MXPA99011709A - Portable water recycler - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable water recycler (10) for cleaning and recycling water used in a produce washing system or another similar system. The portable water recycler (10) is most particularly advantageous in the recycling of water used in a potato washing system. The portable water recycler (10) includes a conveyor filter (200) which removes and conveys debris generally laterally while allowing water to pass generally vertically through a funnel (400) and into a reclaiming thank (100). The reclaiming tank (100) has a sloped floor and a bottom outlet. Dirty water is discharged from the bottom outlet and pumped through at least one centrifugal separator (300) for further separation of particulate material from the water.

Description

WATER PORTABLE RECYCLER BACKGROUND PE THE INVENTION 1. - Field of the Invention The present invention relates to devices for removing waste from a liquid, and, more particularly, to devices for cleaning and recycling water in a system that requires de-sedimented water (ie, water with a reduced content of sediments). The most preferred application of the present invention involves the cleaning and recycling of water used in washing systems of agricultural products, including systems for washing root products such as potatoes, beet, carrots, etc., citrus products such as oranges, etc., and other fruits and vegetables such as apples, blackberries, tomatoes, etc. The present invention is more advantageous particularly in the recycling of water that is used in potato washing systems. 2. - Description of the related art A variety of known systems require distilled water for optimum performance. For example, in potato washing systems, which use recycled water to wash the surface of potatoes, the water can be filled with waste and sediment, which, for optimum performance, should be removed from the water. Frequently, contaminated water is simply discharged from the potato washing system and new clean water is added to compensate for the loss of water. This method has a number of disadvantages. First, this method results in excessive water loss and increased costs. Second, the polluted water discharged is not safe in terms of the environment and can cause pollution. This common method also requires a source of available water to supply new water, as well as an available location in which to discharge the dirty water. As a result, there are limitations on the locations available to use such systems, and these systems are not portable. It has also been a known practice to recycle water used in potato washing systems within large settlement or clarification tanks and / or settlement ponds. These tanks have rather large volumes, from 9090 to 2,272,500 liters. As a result, the residence time inside those tanks or ponds is quite long. Therefore, this method also has a number of disadvantages. For example, the increased residence time results in bacterial and other contamination problems. The large sizes of the tanks or ponds also eliminate any transportability potential of the systems. There is a variety of known systems for cleaning dirty water. For example, drinking water is typically cleaned in a municipal cleaning system before being used. However, existing municipal water systems and other systems that can provide sufficient cleaning capabilities are typically very expensive, large and complicated devices. There are no acceptable systems that can remove waste and sediment from a potato washing system, or from another system that has similar water requirements, and return the de-sedimented water to the system for continuous use. There are also no known systems that can be easily transported to a suitable location to recycle water in said system. The existing technique contains a variety of methods and devices for cleaning liquid. However, the existing technique is inadequate to clean water used in washing systems of agricultural products or in other similar systems. The following paragraphs describe a number of known methods and devices that are only generally relevant to water cleaning technology. The patent of E.U.A. No. 955,843 shows a separation device having conveyor chains 15 with cleaners 17. Cleaners 17 convey rejected material from a mesh 2 while water passes through mesh 2 and into a sink 20. The US patent. No. 3, 540,588 shows a method for separating solid particles from a machine tool cooler flow. The method includes a settling tank 12 containing dirty liquid, a hydrocyclone 13 which receives liquid from the tank 12, and a transfer tank 15 which receives clean liquid from the hydrocyclone. The tank 12 includes a drag conveyor 24 as shown in Fig. 4. The US patent. No. 4,033,866 shows a method for separating solid particles from a liquid, and for separating liquids from two different weights of a liquid mixture. The apparatus includes a tank 10 having an outlet 53 which is directed to hydrocyclones 58. The U.S. No. 4,042,507 shows a device for removing matter carried by water in order to reuse water. The device includes a tank 10 having an outlet A, and outlet B, and a filter conveyor 12 of a fine mesh wire through which the liquid is passed. The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,234,424 shows a transportable vehicle towing apparatus for the purification of oily emulsions. The device includes a reaction container 1, which has a tube 5 at the bottom to collect a mixture of sediments. The patent of E.U.A. No. 4,525,284 shows a method for clarifying water in the processing of wood and paper materials. The system includes a conveyor 2 having a perforated sheet bottom. The water flows through the conveyor, into a tube 3, and inside a vertical clarifier 7, and an opening 12 to discharge heavier particles is located in the lower part of the clarifier. The patent of E.U.A. No. 5,076,915 shows an apparatus for removing suspended solids from a liquid. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, a gravity setter 30 is shown having a converging lower portion 51, deflectors 54 and 66, an outlet 68 for clarified liquid, and a flush discharge area 58. The apparatus serves as a gravity settler to separate finely divided solids such as carbon from a liquid. The patent of E.U.A. No. 5,543,063 teaches a method for washing dirt from agricultural products and for recovering chemical treatment agents used in said method. The system includes a storage tank 22 which receives liquid from the washing system. The liquid within the storage tank 22 is filtered in a filtration assembly 26 which includes a 32 mesh in the upper part of the tank 30, a pump 40 directing liquid from the tank 30 to a hydrocyclone 36, a settling tank 46 which receives solids from the hydrocyclone, and a self-cleaning filter 52. There remains a need for an apparatus that can reliably separate waste and sediment from water in the agricultural product washing system or in other systems that have similar water requirements. There also remains a need for a system that is easy to manufacture, cheap, and not very complicated. There is also a need for a system that is compact and / or transportable. There is also a need for a system that can conserve water and avoid contamination of the environment. There is also a need for a system that reduces the residence times of the recycled water in order to avoid the accumulation of bacteria.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the aforementioned problems and others pertaining to the existing methods of providing de-sedimented water (ie, water with a reduced content of sediments) in the systems, such as in agricultural product washing systems and the like. According to a first aspect of the invention, a portable water recycler is provided which includes: a) a supply conduit that supplies dirty water from the system to the portable water recycler; b) a conveyor filter that receives dirty water from the supply conduit and that removes and transports waste generally in a lateral manner while allowing the water to pass generally vertically; c) a recovery tank below the conveyor filter having a funnel-shaped floor with a discharge outlet; d) a funnel below the conveyor filter that directs the filtered water from the conveyor filter to the lower region of the recovery tank, the funnel has an outlet located above the discharge outlet of the recovery tank, discharge extending from the discharge outlet to at least one centrifugal separator, each centrifugal separator has a first outlet that emits de-settled water and a second outlet that emits concentrated dirty water; and f) a return duct to return distilled water to the system from an upper region of the recovery tank or from the first outlet of each centrifugal separator. According to another aspect of the invention, the portable water recycler according to claim 1 further includes a structure supporting the tank, the conveyor filter, and the centrifugal separator, and a plurality of wheels mounted to the structure for transporting the portable water recycler to a desired location, such as using a hook mechanism mounted to the structure to pull the portable water recycler behind a tow vehicle. According to another aspect of the invention, the portable water recycler can be permanently installed in a location. That is, the device can be mounted as to be stationary and / or permanent. As an example, the structure mentioned above can rest on or be adhered to a floor surface. A permanent recycler does not have to be built to be transportable, for example, with wheels, latching mechanisms, etc. However, the most preferred modalities are transportable.

