WO2006104355A1

WO2006104355A1 - Water treatment apparatus having rotating rope type contactor

Info

Publication number: WO2006104355A1
Application number: PCT/KR2006/001167
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeong-Kyu Lee
Original assignee: Jeong-Kyu Lee
Priority date: 2005-04-01
Filing date: 2006-03-30
Publication date: 2006-10-05
Also published as: KR20060105154A; KR100632852B1

Abstract

Provided is a water treatment apparatus which can increase the growth of attached microorganisms and waste water treatment efficiency by rotating and alternately exposing a plurality of rope-type contactors to waste water and air. The water treatment apparatus includes: a treatment tank containing waste water; a rotating shaft crossing the treatment tank to be rotated freely; a rotation device rotating the rotating shaft; frames installed on the rotating shaft; and a plurality of rotating rope-type contactors fixedly installed on the frames and rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft to alternately contact the waste water contained in the treatment tank and air. Accordingly, the water treatment apparatus can maximize waste water treatment efficiency per unit area used, treat a great deal of waste water even in a small scale, drastically reduce manufacturing, installing, and operating costs and installation space, easily assemble and handle parts in a factory or site, conveniently disassemble or reassemble the parts in the site during a maintenance task, reduce spatial restrictions to an installation site or space, make a waste water flow passage unnecessary, ensure smooth flow of the waste water, and prevent water pollution due to the decomposition of waste water sludge.

Description

WATER TREATMENT APPARATUS HAVING ROTATING ROPE TYPE CONTACTOR

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors, and more particularly, to a water treatment apparatus which can improve the growth of attached microorganisms and waste water treatment efficiency by rotating and alternately exposing a plurality of rope-type contactors to waste water and air.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, methods of treating various waste water such as living waste water, factory waste water, polluted river water, and livestock waste water can be categorized into physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods. Among them, the biological treatment method that is a process of treating waste water using microorganisms is generally divided into a suspension growth process, e.g., an activated sludge process, and a fixed film biological treatment process.

Examples of the fixed film biological treatment process include a trickling filter process, a contact oxidation process, and a rotating biological contactor process. In particular, the rotating biological contactor process is widely used in developed nations such as Europe, the United States, and Japan due to easy maintenance and low operating costs.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional water treatment apparatus using a rotating biological contactor process includes a treatment tank 1 , a rotating shaft 2, a rotation device 3, and rotating disks 4. The conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process rotates the rotating disks 4 in the treatment tank 1 at low speed to alternately expose the rotating disks 4 to waste water 5 and air.

The treatment tank 1 contains the waste water 5. The rotating shaft 2 crosses the treatment tank 1 to be freely rotated by the rotation device 3.

The rotating disks 4 in the conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process allow a microbial film to be formed on surfaces thereof. In general, the plurality of rotating disks 4 are parallel to one another, and i about 40 % of each of the rotating disks 4 is submerged in the treatment tank 1 containing the waste water 5.

That is, the conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process treats the waste water 5 through aerobic oxidation by forming the microbial film on the surfaces of the rotating disks 4 such that microorganisms can be grown in the microbial film by taking in oxygen from the air and feed on organic substances contained in the waste water 5.

However, the conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process is not preferred in recent years because a further increase in the number of the microorganisms attached to the surfaces to the rotating disks 4 is difficult and the number of the microorganisms attached to the surfaces of the rotating disks 4 is much lower than a theoretical value, thereby lowering waste water treatment efficiency.

Further, since the diameters of the rotating disks 4 or the number of the rotating disks 4 should be increased to improve treatment efficiency, costs for installing the larger water treatment apparatus and operating the larger rotating disks 4 are significantly increased.

Furthermore, since the conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process uses the rotating disks 4 each having a diameter of about 2 to 3 meters, it is difficult to assemble or handle parts in the factory or site and also difficult or impossible to disassemble or re-assemble the parts in the site during a maintenance task.

