IE85341B1 - A separator - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT A separator for separating solids from a liquid flow comprises a chamber 2 having an inlet 30 provided in it wall of an inlet opening being directed so that inflowing liquid creates a circulating llow within the chamber about a central axis X of the chamber, an outlet opening (47, Figure 3) provided in the wall of an outlet housing 22 which defines an outlet compartment 46 within the chamber and a bypass duct 24 provided within the chamber which extends around the central axis of the chamber between the housings, where the inlet and outlet housings comprise housing mouldings in which the openings are formed after moulding. The housing mouldings may be identical before the openings are made. The mouldings may have projections 38, 40 for fitting within the bypass duct. At least one of the inlet and outlet housings may have a closable maintenance opening.

Description

A SEPARATOR This invention relates to a separator for separating solids from a liquid flow. The invention is particularly. although not exclusively, concerned with a separator for use in drainage system for the primary separation of solids such as sand, street litter, gross solids and the like from storm water.

Conventional gullies under roadways and other paved areas comprise a chamber having inlet and outlet pipes which open into the chamber at a position above the bottom of the chamber. There may also be a top inlet, which provides access to the interior of the chamber through a grating provided at the roadway surface, for example in a gutter. in use, solids entering the chamber, whether from the inlet pipe or through the grating, collect under gravity in the base of the chamber and can be extracted at intervals by means of a suction pipe introduced into the chamber after removing the grating. Such gullies have a low separation efficiency. Furthermore, in the event of heavy storm flows, collected solids in the base of the chamber. and solids floating on the surface tend to be stirred up, and can pass into the outlet pipe.

According to the present invention, there is provided a separator for separating solids from a liquid flow, comprising a chamber having an inlet opening provided in a wall of an inlet housing which defines an inlet compartment within the chamber, the inlet opening being directed so that inflowing liquid creates a circulating flow within the chamber about a central axis of the chamber, the chamber also having an outlet opening provided in a wall of an outlet housing which defines an outlet compartment within the chamber, a bypass duct being provided within the chamber and extending around the central axis of the chamber between the housings, the inlet and outlet housings comprising housing mouldings in which the openings are formed after moulding.

The housing mouldings may be provided with further openings, for example, to provide communication between the inlet and outlet compartments and inlet and outlet ducts respectively, and between the inlet and outlet compartments and the opposite ends of the bypass duct. in a preterred embodiment, the housing mouldings for the inlet and outlet housings are identical before the openings are made. so providing economy in manufacture.

The housing mouldings may have projections for fitting within the bypass duct so as to locate the housing mouldings with respect to the bypass duct.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. in which:- Figure 1 is a section view of a separator; Figure 2 is a section view of a modified separator; Figure 3 shows the separator of Figure 2 viewed from the opposite direction; Figure 4 shows a further modified separator; Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the separator; and Figure 6 shows a further alternative embodiment of the separator.

The separator shown in Figure 1 comprises a gully chamber 2 having top and bottom walls 4. 6 and a cylindrical surrounding wall 8. An inlet duct 10 and an outlet duct 12 open into the cylindrical wall 8 on substantially opposite sides of the chamber 2. An inlet chute 14 is fitted to the top wall 4, and may be covered by a grating (not shown) in a roadway passing over the separator. The inlet chute 14 has an outlet 16 opening close to the surrounding wall 8 of the chamber 2.

Within the chamber 2. there is a bypass module 18 which comprises an inlet housing , an outlet housing 22 and a bypass duct 24.

The inlet housing 20 lies against the interior surface of the surrounding wall 8 and has an opening 26 which provides communication between the inlet duct 10 and an inlet compartment 28 within the inlet housing 20. An opening 30 is provided at the bottom of the inlet housing 20. this opening 30 serving as an inlet to the interior of the gully chamber 2. The inlet opening 30 is situated close to the internal face of the surrounding wall 8, and is oriented to direct incoming flow tangentially of the chamber . That is, it lies in a plane extending radially with respect to the central axis X of the chamber 2.

The inlet housing 20 is generally sector shaped having an arcuate wall 32 lying adjacent the inner face of the surrounding wall 8 of the chamber 2, and two end walls 34, 36 which extend generally radially of the chamber 2. Each end wall 34, 36 has a rectangular projection 38. 40 having a shape complementary to that of the interior of the bypass duct 24. As can be appreciated from Figure 1, the projection 38 is left intact, but part of the end face of the projection 40 is cut away to provide communication with the bypass duct 24. Only the upper part of the face is removed, leaving a weir 42 between the inlet compartment 28 and the interior of the bypass duct 24. The upper edge of the weir 42 is at a level above that of the lowermost edges of the inlet and outlet ducts 10, 12.

