WO2008040953A2 - Waste screening and processing apparatus - Google Patents

Waste screening and processing apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008040953A2
WO2008040953A2 PCT/GB2007/003722 GB2007003722W WO2008040953A2 WO 2008040953 A2 WO2008040953 A2 WO 2008040953A2 GB 2007003722 W GB2007003722 W GB 2007003722W WO 2008040953 A2 WO2008040953 A2 WO 2008040953A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
shaft
waste material
stage
reverse
flights
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2007/003722
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2008040953A3 (en
Inventor
David Addy
Original Assignee
Longwood Engineering Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Longwood Engineering Co Ltd filed Critical Longwood Engineering Co Ltd
Publication of WO2008040953A2 publication Critical patent/WO2008040953A2/en
Publication of WO2008040953A3 publication Critical patent/WO2008040953A3/en

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B30—PRESSES
    • B30B—PRESSES IN GENERAL
    • B30B9/00—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes
    • B30B9/02—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material
    • B30B9/12—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material using pressing worms or screws co-operating with a permeable casing
    • B30B9/121—Screw constructions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B09—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE; RECLAMATION OF CONTAMINATED SOIL
    • B09B—DISPOSAL OF SOLID WASTE NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B09B3/00—Destroying solid waste or transforming solid waste into something useful or harmless
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B30—PRESSES
    • B30B—PRESSES IN GENERAL
    • B30B9/00—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes
    • B30B9/02—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material
    • B30B9/12—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material using pressing worms or screws co-operating with a permeable casing
    • B30B9/128—Vertical or inclined screw presses
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B30—PRESSES
    • B30B—PRESSES IN GENERAL
    • B30B9/00—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes
    • B30B9/02—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material
    • B30B9/12—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material using pressing worms or screws co-operating with a permeable casing
    • B30B9/16—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material using pressing worms or screws co-operating with a permeable casing operating with two or more screws or worms
    • B30B9/166—Presses specially adapted for particular purposes for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material, e.g. juice from fruits, oil from oil-containing material using pressing worms or screws co-operating with a permeable casing operating with two or more screws or worms the screws being coaxially disposed in the same chamber
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B1/00—Preliminary treatment of solid materials or objects to facilitate drying, e.g. mixing or backmixing the materials to be dried with predominantly dry solids
    • F26B1/005—Preliminary treatment of solid materials or objects to facilitate drying, e.g. mixing or backmixing the materials to be dried with predominantly dry solids by means of disintegrating, e.g. crushing, shredding, milling the materials to be dried
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26—DRYING
    • F26B—DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B17/00—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement
    • F26B17/18—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed by rotating helical blades or other rotary conveyors which may be heated moving materials in stationary chambers, e.g. troughs
    • F26B17/20—Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed by rotating helical blades or other rotary conveyors which may be heated moving materials in stationary chambers, e.g. troughs the axis of rotation being horizontal or slightly inclined

