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Publication Number
US-10576399-B2
Publication Date
2020-03-03
Expiration Date
Abstract
Settling devices for separating particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields. The particle settling devices include a first stack of cones with a small opening oriented upwardly or downwardly. Optionally, the settling devices may include a second stack of cones with a small opening oriented downwardly or upwardly. The cones may be concave or convex. These devices are useful for separating small (millimeter or micron sized) particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields, such as biological (microbial, mammalian, plant, insect or algal) cell cultures, solid catalyst particle separation from a liquid or gas and waste water treatment.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a particle/cell settling device that uses an upper conical portion, a cylindrical portion, and a lower conical portion within a housing. A stack of cones is positioned within the settling device, generally centered around a longitudinal axis, and each cone includes a first opening and a second opening larger than the first opening, with the first openings oriented toward the upper conical portion and/or the lower conical portion.
The device further includes a diffuser positioned within the settling device. The diffuser includes a stem interconnected to a port of the at least one port of the lower conical portion and a ring extending from the stem, and the related method collects clarified liquid from the upper port and a concentrated liquid suspension from the first lower port.
The cone stack and diffuser arrangement supports selective removal and retention by configuring an upper-port outlet for clarified liquid and a lower-port outlet for concentrated suspension. The configuration is described as scalable and compact, and includes optional features such as diffuser apertures and optical measurement by a fluorescent probe for pH, dissolved oxygen, and dissolved CO2.
Claims Coverage
The partial claims provided include two independent claims. Each independent claim centers on the settling device architecture with a stack of nested cones and a diffuser, and on a method that introduces a suspension into that settling device and collects clarified and concentrated outputs from different ports.
Stacked cones centered around a longitudinal axis
A stack of cones is located within the settling device, each cone including a first opening and a second opening larger than the first opening, the first openings oriented toward one of the upper conical portion and the lower conical portion, with the stack generally centered around a longitudinal axis of the settling device.
Upper conical, cylindrical, and lower conical portions with ports
The settling device comprises an upper conical portion with at least one port, a cylindrical portion, and a lower conical portion with at least one port, where clarified liquid and concentrated suspension are collected from different ports corresponding to the upper and lower conical portions.
Diffuser with stem interconnected to a lower conical port and a ring extending from the stem
A diffuser positioned within the settling device, including a stem interconnected to a port of the at least one port of the lower conical portion and a ring extending from the stem.
Clarified liquid collected from the upper port and concentrated liquid suspension collected from a lower port
A method introduces a liquid suspension of particles into the settling device and then collects a clarified liquid from the upper port, and collects a concentrated liquid suspension from the first lower port.
Across the two independent claims, the core inventive coverage is the combination of a centered stack of cones with a smaller first opening and larger second opening, an upper conical/cylindrical/lower conical device geometry with corresponding ports for collecting outputs, and an internal diffuser having a stem interconnected to a lower port and a ring extending from the stem, used in a method that separates clarified liquid from concentrated suspension.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
No documented applications found
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