Moreover, due to the severe spatial restrictions, the conventional water treatment apparatus using the rotating biological contactor process cannot be installed in a narrow place or a hardly accessible place with a narrow entrance.

Particularly, since the rotating disks 4 of the conventional water treatment apparatus are made of impermeable materials as shown in FIG. 2, a waste water flow passage D, which is at least about 1/10 of the diameter of each of the rotating disks 4, should be maintained between the rotating disks 4 and a bottom of the treatment tank 1. In addition, if the conventional water treatment apparatus is used for a long time, waste water sludge 6 may be settled and decomposed in the waste water flow passage D, resulting in severe water pollution. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

The present invention provides a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope- type contactors which can maximize waste water treatment efficiency per unit area used by maximizing the growth of attached microorganisms, treat a great deal of waste water even in a small scale, and drastically reduce manufacturing, installing, and operating costs and installation space.

The present invention also provides a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors which can easily assemble and handle parts in a factory or site by employing a plurality of frames and contactors which can be disassembled easily, conveniently disassemble or re-assemble the parts in the site during a maintenance task, reduce spatial restrictions to an installation site or space by freely installing frames of various sizes and shapes, and install the parts in a narrow place or a place with a narrow entrance The present invention also provides a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors which can make a waste water flow passage unnecessary by allowing waste water to freely flow between frames and the contactors, ensure smooth flow of the waste water by preventing waste water sludge from being produced on a bottom of a treatment tank due to the rotation of the frames, and prevent water pollution due to the decomposition of the waste water sludge.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a water treatment apparatus comprising: a treatment tank containing waste water; a rotating shaft crossing the treatment tank to be rotated freely; a rotation device rotating the rotating shaft; frames installed on the rotating shaft; and a plurality of rotating rope-type contactors fixedly installed on the frames and rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft to alternately contact the waste water contained in the treatment tank and air.

Each of the frames may comprise: a plurality of main supports respectively installed on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of contactor holders axially connecting between the main support installed on the front portion of the rotating shaft and the main support installed on the middle or rear portion of the rotating shaft, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to fix the contactors in the circumferential direction. Each of the frames may comprise: a plurality of main supports installed on one side of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of antenna-shaped contactor holders being axially connected to each other on the main supports, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to fix the contactors by sets in the circumferential direction.

Each of the frames may comprise: a plurality of main supports respectively installed on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports axially supporting the main supports; and a plurality of contactor holders connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to axially fix the contactors.

Each of the frames may have a plurality of contactor fixing grooves formed in a plurality of directions to fix the contactors in radial, circumferential, axial, and mixed directions, and may be detachably modularized in a sector pillar shape to easily repair, exchange, and replace the contactors.

Each of the contactors may comprise: a thick main rope formed at a central portion to generate a tensile force and fine ropes twisted with one another around a circumferential surface of the main rope to allow microorganisms to grow thereon. The water treatment apparatus may further comprise: an air supply device supplying air to the contactors using a blower through air outlet holes formed in surfaces of rotating ducts formed on an outer surface of the rotating shaft; and an air heating system heating the air supplied by the air supply device.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

As described above, the water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactors can maximize waste water treatment efficiency per unit area used by maximizing the growth of attached microorganisms, treat a great deal of waste water even in a small scale, drastically reduce manufacturing, installing, and operating costs and installation space, easily assemble and handle parts in a factory or site by employing a plurality of frames and contactors which can be disassembled easily, conveniently disassemble or re-assemble the parts in the site during a maintenance task, reduce spatial restrictions to an installation site or space, make a waste water flow passage unnecessary, ensure smooth flow of the waste water, and prevent water pollution due to the decomposition of waste water sludge.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional water treatment apparatus having rotating biological contactors.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the conventional water treatment apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope- type contactors based on a continuous support method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a rotating shaft of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another rotating shaft of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope- type contactors based on an independent support method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors based on an axial installation method according to still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side view of auxiliary supports of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of contactor holders of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 10. FIG. 13 is a side view of the contactor holders of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors based on an axis perpendicular installation method according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors based on a module support method according to further another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a partially exploded perspective view of a rotating shaft of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a partially exploded perspective view of a rotating rope-type contactor used in a water treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