Definitions

  • the invention to which this application relates is apparatus which can be used in the screening, separation and disposal of waste material such as, for example, human waste material at a sewage works.
  • waste material which is being treated enters a first form of apparatus in which the waste material, which typically comprises solids and liquids, is processed by maceration such that the solid matter is encouraged to break up into smaller particles in order to try and cause the smaller particles to go into solution with the liquid and therefore allows the same to be processed in a liquid form.
  • the waste material is then required to pass from this first set of apparatus, to a second set of apparatus in which the waste material, with additional liquid added as required, passes into a dewatering stage in which the waste material is sprayed with liquid to cause the waste liquid, with the smaller solids in solution therewith, to be dispensed through a first outlet, thus leaving the remaining larger solids to be compacted and moved to a second discharge outlet.
  • the aim of the present invention is therefore to provide apparatus which overcomes the advantages of conventional apparatus in that a single item of apparatus can be provided and to ensure that the single item of apparatus performs efficiently so as to successfully process the waste material in accordance with environmental requirements .
  • apparatus for the processing of waste material comprising an inlet via which the waste material enters the apparatus, a first discharge outlet via which waste material can exit the apparatus and a second discharge outlet via which further waste material can exit the apparatus and wherein the apparatus includes a shaft with flights, said shaft formed with a first portion and a second portion, said portions joined via a clutch assembly.
  • said shaft is provided with a plurality of flights therealong.
  • the first portion is selectively rotatable in forward and reverse directions and the second portion of the shaft can be engaged via the clutch and driven in one of said directions .
  • the second portion of the shaft is not engaged to be driven by the clutch and so does not rotate in that direction.
  • the forward direction of movement of the shaft is such as to move material from the inlet towards the first discharge outlet, and the reverse direction moves material towards the inlet end.
  • the first portion and second portion of the shafts are engaged via the clutch so as to allow both to be driven to rotate in the forward direction and only the first portion of the shaft is driven in the reverse direction.
  • the apparatus includes a first stage in which the waste material enters the apparatus and is moved by the flights of the shaft to break the material up, a second stage leading from the first stage, in which a dewatering operation occurs and a third stage, leading from the second stage, in which the compaction of the remaining waste material occurs prior to discharging of the same from the apparatus .
  • the first portion of the shaft is positioned so as to lie within the first stage, the first discharge outlet lies at the second stage of the apparatus and the second portion of the shaft lies at the third stage of the apparatus .
  • waste material in a liquid form or in a solid matter in solution form leaves the apparatus from the first discharge outlet and substantially solid material leaves the apparatus from the second discharge outlet.
  • the shaft is mounted within a chamber which has a longitudinal axis in line with the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
  • the first portion of the shaft serves to move the waste material, to the de- watering stage at which the liquid, with possibly waste solid particles held in a solution therein, can be removed from the apparatus by passing through apertures in the apparatus at that stage and then via the first discharge outlet.
  • the apertures may be provided as perforations in or formed as part of the chamber.
  • the forward and reverse movement of the first portion of the shaft is performed a number of times and for a duration so as to allow the material to pass through the first and second stages and then be moved between the same a number of times.
  • the forward movement will be performed for a longer period of time and/or for more frequent periods of time so as to move the remaining waste material from the first stage, through the second stage, and into the third stage, i.e. the compacting stage.
  • This then means that any solid waste material which is still remaining at that time is moved to the third stage and then compacted and moved, by the second portion of the shaft moving in the forward direction, to the second discharge outlet.
  • the driven rotation of the shaft in forward and reverse directions is performed by a single, common drive means which can be moved in forward and reverse directions .
  • the load on the drive means in the reverse direction is less than that in the forward direction.
  • the apparatus can, if required, be moved in the reverse direction at a greater speed than in the forward direction.
  • This increase in speed also increases the ability of the flights to break up waste material against the inner surfaces of the chamber. This also improves the breaking up of the waste material and increases the likelihood of the same passing into solution in the liquid.
  • the clutch which is used is a sprag clutch which allows the connection for drive purposes of the shaft portions in one direction but not the other.
  • the first portion of the shaft has a hollow end which receives the clutch assembly and on which the second portion of the shaft is fitted.
  • the sequence of operation of the drive means will be controlled in accordance with predetermined control parameters.
  • one or more linear guide formations are provided on the internal face of the channel in which the shaft is located.
  • Said linear guide formations are typically provided with the longitudinal axis of the same substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the flighted shaft.
  • the guide formations are formed of a ceramic material so as to cause the same to be hard wearing.
  • linear guide formations are provided to encourage the waste material to move in a substantially linear rather than rotational direction thereby encouraging the movement of the waste material to discharge.
  • the position of the inlet of the waste material into the apparatus and the orientation of the inlet with respect to the remainder of the apparatus can be selected to suit particular site constraints .
  • a method for handling waste material comprising a first movement stage, a second dewatering stage and a third compacting stage, along which stages a shaft with flights is located with a first portion rotatable in a first direction to move the waste material from the first to the second stage and rotatable in a second direction to move remaining waste material back from the second to the first stage so as to break down solids in the waste material, dewatering the waste material at the second stage to encourage at least a portion of the solids to enter into solution, and leave the apparatus via a first discharge outlet and wherein the waste material which remains, is moved to the third stage by rotation of a second portion of the shaft to be compacted prior to discharge from the apparatus, said second portion of the shaft rotatably driven in the first direction only.
  • the movement of the waste material between the first and second stages and to the third stage is achieved via the selective movement and connection of the first and second portions of the shaft arranged along a common longitudinal axis, said shaft portions including one or more flights.
  • the flights are helically formed along the shaft.