According to another aspect of the invention, the portable water recycler additionally includes a pump supported on the structure for pumping dirty water (eg, from the bottom of the recovery tank) to the centrifugal separators. In addition, a second pump may also be supported on the structure to suck de-settled water from an upper region of the tank. According to another aspect of the invention, the conveyor filter includes a filter and a conveyor belt or chain having at least one cross member for pushing waste along the filter. According to another aspect of the invention, the filter has openings with a diameter smaller than 0.127 cm, and more preferably between 0.101 and 0.050 cm wide. According to another aspect of the invention, the filter is preferably a wedge filter having wires with triangular cross sections. The wires are preferably oriented parallel to the direction of travel of at least one cross member that pushes the debris along the filter. According to another aspect of the invention, the portable water recycler is provided in combination with a washing system for agricultural products for washing agricultural products with water, like any known agricultural washing system. The present invention is capable of reliably separating settled material from water in agricultural product washing systems or in other systems that have similar water requirements. The present invention can also be easy to manufacture, cheap, and it's not very complicated. The present invention can also be compact and transportable. The present invention can also conserve water and prevent contamination of the environment. In contrast to the above settlement systems, the functionality of the present invention does not have to depend on the volume of water in the system. Additionally, the present invention can also reduce the residence times of the waste in order to prevent the accumulation of bacteria. The foregoing and other advantages, features and aspects of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the appended drawings and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the appended drawings, in which similar references indicate similar parts, and in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portable water recycle system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is a side view of a portable water recycling system shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 (A) is a side view of the portable water recycling system shown in Figure 1 illustrating the preferred dimensions of the structure. Figure 3 (B) is a front view of the portable water recycle system shown in Figure 1 illustrating the preferred dimensions of the structure. Figure 4 (A) is a cross-sectional side view of the preferred conveyor filter structure used in the portable water recycle system shown in Figure 1. Figure 4 (B) is a cross-sectional front view taken at length of the arrows 4 (B) -4 (B) in figure 4 (A). Figure 4 (C) is a perspective view of a portion of the conveyor filter illustrated in Figures 4 (A) and 4 (B) and Figures 5 (A) and 5 (B) illustrate side and perspective views, respectively, of the adjustable wheel mounting structure according to a preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a portable water recycle system according to the present invention. As illustrated, the portable water recycling system 10 is used to remove waste and sediment from water in a nearby S system, such as, for example, a potato washing system. The preferred construction of the portable water recycling system includes (1) a recovery tank 100, (2) a conveyor filter 200, (3) at least one centrifugal separator 300, (4) a funnel 400 between the conveyor filter 200 and the tank 100, and (5) a 500 structure to assemble system components. In summary, the dirty water of the system S is directed towards the conveyor filter 200 through the conduit C1. The conveyor filter 200 removes large residues away while allowing the filtered water to fall vertically into the tank 100 through the funnel 400. As shown in Figure 3 (B), the recovery tank 100 directs concentrated dirty water through the a lower opening 110 while disengaged water is raised to the upper portion 120 of the tank surrounding the funnel 400. The dirty liquid is discharged through the opening 110 and is supplied through the conduit C2 to a pump P1 which pumps the dirty water to centrifugal separator (s) 300 through conduit C3. Centrifugal separators are preferably hydrocyclones (as shown in 300) which function in a known manner. Specifically, the hydrocyclones circulate the dirty water so that the concentrated dirty water is discharged from a lower outlet while the de-sedimented water is discharged from an upper outlet to the conduit C4. An example of a hydrocyclone filter that can be used is Model No. 240W from Quality Solids Separation, Houston, Texas. The term centrifugal separator is used herein to describe known devices that separate materials by centrifugal, or vortex, movement of the materials. Although less preferred, other centrifugal separators other than hydrocyclones may be used. An example of another less preferred centrifugal separator is a device known as a LAKOS (MR) filter from Lakos Filtration