MODE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are, respectively, a perspective view and a side sectional view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the water treatment apparatus includes a treatment tank 10, a rotating shaft 11 , a rotation device 12, frames 13, and contactors 14. The frames 13 on which the contactors 14 are installed to be seated in the treatment tank 10 are alternately exposed to waste water 5 and air by being rotated at low speed. The treatment tank 10 contains various waste water 5 such as living waste water, factory waste water, polluted river water, or livestock waste water. The treatment tank 10 may have various shapes, for example, a box shape with an opened top as shown in FIG. 3 and a cylindrical shape (not shown). Referring to FIG.4, the water treatment apparatus does not require a waste water flow passage, unlike a conventional water treatment apparatus having rotating biological contactors, because the waste water 5 can freely flow between the frames 13 and the contactors 14. Accordingly, the water treatment apparatus of the present embodiment can reduce an unnecessary area because a space D between the frames 13 and a bottom of the treatment tank 10 can be reduced without disturbing the rotation of the frames 13.

Since the frames 13 are rotated while almost reaching the bottom of the treatment tank 10, the entire waste water 5 can be uniformly treated and sludge generated on the bottom of the treatment tank 10 can be forcibly stirred.

Since the rotating shaft 11 crosses the treatment tank 10, the rotating shaft 11 can be freely rotated by the rotation device 12 at low speed.

The frames 13 are installed in both circumferential and axial directions of the rotating shaft 11. A plurality of rope-type contactors 14 are fixedly installed on each of the frames

13, and are rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft 11 to alternately contact the waste water 5 contained in the treatment tank 10 and air.

The frames 13 and the contactors 14 which are rotated together with the rotating shaft 11 are partially submerged in the waste water 5 of the treatment tank 10 and partially exposed to the air.

The water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactors 14 of FIG. 3 are structured based on a continuous support method such that the contactors

14 are continuously supported on the frames 13 and each of the frames 13 includes a plurality of main supports 15, auxiliary supports 16, and contactor holders 17. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 7, in the continuous support method, the main supports

15 having bar shapes are respectively installed on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft 11 in a radial direction of the rotating shaft 11 , and have one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 11.

The auxiliary supports 16 in the continuous support method connect between the main supports 15 to support the main supports 15 in the circumferential direction. The contactor holders 17 in the continuous support method axially connect between the main support 15 installed on the front portion of the rotating shaft 11 and the main support 15 installed on the middle or rear portion of the rotating shaft 11 , and have a plurality of contactor fixing grooves 18 to fix the contactors 14 in the circumferential direction.

The contactor fixing grooves 18 may be formed in various directions and positions in the contactor holders 17 to fix the contactors 14, and instead of the contactor fixing grooves 18, insertion holes or fixing protrusions may be formed.

Although not shown, the auxiliary supports 16, the main supports 15, and the contactor holders 17 may be circular or polygonal rods or pipes, or L, C, H, or l-shaped steels. The auxiliary supports 16, the main supports 15, and the contactor holders 17 are fixed to one another using various fixing mechanisms such as screw, bolts, rivets, strings, adhesives, or welding, and may be preferably fixed using detachable screws and bolts so that the contactors 14 and the frames 13 can be replaced or repaired easily.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are perspective views of examples of the rotating shaft 11 of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 5, ribs 19 may be integrally formed on the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 11 so that the rotating shaft 11 can be coupled to the main supports 15. Alternatively, referring to FIG. 6, a separate bracket 20 may be detachably installed on the rotating shaft 11 so that the rotating shaft 11 can be coupled to the main supports 15.

The rotating shaft 11 may have various shapes and the rotating shaft 11 and the frames 13 may be coupled to each other in various ways, and the shapes and coupling ways can be easily selected and modified by one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 3. Referring to FIG. 7, the main supports 15, the auxiliary supports 16, and the contactor holders 17 are assembled on the rotating shaft 11 to complete the frames 13, and then the contactors 14 are fitted in parallel into the contactor fixing grooves 18 of the contactor holders 17 installed on inner or outer sides of the frames 13.