  • the rotation of the first portion of the shaft in first and second directions is repeated a number of times in an operating cycle.
  • the flights at their external edges, have a back chamfer to improve the breakdown of the solids material in the reverse movement of the inlet portion of the shaft and/or may include flexible projecting portions.
  • Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of the apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
  • Figure 2 illustrates a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3 illustrates a sectional elevation along line B-B of Figure l ;
  • FIG. 4 illustrates in detail, the connection between the first and second portions of the shaft of the apparatus in accordance with one embodiment
  • Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the connection of Figure 4; and Figure 6 illustrates a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 4.
  • FIG. 1 there is illustrated, in plan, apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, which is shown in situ with ancillary supply apparatus .
  • the ancillary apparatus comprises an inlet supply 2, a discharge portion 4 which allows discharged compacted material to be collected for subsequent removal, a water supply 6 and a solution and waste discharge means 8.
  • the apparatus in accordance with the invention is connected to the inlet 2 to allow waste material to enter the apparatus in the direction indicated by arrow 10.
  • the waste material passes into a chamber 12 in which there is mounted a shaft 14 shown in broken lines.
  • the shaft extends between the inlet end 16 and the second discharge outlet 18 and extends along the chamber 12.
  • Flights 22 are provided along the length of the shaft 14, as shown and the external edges of the flights are located so as to be close to or in contact with the inner surfaces of the chamber 12.
  • the apparatus has three stages, a first stage 24 which allows the movement of the waste material and the breaking up of solids in the waste material, a second dewatering and discharge stage 26 which allows liquid in the waste material to leave the apparatus via first discharge outlet 8 and, at that time, any solid waste which has passed into solution in the liquid will also leave.
  • the stage will include a liquid spray to perform a dewatering step and encourage the liquid and solution to leave at this point.
  • the chamber at this stage can include on the underside, a perforated plate with apertures which allow the liquid and solids in solution, to drain out of the chamber and leave the apparatus .
  • the third stage 28 is a compaction stage which allows the remaining solid waste to be compacted and then moved along to discharge as indicated by arrow 30.
  • a drive 32 is connected to the shaft to rotate the same in a manner which will be described.
  • the connection interface houses a clutch assembly 34 therein located in a hollow end of the first portion 36 at the interface.
  • This interface splits the shaft into two portions, a first portion 36, which lies in the first and second stages 24, 26 and a second portion 38 which lies along the compaction stage 28.
  • the clutch assembly allows the connection, for drive purposes, of the first and second portions 36, 38 in one direction of rotation, i.e. a forward direction in which material is moved away from the inlet but not in the reverse direction of rotation. In the reverse direction, only the first portion 36 is driven to rotate, with the second portion 38 stationary.
  • the second portion 38 is connected to the clutch assembly 34 via a spigot 40 which is received in a hollow end of the inlet portion 36.
  • the clutch which is used in this embodiment is a sprag clutch.
  • the waste material which is introduced into the apparatus comprises liquid and solids such as, for example, human faeces and other waste.
  • the apparatus is used to process a batch of waste material which is introduced but it should also be appreciated that the apparatus can be operated to process waste material in a continuous mode.
  • the waste material enters the chamber 12 and the shaft 14 is operated to move in a forward direction of rotation for a predetermined number of revolutions and at a predetermined speed.
  • the clutch connection allows a drive connection between the first and second portions 36, 38 in the forward direction of movement, so the whole length of the shaft moves.
  • the movement of the shaft is then paused for a period of time, such as 0.5 seconds, and then the drive movement is reversed for a predetermined number of revolutions and speed which may be greater than the forward direction.
  • the clutch connection does not connect the first and second portions of the shaft for the reverse direction of rotation only the first portion 36 of the shaft which is directly connected to the drive means is rotated in the reverse direction.
  • the parameters used for control of the rotation of the first and second portions can be selected with respect to environmental and/or waste material conditions.
  • the purpose of this sequence of operation is to cause the waste material to be moved, when the shaft is moved in the forward direction, towards the dewatering stage 26 at which liquid within the waste material and any solids which have entered into solution with the liquid and are of a small enough size to pass through the perforations in the plate of the chamber wall, can exit the apparatus via the first discharge outlet 8.
  • the reverse movement then pulls the remaining waste material from the dewatering stage 26 back to the first stage 24. This movement causes the flights of the shaft which are in contact with the inner surfaces of the chamber 20, to smear and generally break up the solids in the waste material.
  • the apparatus can be provided with linear guide formations 31 which are located radially around the inner wall of the channel and which act to encourage the waste material to move linearly along the channel to the discharge outlet rather than rotationally. This means that the waste material can be efficiently and quickly moved out of the apparatus.
  • the apparatus can be moved to a storm mode which means that if particularly high levels of waste material are anticipated as a result of high and/or sudden rainfall or flooding, the sequence of operation will be altered so that the waste material can be passed through the apparatus more quickly and hence prevent a build-up of waste material and prevent potential flooding.
  • the organic waste material is smeared against the chamber walls which may be formed of perforated plate or have other protrusions and a backwash system can be located behind this plate to ensure that the waste material which has been smeared and put into solution can be washed away via the discharge outlet 8.
  • the flights at least on the first portion of the shaft can feature a chamfer on the reverse edge which smears the waste material on the reverse rotation and, on the forward rotation, the waste material which has been moved into a smaller size can readily form a solution that is then moved towards the second stage 26.
  • the flights at their external edges can be provided with a durable and flexible scraper strip.
  • apparatus which can be used to provide both the breaking up of waste material so as to allow the waste material to be discharged in solution and also to provide for the compaction of the remaining waste material for discharge and the apparatus, due to the provision of the two shaft portions, with a clutch mechanism intermediate the ends of the shaft which is formed along a common longitudinal axis, means that the operation can be performed in a single item of apparatus as herein described.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Processing Of Solid Wastes (AREA)
  • Separation Of Solids By Using Liquids Or Pneumatic Power (AREA)

