IP Library Granted Patent US 9,828,268
Granted Patent B2
US 9,828,268 · App. 15/074,561 · Granted Nov 28, 2017

Wastewater treatment with modular membrane bioreactor cartridges

Inventors: James Philip Reilly (Vancouver, WA); Victoria Ann Jelderks (Vancouver, WA)
Assignee: Liberty Evans, LLC
C02F3/006C02F3/1268C02F2201/006C02F2201/007C02F2203/006C02F2209/40Y02W10/15
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,828,268
App. No.
15/074,561
Granted
Nov 28, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

Embodiments of the invention describe an apparatus, method, and system of wastewater treatment using modular membrane bioreactor (MBR) cartridges. In one embodiment, said method of wastewater treatment includes adjusting the number of activated modular MBR cartridges in a container and adjusting the wastewater processing rate of the container to dynamically change the throughput of a fixed-size wastewater processing container. According to one embodiment, said method can include utilizing modular MBR cartridges to provide for a fault-tolerant wastewater treatment container.

Claims (28)

1. A method comprising:

monitoring a volumetric flow rate of wastewater input for a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP);

monitoring a mass flow rate of the wastewater input for the WWTP; and

in response to detecting a high tide condition based on the volumetric flow rate and the mass flow rate, increasing a wastewater processing rate of a subsystem of the WWTP, the subsystem performing a membrane bioreactor (MBR) filtration function, the high tide condition indicating that the wastewater input is diluted.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is based on detecting that the volumetric flow rate has exceeded a first threshold value.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is further based on detecting that the mas flow rate has not exceeded a second threshold value.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the increasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes activating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to detecting oxygen is not meeting biochemical oxygen demand, decreasing the processing rate of the subsystem.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the decreasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes deactivating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsystem is one of a plurality of modular subsystems and the plurality of MBR cartridges are modular MBR cartridges, each of the plurality of modular subsystems being associated with a different wastewater treatment function, each of the module MBR cartridges being removable cartridges.

8. A system comprising:

one or more sensors configured to monitor a volumetric flow rate of wastewater input for a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and monitor a mass flow rate of the wastewater input for the WWTP; and

a computer system coupled to the one or more sensors, the computer system configured to, in response to detecting a high tide condition based on the volumetric flow rate and the mass flow rate, increase a wastewater processing rate of a subsystem of the WWTP, the subsystem performing a membrane bioreactor (MBR) filtration function, the high tide condition indicating that the wastewater input is diluted.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is based on detecting that the volumetric flow rate has exceeded a first threshold value.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is further based on detecting that the mas flow rate has not exceeded a second threshold value.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the increasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes activating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

12. The system of claim 8 , further comprising, in response to detecting oxygen is not meeting biochemical oxygen demand, decreasing the processing rate of the subsystem.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the decreasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes deactivating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the subsystem is one of a plurality of modular subsystems and the plurality of MBR cartridges are modular MBR cartridges, each of the plurality of modular subsystems being associated with a different wastewater treatment function, each of the module MBR cartridges being removable cartridges.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing a set of instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

monitoring a volumetric flow rate of wastewater input for a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP);

monitoring a mass flow rate of the wastewater input for the WWTP; and

in response to detecting a high tide condition based on the volumetric flow rate and the mass flow rate, increasing a wastewater processing rate of a subsystem of the WWTP, the subsystem performing a membrane bioreactor (MBR) filtration function, the high tide condition indicating that the wastewater input is diluted.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is based on detecting that the volumetric flow rate has exceeded a first threshold value.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the detecting of the high tide condition is further based on detecting that the mas flow rate has not exceeded a second threshold value.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the increasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes activating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising, in response to detecting oxygen is not meeting biochemical oxygen demand, decreasing the processing rate of the subsystem.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the decreasing of the rate of the wastewater processing rate of the subsystem includes deactivating one of a plurality of MBR cartridges included in the subsystem.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2016
From: REILLY, JAMES PHILIP; JELDERKS, VICTORIA ANN
To: LIBERTY EVANS, LLC
Reel/Frame 038417/0896 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 14216334 · Mar 17, 2014
Provisional Application 61792873 · Mar 15, 2013
Related Publication 20160236956A1 · Aug 18, 2016