The present invention includes a horizontal foam fractionation protein
skimmer for removing organic waste material (dissolved organic compounds)
from organic loaded water. The protein skimmer includes a horizontal
reaction chamber connected to a foam collection chamber in which
protein-loaded foam containing organic waste material is collected. The
reaction chamber is comprised of a series of horizontally-directed,
nested, concentric tubes for increasing the number and decreasing the size
of bubbles to facilitate efficient removal of dissolved organic compounds.
Each horizontal tube has either one or several small openings that are
offset from the openings on the adjacent tube at a small angle, typically
10.degree.. The openings are formed by either a single slit that runs
along the length of each tube, or by a series of holes that runs along the
length of each tube. Organic-loaded water is pumped through tubing into
the reaction chamber. As water moves through the tubing, gas (e.g., air)
is drawn in by eductors, creating a gas/water mixture. The gas/water
mixture is distributed into the horizontal reaction chamber through a
lateral manifold that tangentially injects the gas/water mixture at
approximately equidistant points along the length of the reaction chamber.
The gas/water mixture enters the largest of the nested horizontal tubes
and is forced through the small opening(s) into the next smaller diameter
tube.
Water travels circumferentially through adjacent tubes in a counter-current
movement. The most central concentric tube carries the water out of the
reaction chamber into the foam collection chamber. The water left behind
is considerably more pure and free of contaminates and exits through
tubing in the bottom of the foam collection chamber. The horizontal
protein skimmer of the present invention is sectioned into individual
components that facilitate transport and on-site assembly.