Abstract

The invention relates to apparatus and a method for the processing of waste material. The apparatus includes a shaft (14) which passes along a chamber (12). The chamber has flights (22) formed therealong and which act to move waste material along the chamber. The shaft is formed of two portions, a first portion (36) which is rotatable in first and second directions, and a second portion (38) connected to the first via a clutch assembly (34) which is rotatable in only one of said first or second directions. The provision of the apparatus allows the processing and disposal of waste material in liquid and liquid/ solid solution from one discharge outlet (8) and the discarding of the remaining waste material in an other form from a second discharge outlet (18) using the same item of apparatus.

Description

Waste Screening and Processing Apparatus
The invention to which this application relates is apparatus which can be used in the screening, separation and disposal of waste material such as, for example, human waste material at a sewage works.
Conventionally, in a sewage works, waste material which is being treated, enters a first form of apparatus in which the waste material, which typically comprises solids and liquids, is processed by maceration such that the solid matter is encouraged to break up into smaller particles in order to try and cause the smaller particles to go into solution with the liquid and therefore allows the same to be processed in a liquid form. The waste material is then required to pass from this first set of apparatus, to a second set of apparatus in which the waste material, with additional liquid added as required, passes into a dewatering stage in which the waste material is sprayed with liquid to cause the waste liquid, with the smaller solids in solution therewith, to be dispensed through a first outlet, thus leaving the remaining larger solids to be compacted and moved to a second discharge outlet.
While this apparatus can be effective, it is largely unpopular to users due to the fact that two items of apparatus are required to be used together to allow the throughput of the waste material. The use of the two types of apparatus, causes additional expense in that two drive means are required to be used and, if one of the items of apparatus is out of order, then the overall process can not be performed.
It is also known to be able to provide a single piece of apparatus in which there is provided an elongate shaft, with a series of flights therealong, and said shaft can be selectively moved in a forward direction or a reverse direction along its length. However, it is found that this form of apparatus is less efficient in the processing of the waste material as it is not able to perform all the stages of the waste treating process successfully.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide apparatus which overcomes the advantages of conventional apparatus in that a single item of apparatus can be provided and to ensure that the single item of apparatus performs efficiently so as to successfully process the waste material in accordance with environmental requirements .
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for the processing of waste material, said apparatus comprising an inlet via which the waste material enters the apparatus, a first discharge outlet via which waste material can exit the apparatus and a second discharge outlet via which further waste material can exit the apparatus and wherein the apparatus includes a shaft with flights, said shaft formed with a first portion and a second portion, said portions joined via a clutch assembly.
Typically, said shaft is provided with a plurality of flights therealong.
Typically, the first portion, is selectively rotatable in forward and reverse directions and the second portion of the shaft can be engaged via the clutch and driven in one of said directions . However, when the first portion of the shaft is driven in the other of the forward or reverse directions, the second portion of the shaft is not engaged to be driven by the clutch and so does not rotate in that direction.
Typically, the forward direction of movement of the shaft is such as to move material from the inlet towards the first discharge outlet, and the reverse direction moves material towards the inlet end.
Preferably, the first portion and second portion of the shafts are engaged via the clutch so as to allow both to be driven to rotate in the forward direction and only the first portion of the shaft is driven in the reverse direction.
In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a first stage in which the waste material enters the apparatus and is moved by the flights of the shaft to break the material up, a second stage leading from the first stage, in which a dewatering operation occurs and a third stage, leading from the second stage, in which the compaction of the remaining waste material occurs prior to discharging of the same from the apparatus .
Typically, the first portion of the shaft is positioned so as to lie within the first stage, the first discharge outlet lies at the second stage of the apparatus and the second portion of the shaft lies at the third stage of the apparatus .
In one embodiment waste material in a liquid form or in a solid matter in solution form leaves the apparatus from the first discharge outlet and substantially solid material leaves the apparatus from the second discharge outlet.
In one embodiment the shaft is mounted within a chamber which has a longitudinal axis in line with the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
In one embodiment, the first portion of the shaft, via the flights mounted thereon, serves to move the waste material, to the de- watering stage at which the liquid, with possibly waste solid particles held in a solution therein, can be removed from the apparatus by passing through apertures in the apparatus at that stage and then via the first discharge outlet. The apertures may be provided as perforations in or formed as part of the chamber. The rotation of the first portion of the shaft is reversed so as to cause remaining waste material to be moved back down towards the first stage from the second stage and as it does so, the external edges of the flights, serve to smear or otherwise macerate, the waste material solids against the outer walls of the chamber in which the shaft is positioned.
Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the forward and reverse movement of the first portion of the shaft, is performed a number of times and for a duration so as to allow the material to pass through the first and second stages and then be moved between the same a number of times.
Typically, after this forward and reverse movement has been repeated, the forward movement will be performed for a longer period of time and/or for more frequent periods of time so as to move the remaining waste material from the first stage, through the second stage, and into the third stage, i.e. the compacting stage. This then means that any solid waste material which is still remaining at that time is moved to the third stage and then compacted and moved, by the second portion of the shaft moving in the forward direction, to the second discharge outlet.