The water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactors 14 based on the continuous support method according to the present embodiment can be simply manufactured and installed because the contactors 14 can be very simply installed on the frames 13. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope- type contactors based on an independent support method according to another embodiment of the present invention. The water treatment apparatus of FIG. 8 can disassemble the frames 13 by sets by improving the structure of the water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactor 14 based on the continuous support method of FIG. 3 where all the contactors 14 should be disassembled for repair or replacement.

Referring to FIG. 8, the main supports 15 of the frames 13 in the independent support method are assembled on one side of the rotating shaft 11 in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 11 , and have one ends fixed to the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 11.

FIG. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 9, the auxiliary supports 16 in the independent support method connect between the main supports 15 to support the main supports 15 in the circumferential direction.

The contactor holders 17 in the independent support method are axially connected to each other on the main supports 15 associated on the one side of the rotating shaft 11 , and have antenna shapes with the plurality of contactor fixing grooves 18 to fix the contactors 14 by sets in the circumferential direction.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, specific contactors 14 or frames 13 can repaired and replaced by disassembling only the sets of the frames 13 including the contactors 14 or frames 14 in question.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors based on an axial installation method according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The water treatment apparatus of FIG. 10 can reduce the load applied to the rotating shaft 11 by reducing the number of the contactor holders 17. The contactors 14 are axially installed in parallel to the rotating shaft 11.

That is referring to FIG. 10, the main supports 15 of the frames 13 in the axial support method are installed on front and rear portions, or on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft 11 in the radial direction of the rotating shaft 11 , and have one ends fixed to the circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 11.

The auxiliary supports 16 axially support the main supports 15.

The contactor holders 17 connect between the main supports 15 to support the main supports 15 in the circumferential direction, and have the plurality of contactor fixing grooves 18 to axially fix the contactors 14.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the auxiliary supports 16 of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 10. The auxiliary supports 16 that axially support the main supports 15 to withstand the tensile force of the axially arranged contactors 15 may be obliquely connected to the main supports 15 as shown in FIG. 11 , or may horizontally connect between the main supports 15 (not shown).

FIGS. 12 and 13 are, respectively, a perspective view and a side view of the contactor holders 17 of the water treatment apparatus of FIG. 10. Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, when the contactors 14 are fixed to the contactor holders 17, the contactor fixing grooves 18 of the contactor holder 17 connected to the main support 15 formed on the front portion of the rotating shaft 11 may be directed toward the front side of the rotating shaft 11 , the contactor fixing grooves 18 of the contactor holder 17 connected to the main support 15 installed on the middle portion of the rotating shaft 11 may be directed toward the outer side of the rotating shaft 11 , and the contactor fixing grooves 18 of the rear contactor holder 17 connected to the main support 15 installed on the rear portion of the rotating shaft 11 may be directed toward the rear side of the rotating shaft 11. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors based on a module support method according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 15, the frames 13 and the contactors 14 can be modularized. Each of the frames 13 may have the contactor fixing grooves 18 formed in a plurality of directions to fix the contactors 14 in radial, circumferential, axial, and mixed directions, and may be detachably modularized in a sector pillar shape to easily repair, exchange, and replace the contactors 14.

The water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactors 14 based on the module support method can reduce repair and maintenance costs and production costs by modularizing the frames 13 and the contactors 14. FIGS. 16 and 17 are, respectively, a perspective view and a side sectional view of a water treatment apparatus having rotating rope-type contactors according to another embodiment of the present invention. The water treatment apparatus can prevent microorganisms from being anaerobic by supplying oxygen to the microorganisms attached to the contactors 14 and can improve waste water treatment efficiency and the growth of the microorganisms by supplying external air. Preferably, referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, the water treatment apparatus may further include an air supply device 26 that includes an air transfer duct 21 and a blower 23. The air transfer duct 21 supplies air to the contactors 14 using the blower 23 through air outlet holes 22 formed in surfaces of rotating ducts 25 surrounding the rotating shaft 11.

