GB2520675A

GB2520675A - Mobile support assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2520675A
Application number: GB1319442.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nicolas Herbert Harper
Original assignee: HARPERS ENVIRONMENTAL Ltd
Current assignee: HARPERS ENVIRONMENTAL Ltd
Priority date: 2013-11-04
Filing date: 2013-11-04
Publication date: 2015-06-03
Also published as: GB201319442D0

Abstract

A mobile support assembly 10 for a water treatment device 40 comprises: a support structure 20 defining a container for liquid or ballast, or a treatment subassembly; a base 30 connected to the support structure for supporting the treatment device; and a securing arrangement 50 for securing the treatment device with respect to the base. Suitably, the base is configured to support the treatment device during a pivoting motion from a horizontal position to an upright position. An erecting arrangement including a pulley (57, Fig. 1) may be configured to move the treatment device from a horizontal position to an upright position. The support structure can be a shipping container or a skip. A strut 32 may be arranged between the base and support structure, so as to prevent pivoting therebetween. The treatment device can be a stripping tower. A method of erecting a mobile water treatment device is also claimed.

Description

Mobile Support Assembly

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a mobfle support assemNy for a water treatment device, and to a method of erecting a mobile water treatment device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many known methods of treating water to remove contanñnants such as sandlsilt, hydrocarbons and gases including methane. One such method involves the use of an interceptor' apparatus and a stripping tower' apparatus. Generally, the interceptor is some form of container that is filled with the contaminated water, and may include baffles, filters, compartments, grating and pipework etc. The water is pre-treated within the container and then passes to the stripping tower, to be treated by a known process.

The arrangement is effective, but has a number of limitations. The stripping tower is generally quite tall and heavy. Therefore, it typically requires the use of a crane to erect in an upright position, and can be difficult to hold in a stable position once upright. Further, it is difficult to install quickly. as the tower requires a substantially flat surface to be installed upon, so some sort of concrete plinth etc. is regularly required, preventing the arrangement from being temporarily installed on a site at short notice.

The present invention seeks to overcome or at least mitigate the problems of the pnor art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first aspect of the invention provides a mobile support assembly for a water treatment device according to claim 1.

I

A further aspect of the invention provides a method of treating water according to claim 13.

Advantageously, the present invention provides a simple way of erecting and dismantling a water treatment device on site. The water treatment device can be installed quickly, on a range of different suitaces, without the need to previously prepare the installation site, by installing a concrete plinth etc, for example. Further, as the mobile support assembly provided can erect the water treatment device without requiring any specialist equipment, such as a crane, it is very cost-effective for use as a temporary installation.

Other aspects and features of the invention will be apparent from the claims and the

following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a mobile support assembly for a water treatment device according to a first aspect of the invention, with a treatment device arranged in a first position; Figure 2 is a side view of the assembly of Fig. I, with the treatment device arranged in a second position; and Figure 3 is a plan view of the assembly of Fig. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT(S)

Referring firstly to figures 1 and 2, a mobile support assembly for a water treatment device is generally indicated at 10. The mobile support assembly 10 indudes a support structure 20, a base 30, a treatment device 40, and a secunng arrangement 50.

The support structure 20 is typically in the form of a container for liquid or a treatment subassembly. As an example, it could be a shipping container housing a treatment subassembly or a skip. In this embodiment, the support structure 20 is a hook skip acting as an interceptor' for the pre-treatment of water upstream of the treatment device 40. As wifl be known by a person skifled in the art, an interceptor generally includes pipework and a baffle board, separators etc, with the aim of pre-treating contaminated water.

The support structure 20 is intended to be mobile, such that it can quickly and easily be set up in an appropriate position on site, to remove contaminants from water, and then removed again. In this embodiment, the support structure 20 includes wheels 22, to increase the manoeuvrability and the ease of transporting the structure, in particular dropping the structure from a suitable truck in a roll-off' motion.

Connected to the support structure 20 is the base 30. In this embodiment, the base 30 is a rectangular frame fabricated from steel box section. The base is in this embodiment releasably secured to the support structure using e.g. pin and jaw-type connections. When installed, it is substantially coplanar to a bottom surface of the support structure 20. At least one strut 32 is arranged between the base 30 and the support structure 20 to substantially prevent relative pivoting of the base 30 in relation to the support structure 20. As can be seen most clearly in figure 3, preferably two struts 32 are provided, arranged to generally extend from a side surface of the base 30 to a top corner of the support structure 20. When viewed from the side, as in figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that a right-angled triangle is generally defined between the support structure 20, the base 30 and the strut 32. For speed, the struts 32 may be connected using pin and jaw-type connectors. Suitable brackets may be welded to the skip/container to enable such connections to be made.

The base 30 is provided with a suitable interface to pivotably connect the treatment device 40 thereto. The treatment device 40 is pivotably connected to the base 30 at one or more pivot points 34. In this embodiment, the pivot points 34 are U-shaped supports on the base 30 into which stub axles (not shown) mounted to the treatment device 40 are placed. Pins (not shown) are then inserted through complementary holes in the supports to hold the stub axles in place, but permit pivoting.