Thus, in accordance with the invention, there is provided, by the movement of the first portion of the shaft in forward and reverse directions, the ability to process and break up the waste material a number of times in order to remove a quantity of the same prior to separation of the solid material for compacting. This therefore means that a quantity of the waste material is broken up at the first stage into smaller particles and a significant quantity of those particles will pass into solution in the liquid and therefore be disposed of from the first discharge outlet, prior to reaching the third compacting stage which therefore reduces the amount of solid material which is required to be discharged from the second discharge outlet.
Preferably, the driven rotation of the shaft in forward and reverse directions is performed by a single, common drive means which can be moved in forward and reverse directions . Furthermore, as typically only the inlet portion of the shaft is moved in the reverse direction the load on the drive means in the reverse direction, is less than that in the forward direction. This therefore means that the apparatus can, if required, be moved in the reverse direction at a greater speed than in the forward direction. This increase in speed, also increases the ability of the flights to break up waste material against the inner surfaces of the chamber. This also improves the breaking up of the waste material and increases the likelihood of the same passing into solution in the liquid.
In one embodiment, the clutch which is used is a sprag clutch which allows the connection for drive purposes of the shaft portions in one direction but not the other.
In one embodiment, the first portion of the shaft has a hollow end which receives the clutch assembly and on which the second portion of the shaft is fitted.
Typically, the sequence of operation of the drive means will be controlled in accordance with predetermined control parameters.
In one embodiment at at least the compacting stage of the apparatus one or more linear guide formations are provided on the internal face of the channel in which the shaft is located. Said linear guide formations are typically provided with the longitudinal axis of the same substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the flighted shaft.
In on embodiment the guide formations are formed of a ceramic material so as to cause the same to be hard wearing.
Typically the linear guide formations are provided to encourage the waste material to move in a substantially linear rather than rotational direction thereby encouraging the movement of the waste material to discharge.
In one embodiment the position of the inlet of the waste material into the apparatus and the orientation of the inlet with respect to the remainder of the apparatus can be selected to suit particular site constraints .
In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for handling waste material, said method incorporating the steps of receiving the waste material, moving the waste material into apparatus comprising a first movement stage, a second dewatering stage and a third compacting stage, along which stages a shaft with flights is located with a first portion rotatable in a first direction to move the waste material from the first to the second stage and rotatable in a second direction to move remaining waste material back from the second to the first stage so as to break down solids in the waste material, dewatering the waste material at the second stage to encourage at least a portion of the solids to enter into solution, and leave the apparatus via a first discharge outlet and wherein the waste material which remains, is moved to the third stage by rotation of a second portion of the shaft to be compacted prior to discharge from the apparatus, said second portion of the shaft rotatably driven in the first direction only. Preferably the movement of the waste material between the first and second stages and to the third stage, is achieved via the selective movement and connection of the first and second portions of the shaft arranged along a common longitudinal axis, said shaft portions including one or more flights. Typically, the flights are helically formed along the shaft. Typically the rotation of the first portion of the shaft in first and second directions is repeated a number of times in an operating cycle.
In one embodiment, the flights, at their external edges, have a back chamfer to improve the breakdown of the solids material in the reverse movement of the inlet portion of the shaft and/or may include flexible projecting portions.
Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-
Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of the apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 1 ;
Figure 3 illustrates a sectional elevation along line B-B of Figure l ;
Figure 4 illustrates in detail, the connection between the first and second portions of the shaft of the apparatus in accordance with one embodiment;
Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the connection of Figure 4; and Figure 6 illustrates a sectional elevation along line A-A of Figure 4.
Referring firstly to Figure 1 , there is illustrated, in plan, apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, which is shown in situ with ancillary supply apparatus .
The ancillary apparatus comprises an inlet supply 2, a discharge portion 4 which allows discharged compacted material to be collected for subsequent removal, a water supply 6 and a solution and waste discharge means 8.
The apparatus in accordance with the invention is connected to the inlet 2 to allow waste material to enter the apparatus in the direction indicated by arrow 10. The waste material passes into a chamber 12 in which there is mounted a shaft 14 shown in broken lines. The shaft extends between the inlet end 16 and the second discharge outlet 18 and extends along the chamber 12. Flights 22 are provided along the length of the shaft 14, as shown and the external edges of the flights are located so as to be close to or in contact with the inner surfaces of the chamber 12. The apparatus has three stages, a first stage 24 which allows the movement of the waste material and the breaking up of solids in the waste material, a second dewatering and discharge stage 26 which allows liquid in the waste material to leave the apparatus via first discharge outlet 8 and, at that time, any solid waste which has passed into solution in the liquid will also leave. Typically, the stage will include a liquid spray to perform a dewatering step and encourage the liquid and solution to leave at this point. The chamber at this stage can include on the underside, a perforated plate with apertures which allow the liquid and solids in solution, to drain out of the chamber and leave the apparatus . The third stage 28 is a compaction stage which allows the remaining solid waste to be compacted and then moved along to discharge as indicated by arrow 30.
A drive 32 is connected to the shaft to rotate the same in a manner which will be described.
Referring now to Figures 4, 5 and 6, there is shown the connecting interface of the shaft 14 along with a number of flights 22. This connecting interface is typically located intermediate the ends of the shaft and typically is located in the chamber between the dewatering stage 26 and the compacting stage 28. The connection interface houses a clutch assembly 34 therein located in a hollow end of the first portion 36 at the interface. This interface splits the shaft into two portions, a first portion 36, which lies in the first and second stages 24, 26 and a second portion 38 which lies along the compaction stage 28. The clutch assembly allows the connection, for drive purposes, of the first and second portions 36, 38 in one direction of rotation, i.e. a forward direction in which material is moved away from the inlet but not in the reverse direction of rotation. In the reverse direction, only the first portion 36 is driven to rotate, with the second portion 38 stationary.
