present invention is best described by reference to figs. 1 and 14. The method is primarily concerned with washing a constituent in a solid mixture by exposing the solid mixture to solvent at a high pressure but the method is best understood by reference to a clea~ing system for separating contaminants from their solid mixtures.
Such a system is diagramatically illustrated 1n ~ig.l and shown in the form of a box flow diagram in fig. 14.
In a typical processing or cleaning systern, dirt rom contaminated sites is fed into the hooper 24. Thq- , dirt is drawn from the hooper bottvm oE the hooper 24 arld ~ed into ~rommer 26.
The slurry from the troomel is gravity fed into the high pressure chamber 22 along the longitudinal axis thereof so that it initially flows into the male component 56 of the circumferential nozzle 60 and subsequently flows out of the chamber through the female component 58.
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2~86213 . .
~ hile passing ~hrough the chamber, ~he slurry is exposed to and impacted circumferenLially by high pr~ssure solvent fed thereto through the braided line 4~. lrhe nozzle 60 discharges the solvent into the path of the slurry at relatively high pressures preferably in the 1,000 to 2,000 psi range. Higher pressures may improve the cleaning rate, but it has been found that the wear and tear resulting from abrasion on the internal surface of the nozzle components does not justify the gain that might be obtained from the higher pressures. In fact, i-t has been found that 9S-99~ efficiency can be obtained with the single nozzle embodiment in the pressure ranges identified above and, accordingly, higher pressures are not deemed necessary. ~y utilizing the multiple nozzle embodiment 102, optimal cleaning can be obtained with a single pass even on the more difficult to clean materials.
The slurry leaving ~he high pressure chamber 22 through the female component is directed into the discharge tank 32 with the contaminants in solution. Thc slurry is allowed ~o be discharged from th~ dis~harge kank through its hopper bottorn and directed into a filtering device 3 which separates the sol.id~ rorn ~he solution. The solids can be discarded. The solution in turn is fed into the filtering apparatus 36 which in the flow diagram of ~ig. 14 is disclosed as being a decantation and filtering system of a convelltional type.
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-- 203~2~
The contaminants can then be refined in conventional manner and sold.
The system can be made into ~ closed system by taking the solvent remaining after ~he final filtering process and returning it back into the solvent tank 28.
Accordin~ly, it will be appreciated that a cleaning system for solid mixtures of dirt bearing contaminant has been disclosed which utilizes the method of the present invention ~or improving thecleanin~J efficiency and rate of the desired solid mixture. With the exception of the disclosed procedure for exposing the slurry to high pressure solvent, the steps illustrated in connection with the removal of a specific contaminant from a slurry including oil and grease, are well known in the art. The method and apparatus of the present inven~ion for cleaning a desired constituent from a solid mixture utilizin~ high pressure solvent, however, is ~elt to provide distinct advantages over prior art systems for separating desired components f rom solid mix~ures. "
It will be appLeciated frorn the de6cription v~ ttle method and apparatus of the present invention that lar~e savings in time and capital expenditurcs can be realized over prior art systems in tha-t a substantially reduced volume of solvent and wash water are required. ~he time savings is a result of the continuous relatively fa~t pace nature of the system and ~rom the fact tha~ the high 1~
'' ' :
20386~a , pressure solven~ dissolves the d~sir~d corl~Li~uen~ o~ ttle slurry at much more rapid rate than in convcntional sys~ems for performing the same function.
Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been madc by way of example, and changes in detail or structare may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined in the appended claim~.
: ' . , " , .
, .
, :,
Claims (23)
1. A method of dissolving a soluble constituent from a solid mixture comprising the steps of passing a mixture along a flow path, providing a source of solvent, providing a chamber member along said flow path through which said solid mixture may pass, and injecting said solvent at a high pressure to said chamber such that the solvent will impact the solid mixture and dissolve the soluble constituent to form a solution of solvent and solid mixture.
2. The method of claim 1 further including the step of collecting the solution of solid mixture and solvent through a discharge chamber.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent is delivered to said chamber so as to circumferentially impact the solid mixture.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said solvent is delivered to said chamber at a pressure in the range of 1000 to 2000 psi.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said solid mixture is in slurry form and is delivered to said chamber at a pressure of less than 5 psi.
