Page 377 - Fundamentals of Water Treatment Unit Processes : Physical, Chemical, and Biological

332 Fundamentals of Water Treatment Unit Processes: Physical, Chemical, and Biological

of clear water to New Orleans from the Mississippi River as
the water source. The General Superintendent of the water
company, George Earl, in fact had advised the company to
construct 1 filter, instead of the 30 for the full plant and find
out first what could be accomplished. The plant was put in
operation in 1893 and, after tests, the New Orleans Water
Company refused to accept the plant on grounds of nonfulfill-
ment of guarantee, which was upheld in the courts and cost
the company $134,500, after which the company became
bankrupt. At the same time, the company also was being
litigated against by the Newark Filtering Co. for infringement
of patents. Professor Leeds, reported on the disaster in 1896
before a meeting of the American Water Works Association.
The Jewell filter was also well known. Omar Jewell and his
sons Ira and William took out 50 patents during the period
1888–1900. The first filter was for boiler feed water and was
FIGURE 12.3 Warren gravity filter with revolving rakes forced constructed in 1885 in Chicago, financed by James B. Clow &
into media to aid backwash, c. 1889. (Adapted from The Quest for Sons (which became one of the recognized companies in the
Pure Water, 1948, p. 198, used by permission, American Water
water works industry). A ‘‘rate of flow controller’’ was
Works Association. Copyright ß 1948, American Water Works
patented in 1897 by William Jewell. By 1896, 21 plants had
Association; redrawn by Shane Tribolet, Colorado State University,
been completed using Jewell filters.
Fort Collins, CO.)
In 1892, four companies merged to form the New York
Filter Manufacturing Co. Many such mergers occurred during
Water Purifying Co. of New York City, incorporated in
the period leading to 1900, along with law suits for patent
1886 to promote a filter patented by William Deutsch, a
infringements. By 1900, the New York Continental Jewell
former salesman for the Newark Filtering Co. (Baker, 1948,
Filtration Co. stood nearly alone in the field and was heir to
p. 199), shown in Figure 12.4. Albert Leeds, Professor of
scores of patents (Baker, 1948, p. 226) most of which had
Chemistry, Stevens Institute of Technology transferred rights
expired. By 1909, the company had completed 360 plants.
in his water aeration patents to the company and became its
technical advisor. An 1896 patent was for an air and water
wash; the air wash was described in terms similar to modern 12.2.1.4 Fuller’s Experiments
use. Three other Deutsch patents were in 1900; they were for The capstone events that marked the transition to modern
sedimentation and coagulation based on Fuller’s 1896 filtration practice, amid all of the ferment among proprietary
Louisville experiments which showed the necessity to clarify filtration companies, were the experiments conducted by
highly turbid waters by sedimentation before filtration. George W. Fuller at Louisville in 1895–1897 and then at
The National Water Purifying Co. undertook, according to Cincinnati in 1898–1899 (Box 12.1). Prior experiments in
Baker (1948, p. 205), one of the boldest and most disastrous the 1880s at Louisville demonstrated that slow sand filters
attempts ever made to filter the water supply of a city. Despite could not cope with the turbid waters of the Ohio River
the advice of Professor Leeds and others against the venture, (Baker, 1948, p. 228). The 1895–1897 experiments by
the company contracted in 1891 to supply a constant supply George W. Fuller at Louisville were focused on evaluating
the proprietary filters of four companies. Each company was
to operate its own filters at their own expense using 11 L=s
(0.25 mgd or 174 gpm) units.
Inlet
4'' Wash Regarding the experiments, Fuller (1898, p. 3) stated as
pipe follows:
4'' Waste pipe as it entered the devices in quantities varying with the char-
Sulfate of alumina (or alum) was added to the river water,
6'' Outlet
4'' Drain acter of the water. By combining with lime naturally dissolved
in the river water the sulfate of alumina formed a white,
gelatinous, solid compound, called hydrate of alumina. This
FIGURE 12.4 National pressure filter with double backwash jet, c. latter compound gradually coagulated the suspended matter in
1891 (Adapted from The Quest for Pure Water p. 200 and re-drawn the river water, in a manner similar to the well-known action
by Shane Tribolet, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, by of white of egg when added to turbid coffee. In the settling
permission. Copyright ß 1968, American Water Works Association.) basins, where the river water first entered, this coagulation
(As a matter of historical interest, the drawing was published progressed so that, as the water left the settling basins and
orginally by Eng. News, 25:127, 1891.) entered the sand layer, the river water had lost some of the