Filter apparatus

• US 5,186,825 A
• Filed: 11/13/1990
• Issued: 02/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Filtermd, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mordeki Drori
• Inventors: Drori, Mordeki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nozick, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/611,690
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 210/411, 210/343, 210/344, 210/489, 210/488, 210/323.1
• US Class Current: 210/411
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 25/26 Cell-type stack filters

Abstract

A fluid filter including a housing defining a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and a filter element defining an upstream surface communicating with the fluid inlet and a downstream surface communicating with the fluid outlet, the filter element including at least one group of disk-like elements including at least one element of relatively fine porous material, having disposed on both sides thereof disk elements of a relatively coarse porous material, each of the at least one groups having disposed on both sides thereof a grooved spacer element.

Claims

1. A filter system for separating particles from a fluid, comprising:

a filter element defining an upstream side and a downstream side;

side filter element being assembled from a plurality of substantially disk elements with cooperating surfaces, said plurality of substantially disk elements comprising at least one substantially disk element of relatively fine, porous material disposed between at least two substantially disk elements of relatively coarse, porous material, said filter element further including at least first and second relatively rigid divider elements each having raised, elongated grooves defined on first and second opposite sides thereof, said substantially disk elements of porous material being supported between said at least first and second relatively rigid divider elements such that one of said substantially disk elements of relatively course, porous material engages said elongated grooves on said first side of said first divider element to define elongated chambers terminating in downstream openings in communication with said downstream side and said other of said substantially disk elements of relatively coarse, porous material engages said raised elongated grooves on said second side of said second divider element to define elongated chambers terminating in upstream openings in communication with said upstream side; and

means for separating particles from said filter element disposed to provide communication with said downstream openings.

2. A filter system according to claim 1 wherein said substantially disk elements formed from relatively coarse, porous material support a substantially disk element formed from relatively fine, porous material whereby said substantially disk elements formed from relatively coarse, porous material define a pre-filter for said substantially disk element formed from relatively fine, porous material.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein said filter element is formed from a stack of elements having a disk shape comprising an inner volume along a central axis extending longitudinally through said filter element and wherein said means for separating particles from said filter element includes means movable within said inner volume to provide communication with said downstream openings for separating said particles from said plurality of substantially disk elements of relatively fine and coarse, porous materials.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein said means for separating particles from said filter element includes an inlet communicating with a relatively high pressure fluid and said means movable within said inner volume for selectively directing said high pressure fluid into said donwstream openings through said chambers, said elements of porous material and out of said upstream openings to separate said particles accumulated on said substantially disk elements of porous material.

5. The system according to claim 3 wherein said means for separating particles comprises at least one passage communicating with an external source of pressurized fluid and an elongated hollow member communicating between said external source and said means movable within said inner volume for selectively directing said pressurized fluid into said chambers through downstream openings.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing having an inlet communicating with said upstream side and an outlet communicating with said downstream side;

said filter element being formed from a filter disk stack defining a filter barrier between said upstream side and said downstream side, said filter barrier being disposed along a central axis through said housing and defining a longitudinal inner volume along said central axis;

a movable, elongated hollow member disposed within said inner volume of said filter disk stack being in communication with an external source of pressurized fluid generally at its one end and to said means for separating particles at its other end, said movable, elongated hollow member being adapted to transfer motion and said pressurized fluid to said means for separating particles such that said pressurized fluid is sequentially directed into said elongated chambers through said downstream openings; and

said means for separating particles having at least one outlet passage for directing the discharge of said pressurized fluid.

7. A filter system according to claim 6 further comprising an additional filter element in communication with said fluid outlet.

8. A filter apparatus, comprising:

a housing having an inlet communicating with an upstream size and an outlet communicating with a downstream side;

a filter element, defining a filter barrier between said upstream side and said downstream side, disposed along a central axis of said housing and defining an elongated central bore;

means for separating particles from said filter element, said means for separating particles comprising means for directing the discharge of a pressurized fluid within said central bore;

a movable, elongated hollow member disposed within said central bore being in communication with said means for separating particles generally at its one end and its generally other end projecting outward from said housing and in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid;

said filter element comprising at least one group of porous, substantially disk elements including at least a first substantially disk element formed from a relatively fine, porous material being disposed between two second substantially disk elements each formed from relatively coarse, porous material;

first and second relatively rigid spacer elements, each of said relatively rigid spacer elements having longitudinal upstanding portions on opposite sides thereof, said first and second relatively rigid spacer elements being disposed with said at least one group of porous, substantially disk elements therebetween, whereby when said longitudinal upstanding portions of said first and second relatively rigid spacer elements are in engagement with opposite sides of said st least one group of porous, substantially disk elements, elongated chambers are defined on opposite sides of said at least one group of porous substantially disk elements with upstream openings on one side in communication with the upstream side and downstream openings on the opposite side thereof in communication with said downstream side.

9. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said porous substantially disk elements are welded to said relatively rigid spacer element.

10. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said porous, substantially disk elements are glued to said relatively rigid spacer element.

11. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said downstream openings of said elongated chamber are located generally facing said elongated central bore of said filter element such that during a back-flushing of said filter element, said means for separating particles from said filter element sequentially directs pressurized fluid into said downstream openings.

12. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each of said relatively rigid spacer elements comprise first and second rims located at respective upstream and downstream radial locations on opposite sides of the spacer element, said first and second rims of a first relatively rigid spacer element being disposed in adjacent relationship with said first and second rims of a second relatively rigid spacer element to providing sealing between said first and second spacers element and said at least one group of porous, substantially disk elements interposed therebetween in order to force a fluid being filtered to flow through said at least one group of porous, substantially disk elements.

13. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 further including said first and second rims on said relatively rigid spacer elements connected between said longitudinal upstanding portions generally adjacent their ends near said upstream and downstream openings of said elongated chambers.

14. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said porous, substantially disk elements formed from relatively course, porous material provide pre-filtration and support to said porous, substantially disk elements formed from relatively fine, porous material when said porous, substantially disk elements of relatively fine porous material are interposed between said porous, substantially disk elements of relatively coarse, porous material.

15. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 also comprising an additional filter in communication with said outlet.

16. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said elongated hollow member is connected at its generally one end to an external source of pressurized fluid, such as steam, and at its generally other end to said means for separating said particles from said filter element for providing motion and pressurized fluid to said means for separating particles to sequentially direct said pressurized fluid to the downstream openings of said elongated chambers facing said central bore.

17. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for separating particles from said filter element comprises aperture means connected to said elongated hollow member for sequentially directing pressurized fluid from said external source and through said hollow member to said downstream openings of said elongated chambers during a back-flushing of said filter element.

18. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for separating said particles from said filter element is constructed to combine axial and rotational movement in order to sequentially direct pressurized fluid into said downstream openings of said elongated chambers facing said central bore.

19. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said means for separating said particles from said filter element comprises means with aperture means connected to said elongated hollow member for discharging pressurized fluid received from said external source through said openings of said elongated chambers during a back flushing operation.

20. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said porous material is mesh.

21. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said fine porous material is a membrane.

22. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising an additional filter element in communication with said fluid outlet.

23. A filter apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said longitudinal upstanding portions on one side of said relatively rigid spacer element diagonally overlies said longitudinal upstanding portions on the opposite side of said relatively rigid spacer element.