Systems, Fresno, California. The de-settled water in conduit C4 can be returned to system S as needed, or it can be supplied to top 120 of tank 100 for subsequent supply to system S, or it can be returned to conveyor filter 200 for additional filtration. The fineness of the removed sediment (eg sand, mud, or clay) can be controlled in the selection of the centrifugal separators 300. Depending on the requirements of the system S, for example (a) centrifugal separators can be used that only remove sand or (b) Centrifugal separators that can remove sludge can be used, or (c) Centrifugal separators can be used that can even remove clay. In the washing systems of agricultural products, for example, it is preferred to have dewatering separators. A preferred structure of recovery tank 100 and funnel 400 is shown in Figures 3 (A) and 3 (B). As illustrated, tank 100 preferably includes a broad upper section 101 and a converging, or funnel-shaped lower section 102. The funnel 400 preferably extends from the bottom of the conveyor filter 200 to a location near the lower end of the converging lower section 102. The sediment, (eg, sand, mud and / or clay) can be passed along the the inclined surfaces 103 at the bottom of the opening 1 10. On the other hand, the de-settled water passes around the lower part 405 of the funnel 400 and rises to the upper portion 120 of the tank. The angle of inclination of the surfaces 103 must be greater than the angle of repose of the sediment within the dirty water. Preferably, this angle is larger than about 35 °. In alternative embodiments, the funnel-shaped section 102 may have a horizontal cross section that is circular, hexagonal, irregular, etc., and the funnel-shaped section 102 may also be asymmetric. As shown in Figure 3 (B), the de-sedimented water will assume, for example, a water level W while the sediment D will be discharged from the bottom of the tank 100. An overflow outlet 160 is provided near the end top of recovery tank 100 to ensure that water does not flow over the top edge of the tank. Any excess water in the tank 100 can be discarded, or stored in a reserve tank (not shown), or can still be returned to the washing system. Sediment D will be actively discharged and should not accumulate in the bottom of the tank. In this regard, the flow velocity of the dirty water volume towards the lower opening 10 should be sufficiently high, for example, possibly between 454.5 and 2.045.5 liters per minute to remove the sediment. Figures 3 (A) -3 (B) also illustrate preferred dimensions, in centimeters, of an illustrative embodiment of the invention. The system may also include a valve 150 to close the bottom opening when the system is not in use. Valve 150 is preferably located within conduit C2 below the tank. As illustrated in Figure 2, the conveyor filter 200 preferably includes a container 250 having an inlet end 210 and a discharge end 220. The dirty water enters the inlet end 210 through the chute C1 and the inlet opening 1. The conveyor filter 200 transports large residues a distance X on the side of the tank 100 and discharges the waste from the discharge end 220. The discharged waste can be collected by a tank, a conveyor, or other known means. As shown in Figure 3 (A), the funnel 400 preferably includes an enlarged upper section 410 having a sloping wall 415 extending along the length X to return the water to the tank 100 along substantially the entire length of the conveyor filter 200. As shown in Figure 4 (A), the conveyor filter 200 preferably includes an endless conveyor belt or band 201 having at least one cross member 202 adhered thereto. Preferably, a plurality of cross members 202 are provided. The cross members 202 move along a filter 203 from the inlet end 210 to the discharge end 220 of the conveyor filter 200. As a result, the dirty liquid is separated with particulate material and water being passed through the filter 203 and larger debris are pushed along the filter 203 by the cross members 202 and discharged through the discharge end 220. In the most preferred embodiment, the filter 203 is a wedge filter having a plurality of wedges spaced closely parallel extending parallel to the travel direction of the cross members 202 along the length of the conveyor filter 200. In a preferred construction illustratively, the wedges have a width of approximately 0.153 cm, and are separated by gaps having a width of 0.050 to 0.101 cm. The cross members 202 are preferably made of a semi-flexible material, such as plastic, which can be slightly deformed to fit within the recesses when pressed against the wedges so as to actively clean the recesses when they are dragged along the length of the wedges. The wedges preferably have a cross section with upper sides aligned on a generally horizontal plane (i.e., parallel to the bottom of the cross members) and bottom sides that create relief angles to prevent debris from binding between the wedges. Although less preferred, the wedges could have other shapes in cross section, such as circular, square or rectangular. Although less preferred, a woven filter, such as a woven metal filter, may also be used. The filter can also be made from a perforated plate. Other known filters can also be used.

