VANED FILTERING ELEMENT

• US 20120273407A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (Government of Canada)
• Original Assignee: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (Government of Canada)
• Inventors: Rhodes, David Bruce, Haque, Ziaul, Gaudet, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 9,770,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/335
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2201/127 with means for keeping the spacing between the pleats
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/07 with corrugated, folded or wound filtering sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/39 with hollow discs side by side on, or around, one or more tubes, e.g. of the leaf type
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 29/52 in parallel connection
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 13/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 19/307 specially adapted for liquids decontamination of liquids G21F9/04
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 1/04 Pumping arrangements within the reactor pressure vessel G21C15/24; electrodynamic pumps H02K44/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/00 Energy generation of nuclear origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

The present invention relates to filters used to remove debris from water being sucked into a piping system. It has particular application for use in nuclear power plants, which, after a loss of coolant accident, must pump cooling water back into the reactor core from a collection sump. This water may contain various types of debris that must be removed before the water is sent back into the reactor cooling system. Filtering of the debris is realized with the component known as “strainers”. There are restrictions on the space available for installing strainers. The vaned filtering element, for example a vaned fin, of the present invention is designed to reduce the space required for strainer installation by increasing strainer surface area per unit volume, while maximizing the quantity of debris that can be filtered from the water.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A filter element comprising one or more fluid permeable screens formed from at least one layer of porous material that is folded into a plurality of hollow vanes extending outwardly from the outer surface of the each of the one or more fluid permeable screens.

11. The filtering element of claim 9, wherein the fluid permeable screens are formed from permeable metal sheet or layered metal mesh.

13. The filtering element of claim 9, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

15. The filtering element of claim 11, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

10. A filtering element comprising:

(a) a perimeter frame having one or more openings along one side edge of said frame,

(b) a pair of fluid permeable screens fixed to the perimeter frame in opposed spaced relation to one another, and

(c) at least one fluid flow channel is formed between the fluid permeable screens for fluid communication with a header or tube via the one or more openings in the side edge of said frame,

wherein each of said fluid permeable screens is formed from one or more perforated metal sheet, metal mesh or a combination thereof, and includes folds to form a plurality of outwardly extending hollow vanes.

12. The filtering element of claim 10, wherein the fluid permeable screens are formed from permeable metal sheet or layered metal mesh.

14. The filtering element of claim 10, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

16. The filtering element of claim 12, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

17. A strainer for filtering debris from a fluid comprising:

(d) a header defining an enclosed volume and having an outlet in fluid communication with a suction source, said header having a plurality of inlet aperture slots formed therein, and

(e) fin-like filter elements projecting outwardly from each aperture slot for filtering debris from said fluid, each said filter element comprising a perimeter frame and a pair of fluid permeable screens fixed thereto in opposed spaced relation, and at least one fluid flow channel therebetween in fluid communication with said enclosed volume through a marginal side edge of said frame and said aperture slot,

wherein each of said fluid permeable screens is formed from one or more perforated metal sheet, metal mesh or a combination thereof, and includes folds to form a plurality of outwardly extending hollow vanes.

18. The strainer of claim 17, wherein the fluid permeable screens are formed of perforated metal sheet.

19. The strainer of claim 17, wherein the fluid permeable screens are formed from layered metal mesh.

20. The strainer of claim 17, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

21. The strainer of claim 18, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.

22. The strainer of claim 19, further comprising a corrugated metal spacer disposed between and maintaining said fluid permeable screens in spaced relation, a plurality of said flow channels being defined between said corrugated metal spacer and said fluid permeable screens.