Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
:~3~L3~i~
The invention relates to solid particle separation
from liquids by filtering and more particularly to a leaf-type
liquid filter machine capable of clarifying an exceptionally
large volume of liquid and moving it in a generally continu-
ously downwardly direction.
Leaf-type filters have generally been provided with
liquid-input ports positioned within the plane of the filter
elements or below them. A principal difficulty with this
course of flow in filter machines is the flow interference
with solids settling toward the bottom of the tank. A con-
stant turbulence of liquid moving in an upwardly as well as a
downwardly course makes it difficult for solids to reach the
bottom of the filter machine, causing much of these solid par-
ticles to impinge and rapidly build up a cake upon the filter
medium.
The need for an efficient high-flow filter machine
has not heretofore been met, primarily because the concepts
for such machines demonstrate that the principles of liquid
flow embodied in such machines are counter to the objects and
purposes for which the machines were designed.
According to the present invention in one aspect
thereof there is provided in a suction type filter machine
having a tank to receive polluted liquids to be filtered or
clarified and divided vertically into an upper open section,
an intermediate filter-leaves containing section, and a lower
solids-collection section, all sections b0ing in free and open
communication and connection with each other in a substan-
tially vertical unitary chamber, the improvement in leaf-type
filter units releasably connected to collecting manifolds,
each unit comprising: a ~ore panel having transversely e~tend-
ing walls defining transverse liquid passageways therebetween,
and openings through said walls defining means for communicat-
~ 1 ~
~1.23~35~
ing ~ith and between said passageways; a conduit permanentlyoverlying and parallel to an edge and adjacent portions oE
said panel for collection, conduction and discharge of liquid
filtrate from said core panel; a filter medium enwrapping said
core panel completely and said conduit substantially there-
about; and means for releasably connecti~g the conduit to a
collecting manifold. Suitably said wall openings provide
means for liquid flow longitudinally of and within said core
panel, horizontally and vertically therethrough, from one edge
of said core panel to the other vertically and horizontally.
Desirably said filter medium comprises either woven or non-
woven fabric material. More desirably said filter medium is
sewn at edges of said core panel and about said conduit.
In one embodiment of this aspect the present inven-
tion comprises a pair of side-by-side plastic components adhe-
sively secured together, each said component embodying a por-
tion of said openings through said transverse walls at the
edges thereof abutting each other at the interface of said
components. Suitably said filter medium enwraps said conduit
substantially except for a portion thereof adjacent its mani-
fold connecting means.
The improvement disclosed in this application
relates particularly to the construction of the filter leaves
or units and their adjacent spatial relationship.
The invention disclosed herein relates to a filter
machine in which the effluent to be filtered is charged into
the tank of the machine from above the filter leaves or
- la -
~3~L35'7
units so that there is always a downward flow of polluted
liquid and its contained solids from the input opening to
the solids discharge portion of the machine.
The filtrate is obtained by means of a suction pump
communicating with the filter leaves whereby the flow into
and through the filter medium is effected without severe or
substantially any agltation of the effluent.
Another purpose and function of the instant inven-
tion is to continuously filter a very large volume of
polluted liquid and simultaneously separate the solids
therefrom for discharge to the settling tank portion of the
machine. The suction pump is normally continuously in
operation, on the clean side of the filter (debris is not
pumped through it), to remove filtrate from the machine.
The relatively close spacing between and the side-
by side proximity of the filter units one with another is
very important and this dimension is governed by the
; diameter of the filter medium covered discharge tube or con-
duit mounted on and at one end of the filter core panel.
There is substantially zero flow of liquid below the filter
units, allowing the solid particles to settle readily to the
bottom of the filter tank.
The filter machine, in one form, is preferably made
principally of an acrylic clear transparent plastic
material. The machine can also be made of one or more of
the polystyrenes or polyethylenes or their equivalents,
depending upon the particular application in which the
filter machine is to be used.
The plastic filter leaf core panels are of a unique
design, permitting substantial flow of filtered liquid in
--2--
-
~23~35~7
vertical, horizontal and transverse directions, i.e. through
all sides of the core panel, to a discharge conduit at one end
thereof.
The filter leaf core panels are of very light weight
and the filter leaves can be easily removed from the machine
by merely picking them up from their positions of rest upon
the supporting manifolds in the tank. No tools are required
to remove the filter leaves or to service any part of the fil-
ter apart from the suction pump and its drive motor.
