Processes for water and wastewater treatment, Including stationary cloth media filtration

Abstract

The present invention relates to stationary cloth media filtration systems and devices, as well as processes and devices for uniform flow distribution and improved cloth media filter backwashing.

1 .- 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A system for providing uniform flow distribution for filtering water or wastewater influent flow to a filtration region, comprising:
 at least one trapezoidally shaped influent plenum having orifices to distribute an influent flow across the filtration region; and,   at least one trapezoidally shaped effluent plenum having orifices to receive the filtered influent flow.   
     
     
         9 . An improved backwash system for backwashing cloth filter media attached to a frame, comprising:
 a backwash header;   a backwash shoe; and,   a means on the frame to create a gap between the backwash shoe and cloth filter media.   
     
     
         10 . A method for filtering an influent of water or wastewater in a treatment basin having side walls and a floor and discharging a filtered influent, including the steps of:
 introducing water or wastewater for filtering into a treatment basin;   filtering the influent by gravity such that the influent flows through a plurality of cloth filter media separately supported on a plurality of individual stationary and substantially hollow cloth media support structures, each individual support structure having a length with two opposing ends, a cross-sectional shape and at least one end being an open end adjacent to a side wall of the treatment basin and in fluid communication with an outlet of the treatment basin and each individual support structure suspended above the floor of the treatment basin and substantially surrounded by influent and the length of each individual support structure extending between opposing side walls of the treatment basin such that opposing ends of each said individual support structure are mounted to and are supported by opposing side walls of the treatment basin;   discharging the filtered influent through an effluent plenum having a substantially hollow interior which is formed by each said stationary cloth media support structure and   the cloth filter media separately associated with each support structure; and   periodically cleaning said cloth filter media using a backwash shoe and a traveling bridge assembly.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  including a control system. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said filtered influent is discharged from the treatment basin through said at least one open end. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a diamond shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a hexagonal shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a circular shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a triangular shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a flat cross-section. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure has a square shaped cross-section. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth filter media is multi-piece. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the cloth media support structure is completely submerged by the influent of water or wastewater. 
     
     
         21 . A method for filtering an influent of water or wastewater in a treatment basin having side walls and a floor and discharging a filtered influent, including the steps of:
 introducing water or wastewater for filtering into a treatment basin;   filtering the influent by gravity such that the influent flows through a plurality of cloth filter media in the form of a one piece sock separately supported on a plurality of individual stationary and substantially hollow cloth media support structures, each individual support structure having a length, a cross-sectional shape and two opposing ends, at least one end being an open end which is adjacent to a side wall of the treatment basin and in fluid communication with an outlet of the treatment basin and each individual support structure suspended above the floor of the treatment basin and each individual support structure extending between opposing side walls of the treatment basin such that opposing ends of each said support structure are mounted to and supported by opposing side walls of the treatment basin;   discharging the filtered influent through an effluent plenum having a substantially hollow interior which is formed by each said stationary cloth media support structure and the cloth filter media separately associated with each support structure; and   periodically cleaning said cloth filter media using a backwash shoe and a traveling bridge assembly.   
     
     
         22 . A method for filtering an influent of water or wastewater in a treatment basin having side walls and a floor and discharging a filtered influent, including the steps of:
 introducing water or wastewater for filtering into the treatment basin;   filtering the influent by gravity such that said influent flows through cloth filter media supported on a stationary cloth media support structure having two opposing ends and forming an effluent plenum having a hollow interior substantially surrounded on all sides by said cloth filter media and said support structure extends between the opposing ends of the side walls of the treatment basin and is suspended above the floor of the treatment basin, the opposing ends of the support structure are supported by and are attached to the opposing side walls of the treatment basin;   discharging the filtered influent through said effluent plenum; and   periodically cleaning said cloth filter media using a backwash shoe and traveling bridge assembly.