IP Library Granted Patent US 12,415,149
Granted Patent B2
US 12,415,149 · App. 17/950,842 · Granted Sep 16, 2025

Wastewater heat exchange system

Inventors: Lynn Mueller (Richmond, CA); Brett Stewart (North Vancouver, CA); Brock Trimble (Maple Ridge, CA); Matthew Wardlow (Chilliwack, CA); Taha Yousefinia (Coquitlam, CA)
Assignee: SHARC Energy Systems Inc.
B01D36/04B01D21/06B01D29/35B01D29/6476B01D29/6415B01D2201/08
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,415,149
App. No.
17/950,842
Granted
Sep 16, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus for wastewater filtration having a barrel, a basket and a screw on a shaft rotating therein for pushing solid in a distinct output. A removable cartridge comprises a cover for the barrel, the cartridge comprising a pre-sealed shaft connector which releasably connects to at least the upper shaft portion or the lower shaft portion to form the shaft. The screw comprises a brush on an outer rim thereof, the brush having radially outwardly oriented bristles that scrape an inner surface of the basket. The screw comprises a winged wiper at a bottom thereof for sweeping a bottom surface of the barrel, and the solid-material output is provided at the bottom surface of the barrel and is shaped as a rectangular opening which is offset from a central axis of the screw. Solid removal efficiency and maintenance are thereby improved.

Claims (35)

1. An apparatus for wastewater filtration, comprising:

a barrel forming an enclosure and having an input for an incoming wastewater stream, and output for an outgoing filtered wastewater stream, and a solid-material output;

a basket in barrel which is perforated and provided in the enclosure of the barrel, between the input and the output;

a screw which is rotatable within the basket to push solid material in the incoming wastewater stream into the solid-material output, the screw being rotatable by a shaft which is made up of at least two distinct shaft portions comprising an upper shaft portion and a lower shaft portion, the screw being mounted on the lower shaft portion; and

a cartridge comprising a cover for the barrel, the cartridge comprising a hole through which the shaft extends, the cartridge comprising a shaft connector which releasably connects to at least the upper shaft portion or the lower shaft portion to form the shaft, wherein the shaft connector is sealed within the cartridge and the cartridge is detachable from the barrel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shaft connector is integral with the upper shaft portion.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the shaft connector is distinct from the upper shaft portion.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the screw is an auger screw.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the auger screw comprises a winged wiper at a bottom thereof for sweeping a bottom surface of the barrel.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the solid-material output is provided at the bottom surface of the barrel and is shaped as a rectangular opening which is offset from a central axis of the screw.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the auger screw comprises a brush on an outer rim thereof, the brush having radially outwardly oriented bristles that scrape an inner surface of the basket.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the basket comprises a flange on an upper rim thereof to ease a removal thereof from the barrel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input for the incoming wastewater stream is located higher than the output for the outgoing filtered wastewater stream.

10. An apparatus for wastewater filtration, comprising:

a barrel forming an enclosure and having an input for an incoming wastewater stream, and output for an outgoing filtered wastewater stream, and a solid-material output;

a basket in barrel which is perforated and provided in the enclosure of the barrel, between the input and the output;

a screw which is rotatable within the basket to push solid material in the incoming wastewater stream into the solid-material output, the screw being rotatable by a shaft which is made up of at least two distinct shaft portions comprising an upper shaft portion and a lower shaft portion, the screw being mounted on the lower shaft portion, the screw comprising a brush on an outer rim thereof, the brush having radially outwardly oriented bristles that scrape an inner surface of the basket; and

a cartridge comprising a cover for the barrel, the cartridge comprising a hole through which the shaft extends, the cartridge comprising a shaft connector which releasably connects to at least the upper shaft portion or the lower shaft portion to form the shaft, wherein the shaft connector is sealed within the cartridge and the cartridge is detachable from the barrel.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the shaft connector is integral with the upper shaft portion.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the shaft connector is distinct from the upper shaft portion.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the screw comprises a winged wiper at a bottom thereof for sweeping a bottom surface of the barrel.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the solid-material output is provided at the bottom surface of the barrel and is shaped as a rectangular opening which is offset from a central axis of the screw.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the basket comprises a flange on an upper rim thereof to ease a removal thereof from the barrel.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the input for the incoming wastewater stream is located higher than the output for the outgoing filtered wastewater stream.