In a further aspect of the present invention there
is provided in a suction type filter machine having a tank
having a plurality of walls with open upper edges to receive
liquid to be filtered or clarified, said tank being divided
vertically into an upper open section, an intermediate filter-
leaves containing section and a lower solids-collecting sec-
tion, all sections being in free and open communication and
connection with each other in a substantially vertical unitary
chamber, the improvement in said intermediate filter-leaves
containing section comprising: a plurality of filter leaves
arranged in parallel, staggered contiguous relationship, each
filter leaf having a conduit overlying and parallel to one
edge and an adjacent portion of the leaf; first and second
manifolds at each lateral side of said tank in parallel spaced
apart alignment supporting said filter leaves thereon; the
conduits each perpendicularly attached to a manifold such that
the filter leaf conduit connections alternate bet~een the
first and second manifolds; and a connecting manifold communi-
cating with said first and second manifolds at one end thereof
to receive filtrate therefrom. Suitably said manifolds are
fabricated of a plastic material. Desirably said manifolds
lie substantially in the same plane.
In one embodiment of this aspect of the invention
`,~
-- 3 -- ~
~;~3~3S~
said filter leaves, connected alternately to said -first and
second manifolds, lie substantially in the same plane, the
first and second manifolds further including a plurality a
levelling blocks mounted on said manifolds a-t a position cap-
able of receiving the distal ends of said filter ieaves to
elevate and maintain said filter leaves in a hori~on-tally
level attitude.
In another embodiment of this aspect of the
invention said filter leaves each comprises: a core panel hav-
ing transversely extending walls defining transverse liquid
passageways therebetween, openings through said walls defining
means for communicating with and be-tween said passageways; a
conduit overlying an edge and adjacent portions of said panel
for collection, conduction and discharge of liquid filtrate
from said core panel to the first and second manifolds; and a
filter medium enwrapping said core panel completely and said
conduit substantially thereabout.
In a still further embodiment of this aspect of the
invention the section further comprises: means for maintaining
2 the filter leaves in conjunction and communication with the
first and second manifolds, such means including a plurality
of elongated hold-down bars, the bars having upstanding end
portions with first and second ends which extend from the
intermediate section to the top free edge of the tank walls,
the first end of the upstanding end portion having an overhang
portion extending outwardly and downwardly over the top free
edge of the tank wall, means for releasably fastening the
; overhang portion to the tank and a medial web portion extend-
ing laterally from the second end of the upstanding end por-
tions over the filter leaves to communicate with the lower end
of an unstanding end portion positioned on the opposite tank
wall in a manner perpendicular to the filter leaves. Suitably
- 3a -
~23~35~
said tank walls are made of a substantially clear, transparent
material permitting continuous monitoring of the flow of each
individual filter leaf. Desirably the unsupported l.ateral
edges of each filter leaf abu-ttingly and sealingly engage the
adjacent manifold.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a filtermachine embodying the invention;
Figure 2 is an end elevational view taken substan-
tially on the line 2-2 of Figure l;
Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken sub-
stantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direc-
tion of the arrows;
Figure 4 is a front end elevational view taken sub-
stantially on the line 4-4 of Figure l;
Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view
taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the filter leaf
unit embodying the invention;
Figure 7 is a slightly enlarged, vertical sectional
view taken substantially on the line 7-7 of Figure 6;
- 3b -
~;~343~i7
li~ure 8 is a fragmeIltary sl1ghtly enlnrg~d
pe~spective view of u portion of the filter leuf core
illustrnted in Fi~ures 6 and 7;
Figure 9 Is a fragmentary, slightly enlarged
perspectlve view of the filter cloth covered core
illu~trated In Flgure ~;
Figure 10 Is Q fragmentary vertical sectional view
of the coupling rel~tlonshlp of the core discharge condult
and the manifold communlcating therewith;
Figure 11 Is a sllghtly enlarged, horlzontal sec-
tional view tuken substnntially on the llne ll-11 of Flgure
6; and
Figure 12, whi~h is on the same sheet as Figure 1, is a
vertical longitudinal sectional view taken through a supplementary
tank servirlg to provide a continuous or intermit-tent supply of liquid
from the suc-tion pump to move floa~ing solid particles by overflow into
the upper discharge trough of ~he filter ~ank.
