Filter cleaning system and method

• US 8,864,913 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Air Specialists, Inc (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: United Air Specialists, Inc (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: Haynam, Travis, Stehlin, Matt, Haglund, Cathy
• Primary Examiner(s): BLAN, NICOLE R
• Application Number:
  US13/388,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20120138104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,551 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 134/22.18
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2411 Filter cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/71 with pressurised gas, e.g. pulsed air
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/023 Cleaning travelling work

Abstract

A filter cleaning system for cleaning a filter element is provided. The filter cleaning system includes a set of pulse nozzles and a compressed air supply, which rotate together during a cleaning cycle to release pulse blasts at predetermined time intervals to clean the filter element.

Claims

1. A filter cleaning system, comprising:

a compressed air supply;

at least one pulse nozzle operatively attached to the compressed air supply;

a rotating plate assembly, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzles are mounted to the rotating plate assembly;

wherein the rotating plate assembly rotates during a cleaning cycle; and

wherein the at least one pulse nozzle includes a first pulse nozzle and a second pulse nozzle, wherein the first pulse nozzle is arranged vertically above the compressed air supply, and the second pulse nozzle is arranged vertically below the compressed air supply.

2. The filter cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the first pulse nozzle and the second pulse nozzle are arranged on a vertical axis;

wherein the vertical axis extends perpendicularly relative to a horizontal center plane of the compressed air supply.

3. The filter cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the filter cleaning system is placed in a central cavity of a filter element;

wherein the at least one pulse nozzle is arranged in a first semicircle of the cross-section of the filter element, and a target cleaning area of the filter element is in a second, opposite, semicircle of the cross-section of the filter element.

4. A filter cleaning system, comprising:

a compressed air supply;

at least one pulse nozzle operatively attached to the compressed air supply;

a rotating plate assembly, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzles are mounted to the rotating plate assembly;

wherein the rotating plate assembly rotates during a cleaning cycle;

a drive mechanism, the drive mechanism rotating the rotating plate assembly at a constant rotating speed; and

wherein the compressed air supply includes a compressed air manifold and a solenoid pulse valve; and

wherein the rotating plate assembly includes a contact mounting plate assembly providing power to the motor and the solenoid pulse valve;

wherein the contact mounting plate assembly includes a contact plate and a base plate, wherein the power transfers between the contact plate and the base plate free of any hard wires.

5. The filter cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the at least one pulse nozzle releases a pulse blast toward a target area of a filter at predetermined time interval during the cleaning cycle.

6. The filter cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the base plate includes at least one brush contact connected to power, and the contact plate includes at least one contact trace ring corresponding to the at least one brush contact, wherein power transfers from the at least one brush contact to the corresponding at least one contact trace ring during rotation of the rotating plate assembly;

wherein the motor and the solenoid pulse valve are connected to at least one contact lead on a surface of the contact plate, the at least one contact lead corresponding to the at least one contact trace ring.

7. The filter cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzle rotate together on the rotating plate assembly during the cleaning cycle.

8. The filter cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the at least one pulse nozzle releases multiple pulses of pressurized air during the cleaning cycle, wherein the multiple pulses cover substantially all inner surface.

9. The filter cleaning system of claim 4, further including a control system including a cleaning cycle logic, wherein the control system controls the rotating plate assembly and the compressed air supply during the cleaning cycle according to the cleaning cycle logic;

wherein the cleaning cycle logic include a rotational speed of the rotating plate assembly, a cleaning cycle duration, a number of pulses per cleaning logic, and a time interval between pulses.

10. The filter cleaning system of claim 9, wherein the rotational speed is between 1-3 RPM;

the cleaning cycle duration is between 10 to 120 seconds;

the number of pulses per cleaning logic is between 2 to 20; and

the time interval between pulses is 1 to 20 seconds.

11. The filter cleaning system of claim 9, wherein the cleaning cycle is programmed such that the pulses of a subsequent cleaning cycle cover new target areas than target areas of pulses of a previous cleaning cycle.

12. The filter cleaning system of claim 11, wherein the subsequent cycle is identical to the previous cycle but angularly offset therefrom.

13. A filter cleaning system, comprising:

a compressed air supply;

at least one pulse nozzle operatively attached to the compressed air supply;

a rotating plate assembly, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzles are mounted to the rotating plate assembly;

wherein the rotating plate assembly rotates during a cleaning cycle; and

wherein the rotating plate assembly includes a turntable and a turntable support;

the turntable support including a plurality of bearings, wherein the turntable support supports the turntable around an outer perimeter of the turntable;

wherein the turntable rotates against the turntable support on the plurality of bearings.

14. A method of cleaning a filter element with a filter cleaning system, comprising steps of:

placing a filter element around the filter cleaning system, the cleaning system comprising;

a compressed air supply;

at least one pulse nozzle operatively attached to the compressed air supply;

a rotating plate assembly, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzles are mounted to the rotating plate assembly, the rotating plate assembly rotates during a cleaning cycle;

rotating the rotating plate assembly during a cleaning cycle; and

releasing at least one pulse of pressurized air from the at least one pulse nozzle during the cleaning cycle at controlled locations.

15. A method of cleaning a cylindrical filter element with a filter cleaning system positioned within a central cavity of the filter element, comprising the steps of:

rotating the filter cleaning system about a central axis of the filter element, the filter cleaning system comprising;

a compressed air supply;

at least one pulse nozzle operatively attached to the compressed air supply;

a rotating plate assembly, wherein the compressed air supply and the at least one pulse nozzles are mounted to the rotating plate assembly, the rotating plate assembly rotates during a cleaning cycle; and

releasing a plurality of pulses of pressurized air from the filter cleaning system in an organized sequence of a first cleaning cycle.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the organized sequence has the plurality of pulses arranged at constant intervals.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising a second cleaning cycle being substantially identical to the first cleaning cycle except the plurality of pulses of the second cleaning cycle are angularly offset from the plurality of pulses of the first cleaning cycle.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the pulses of pressurized air travel more than the radial distance from the cleaning system to the inner surface of the cylindrical filter element, such that the pulses are released from the cleaning system from a first semicircle of the cross-section of the filter element and the pulses contact the filter element in a second, opposite, semicircle of the cross-section of the filter element.