In this arrangement, the second portion 38 is connected to the clutch assembly 34 via a spigot 40 which is received in a hollow end of the inlet portion 36. The clutch which is used in this embodiment, is a sprag clutch.
Returning now to Figures 1 to 3, the method of operation of the apparatus can be described.
The waste material which is introduced into the apparatus comprises liquid and solids such as, for example, human faeces and other waste. In this example, the apparatus is used to process a batch of waste material which is introduced but it should also be appreciated that the apparatus can be operated to process waste material in a continuous mode.
In this example, the waste material enters the chamber 12 and the shaft 14 is operated to move in a forward direction of rotation for a predetermined number of revolutions and at a predetermined speed. As the clutch connection allows a drive connection between the first and second portions 36, 38 in the forward direction of movement, so the whole length of the shaft moves. The movement of the shaft is then paused for a period of time, such as 0.5 seconds, and then the drive movement is reversed for a predetermined number of revolutions and speed which may be greater than the forward direction. However as the clutch connection does not connect the first and second portions of the shaft for the reverse direction of rotation only the first portion 36 of the shaft which is directly connected to the drive means is rotated in the reverse direction. As only part of the shaft is being driven to move in the reverse direction, so the drive 32 has less of a load on it and so the first portion of the shaft can be rotated at a higher speed than in the forward direction. This sequence of forward and reverse movement is then repeated a number of times.
The parameters used for control of the rotation of the first and second portions can be selected with respect to environmental and/or waste material conditions.
The purpose of this sequence of operation is to cause the waste material to be moved, when the shaft is moved in the forward direction, towards the dewatering stage 26 at which liquid within the waste material and any solids which have entered into solution with the liquid and are of a small enough size to pass through the perforations in the plate of the chamber wall, can exit the apparatus via the first discharge outlet 8. The reverse movement then pulls the remaining waste material from the dewatering stage 26 back to the first stage 24. This movement causes the flights of the shaft which are in contact with the inner surfaces of the chamber 20, to smear and generally break up the solids in the waste material. This encourages the solids, when they are in the smaller size, to enter into solution with the liquid and hence, when the shaft is again moved forward, to cause the smaller particles of the solids to leave via discharge 8. It should also be appreciated that additional liquid can be added during this process from the supply 6.
Thus any solid material which is capable of being moved to a smaller size, and being removed in solution, will do so as a result of these forward and reverse rotations. However, there will normally be material within the waste material which cannot be moved to a smaller particle size and this also needs to be discharged from the apparatus.
Once the forward and reverse movements of the first portion of the shaft have been repeated for a number of times, but typically only for a sufficient time so as to allow the waste material to move between the first and second stages, there is then the need to move the remaining waste material to the compaction stage. The operation of the apparatus is then changed such that the shaft is rotated in the forward direction for a longer period, such as for double the time of the first sequence of operation and then, after a pause, movement is reversed for a predetermined number of revolutions and speed and again a pause occurs. As the forward movement of the shaft is along the entire length of the shaft and, in the second sequence of operation is for a greater period of time, so there is sufficient time for the remaining waste material to be moved from the first stage 24, through the dewatering stage 26, at which any further liquid and smaller solids can leave, and then onto the compaction stage 28 at which the remaining solids can be compacted and moved through the discharge chute 4. At this stage the apparatus can be provided with linear guide formations 31 which are located radially around the inner wall of the channel and which act to encourage the waste material to move linearly along the channel to the discharge outlet rather than rotationally. This means that the waste material can be efficiently and quickly moved out of the apparatus.
At the end of this sequence, it will be appreciated that the batch of waste material which originally entered the apparatus will have been dealt with and will have been removed from the apparatus through either one of the two discharge outlets. At the end of the sequence of operation, all of the operations may be repeated again with a cleaning liquid being passed through the apparatus so as to clean the same so as to be ready for the next batch of waste material.
It should also be appreciated that the apparatus can be moved to a storm mode which means that if particularly high levels of waste material are anticipated as a result of high and/or sudden rainfall or flooding, the sequence of operation will be altered so that the waste material can be passed through the apparatus more quickly and hence prevent a build-up of waste material and prevent potential flooding.
In one embodiment, at the first and second stages, and when the first portion of the shaft is rotated in the reverse direction, the organic waste material is smeared against the chamber walls which may be formed of perforated plate or have other protrusions and a backwash system can be located behind this plate to ensure that the waste material which has been smeared and put into solution can be washed away via the discharge outlet 8.
The flights at least on the first portion of the shaft can feature a chamfer on the reverse edge which smears the waste material on the reverse rotation and, on the forward rotation, the waste material which has been moved into a smaller size can readily form a solution that is then moved towards the second stage 26. The flights at their external edges can be provided with a durable and flexible scraper strip.
There is thus provided apparatus which can be used to provide both the breaking up of waste material so as to allow the waste material to be discharged in solution and also to provide for the compaction of the remaining waste material for discharge and the apparatus, due to the provision of the two shaft portions, with a clutch mechanism intermediate the ends of the shaft which is formed along a common longitudinal axis, means that the operation can be performed in a single item of apparatus as herein described.