In a preferred embodlment of the Invelltion, the
fllter muclllne 10 comprlse~ the tank 12, the fllter leAves
14, manifolds 16, 18 and 20 for the filter le~ves, the motor
driven suction pump 22, polluted llquld lnput trough 24, and
the polluted llquld overflow discharge trough 26. ~ support
~: 28 Is provlded for pump 22 and Its drive motor. An auxll~ary
or supplementary tank 30 can associatedly be connected to
and communlcate. with the fllter tank to recelve a portlon of
clean effluent and furnlsh a supply of liquld to flush any
solid material floating on the surface of the input supply
into t~le overflow dlscharge trough 26.
The talll( 1~ comprlses the lateral slde walls 34,34,
the rear and front end walls 36,38 respectlvely, the wall
relnforclng burs 40 secured to the slde ~nd end walls and,
, ~ .
r
~.239L3~i~
at the;r ends, to each other9 a bottom plate 42, transverse
tank support bars (or tubes) 44, the polluted liquid input
trough 24 and its adjacent liquid distributing plate 48, and
the overflow discharge trough or chamber 26.
The above described several components of the tank
12, in one preferred form, are and have been made of a
clear, transparent acrylic plastic material, connected
together in liquid-tight relation with one another by
suitable adhesive materials well known in the art.
Visibility of the flow of polluted and filtered liquid in
and through the machine is very desirable, and features of
the instant filter machine lend themselves favorably to this
advantage.
The lateral manifolds 16,18 and the conneeting
manifold 20 communicating therewith at the front end of the
filter tank, in the form of square or rectangular cross-
sectional tubes, each comprises lateral side walls 56, a top
wall 58 and a bottom wall 60, all connected toge$her at
their contiguous edge portions with a suitable plastic
adhesive material. The manifolds 16 and 18 are preferably
formed into substantially rectilinear tubes closed at their
rearward ends by the tank rear wall 36, and connected to and
corr~unicating laterally with the front end connecting mani-
fold conduit 20. One of the lateral. side walls 56 of each
manifold is adhesively secured to one of the tank walls
34,34 or 38, and with manifolds 16 and 18 provide support
for the filter units 14 at each end thereof. Of course,
under some conditions one o~ the side.walls 56 can be
omitted and the edges of the top and bottom walls-58,60 can
be adhesively seeured to the inner surfaces of the tank side
walls 34,34 to form the manifolds 16,18.
~2;343~
A plastic conduit 66 is threadedly connected at one
end to the tank front wall 38 and the front end connecting
manifold side wall 56 communicating with the latter manifold
20, and is connected at its opposite end to the input port
of the suction pump 22.
The tank wall reinforcing bars or ribs 40 when made
of clear, transparent acrylic plastic material are adhesively
secured to the tank walls 34,34,36 and 38 and to each other
at their contiguous end portions to reinforce and stiffen
the tank walls against displacement 9 cracking or rupture
under the loads and stresses carried and experienced by
those walls, when made of the same or similar plastic
material.
The output conduit 70 connected to and com-
municating with the output or discharge port of the pump 22
can be connected to additional piping or conduit for any
desirable use of the filtrate developed and discharged by
the pump. For instance, the filtrate can be recirculated
back to the tank 12 by way of the supplementary tank 30, as
will be described hereinafter below.
: Polluted input liquid to be filtered by the filter
units 14 is provided by any suitable device or system,
usually by a pump (not shown), drawing its contaminated
liquid from any source and discharging it through conduit 74
; into the tank input trough 24 from which it flows over the
input weir 76 onto the liquid distributing plate 48 into the
upper tank chamber 78 above the filter units 14.
The intermediate tank portion 80, in direct and
fu11 eommunication with the upper tank chamber 78 there-
above, contains the filter units 14 and the manifolds 16,18
~:3~
and 20. A lower tank portion 82 in direet and full com-
municat;on with the intermediate tank portion 80 is provided
under the manifolds and filter leaves 14 for collection of
solid particles that pass downwardly between the filter
units 14 or fall from the filter media enwrapping them onto
the tank bottom wall 42, for discharge from the drain outlet
84.
