US 11,912,592 B2
Biomass selection and control for continuous flow granular/flocculent activated sludge processes
Hiren Trivedi, Cedar Park, TX (US); John Vorwaller, Salt Lake City, UT (US); Tyson Beaman, Murray, UT (US); Sophia Baker, Ogden, UT (US); Sergio Pino-Jelcic, Salt Lake City, UT (US); and David Stensel, Mercer Island, WA (US)
Assigned to Ovivo Inc., Montreal (CA)
Filed by Ovivo Inc., Montreal (CA)
Filed on Aug. 20, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/445,548.
Application 17/445,548 is a division of application No. 17/027,528, filed on Sep. 21, 2020, granted, now 11,161,760.
Application 17/027,528 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/537,379, filed on Aug. 9, 2019, granted, now 10,781,125.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/718,313, filed on Aug. 13, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0380441 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C02F 1/52 (2023.01); C02F 1/00 (2023.01); C02F 3/02 (2023.01)
CPC C02F 1/52 (2013.01) [C02F 3/02 (2013.01); C02F 2001/007 (2013.01); C02F 2301/046 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system including a separator within a clarifier in biological treatment of wastewater including organic sewage, with activated sludge flowing continuously into and exiting the clarifier, the activated sludge having both floc and granular biomass, comprising:
a clarifier tank with an inflow pipe configured to receive said activated sludge from upstream liquid process zones of the system,
the separator including an energy dissipating inlet connected to the inflow pipe and configured to receive said activated sludge having both floc and granular biomass,
the energy dissipating inlet having a bottom plate and internal baffles configured to direct the sludge in generally even distribution outwardly into liquid volume of the clarifier, configured to cause sludge solids to settle by gravity to a tank floor sloped downwardly toward the center of the clarifier, with granular sludge settling faster than floc sludge and the floc sludge settling slower and more outwardly,
the separator further including a granular sludge exit through the clarifier tank floor, near the center of the clarifier, and a floc sludge exit through the tank floor spaced outwardly from the granular sludge exit, and
the separator further including an annular sludge dividing deflector plate extending up only part way from the tank floor and positioned radially inwardly from the floc sludge exit, leaving an annular space above the deflector plate thus configured to cause floc sludge, which to travel over the deflector plate to settle more slowly and travel farther outwardly in the clarifier than granular sludge, tends to settle on the tank floor outwardly of the dividing deflector plate while the denser granular sludge tends to settle inwardly of the dividing deflector plate,
whereby sludge exiting the granular sludge exit has a higher concentration of granular sludge than sludge exiting at the floc sludge exit of the clarifier.