APPARATUS AND ARRANGEMENT FOR INTRODUCING A GAS INTO A MAIN MEDIUM IN PARTICULAR IN WASTE WATER TREATMENT

Abstract

Apparatus for introducing a gas into a main medium, comprising: a main conduit for guiding the main medium, a multitude of injection lines for guiding the gas, wherein each of the injection lines has a respective end section with a respective outlet opening situated within the main conduit, and wherein the end sections are oriented essentially parallel to each other and to the main conduit. With the apparatus a gas can be introduced in particular into waste water for obtaining a biologically activated sludge. Thereby, interaction between the gas and the waste water can be particularly pronounced due to a particularly large liquid-gas-interface caused by particularly extensive turbulences. Further, shear stress acting on particles in the activated sludge can be advantageously low, thus avoiding damage of the biological particles.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. An apparatus for introducing a gas into a main medium, the apparatus comprising: a main conduit configured and adapted to guide the main medium; and a multitude of injection lines configured and adapted to guide the gas, wherein each of the injection lines has a respective end section with a respective outlet opening situated within the main conduit, and wherein the end sections are oriented essentially parallel to each other and to the main conduit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, in a cross section perpendicular to the main conduit, the end sections of the injection lines are arranged on concentric circles.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein one of the injection lines is an inner injection line and the remaining injection lines are outer injection lines, wherein the end sections of the outer injection lines are radially spaced apart from the end section of the inner injection line.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the end sections of the outer injection lines are equally spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction.

19. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the outlet openings of the outer injection lines are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the main conduit.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the outlet opening of the inner injection line (11) is arranged downstream of the outlet openings of the outer injection lines.

21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the main conduit comprises a narrowing downstream of the outlet opening of all the injection lines.

22. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a respective nozzle tip is provided at the outlet opening of each injection line.

23. A system for introducing a gas into a main medium, the system comprising: a reservoir configured and adapted to contain the main medium; an apparatus of claim 15, wherein the main medium is pumped thereto; and an ejector that is placed within the reservoir, wherein the apparatus is connected to the ejector such that a mixture of the main medium and the gas obtained with the apparatus is introduced into the reservoir via the ejector.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the ejector comprises: an ejector intake configured and adapted to suck in the main medium from the reservoir; an ejector inlet that is connected to an apparatus outlet of the apparatus; and a mixing chamber, connected to the ejector intake, the ejector inlet and an ejector outlet.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the reservoir is an aeration tank configured and adapted to treat waste water as the main medium.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the main medium is a suspension.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the main medium is wastewater, activated sludge or combination thereof.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the gas is selected from air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ozone, or combinations thereof.

29. A method for introducing a gas into a main medium, the method comprising the steps of: pumping a part of the main medium from a reservoir to an apparatus; providing the gas to the apparatus to form a mixture of the main medium and the gas therein as a driving medium; and injecting the driving medium into the main medium in the reservoir.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of injecting the driving medium into the main medium includes the steps of introducing the driving medium to an ejector; sucking in the main medium from the reservoir to the ejector; and mixing the driving medium and the main medium in the ejector.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the main medium is a suspension.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the main medium is wastewater, activated sludge or combination thereof.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the gas is selected from air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ozone, or combinations thereof.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the reservoir is an aeration tank configured and adapted to treat waste water as the main medium.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0075] It should be noted that the individual features specified in the claims may be combined with one another in any desired technologically reasonable manner and form further embodiments of the invention. The specification, in particular taken together with the figures, explains the invention further and specifies particularly preferred embodiments of the invention. Particularly preferred variants of the invention and the technical field will now be explained in more detail with reference to the enclosed figures. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures is not intended to restrict the invention. The figures are schematic and may not be to scale. The figures display:

[0076] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an arrangement for introducing gas into a main medium,

[0077] FIG. 2 is an explosion view of an apparatus for introducing gas into a main medium that may be used in the arrangement of FIG. 1,

[0078] FIG. 3 is a view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 in an assembled state,

[0079] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3,

[0080] FIG. 5 is an another cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3,

[0081] FIG. 6 is an another cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3, and

[0082] FIG. 7 is a schematic depiction of a second example of an arrangement for introducing gas into a main medium.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0083] In FIG. 1 an arrangement 1 for introducing a gas into a main medium is shown. The arrangement comprises a reservoir 3 for containing the main medium, an apparatus 2 for introducing the gas into the main medium and an ejector 4 that is situated within the reservoir 3. As indicated by an arrow, via a first line 6 and a pump 5 a part of the main medium may be extracted from the reservoir 3. This part of the main medium may be guided to an apparatus inlet 22 of the apparatus 2. That is, the apparatus 2 is connected to the reservoir 3 such that at least a part of the main medium may be guided from the reservoir 3 to the apparatus 2. As also indicated by an arrow, the gas may be provided to the apparatus 2 via a third line 8. After the gas has been introduced into the main medium within the apparatus 2, the obtained mixture can be guided from an apparatus outlet 23 to an ejector inlet 20 of the ejector 4 via a second line 7. That is, the apparatus 2 is connected to the ejector 4 in such a way that a mixture of the main medium and the gas obtained with the apparatus 2 may be introduced into the reservoir 3 via the ejector 4 as indicated by arrows.

