Abstract:
A reservoir of purified water is prepared from a natural body of water by constructing a prefiltering levee through the water to segregate the reservoir area from the remainder of the water body, pumping water from the reservoir area into the remainder, cleaning the floor of the reservoir area if necessary, installing a water purification unit in the reservoir, and then allowing the water to filter through the levee from the remainder of the water body into the reservoir for continuous further purification and recirculation by the installed unit. The water purification unit includes a mixing chamber, a filtering chamber, skimming means for intaking surface water into the mixing chamber, submerged inlets for intaking water into the mixing chamber from below the water''s surface, a pump for passing water from the mixing chamber through the filtering chamber, and outlet means for passing the filtered water directly back to the reservoir. The preferred skimming means comprises a mobile skimming gutter to insure a constant intake of surface water at various reservoir water levels and a submersible pump is preferably positioned in the mixing chamber to force the mixed water through one or more filter cells provided in the filtering chamber. The outlet means are preferably disposed to set up recirculation currents using the earth''s rotation effect, and means are also provided for backwashing the filter cells. To insure that the pump does not run dry the submerged inlet flow is preferably float modulated to provide the full capacity of the pump if the skimmed flow is temporarily reduced. Various purifying chemicals may be added to the processed water in its passage through the unit, and in a modified form of the invention, a portion of the purified water is passed back to the remainder of the water body for progressive purification thereof.
Abstract:
A method of purifying bodies of water in the preferred embodiment of which a reservoir of purified water is prepared from a natural body of water by constructing a prefiltering levee through the water to segregate the reservoir area from the remainder of the water body, pumping water from the reservoir area into the remainder, cleaning the floor of the reservoir area if necessary, installing a water purification unit in the reservoir, and then allowing the water to filter through the levee from the remainder of the water body into the reservoir for continuous further purification and recirculation by the installed unit. The water purification unit includes a mixing chamber, a filtering chamber skimming means for intaking surface water into the mixing chamber, submerged inlets for intaking water into the mixing chamber from below the water''surface, a pump for passing water from the mixing chamber through the filtering chamber, and outlet means for passing the filtered water directly back to the reservoir. The preferred skimming means comprises a mobile skimming gutter to insure a constant intake of surface water at various reservoir water levels and a submersible pump is preferably positioned in the mixing chamber to force the mixed water through one or more filter cells provided in the filtering chamber. The outlet means are preferably disposed to set up recirculation currents using the earthrotation effect, and means are also provided for backwashing the filter cells. To insure that the pump does not run dry, the submerged inlet flow is preferably float modulated to provide the full capacity of the pump if the skimmed flow is temporarily reduced. Various purifying chemicals may be added to the processed water in its passage through the unit, and in a modified form of the invention, a portion of the purified water is passed back to the remainder of the water body for progressive purification thereof thereof.