Apparatus for monitoring settlement of a solid in a liquid, and a system incorporating same
US5026993A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 30, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jun 25, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 30, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/5969
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention relates to an automatic apparatus, computer controlled, for monitoring the settlement of solids in a liquid, specifically sludge in effluent from a sewage treatment plant. The apparatus enables the determination of the parameter known as the Stirred Specific Volume Index (SSVI) of the sludge. The apparatus includes a standard cylindrical vessel for receiving the sludge, and opposed banks of the LEDs and sensors which monitor the settlement height of the sludge as it settles in the liquid. Stirring is effected by an eccentric stirrer controlled by a Hall Effect device and the output from the sensors is fed to an electronic circuit fed by a computer for providing a determination of SSVI and hence control of a sewage works.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.