The treatment device 40 can be of varying height and configured to treat water for range of different substances. In this embodiment, the treatment device 40 is an approximately eight metre high water treatment tower for removing methane, or other volatile organic compounds, from contaminated water. The function of the water treatment tower, like the function of the interceptor, is well known in the art and will not be described in great detail. Fundamentally however, water is pumped to the top of the tower before then falling down a centre portion of the tower under gravity, whilst a gas is blown upwards to bubble through the water, such that the methane is transferred to the gas. For this reason, it is known in the art as a stripping tower'. As the water falls down the centre portion under gravity, it can be seen that for optimal operation of the stnpping tower, it is necessarily arranged to be in an upright position.

A securing arrangement 50 is also provided, to hold the treatment device 40 in its upright position. In this embodiment, the securing arrangement 50 is also provided on the base 30 in the form of u-shaped supports and pins, similar to the pivot points 34.

To move the treatment device 40 to an upright position, an erecting arrangement 52 is provided. In this embodiment, the erecting arrangement is a winch system, though it will be appreciated that a range of different erecting arrangements could be used, e.g. a hydraulic actuator.

The erecting arrangement comprises a cable 54 which extends between a winch 56, e.g an electrically driven or manually actuated winch, secured at an end of the support structure remote from the base, and a connection 58 located near the top of the treatment device 40. The cable 54 is seated on a pulley 57. The pulley 57 is supported by a support structure (not shown) extending from a top surface of the support structure 20, such that the pulley 57 is located at a point remote from the support structure 20 in a vertical direction, and an angle ofless than 1800 is created between the portions of the cable 54 either side of the pulley 57, illustrated in figure 1 as angle X. In some embodiments, a suitable damping or restraining system may be provided to slow the pivoting motion after the tower has been tilted beyond its centre of gravity.

In other embodiments, the erecting arrangement 52 also acts as the secunng anangernent 50.

In use, the treatment device 40 is supplied in a substantially horizontal position (e.g. by being lifted off a flatbed truck using a crane incorporated into the truck), as shown in figure 1. The treatment device 40 is then secured to the pivot points 34. The winch 56 pulls the cable 54. As the cable 54 is connected to the treatment device 40 at the connection 58, the treatment device 40 is erected. As the treatment device 40 is erected, it pivots about the point 34, such that the treatment device 40 is supported by the base 30 as it pivots from the substantially horizontal position to a substantially upnght position, as shown in figure 2 and figure 3.

It will be noted that at a certain point, the cable 54 will start to lift off the pulley 57 such that in the final upright position of the treatment device 40, the cable 54 is no longer in contact with the pulley and is fully retracted, such that the cable 54 defines a straight line between the winch 56 and the connection 58. This can be seen in figure 2, where angle Y is approximately equal to 180 O* Once fully upright, the securing arrangement 50 is used to h&d the device in its upright position. Alternativdy, or in addition, the cable 54 may be left in place and tensioned to secure the treatment device, or another securing arrangement such as separate stabilising ropes, cables or chains, or additional mounts directly to the base may be employed.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the support structure 20 may form no part of the treatment process, and may simply be a structure that can be weighted by the addition of water or other material, e.g. soil, and acts as an anchor for supporting the base and erecting the treatment device 40. Further, the treatment device 40 may be e.g. a carbon filter or similar instead of a stripping tower.

Claims

Claims 1. A mobile support assembly for a water treatment device comprising: a support structure defining a container for liquid or ballast, or a treatment subassembly; a base connected to the support structure for supporting the treatment device; and a securing arrangement for securing the treatment device with respect to the base.
2. The mobile support assembly of claim I wherein the base is configured to support the treatment device during a pivoting motion from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially upright position.
3. The mobile support assemNy of claim I or claim 2 further comprising a erecting arrangement configured to move the treatment device from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially upright position.
4. The mobile support assembly of claim 3 wherein the securing arrangement is provided by the erecting arrangement.
5. The mobile support assembly of any preceding claim wherein a strut is ranged between the base and support structure, so as to prevent pivoting therebetween.
6. The mobile support assembly of claim 5 wherein the base is substantially coplanar to a bottom surface of the support structure, and the strut is arranged between the base and support structure such that an end surface of the support structure, the base and the strut define a right-angled triangle.
7. The mobile support assemNy of any preceding claim wherein the support structure is a shipping container.
8. The mobile support assembly of any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the support structure is a skip, e.g. a hook skip.
9. The mobile support assembly of claim 8 wherein the skip defines an interceptor for pre-treating contaminated water.
10. The mobile support assemNy of any of claims 3 to 9 wherein the erecting alTangement includes a pulley, located at a point remote from the support structure in a vertical direction.
11. The mobile support assemNy of any preceding claim further comprising a treatment device.
12. The mobile support assembly of claim 11 wherein the treatment device is a stripping tower.
13. A method of erecting a mobile water treatment device comprising: providing a support structure defining a container for liquid or ballast, or a treatment subassemNy; mounting a base to the support structure for supporting the treatment device; and securing the treatment device with respect to the base.
14. A method of water treatment according to claim 13 further compnsing the steps of pivotally mounting the treatment device to the base and erecting the treatment device from a substantially horizontal position to a substantially upright position.
15. A treatment assembly or method of treatment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying Figures.