Claims

Claims
1. Apparatus for the processing of waste material, said apparatus comprising an inlet via which the waste material enters the apparatus, a first discharge outlet via which waste material can exits the apparatus and a second discharge outlet via which further waste material can exit the apparatus and wherein the apparatus includes a shaft with flights sad shaft formed with a first portion and a second portion, said portions joined via a clutch assembly.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the shaft is provided with a plurality of flights located therealong.
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first portion is selectively rotatable in forward and reverse directions.
4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the second portion is rotatable in one of forward or reverse directions.
5. Apparatus according to claims 3 and 4 wherein the first portion is rotatable in one of the forward or reverse directions and the second portion of the shaft is engaged via the clutch to be driven in said direction and when the first portion is driven in the other of the forward or reverse directions the second portion of the shaft is not engaged to be driven by the clutch.
6. Apparatus according to any of claims 3 to 5 wherein the forward rotation of the shaft moves material from the inlet towards the discharges and the movement of the first portion in the reverse direction moves towards the inlet.
7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first and second portions of the shaft are engaged via the clutch so as to allow both to be driven to rotate in a forward direction and only the first portion to be driven in the reverse direction.
8. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a first stage at which the waste material enters the apparatus and is moved by the shaft to break up the waste material and a second stage in which a dewatering operation occurs.
9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein in a third stage compaction of the material is performed prior to discharging the same from the apparatus.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the first portion of the shaft is positioned is located at the first stage, the first discharge is located at the second stage of the apparatus and the second portion of the shaft is located at the third stage of the apparatus.
11. Apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the waste material as a liquid and/or solid matter in solution, leaves the apparatus from the first discharge and substantially solid material leaves the apparatus from the second discharge.
12. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first portion of the shaft, via flights located thereon, when moved in a forward direction moves the waste material to a dewatering stage at which liquid with waste solid particles held in a solution therewith, is removed from the apparatus by passing through apertures in the apparatus to the discharge.
13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the apertures in the apparatus are provided as perforations in a plate surrounding at least part of the first portion of the shaft.
14. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the movement of the first portion in reverse causes remaining waste material to be moved back along the apparatus and as it does so, the flights on the shaft break up the waste material solids against the outer wall of a chamber in which the shaft is positioned.
15. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the movement of the first portion of the shaft in forward and reverse directions is performed by a common drive means.
16. Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the load on the drive means when moving the shaft in the reverse direction is less than that in the forward direction.
17. Apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the speed of rotation of the shaft in the reverse direction is greater than that in a forward direction.
18. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the clutch which is used to connect the first and second portions is a sprag clutch.
19. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first portion of the shaft has a hollow end which receives the clutch assembly and on which the second portion of the shaft is fitted.
20. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the flights are helically formed along the shaft.
21. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the flights, at their external edges, have a back chamfer to improve the breakdown of the solids material in the reverse movement of the first portion of the shaft.
22. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the flights, at their external edges, include flexible portions.
23 Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at at least the compacting stage of the apparatus one or more linear guide formations are provided on the internal face of the channel in which the shaft is located.
24 Apparatus according to claim 23 wherein the linear guide formations are provided with the longitudinal axis of the same substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
25 Apparatus according to claim 24 wherein the guide formations are formed of a ceramic material.
26 Apparatus according to any of claims 23-25 wherein the linear guide formations encourage the waste material to move in a substantially linear direction along the apparatus to discharge therefrom.
27. A method for handling waste material, said method incorporating the steps of receiving the waste material, moving the waste material into apparatus comprising a first movement stage, a second dewatering stage and a third compacting stage, along which stages a shaft with flights is located with a first portion rotatable in a first direction to move the waste material from the first to the second stage and rotatable in a reverse direction to move remaining waste material back from the second to the first stage so as to break down solids in the waste material, dewatering the waste material at the second stage to encourage at least a portion of the solids to enter into solution, and leave the apparatus via a first discharge outlet and wherein the waste material which remains, is moved to the third stage by rotation of a second portion of the shaft to be compacted prior to discharge from the apparatus, said second portion of the shaft rotatably driven in the first direction only.
28. A method according to claim 27 wherein the movement of the waste material between first and second stages and to the third stage, is achieved via selective rotation of the first portion in first and second directions and the second portion in the first direction.
29. A method according to claim 27 wherein the forward and reverse movement of the first portion of the shaft is performed a plurality of times and for a duration so as to allow the material to pass through the first and second stages and then be moved between the same a number of times as required to break the same up .
30 A method according to claim 29 wherein following repeated forward and reverse movement, a forward movement is performed so as to move remaining waste material from the first stage through the second stage and into the third stage for compaction.
PCT/GB2007/003722 2006-10-03 2007-10-02 Waste screening and processing apparatus WO2008040953A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0619441A GB0619441D0 (en) 2006-10-03 2006-10-03 Screening apparatus
GB0619441.9 2006-10-03