17. An apparatus for wastewater filtration, comprising:

a barrel forming an enclosure and having an input for an incoming wastewater stream, and output for an outgoing filtered wastewater stream, and a solid-material output;

a basket in barrel which is perforated and provided in the enclosure of the barrel, between the input and the output;

a screw which is rotatable within the basket to push solid material in the incoming wastewater stream into the solid-material output, the screw being rotatable by a shaft which is made up of at least two distinct shaft portions comprising an upper shaft portion and a lower shaft portion, the screw being mounted on the lower shaft portion, wherein the screw comprises a winged wiper at a bottom thereof for sweeping a bottom surface of the barrel; and

a cartridge comprising a cover for the barrel, the cartridge comprising a hole through which the shaft extends, the cartridge comprising a shaft connector which releasably connects to at least the upper shaft portion or the lower shaft portion to form the shaft, wherein the shaft connector is sealed within the cartridge and the cartridge is detachable from the barrel,

wherein the solid-material output is provided at the bottom surface of the barrel and is shaped as a rectangular opening which is offset from a central axis of the screw.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the shaft connector is integral with the upper shaft portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the shaft connector is distinct from the upper shaft portion.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the screw comprises a brush on an outer rim thereof, the brush having radially outwardly oriented bristles that scrape an inner surface of the basket.

21. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the basket comprises a flange on an upper rim thereof to ease a removal thereof from the barrel.

22. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the input for the incoming wastewater stream is located higher than the output for the outgoing filtered wastewater stream.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2022
From: MUELLER, LYNN; STEWART, BRETT; TRIMBLE, BROCK; WARDLOW, MATTHEW; YOUSEFINIA, TAHA
To: SHARC ENERGY SYSTEMS INC.
Reel/Frame 061187/0107 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTCA2022050832 · May 25, 2022
Related Publication 20230405500A1 · Dec 21, 2023
References Cited (40)
US 781039A · Weabe · 1905 [cited by examiner]
US 989975A · Holt · 1911 [cited by examiner]
US 1046679A · Thoma · 1912 [cited by examiner]
US 1466499A · Fletcher · 1923 [cited by examiner]
US 1510863A · Rose · 1924 [cited by examiner]
US 1772262A · Naugle · 1930 [cited by examiner]
US 2125532A · Wells · 1938 [cited by examiner]
US 2408741A · Dodge · 1946 [cited by examiner]
US 2678732A · Banks · 1954 [cited by examiner]
US 3126818A · Koelsch · 1964 [cited by examiner]
US 3379312A · Brown · 1968 [cited by examiner]
US 3695173A · Cox · 1972 [cited by examiner]
US 3739915A · Kehoe · 1973 [cited by examiner]
US 3959140A · Legras · 1976 [cited by examiner]
US 4003837A · Osborne · 1977 [cited by examiner]
US 4041854A · Cox · 1977 [cited by examiner]
US 4260488A · Condolios · 1981 [cited by applicant]
US 4464253A · Kuri · 1984 [cited by examiner]
US 4871449A · Lott · 1989 [cited by applicant]
US 5562758A · Awaji · 1996 [cited by examiner]
US 5597076A · Kershner · 1997 [cited by examiner]
US 7335311B2 · Christophersson · 2008 [cited by applicant]
US 9404135B2 · Genta · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 10646801B2 · Tameroglu · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 12274962B2 · Eisen · 2025 [cited by examiner]
US 20110011283A1 · Burke · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20110110810A1 · Burke · 2011 [cited by applicant]
US 20150196859A1 · Levitt · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160368781A1 · Mueller · 2016 [cited by examiner]
US 20220219101A1 · Sabol · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230405500A1 · Mueller · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20240173655A1 · Vaidhyanathan · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240353047A1 · Chung · 2024 [cited by examiner]
US 20240399275A1 · Okuno · 2024 [cited by examiner]
CA 2926576C · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 112044147A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 112076519A · 2020 [cited by applicant]
CN 113772911A · 2021 [cited by applicant]
Sharc Energy Systems Inc., International Patent Application No. PCT/CA2022/050832, International Search Report and Written Opinion, Feb. 15, 2023. [cited by applicant]
Sharc Energy Systems Inc., European Patent Application No. 22182844.5, Extended European Search Report, Dec. 16, 2022. [cited by applicant]
Cited By (2)
US 12,569,787 US 12,667,799