Alternatively, the filter portion 203 may be located between the upper and lower horizontal portions of the conveyor belt 201 so that the cross members 202 move along the filter 203 below the upper horizontal portion of the filter. band or chain instead of below the lower horizontal portion of the band or chain as shown in Figure 4 (A). In this latter embodiment, the rotation of the band or chain could, of course, be in a direction opposite to that shown in Figure 4 (A). In this case, the band or chain 201 should allow waste and water to pass, for example, the band or chain should cover only a small area and / or have a narrow width. The members of cross 202 may also be supported by two separate parallel bands or chains on opposite sides of the cross members. The inlet opening 211 may also be located above the conveyor, rather than at one end, to ensure that debris is pushed by the cross members 202. In another, less preferred embodiment of the conveyor filter 200, the band or conveyor chain 201, cross members 202, and filter 203 can be replaced by a mesh or perforated endless conveyor belt that allows liquid to pass through holes in the conveyor belt itself while transporting waste to the discharge end 220. In another, less preferred embodiment of the conveyor filter, an inclined filter, for example, an inclined parabolic hydro-screen or the like, can be used to transport waste by gravity and / or by the force of the flowing water without the use of conveyor belts or similar. The term "conveyor filter" as used herein encompasses any filter media that actively or passively moves waste laterally while allowing filtered water to pass through it. In a preferred embodiment, the conveyor filter 200 is sized as illustrated, in centimeters, in Figures 3 (A), 4 (A), 4 (B), and 4 (C). The conveyor belt or chain 201 is preferably mounted rotatably on shafts 215 and 216. The shaft 216 is preferably laterally positioned within the slot 217 to adjust the tension of the conveyor belt or chain. An engine M, shown in Figures 1 and 2, may be mounted on top of the conveyor filter 200 to rotate the conveyor belt or chain 201. Although not illustrated in Figures 4 (A) -4 (C), the Container 250 may also include a cover on top of the container. As previously described, the dirty liquid from the bottom of the tank 100 is pumped through the conduit C2 by the pump P1y to the inlet openings 310 on the sides of the hydrocities 300. The dirty water then flows to the hydrocities 300. This circulation causes the de-settled water to be discharged through the upper outlets 320 and causes the concentrated dirty water to be discharged through the lower outlets 330. In the preferred embodiments, two to five hydrocities are provided. In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated, three hydrocities 300 are included. Each of the hydrocyclones has a capacity to circulate approximately 227.5 liters of water per minute. In this manner, approximately 213.6 liters of de-settled water per minute can be discharged through the outlets 320 of each hydrocyclone while approximately 13.6 liters of concentrated dirty water can be discharged down through each of the outlets 330. In this example, dirty water is supplied to the hydrocities at a pressure of approximately 2.11-2.46 kg / cm2. As discussed above, the sizes and numbers of hydrocities may vary as desired. Hydrocides come in a variety of sizes, for example from 18.1 Ipm to 227.2 Ipm of dirty water each. Larger hydrocities operate at lower pressures and can not remove sediment as effectively, while smaller hydrocitions can separate very fine parts but operate at substantially higher pressures. The dirty water discharged down through the outlets 330 can either be discharged or collected in a clarifying or settling tank (not shown) in order to further separate sediment material from the water. An additional pump may be used to pump de-settled water from the clarifying or settling tank back to the system S and / or to the tank 100. The clarifying or settling tank should preferably be large enough to have a set time. residence long enough to provide adequate clarification before recycling or discharge of de-settled water. The inclusion of such a tank could substantially increase the size of the system, which could be less desirable when the system is manufactured to be transportable. When transportability is desired, the clarifying or settlement tank can be transported separately or can be mounted on structure 500 (see discussion on structure 500 below). As shown in Figure 1, the portable water recycler 10 is preferably mounted on a structure 500. In the illustrated embodiment, the structure 500 is a generally box-shaped structure having twelve edge beams 501. The structure also it may include lower cross beams 502 and additional support beams 503. It should be understood that the structure is not limited to box-like structures. The structure, the tank, etc., can be manufactured to have a variety of shapes. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the pump P1 is preferably located below the upper section 101 of the tank 100 on at least one cross beam 102. As also shown in Figures 1 and 2, a second pump P2 is similarly supported preferably on structure 500. Second pump P2 sucks de-settled water out of outlet 170 in tank 100 and into conduit C5. The second pump P2 additionally pumps the de-sedimented water through the conduit C6 and back into the system S.