As shown more particularly in Figures 6-11 inclu-
sive, each filter unit 14 comprises a core panel 90, a con-
duit 92 secured to and overlying and communicating with an
edge portion of the core panel, a filter medium material 94,
su¢h for example as woven or non-woven filter cloth, paper
or other suitable filtering material, a 2-piece split-type
clamp ring 96 eneircling the filter media about and upon the
conduit wall, an annular stop ring 98 sealingly secured
about and upon the conduit 92 under the clamp ring and
filter media, and a resilient O-ring 100 disposed closely
about and upon the conduit lower end portion 102 directly
under the annular stop ring 98. The conduit lower end por-
tion 102 passes through the close fitting opening 104 in the
top wall 58 of the manifold 16 or 18, at which opening the
O-ring 100 seals the filter unit against leakage thereinto.
The 2-piece split-type plastic clamp ring is secured
together and upon the filter media by suitable adhesive
means well known in the art.
The filter core panel 90 is made of two facing
co~plementary components 110,110 adhesively secured
together. Each component has four egg-crate type ribs or
walls 112 defining a transverse passageway therebetween.
Each of the ribs 112 is notched or slotted at 114 at its
1L35i7
inner edge 115~ which faces and is adhered to the comple~
mentary facing edge 115 of the other component 110. Each
facing edge 115 has similar facing ribs slotted at 11~ in
register with the ribs 112 of the complementary facing com-
ponent 110 to provide four enlarged openings in the four
ribs 112 defining the transverse passageways through the
core components. These openings thus provide complete com-
munication in all directions, i.e. transversely and
longitudinally, horizontally and vertically, throughout the
eore, by way of and between the transverse passageways
defîned by the ribs 112, for liquid filtered through the
filter medium 9~ secured about the eore panel 90, and
through conduit 92 into the manifold 1~ or 18.
The filter medium 94 is secured in proper filtering
condition at edges of the filter eore panel 90 by sewing the
edges 122,122 of the medium together (~igures 9 and 11) or
securing them adhesively together, or by applying heat and
pressure upon these edges in overlapping relationship
(Figure 1), or by any other suitable means or proeess. Much
depends upon the features9 properties and nature of the
filter medium used and the means for sewing the material
together upon the core panel 90. As shown particularly in
~igure 11, the filter units 14 are arranged in staggered,
adjacent abutting lateral relationship, the filter medium
wrapped conduits abutting the medium wrapped core panels 90
at each side and at the distal ends thereof, leaving a very
narrow passage 124 between them. Of course, as the outside
diameter o~ conduit 92 increases, the passageway between
adjacent medium-wrapped cores also increases.
~3~
The conduit 92 is provided with a slot 130
extending from one end thereof the height dimension of the
core panel 90, the lower remaining end portion 102 there-
under being unslotted.
In order to maintain the filter leaves or units 14
level and even across the tank 12 from ~nanifol~ to manifold,
the distal free end of the units must be supported on rest
pads 128 which9 made of a suitable plastic material, are
adhesively secured to and upon the upper walls 58 of the
manifolds 16,18 in staggered spaced apart relationship, at a
horizontal level substantially even with the proximal end
support of the units 14 upon the 0-rings 1~0.
As an assist to hold the filter units 14 in place
on the manifolds 16,18 and to prevent their inadvertent rise
from the manifolds, hold-down bars 134 are secured at their
ends 136,136 by wing screws 138 to the end walls 36,38 of
the tank 12. The hold-down bars, made of a suitable plastic
: material, comprise a medial web portion 140, upstanding end
portions 1~2,14~ and overhang portions 1447144 which extend
outwardly and downwardly from the top free edge of the tank
walls 36,38. The wing screws 138 are threadedly engaged
with the overhang portions and the tank end walls to secure
the filter units firmly upon the manieolds. A foam rubber
or plastic strip 146 is secured to the longitudinal under-
side of the medial web portion 140 to engage the upper edges
of the filter units 14 and hold them more uniformly in
parallel spaced apart relationship. When filter units
require replacement or maintenance, they can easily be
removed and replaced, without tools, by disengaging the wing
screws from the tank end walls and merely lifting the hold-
down bars out o~ the way.
_g_
~;~3~35~
The polluted liquid input trough 24 comprises the
outer side wall 152, end walls 154,154 and a bottom wall
156. The discharge end 158 of the input conduit 74 dis-
charges the polluted liquid into the trough 24 from which it
passes over weir 76 onto the liquid distributing plate 48
that extends the length of the tank between the front and
rear end walls 38,36, respectively.
The overflow trough 26, outboard of the tank 12 as
is the input trough 24, comprises an outer side wall 166,
end walls 167,167, a bottom wall 1689 a downwardly tapering
funnel portion 170 and a discharge conduit 172 at the apex
of the funnel portion, to receive and discharge solids and
liquids that overflow the weir 174 at the entry of the
overflow trough. Such material can be conducted to a waste
chamber, or otherwise dealt with, depending upon the par-
ticular application for which the filter machine has been
designed.
The supplementary tank 30 ~Figure 12) is merely one
form of liquid supply unit that can be used to maintain a
relatively and substantially even level of liquid well above
the filter units 14 in tank 12 ~Nhen draining sludge from the
tank9 in order to avoid breaking the suction or negative
pressure generated in the filter units 14 by the suction
pump 22.
To remove floating debris and chunks of con-
taminants from the polluted input liquid and flush the same
over weir 174 and into the overflow discharge trough 269 the
supplementary clean liquid tank 30 is provided as one source
of such clean liquid.
--10--
~ ne form of the tank 30 comprises end walls
186,186, side walls 188,188, a bottom wall 190, a ciean
liquid input conduit 192, a float 194 guided by rod 196 in a
bearing 198 mounted on the side wall(s) 1~8~ a lever 200
pivotally mounted on the float and on the pivot pin 202, a
valve 204 pivotally suspended by the lever 206 from lever
200 at 208? and a discharge conduit 210 communicating with
the input trough 24 of tank 12 in any suitable way.
The clean liquid d;scharged from conduit 192 into
tank 30 raises the float 194 to a predetermined high level,
whereupon liquid is flushed through discharge conduit 210 in
substantially the same manner as a water closet is flushed
with a high-level float actuating the flush function. The
liquid level in the upper chamber 78 of tank 12 is thus
raised to the flushing level line for floating the solid
contaminants into the overflow trough 26. The time interval
for filling tank 30 to the flushing level is regulated by
valve V in conduit 192 on a time-period basis, on a need-to-
fill basis, or on any other suitable basis required by the
conditions under which filtering by the machine 10 is
needed. Preferably, there is a continuous overflow of
polluted liquid into the overflow trough 26.
In one such filter machine 10, the core panel 90
of filter unit 14 is approximately 3/4" in thickness, by
approximately 2 feet high, by approximately 4 feet long.
The conduit 92 conducting filtrate liquid from the core
panel 90 is approximately 1-3/8" in diameter. Of course,
the core panel 90 and conduit 92 can be made to other
dimensions, observing the several features of construction
described herein. ~lthough the complementary core components
~L~3~
1~0,110 have been made of polystyrene plastic material,
these elements can also be made of aluminum, stainless
steel, or other metal or plastic materials, depending upon
the application in which the filter machine will be used.
The manifold tubes 16,18 and 20 reinforce the side
and front tank walls 34,34 and 38 respectively, without any
appreciable interference with the settling sludge or solid
particles.
The filter cloth 94 or other medium, on each side
and edge of the filter core panel 90, can readily be cleaned
by hosing the cloth down with clean water or other suitable
liquid by a jet stream of such liquid.
Both light and heavy particles, polluting the
liquid to be flltered and clarified, are introduced at the
top of tank 12. The downward velocity of the particles is
such that the particles tend to settle directly to the bot-
tom of the tank, from which they can be remove~ by any of a
number of devices or systems well known in the art.
As has been stated above, the tank 12 and its
complementary components are preferably made of clear
acrylic plastic or equivalent materials. The filter unit
core panel 90 and conduit are preferably made of a
polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride resin or
equivalent material. The supplementary tank 30 and its com-
ponents may be made of a plastic or metal materials or com-
binations of the same, as is well known in the art.
It was found, after using prèssure to hose down and
wash the contaminants from the exterior surfaces of the
filter leaf medium, that portions of the filter medium
opened up at the sewing margins, where the sewing threads
-12-
~.2~3~;35~7
passed through the rneclium, sufficient to let solid partic]es
pass therethlollgh. To avoid such fault or imperfection, the
filter mediurn can be bonded to~ether at nlarglns of tlle core
panel 90 and discharge conduit 92 by adilesives, or heat and
pressure, or other suitable means depending upon the nature
and properties of the fllter medium,
~ -13-