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WO2008040953A3 WO2008040953A3 (en) 2008-08-07

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Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB265153A (en) * 1926-01-28 1927-08-11 Fried Krupp Grusonwerke A G Improvements in or relating to worm presses
GB310680A (en) * 1928-05-23 1929-05-02 Percy Vavasseur Appleby Improvements in or relating to feed or pressure worms, applicable for use in oil-pressing apparatus or the like
US4164130A (en) * 1978-03-30 1979-08-14 Whirlpool Corporation One-way clutch for double-acting agitator
DE3429848A1 (en) * 1984-08-14 1986-02-27 Kufferath Andreas Gmbh Screw extruder
JPS61132299A (en) * 1984-11-30 1986-06-19 Kurita Mach Mfg Co Ltd Screw press
JPS61162298A (en) * 1985-01-11 1986-07-22 Kurita Mach Mfg Co Ltd Method and device for controlling of screw press
US4854435A (en) * 1987-01-16 1989-08-08 Nsk-Warner Kabishiki Kaisha Double-notched sprag outer retainer
JPH081390A (en) * 1994-06-09 1996-01-09 Ishigaki Mech Ind Co Cleaning device for outer cylindrical screen of screw press
GB2306388A (en) * 1992-09-26 1997-05-07 Robin Hamilton Compaction apparatus

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB265153A (en) * 1926-01-28 1927-08-11 Fried Krupp Grusonwerke A G Improvements in or relating to worm presses
GB310680A (en) * 1928-05-23 1929-05-02 Percy Vavasseur Appleby Improvements in or relating to feed or pressure worms, applicable for use in oil-pressing apparatus or the like
US4164130A (en) * 1978-03-30 1979-08-14 Whirlpool Corporation One-way clutch for double-acting agitator
DE3429848A1 (en) * 1984-08-14 1986-02-27 Kufferath Andreas Gmbh Screw extruder
JPS61132299A (en) * 1984-11-30 1986-06-19 Kurita Mach Mfg Co Ltd Screw press
JPS61162298A (en) * 1985-01-11 1986-07-22 Kurita Mach Mfg Co Ltd Method and device for controlling of screw press
US4854435A (en) * 1987-01-16 1989-08-08 Nsk-Warner Kabishiki Kaisha Double-notched sprag outer retainer
GB2306388A (en) * 1992-09-26 1997-05-07 Robin Hamilton Compaction apparatus
JPH081390A (en) * 1994-06-09 1996-01-09 Ishigaki Mech Ind Co Cleaning device for outer cylindrical screen of screw press

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0619441D0 (en) 2006-11-08
WO2008040953A3 (en) 2008-08-07

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