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.
