Method for mixing industrial waste water within a gravity settling tank

1. A method for static mixing in a waste water settling tank to increase the percentage of recovery of entrained solids from influent waste water, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a settling tank having a hopper bottom with sloping sidewalls defining a sludge hopper;

b) providing a deflector disposed within a space contained in said hopper bottom;

c) providing an inlet pipe for introduction of said influent waste water into said settling tank, said inlet pipe having a discharge outlet in proximity to an underside of said deflector;

d) providing an amount of residual waste water in said sludge hopper, said residual waste water containing first entrained solids;

e) directing a flow of said influent waste water against said underside of said deflector, said influent waste water containing second entrained solids;

f) passing said influent waste water outward along said underside to an edge of said deflector; and

g) discharging said influent waste water from said deflector edge into contact with said amount of residual waste water in said sludge hopper to bring said second entrained solids into contact with said first entrained solids, wherein said discharging of said influent waste water is performed at a flow velocity sufficient to cause turbulent mixing of said first and second entrained solids within said hopper bottom.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of providing an inlet pipe further comprises the steps of:

a) providing a pump at an end of said inlet pipe;

b) providing apparatus for controlling said pump to control said flow velocity; and

c) providing apparatus for adding materials to said influent waste water to adjust pH thereof or to inject flocculants and/or coagulants thereto.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said deflector is dome-shaped and is disposed centrally within said space.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising a distribution cone centrally disposed within said deflector dome for receiving said influent waste water.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein said deflector dome and said distribution cone in combination define a deflector assembly.

6. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the diameter of said distribution cone is at least equal to the inner diameter of said discharge outlet.

7. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein said discharge outlet is off-spaced vertically from said distribution cone by a distance equal to at least one-half the radius of said discharge outlet.

8. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein said inlet pipe is arranged such that said influent waste water discharged from said discharge outlet is directed upwards into said deflector dome against said deflector cone.

9. A method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the diameter of said inlet pipe is between 0.5 and 4 inches, said off-spaced distance is between 0.25 and 10 inches, and the flow rate of said influent waste water is between 60 and 360 gallons per minute.

10. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the velocity of said influent waste water directed against said distribution cone is between two feet per second and 15 feet per second.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10 wherein the velocity of said influent waste water directed against said distribution cone is six feet per second.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the velocity of said influent waste water in said discharging step is less than two feet per second.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first and second entrained solids comprise BOD particles.