De-sedimented water can also be returned to system S through conduit C4 extending from hydrocyclone 300. Alternatively, the de-sedimented water in conduit C4 can be directed back to the top of tank 100. According to With this, the de-sedimented water can be directed back to system S by both of conduits C4 and C6 or by only one of these conduits. Considering this, it is still possible to completely eliminate the suction pump P2 and return the de-sedimented water to the system S with only the conduit C6. However, in the preferred construction, pump P2 is included. When the system S is a washing system for agricultural products, the returned de-sedimented water can be sprinkled on top of the agricultural products, or it can be supplied in some other way to the system S. As also shown in the figures 1 and 2, the portable water recycler preferably includes W wheels mounted to the structure 500 for transportability of the device. Although a wheel is illustrated in the figures, it should be evident that a similar wheel is preferably mounted on the opposite side of the device. In addition, the device can be modified to include 3, 4 or even more wheels. As shown in Figures 5 (A) -5 (B), the wheels W are preferably mounted on wheel mounting shafts 552 at the lower ends of the extendable arms 550. The arms 550 are preferably received telescopically inside a cylinder 555 and are extendable using any known type of jack means, such as a screw arrow or the like. The jack means are preferably operated manually, such as by the ears 560 shown in Figure 5 (B). The height of the wheel can be varied, in this way, to accommodate non-uniform terrain in a location or to allow the structure 500 to rest on the floor. In order to transport the portable water recycler 10, a towing mechanism 10 can be attached to the structure 500. In this way, the device can be pulled by a tractor or by another towing vehicle (not shown) . The latching mechanism H can be any known mechanism. Alternatively, instead of functioning as a trailer, the portable water recycler 10 can be constructed as part of a vehicle itself, such as a truck, etc. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the present invention may also be constructed as a non-transported device that is permanently mounted and / or stationary at a particular location. In this regard, a preferred embodiment of a permanent installation could include all the same features as illustrated in the figures, except for the wheels and related features shown in Figures 5 (A) and 5 (B). The permanent installation can, therefore, be a compact structure, allowing more space in one location to be used for other purposes.

The present invention has a variety of advantages over existing methods and devices for cleaning water. (1) The present invention allows water to be recycled at a high flow rate while removing a sufficient amount of waste and sediment to convert water suitable for washing. (2) The present invention allows very high flow rates of recycled water to be produced with a greatly reduced total volume of water throughout the system. (3) The present invention allows a relatively small structure to effectively remove sediment at a high flow rate. Unlike tanks or settlement ponds that become less effective as the volume increases, the present invention has no similar problems as the size is reduced. The present invention may have a tank of less than 4,545 liters, or even less than 2,272.5 liters, or even less than 909 liters. For washing systems for agricultural products, small sizes of up to 454.5 liters can be used effectively. Certain other S systems can still use substantially smaller tanks. In smaller sizes, the system works well to filter sediments, however, fluctuations in the water level increase the risk of operating pumps, etc., dry during operation. (4) The present invention allows water recyclers to be transported and delivered easily to and from the on-demand locations. (5) The present invention minimizes the problems of contamination by bacteria with recycled water. (6) The present invention can have substantial benefits to the environment, increasing water conservation and decreasing water pollution. (7) The present invention is not very complex and can be manufactured economically and easily. (8) The present invention can also be easier to clean than known settling tanks or ponds, which typically must be drained to be cleaned. (9) The present invention has particular advantages in the environment of washing systems for agricultural products, and especially in potato washing systems. In potato washing systems, a large amount of water is often required to clean a large amount of potatoes. As a result, a large amount of water is lost due to residues and sediments, such as fragments of potatoes, stones, field residues, sand, mud, etc. Until the present invention, the handling of this spoiled water has been problematic. Although the present invention has particular advantages when used with potato washing systems, and is more preferable for such use, the present invention is also very useful for recycling water in other systems. For example, the present invention can be very useful for recycling water used to clean other agricultural products, such as, for example, only root products, citrus products, and other fruits and vegetables, including, for example, beets, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, oranges, blackberries, tomatoes, etc. The system can also be used in non-agricultural product applications, for example, as in dairy applications. For example, the appliance could be used to clean dairy waste. Dairy waste applications (e.g., cow dung) would preferably include finer filter conveyor and / or centrifugal separator sizes. In this regard, the waste could be within a large pit, agitated, and run through the present system. As a result, de-sedimented water can be discharged into a lagoon, or similar, with removed sediment that would otherwise accumulate in it. This system would be substantially less expensive than current systems that handle dairy waste. The present system can be used to recycle any type of liquid and separate solids from it in any system that requires such separation. It is contemplated that the dimensions of the tank 100, the sizes and number s of the centrifugal separators 300, the dimensions of the mesh 203, etc., can be varied by those in the art depending on the particular circumstances at hand. Other less preferred embodiments may be made by changing one or more components or the various combinations of components, as long as one or more of the many concepts of this invention are maintained. For example, although clearly less preferred, the centrifuge filter 300 could be replaced with other filter media that pass a high volume flow rate of water therethrough. Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments currently contemplated as the best ways to carry out the invention, it is understood that various changes can be made by adapting the invention to different modalities without departing from the concepts of inventiveness. broad areas described herein and summarized by the claims that follow.

Claims (30)

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS

1. - A portable water recycler that receives dirty water from a system, removes waste and sediment from dirty water, and returns distilled water to the system, which consists of; a) a supply conduit that supplies dirty water from the system to the portable water recycler; b) a conveyor filter that receives dirty water from the supply conduit and that transports waste generally laterally while allowing the water to pass generally vertically; c) a recovery tank below said conveyor filter having a funnel-shaped floor with a discharge outlet; d) a funnel below the conveyor filter that directs filtered water from the conveyor filter to a lower region of the recovery tank, said funnel has an outlet located above the discharge outlet of the recovery tank; e) a discharge conduit extending from the discharge outlet to at least one centrifugal separator, each centrifugal separator having a first outlet that emits de-settled water and a second outlet that emits concentrated dirty water; and f) a return duct to return de-settled water to the system from an upper region of said recovery tank or from the first outlet of each centrifugal separator.

2. - The portable water recycler according to claim 1, further including at least one wheel for transporting the portable water recycler to a desired location.

3. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, further including a structure supporting said tank, the conveyor filter, and the centrifugal separators, and a plurality of wheels mounted to said structure for transporting the portable recycler. water to a desired location.

4. The portable water recycler according to claim 3, further including a latching mechanism mounted to said structure for pulling the portable water recycler behind a towing vehicle.

5. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, further including means for permanently installing the portable water recycler at a location.

6. The portable water recycler according to claim 5, further characterized in that the means for permanently installing include a structure that supports the recovery tank, the conveyor filter, and the centrifugal separator, the structure rests on the ground or floor surface.

7. The portable water recycler according to claim 4, further including a centrifugal separator pump supported on the structure for pumping the dirty water to the centrifugal separator, and a pump supported on the structure for absorbing de-sedimented water from the centrifugal separator. an upper region of said tank.

8. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor filter includes a filter and a conveyor belt or chain having at least one cross member to push waste along said filter.

9. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter has openings with a diameter of less than 0.13 cm.

10. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter has openings with a diameter of less than 0.10 cm.

11. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter has openings with a diameter between 0.05 and 0.10 cm.

12. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter is a wedge filter.

13. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the filter is a woven wire filter.

14. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank contains less than 4.545 liters of water.

fin. - The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank contains less than 2,272.5 liters of water.

16. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one centrifugal separator includes at least two hydrocids.

17. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one centrifugal separator includes at least one centrifugal separator that removes sludge.

18. The portable water recycler according to claim 1, characterized in that the conveyor filter has an elongate housing that extends substantially through an upper side of the tank and that extends substantially above one side of the tank in a discharge end of said conveyor filter.

19.- In combination: 1) a system for washing agricultural products to wash agricultural products with water; and 2) a portable water recycler that receives dirty water from the agricultural product washing system, removes waste from dirty water, and returns de-settled water to the agricultural product washing system, which consists of: supply that supplies dirty water from the washing system of agricultural products to the portable water recycler; b) a conveyor filter that receives the dirty water from the supply conduit and that removes and transports residues generally laterally while allowing the water to pass generally vertically; c) a recovery tank below said conveyor filter having a funnel-shaped floor with a discharge outlet; d) a funnel below the conveyor filter that directs filtered water from the conveyor filter to a lower region of the recovery tank, said funnel has an outlet located above the discharge outlet of the recovery tank; e) a discharge conduit extending from the discharge outlet to at least one centrifugal separator, each centrifugal separator having a first outlet that emits distilled water and a second outlet that emits concentrated dirty water; and f) a return conduit for returning de-sedimented water to the agricultural product washing system from an upper region of said recovery tank or from the first outlet of each centrifugal separator.

20. The combination according to claim 19, characterized in that the washing system of agricultural products is a system of washing potatoes.

21. A method to receive dirty water from a system, remove waste from dirty water, and return de-sedimented water to the system, which consists of the steps of: a) supplying dirty water from the system through a supply conduit; b) receiving the dirty water from the supply conduit in a conveyor filter, and removing and transporting residues in a generally horizontal manner, while allowing the water to pass generally vertically with the conveyor filter; c) direct the passing water, to a recovery tank below the conveyor filter, which has a funnel-shaped floor with a discharge outlet, the directing step includes directing the water with a funnel below the conveyor filter to a lower region of the recovery tank, the funnel has an outlet located above the discharge outlet of the recovery tank; e) directly direct water through the discharge outlet of the recovery tank to at least one centrifugal separator, each centrifugal separator has a first outlet that emits de-sedimented water and a second outlet that emits dirty water; and f) return de-sedimented water to the system from an upper region of the recovery tank or from the first outlet of each centrifugal separator.

22. The method according to claim 21, which additionally includes the steps of supporting the recovery tank, the conveyor filter, and the centrifugal separator on a structure, providing a plurality of wheels in the structure, and transporting the structure with the wheels to a desired location.

23. The method according to claim 21, further including the step of towing the structure by a latching mechanism mounted to the structure.

24. The method according to claim 21, which additionally includes the step of permanently installing the portable water recycler at a location.

The method according to claim 24, further including supporting the recovery tank, the conveyor filter, and the centrifugal separator on a structure and resting the structure on a ground or floor surface.

26.- A portable water recycler that receives dirty water from a system, removes waste and sediment from dirty water, and returns de-sedimented water to the system, which consists of: a) a supply conduit that supplies dirty water from the system to the portable water recycler; b) a conveyor filter that receives dirty water from the supply conduit and that transports waste generally laterally while allowing the water to pass generally vertically; c) a recovery tank below said conveyor filter having an inclined floor with a discharge outlet bottom; d) a funnel below the conveyor filter that directs filtered water from the conveyor filter to a lower region of the recovery tank, said funnel has an outlet located above the discharge outlet of the recovery tank; e) a discharge conduit extending from the discharge outlet to at least one filtration means for removing sediment from a high volume water flow and having an outlet for dis-sedimented water discharge; and f) a return conduit for returning the de-sedimented water to the system from an upper region of said recovery tank or from the outlet of said filtering means.

27. The portable water recycler according to claim 26, further including at least one wheel for transporting the apparatus to a desired location.

28. - The portable water recycler according to claim 26, further including a structure supporting the tank, the conveyor filter, and the filtering means.

29. The portable water recycler according to claim 28, further including a plurality of wheels mounted to the structure for transporting the portable water recycler to a desired location.

30. The portable water recycler according to claim 26, wherein the return pipe returns the dis- sedimentated water to the system only from the outlet of the filtering means.