초록 ▼

An apparatus for extracting liquid from a sludge/conditioning agent mixture which comprises a first endless belt (10) of filter material; a second endless belt (12) of filter material; and rollers (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 13, 14, 15) for the belts (10, 12). That part of the belt (10) between

An apparatus for extracting liquid from a sludge/conditioning agent mixture which comprises a first endless belt (10) of filter material; a second endless belt (12) of filter material; and rollers (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 13, 14, 15) for the belts (10, 12). That part of the belt (10) between the rollers (20, 23) is defined as a gravity de-watering zone; the part of the belts (10, 12) between the rollers (21, 13, 14, 15) is defined as a pressure de-watering zone. Filtrate is collected in a tray (17); liquid is collected in a tray (35). Monitoring means monitors a characteristic of the filtrate and the liquid to enable a rate of change in the characteristic of the filtrate/liquid to be determined. The apparatus functions at its optimum at a loading rate for the mixture which is just less than that which causes extrusion of the liquid in the pressure de-watering zone.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for extracting liquid from a sludge which method comprises the steps of feeding a conditioning agent to the sludge to form a mixture; feeding the mixture to a separator means for enabling a significant proportion of the liquid, known as the resulting liquid, to be removed therefrom; continu

A method for extracting liquid from a sludge which method comprises the steps of feeding a conditioning agent to the sludge to form a mixture; feeding the mixture to a separator means for enabling a significant proportion of the liquid, known as the resulting liquid, to be removed therefrom; continuously or substantially continuously measuring a characteristic of the resulting liquid so as to produce a first input signal; continuously or substantially continuously monitoring and analyzing the first input signal in an analyzer means so as to determine a first empirical rate of change of the characteristic; outputting from the analyzer means a first output signal related to the first input signal which first output signal serves to control the rate of flow of the mixture through the separator means; creating an overload condition wherein the mixture flows from the separator means into the resulting liquid thereby producing contaminated liquid; continuously or substantially continuously monitoring the characteristic of the contaminated liquid so as to produce a second input signal; continuously or substantially continuously monitoring and analyzing the second input signal in the analyzer means so as to determine a second empirical rate of change of the characteristic; determining a transition point between the first rate of change and the second rate of change; which transition point is the upper limit of said first rate of change; and subsequently maintaining the flow of the mixture so that the value of the characteristic is maintained near but not at said upper limit.