6. A method of separating a soluble constituent from a solid mixture comprising the steps of passing the solid mixture through a flow path, providing a source of solvent, providing a chamber member along said flow path, delivering the solid mixture to said chamber, injecting said solvent to the chamber at a relatively high pressure such that the solvent will impact the solid mixture and dissolve the soluble constituent thereof forming a solution of solvent and solid mixture, decanting and filtering the dissolved constituent, and removing the contaminants from the solution.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the solvent is delivered to the chamber so as to circumferentially impact the solid mixture.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein said solvent is delivered to said chamber at a pressure in the range of 1000 to 2000 psi.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said solid mixture is in slurry form and is delivered to said chamber at a pressure of less that 5 psi.
10. The method of claim 6 wherein said solid mixture is a contaminated soil or solid mixture.
11. The method of claim 6 wherein said chamber member comprises a circumferential nozzle adapted to direct the solvent in a circumferentially convergent manner at the solid mixture.
12. The method of claim 11 wherein there are a plurality of serially aligned circumferential nozzles to sequentially direct solvent at the solid mixture flowing along the flow path.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the solvent is delivered to the solid mixture of a pressure in the range of 1000 to 2000 psi.
14. A system for dissolving a soluble constituent of a solid mixture comprising in combination:
a flow line for the solid mixture, first delivery means for delivering a supply of the solid mixture to the flow line, a chamber member in said flow line including nozzle means for injecting solvent into the solid mixture passing along said flow line, and second delivery means for delivering the solvent to the nozzle means in said chamber member under a high pressure to dissolve the soluble constituent and form a solution of solvent and solid mixture.
a flow line for the solid mixture, first delivery means for delivering a supply of the solid mixture to the flow line, a chamber member in said flow line including nozzle means for injecting solvent into the solid mixture passing along said flow line, and second delivery means for delivering the solvent to the nozzle means in said chamber member under a high pressure to dissolve the soluble constituent and form a solution of solvent and solid mixture.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein said chamber member has a passage therethrough constituting a portion of said flow line and said nozzle means is positioned in said passage.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein said nozzle means has a circumferential opening for delivering solvent to the solid mixture passing through said passage.
17. The system of claim 15 wherein said chamber member has a recess formed around said nozzle means in communication with said second delivery means to uniformly deliver solvent to said nozzle means.
18. The system of claim 16 wherein said nozzle includes at least two generally cylindrical axially aligned components with spacer means for retaining a slight separation between said components to defined said circumferential opening.
19. The system of claim 18 wherein there are a plurality of axially aligned circumferential openings in said nozzle means.
20. The system of claim 14, wherein said solvent is injected into the solid mixture at a pressure in the range of 1000 to 2000 psi.
first delivery means for delivering a supply of the solid mixture to the flow line, a chamber member in said flow line including nozzle means for injecting high pressure solvent into the solid mixture passing along said flow line to dissolve the soluble constituents and form a solution of solvent and solid mixture, and filtering means for separating the soluble constituent from the solution.
22. The system of claim 21 wherein said solid mixture is a contaminated soil or solid mixture.
23. The system of claim 21 further including solvent storage means from which the solvent is delivered to the nozzle means, and return means for passing the solvent remaining after filtration to the solvent storage means.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2038620 CA2038620A1 (en) | 1991-03-19 | 1991-03-19 | Method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2038620 CA2038620A1 (en) | 1991-03-19 | 1991-03-19 | Method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2038620A1 true CA2038620A1 (en) | 1992-09-20 |
Family
ID=4147221
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2038620 Abandoned CA2038620A1 (en) | 1991-03-19 | 1991-03-19 | Method and apparatus for washing or decontaminating soils or any other solid mixture |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2038620A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109490021A (en) * | 2019-01-11 | 2019-03-19 | 朱洪芬 | A kind of sampler of soil leaching liquid |
-
1991
- 1991-03-19 CA CA 2038620 patent/CA2038620A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN109490021A (en) * | 2019-01-11 | 2019-03-19 | 朱洪芬 | A kind of sampler of soil leaching liquid |
| CN109490021B (en) * | 2019-01-11 | 2021-03-23 | 朱洪芬 | Sampling device of soil leaching liquid |
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| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |