FR2681798A1 - SUPPORT FOR FILLING ELEMENTS CONSISTING OF THE ASSEMBLY OF A PLURALITY OF STRANDS, WIRES OR FILAMENTS, AND FLUID TREATMENT INSTALLATION MADE FROM SUCH SUPPORTS. - Google Patents

Abstract

Support for liner elements (1) inserted into a rective medium for the purpose of promoting exchanges or reactions between chemical, biological and similar reagents. Each liner element consists of a plurality of strands, threads or filaments assembled in order to be freely deployed when immersed in a fluid medium. The support comprises, for each liner element, a rigid frame (3, 4) having openings provided therein, delimiting an inner volume capable of receiving the liner element (1) in its deployed state, and means (11, 12) for retaining said liner element (1) adapted to enable the latter to be deployed within the volume delimited by the frame.

Description

SUPPORT FOR TRIM ELEMENTS CONSISTING OF
THE ASSEMBLY OF A PLURALITY OF STRANDS, WIRES OR FILAMENTS,
AND FLUID TREATMENT PLANT REALIZED
FROM SUCH MEDIA.

 The invention relates to a support for packing elements intended to be introduced into a reaction medium with a view to promoting exchanges or reactions between chemical, biological reagents ... brought into contact, and each consisting of the assembly of 'a plurality of strands, threads or filaments. It extends to a fluid treatment installation comprising such supports and such packing elements.

 At the present time, there are mainly two types of design relating to fluid installations using packing elements constituted by the assembly of strands, threads or filaments.

 According to a first design, these elements are arranged in bulk, in any directions so that the strands constituting two neighboring elements are entangled. An installation produced according to this principle is described in particular in US patent 4,229,386.

The disadvantage of such installations lies in the fact that they do not make it possible to obtain a good compromise between a specific useful surface area for significant exchange and a low risk of clogging. Indeed, any increase in the exchange surface and therefore in the potential yield leads to an increase in pressure drops and, consequently, increases the risks of clogging. The only solution to reach a satisfactory compromise actually lies in playing on the hydraulic regime. However, on the one hand, this solution is generally expensive in energy and, on the other hand, it is the source of hydraulic problems such as preferential passages ...

According to a second design, the packing elements are fixed on supports adapted to maintain them, with respect to each other, at a distance such that the strands constituting these packing elements have no risk of becoming tangled. An installation according to this principle is described in particular in the European patent
EP 165,862 and comprises, as a support system for the lining elements, a plurality of tensioning wires arranged inside a reactor, at a distance from each other, and on which these lining elements are hung.

 This solution makes it possible, thanks to the movement taken by the strands around their point of attachment, to obtain a filling having a large specific useful surface which is not likely to become clogged. It therefore resolves the drawbacks of the installations mentioned first.

However, and first of all, it turns out that preferential paths are frequently created between the lines of packing elements. In addition, the implementation of the support system for such installations proves to be far too complex and costly for one to realistically envisage the production of reactors with a volume greater than a few cubic meters.

 The present invention aims to overcome this drawback of the installations carried out according to the principle mentioned above, and has the main objective of providing a support system for packing elements which is very easy to use and has a very low cost price allowing the realization large volume installations.

 To this end, the invention relates to a support for packing elements intended to be introduced into a reaction medium with a view to promoting exchanges or reactions between chemical, biological reagents ... brought together, and each consisting of a plurality of strands, son or filaments assembled so as to deploy freely when they are immersed in a fluid medium.

According to the invention, this support is characterized in that it comprises, for each lining element
a rigid envelope hollowed out over its larger surface and delimiting an internal volume capable of accommodating the packing element in its deployed state,
- Means for holding said packing element adapted to allow the latter to deploy inside the volume delimited by the envelope.

 The main advantage of such a solution lies in the fact that the packing elements housed and maintained in their support are completely independent of each other. They are therefore individualized and can be used in bulk while keeping the principle of keeping these packing elements at a distance from one another such that the strands of two neighboring elements do not intermingle.

 The invention therefore makes it possible to produce, at low cost, installations having a large specific useful exchange surface and which are not likely to become clogged. In addition, according to this principle, the fluid flow is exploded in such a way that it cannot create preferential paths.

 According to a characteristic of the invention aimed at providing an installation whose useful exchange surface is maximum, the envelope has a shape and delimits an internal volume adapted so that the filling elements fill substantially all of said internal volume, in their deployed state.

 In addition, in order to minimize pressure losses and preferential passageways as much as possible, each envelope preferably has a percentage of empty area greater than 90%.

 Furthermore, in order to facilitate the positioning of the lining elements inside the supports, the envelope of the latter advantageously consists of two half-shells provided with latching means for their assembly.

 Such a support is thus in particular usable for lining elements as described in patent EP 165,862 comprising a plurality of strands, threads or filaments joined in their middle so as to form a pompom.

According to the invention, the envelope then preferably has a spherical shape, and the holding means are adapted to hold a lining element so that the meeting point of the strands, son or filaments is located in the center of the envelope.

 In this case, moreover, the holding means preferably comprise two aligned internal half-axes, extending orthogonally to the envelope and having a length substantially less than the radius of said envelope, said half-axes having free ends shaped like so as to maintain a packing element wedged between said ends.

 The free end of these half-axes can thus have a V-shaped groove, the grooves of the two half-axes being arranged orthogonally to one another.

 In addition, according to another characteristic of the invention, the envelope is then advantageously made up of two half-shells of semi-spherical shapes each having an internal half-axis of length substantially less than the radius of said half-shell, s' extending along the axis of revolution of the latter.

 The invention also extends to a fluid treatment installation of the type comprising an enclosure provided with means for supplying fluid and means for evacuating after treatment, and packing elements disposed inside the enclosure. and each consisting of a plurality of strands, threads or filaments assembled so as to deploy freely when said enclosure is filled with fluid.

This installation is characterized in that each lining element is disposed inside a support comprising
a rigid envelope hollowed out over its larger surface and delimiting an internal volume capable of accommodating the packing element in its deployed state,
- Means for holding said packing element adapted to allow the latter to deploy inside the volume delimited by the envelope.

Other characteristics, objects and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings which represent, by way of non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment. On these drawings which form an integral part of the present description
FIG. 1 is a perspective view, in exploded mode, of a support and of a packing element according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of this support containing a packing element in the deployed state,
- Figure 3 is a schematic section of one of the possible configurations of fluid treatment installation equipped with supports according to the invention.

 The support shown in Figures i and 2 is intended to individually accommodate a packing element 1 held inside this support so that it can deploy freely.

 This packing element 1, shown in FIG. 1, not deployed, is a pompom as described in European patent EP 165,862. It consists of a plurality of strands, threads or filaments joined in their middle and assembled at this point by means of a ring 2.

 Each of the supports intended to house these pompoms 1 consists of two strictly identical half-shells 3, 4 of semi-spherical shape. These half-shells 3, 4 are provided with latching means 5, 6 making it possible to assemble them so that they form a spherical envelope delimiting an internal volume equivalent to the volume of a pompom 1 in its deployed state. In the example, each spherical envelope thus has a diameter of sixteen centimeters.

 First, each half-shell 3, 4 is composed of arcs such as 7 extending along meridians uniformly distributed around the axis of revolution. These arcs 7, eight in number, further form, at the pole of the half-shell 3, 4, a small circular cap 8, for example three centimeters in diameter.

 Each half-shell 3, 4 further comprises a hoop 9 forming a large circle connecting the end of the arcs 7 and carrying the latching means 5, 6. In addition, an intermediate hoop 10 for reinforcement also connects the arcs 7 away from their ends.

 Thus formed, such half-shells 3, 4 are provided with a surface having a very high void percentage, greater than 90%.

 The snap-fastening means of these two half-hulls consist of male 6 and female 5 organs arranged in conjugate positions on the hoops 9 so that a male organ 6 of a half-shell (3 or 4) corresponds to a female member 5 of the other half-shell (4 or 3).

 The female members consist of a slide 5 formed on the external face of the hoop 9. These slides 5 are two in number per half-shells 3, 4 and are arranged so as to be diametrically opposite.

 The male members consist of a snap-on heel 6 able to snap into a slide 5 so as to bring the hoops 9 of the half-shells 3, 4 into contact with one another. These heels 6 are also two in number per half-shells 3, 4 and are arranged so as to be diametrically opposite, according to a diameter orthogonal to the diameter connecting the slides 5.

 Secondly, each half-shell 3, 4 comprises means for holding the pompon 1 capable of maintaining the meeting point of the strands of this pompon positioned at the center of the spherical envelope, after assembly of these demicoques.

 These holding means consist for each half-shell 3, 4 of a half-axis 11 extending from the cap 8, along the axis of revolution of said half-shell. This half-axis 11 has a length substantially less than the radius of the half-shell 3, 4 and has at its free end a groove 12 in the form of a V.

 During the assembly of the half-shells 3, 4, given that these are offset by 900 relative to one another so as to present opposite the male 6 and female 5 organs, the grooves 12 of the semi-axes 11 are arranged orthogonally to one another.

Therefore, they trap the ring 2 of a pompom 1 and ensure perfect maintenance of the latter.

 The main advantage of the supports described above resides in the fact that they can be introduced in bulk into a reactor, thus making the production of large reactors easily accessible.

 FIG. 3 schematically represents such a reactor of the bottom feed type and overflow discharge.

 This reactor conventionally comprises a closed enclosure 13 comprising a perforated intermediate floor 14, supply means 15 disposed under the perforated floor of the enclosure, and consisting of a pipe pierced, for example in the shape of a star, and an opening d 'evacuation 16 disposed in the upper part of the enclosure.

 This enclosure 13 is filled over a given height above the floor 14 with a plurality of supports 3, 4 each containing a pompom 1 and adapted so that said pompoms can deploy freely without coming to become entangled so as to occupy the maximum volume of the enclosure and thus provide a specific maximum exchange surface.

 In addition to the aforementioned advantages of such an installation, an additional advantage results from the fact that a mud bed tends to form under the perforated floor.

Such a mud bed constitutes, in fact, a reserve of bacteria often different from those settling on the pompoms, in which the flow will bubble at the start.

 It should be noted that it is similarly possible to produce with this type of packing elements installations with vertical downflow and horizontal flow.

 With regard to the specific applications and advantages of pompons 1 thus kept at a distance from each other, it is in particular advisable to refer to patent EP 165,862.

Claims (11)

 1 / - Support for packing elements (1) intended to be introduced into a reaction medium with a view to promoting exchanges or reactions between chemical, biological reagents ... brought into contact, and each consisting of a plurality of strands , son or filaments assembled so as to unfold freely when they are immersed in a fluid medium, said support being characterized in that it comprises, for each lining element  - a rigid envelope (3, 4) hollowed out over its larger surface and delimiting an internal volume capable of accommodating the lining element (1) in its deployed state,  - holding means (11, 12) of said packing element (1) adapted to allow the latter to deploy inside the volume delimited by the envelope (3, 4).  2 / - Support according to claim 1, characterized in that the envelope (3, 4) has a shape and defines an internal volume adapted so that the filling elements (1) fill substantially all of said internal volume, in their state deployed.  3 / - Support according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the envelope (3, 4) has a percentage of empty area greater than 90%.  4 / - Support according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the envelope (1) consists of two half-shells (3, 4) provided with latching means (5, 6) for their assembly.  5 / - Support according to one of claims i to 4 for packing elements each consisting of a plurality of strands, son or filaments joined in their middle so as to form a pompom (1), characterized in that the envelope (3, 4) has a spherical shape, and the holding means (11, 12) are adapted to hold the pompom (1) so that the meeting point of the strands, son or filaments is located in the center of the envelope.  6 / - Support according to claim 5, characterized in that the holding means comprise two internal half-axes (11) aligned, extending orthogonally to the envelope (3, 4) and having a length substantially less than the radius of said envelope, said half-axes having free ends (12) shaped so as to maintain a packing element (i) wedged between said ends.  7 / - Support according to claim 6, characterized in that the free end of each half-axis (11) has a V-shaped groove (12), the grooves (12) of the two half-axes (it) being arranged orthogonally to each other.  8 / - Support according to claims 4 and 7 taken together, characterized in that the envelope consists of two half-shells (3, 4) of semispherical shapes each comprising an internal half-axis (it) of length substantially less than radius of said demohull, extending along the axis of revolution of the latter.  9 / - Support according to claim 8, characterized in that each half-shell (3, 4) comprises arcs (7) extending along meridians uniformly distributed around the axis of revolution, and a hoop (9) forming a large circle connecting the end of said arcs and carrying the latching means (5, 6).  10 / - Support according to claim 9, characterized in that the latching means comprise male (6) and female (5) organs arranged in conjugate positions on each of the half-shells (3, 4) so that a male member (6) of a half-shell (3 or 4) corresponds to a female member (5) of the other half-shell (4 or 3), each female member consisting of a slide (5) provided on the outer face of the hoop (9), and each male member consisting of a snap-on heel (6) capable of snapping into a slide (5).  11 / - Fluid treatment installation of the type comprising an enclosure (13) provided with fluid supply means (15) and discharge means (16) after treatment, and packing elements (i) arranged at the 'interior of the enclosure (13) and each consisting of a plurality of strands, son or filaments assembled so as to deploy freely when said enclosure is filled with fluid, said installation being characterized in that each lining element (1) is arranged inside a support comprising  - a rigid envelope (3, 4) hollowed out over its larger surface and delimiting an internal volume capable of accommodating the lining element (1) in its deployed state,  - holding means (11, 12) of said packing element (1) adapted to allow the latter to deploy inside the volume delimited by the envelope (3, 4).