The outlet housing 22 is similar to the inlet housing 20. The inlet and outlet housings .22 are made using moulded housing precursors of plastics material which are identical to each other and which differ only in the way in which openings are formed to communicate with the inlet and outlet ducts respectively and the bypass duct 24. In the case of the outlet housing 22, an opening 44 is formed to provide communication between the outlet compartment 46 and the outlet duct 12 and the entire end wall of the projection 40 is cut away to provide communication between the bypass duct 24 and the outlet compartment 46 over the full cross-section of the bypass duct 24.

Although not shown in Figure 1, the outlet housing 22 has an opening 47 (see Figure 3) corresponding to the opening 30 in the inlet housing 20. The opening in the outlet housing 22 is oriented in the same direction as the inlet opening 30 with respect to the circumferential direction around the central axis X of the chamber 2.

A separator as shown in Figure 1 may be constructed as a complete unit comprising the chamber 2 and the bypass module 18. Alternatively, however, the bypass module can be installed in an existing chamber 2 so as to improve the separation and retention characteristics of that chamber. It will be appreciated that the bypass module 18 comprises only three major components, namely the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22 and the bypass duct 24. The bypass duct may be available in different conduit shapes and sizes (i.e. different radii of curvature), to suit different inlet/outlet orientations and diameters of chamber 2.

To install the bypass module 18, the bypass duct 24 is out to the appropriate length so as to provide the correct position of the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22. The openings 26 and 44 are cut in the housings 20, 22, and the appropriate openings are formed in the projections 40. The module is then secured to the interior of the chamber 2 by any suitable means. The inlet chute 14 may also be fitted to the top wall 4 of the chamber 2, if no suitable inlet is already provided. Preferably, the outlet 16 of the chute is situated over the open top of the inlet housing 20, so that any storm water flowing through the inlet chute 14 will fall directly into the inlet compartment 28.

In use, under low or moderate flow, incoming water through the inlet duct 10 and the inlet chute 14 will enter the inlet compartment 28, from which it will flow through the inlet opening 30. The flow emerging from the inlet opening 30 will induce a circulating flow in the water accumulated in the lower region of the chamber 2, below the lower edge of the outlet duct 12. This relatively low-energy circulating flow will assist in causing any solids within the incoming flow to accumulate and fall to the bottom of the chamber 2 or rise to the fluid surface depending upon their density. Furthermore, by sweeping past the outlet opening of the outlet housing 22, solids will be less likely to enter the outlet compartment 46. This outlet compartment, and consequently the outlet duct 12, will thus receive substantially clean water. if the incoming flow rate through the inlet duct 10 increases to a rate above that which can pass through the inlet opening 30, the level in the inlet compartment 28 will rise.

Eventually, it will reach the level of the upper edge of the weir 42, and will overflow into the bypass duct 24. Much of the solids material entering the inlet compartment 28 through the inlet duct 10 will pass to the bottom of the inlet housing 20, to emerge from the inlet opening 30, and so, as before, will tend to fall to the bottom of the chamber 2 or rise to the fluid surface. Nevertheless, under heavy flow conditions, some solid material will pass, with the water, over the weir 42 into the bypass duct 24, and thence to the outlet compartment 46 and the outlet duct 12. However. since the main flow within the chamber 2 does not receive the surplus flow passing through the bypass duct 24, there is less likelihood that the high flow throughput will stir up solids from the bottom of the chamber 2 or from the fluid surface and cause them to enter the outlet compartment 46.

Figures 2 and 3 show an alternative disposition for the bypass module 18, in which the bypass duct 24 has been cut shorter in order that, with the inlet housing 20 positioned adjacent the inlet duct 10, the outlet housing 22 an be positioned adjacent an outlet duct 12 which is not directly in line with the inlet duct 10. This flexibility is an important feature of the bypass module 18, allowing it to be adapted in a simple manner to different arrangements of inlet and outlet ducts 10, 12.

Figure 4 shows an alternative configuration to that of Figures 2 and 3. again for use in cases where the inlet and outlet ducts 10, 12 are not in line. In the variant shown in Figure 4, no opening corresponding to the opening 44 is formed in the arcuate wall of the outlet housing 22. instead, the corresponding opening 48 is formed in the outer arcuate wall of the bypass duct 24. Thus. outflowing water enters the outlet opening (corresponding to the inlet opening 30) and passes through the outlet compartment 46 into the bypass duct 24 and thence to the outlet duct 12. This variant avoids the need to cut the bypass duct 24 to match the are between the inlet and outlet ducts to and 12.