In order to supply more oxygen to the microorganisms, the rotating speed of the rotating shaft 11 may be increased. Accordingly, the number of the attached microorganisms can be adjusted by adjusting the air supplied to the contactors 14 or the rotating speed of the rotating shaft 11. The air transfer duct 21 may include a fixed duct 24 fixed to the blower 23 to correspond to the rotating shaft 11 , and the rotating ducts 25 freely rotating together with the rotating shaft 11 relative to the fixed duct 24. FIG. 17 illustrates the air transfer duct 21 and the air outlet holes 22.

Referring to FIG. 17, the rotating ducts 25 are formed in the circumferential direction of the rotating shaft 11 , and the air outlet holes 22 are formed in the surfaces of the rotating ducts 25 to smoothly supply air to the contactors 14.

Grooves 30 for fixing the various supports may be formed on sides of the rotating ducts 25.

The water treatment apparatus having the rotating rope-type contactors 14 of FIG. 16 may further include an air heating system 27 that is installed on the air transfer duct 21 and heats air supplied by the air supply device 26 to solve the biological problems that the microorganisms become dormant and treatment efficiency is lowered during the cold winter months.

In particular, the air heating system 27 may be associated with the air supply device 26 to heat the air supplied to the contactors 14, thereby maintaining constant temperature in the environment around the microorganisms during the winter months and greatly improving treatment efficiency. The air heating system 27 may be an electric heater with a coil, warm water or steam, or a heat exchanger, which can be selected and modified by one of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 18 is a partially exploded perspective view of a rope-type contactor 14 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 18, the contactor 14 may be any rope-type contactor capable of generating a tensile force, and includes a thick main rope 28 formed at a central portion to generate a tensile force, and fine ropes 29 twisted with one another around a circumferential surface of the main rope 28 to permit microorganisms to grow thereon. While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details of the respective elements, for example, the treatment tank 10, the contactors 14, and the frames 13, may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A water treatment apparatus comprising: a treatment tank containing waste water; a rotating shaft crossing the treatment tank to be rotated freely; a rotation device rotating the rotating shaft; frames installed on the rotating shaft; and a plurality of rotating rope-type contactors fixedly installed on the frames and rotated by the rotation of the rotating shaft to alternately contact the waste water contained in the treatment tank and air.

2. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the frames comprises: a plurality of main supports respectively installed on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of contactor holders axially connecting between the main support installed on the front portion of the rotating shaft and the main support installed on the middle or rear portion of the rotating shaft, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to fix the contactors in the circumferential direction.

3. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the frames comprises: a plurality of main supports installed on one side of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction; and a plurality of antenna-shaped contactor holders being axially connected to each other on the main supports, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to fix the contactors by sets in the circumferential direction.

4. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the frames comprises: a plurality of main supports respectively installed on front, middle, and rear portions of the rotating shaft in a radial direction of the rotating shaft, and having one ends fixed to a circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a plurality of auxiliary supports axially supporting the main supports; and a plurality of contactor holders connecting between the main supports to support the main supports in a circumferential direction, and having a plurality of contactor fixing grooves to axially fix the contactors.

5. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the frames has a plurality of contactor fixing grooves formed in a plurality of directions to fix the contactors in radial, circumferential, axial, and mixed directions, and is detachably modularized in a sector pillar shape to easily repair, exchange, and replace the contactors.

6. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the contactors comprises: a thick main rope formed at a central portion to generate a tensile force and fine ropes twisted with one another around a circumferential surface of the main rope to allow microorganisms to grow thereon.

7. The water treatment apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: an air supply device supplying air to the contactors using a blower through air outlet holes formed in surfaces of rotating ducts formed on an outer surface of the rotating shaft; and an air heating system heating the air supplied by the air supply device.