[0084] The ejector 4 further comprises an ejector intake 19 for sucking in main medium from the reservoir 3. Also, the ejector comprises a mixing chamber 24 that is connected to the ejector intake 19, the ejector inlet 20 and an ejector outlet 21. This way, the ejector 4 may act as a jet pump and suck in the main medium from the reservoir 3 via the ejector intake 19 by means of the mixture obtained by the apparatus 2 as a driving medium.

[0085] The reservoir 3 is an aeration tank for treating waste water as the main medium. The main medium is a suspension, in particular waste water and/or activated sludge. The gas comprises at least one of the following: air, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, ozone.

[0086] FIG. 2 shows an explosion view of the apparatus 2 from FIG. 1. The apparatus 2 comprises a main conduit 9 for guiding the main medium and five injection lines 10, 11 for guiding the gas, wherein only three injection lines 10, 11 are visible. Each of the injection lines 10, 11 has a respective end section 12 with a respective outlet opening 13 and a respective nozzle tip 14 situated within the main conduit 9. The outlet openings 13 of the outer injection lines 10 are arranged in a plane 18 perpendicular to the main conduit 9. The end sections 12 are oriented parallel to each other and to the main conduit 9. One of the injection lines is an inner injection line 11 and the remaining injection lines are outer injection lines 10. The out let opening 13 of the inner injection line 11 is arranged downstream of the outlet openings 13 of the outer injection lines 10. The main medium preferably flows from left to right in the drawing. The gas may be ejected from the introduction lines 10, 11 such that in the drawing the gas flows from the left to the right. The main conduit 9 comprises a narrowing 15 downstream of the outlet openings 13 of all the injection lines 10, 11. Further, it may be seen that the main conduit 9 is composed of a multitude of elements, such as tube elements 26, flanges 25 and a seal 16. Also, an axis 17 of the main conduit 9 is indicated.

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a view of the apparatus 2 of FIG. 2 in an assembled state. The description of FIG. 2 applies to FIG. 3 analogously.

[0088] FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 show three cross sections A, B and C as indicated in FIG. 3. Each of FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 shows a cross section perpendicular to the main conduit 9. It may be seen that the end sections 12 of the injection lines 10, 11 are arranged on concentric circles. In the shown embodiments, the end section 12 of the inner introduction line 11 is arranged in a center of a single further circle on which the end sections of the four outer introduction lines 10 are arranged. The end sections 12 of the outer injection lines 10 are equally spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction and radially spaced apart from the end section 12 of the inner injection line 11.

[0089] FIG. 7 displays a second example of an arrangement for introducing gas into a main medium. Reference is made to the example shown in FIG. 1 and the respective description. In the following description, only the differences compared to the first example will be discussed. In comparison to the first example, in this second example of an arrangement 1 for introducing a gas into a main medium, the pump 5 and apparatus 2 for introducing the gas into the main medium are submersed in the reservoir 3. This is advantageous in particular for situations with limited space as it is not necessary to provide for the pump 5 outside the reservoir 3 and the respective tubing.

[0090] With the apparatus 2 a gas may be introduced in particular into waste water for obtaining a biologically activated sludge. Thereby, interaction between the gas and the waste water may be particularly pronounced due to a particularly large liquid-gas-interface caused by particularly extensive turbulences. Further, shear avoids damage of the biological particles.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0091] 1 Arrangement

[0092] 2 Apparatus

[0093] 3 Reservoir

[0094] 4 Ejector

[0095] 5 Pump

[0096] 6 first line

[0097] 7 second line

[0098] 8 third line

[0099] 9 main conduit

[0100] 10 outer injection line

[0101] 11 inner injection line

[0102] 12 end section

[0103] 13 outlet opening

[0104] 14 nozzle tip

[0105] 15 narrowing

[0106] 16 seal

[0107] 17 axis

[0108] 18 plane

[0109] 19 ejector intake

[0110] 20 ejector inlet

[0111] 21 ejector outlet

[0112] 22 apparatus inlet

[0113] 23 apparatus outlet

[0114] 24 mixing chamber

[0115] 25 flange

[0116] 26 tube element

[0117] It will be understood that many additional changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangement of parts, which have been herein described in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments in the examples given above.