The embodiment of Figure 5 is similar to that of Figure 4, except that the bypass duct is formed with only three walls, namely an inner wall 50. an upper wall 52 and a lower wall 54. The upper and lower walls are provided with flanges 56 to enable them to be attached to the inner surface of the surrounding wall 8 of the chamber 2. Thus, the interior of the bypass duct 24 is, in fact, defined by the bypass duct 24 itself and the surrounding wall 8 of the chamber 2. This avoids the need to form a separate opening to provide communication between the bypass duct 24 and the outlet duct 12. in the embodiment of Figure 6, several features are shown which may be used individually or together in a separator. Parts corresponding to those shown in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 5 are designated by the same reference numbers. in the separator shown in Figure 6, the inlet and outlet compartments 28, 46 (Figure 1) are closed at the top by walls 60,62, which may be fixed or removable. The outlet 16 of the inlet chute 14 projects downwardly and is connected by a flexible pipe 64 to a spigot projecting upwardly from the top wall 60 of the inlet chamber. if the flexible hose is not used, the spigot may be closed by a removable lid. in the previous embodiments, the rectangular projections 38 and 40 on the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22 not engaged by the bypass duct 24 were moulded integrally with the housings themselves, and left intact. in the embodiment shown in Figure 6, the projection 38 on the inlet housing 20 is cut away to provide a solids escape aperture 66. In an alternative form, the moulded end face of the projection is cut away, or omitted altogether, and a maintenance access cover, with or without the aperture 66. is fitted over the resulting opening. A similar cover 70 may be provided over the projection 40 on the outlet housing 22, after the end face, if moulded with the outlet housing, has been removed.

In use of the separator shown in Figure 6, water and entrained solid material flowing into the chute 14 passes directly to the inlet housing 20 through the flexible pipe 64. At low flow rates, some floatable materials may accumulate at the surface within the inlet housing 20. At higher flowrates, water will back up in the inlet housing 20. The function of the escape aperture 66 is to allow any accumulated floatable materials in the inlet housing 20 to flow into the main flow in the chamber 2 before the water level in the inlet housing 20 reaches the upper edge of the weir 42. Thus the accumulated solids are discharged from the inlet housing 20 into the main flow without being discharged over the weir 42 into the bypass duct 24 and thence to the outlet duct 12. in order to serve this purpose, the top edge of the escape aperture is either at or below the top edge of the weir 42. if flow through the outlet 12 is restricted for any reason, the level within the chamber 2 may rise above the level of the tops of the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22. The top walls 60, 62 prevent the loss of floatable materials in such circumstances. keeping them within the upper region of chamber 2. The same objective could be achieved by increasing the height of the walls of the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22.

The removable covers 68, 70 enable access to the interiors of the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22 for maintenance purposes or to clear blockages.

Another possible measure, not shown in the Figures, is to raise the bypass duct 24 relative to the inlet and outlet housings 20, 22 such that the lower wall of the bypass duct 24 defines the bypass level, thereby eliminating the need for the separate weir 42.

Separators in accordance with the present invention thus provide a relatively low cost device which can separate a large proportion of the solids materials from a flow of liquid. Furthermore, the bypass module 18 can be installed in existing gullies with very little fabrication and assembly work, using moulded plastics components. Because the bypass duct 24 does not extend straight across the middle of the chamber 2, but instead, being of arcuate form, avoids the central axis X, access is left for equipment to remove settled solids materials at the bottom of the chamber 2 and/or floatable materials from the fluid surface.

Claims (1)

1. .A separator for separating solids from a liquid flow, comprising a chamber having an inlet opening provided in a wall of an inlet housing which defines an inlet compartment within the chamber. the inlet opening being directed so that inflowing liquid creates a circulating flow within the chamber about a central axis of the chamber, the chamber also having an outlet opening provided in a wall of an outlet housing which defines an outlet compartment within the chamber, a bypass duct being provided within the chamber and extending around the ' central axis of the chamber between the housings, the inlet and outlet housings comprising housing mouldings in which the openings are formed after moulding. A separator as claimed in claim 1. in which the housing mouldings for the inlet and outlet housings are identical before the openings are made. A separator as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the housing mouldings have projections for fitting within the bypass duct so as to locate the housing mouldings with respect to the bypass duct. A separator as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which at least one of the inlet and outlet housings has a closable maintenance opening.