Liquid purification or separation – Filter – Movable medium
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-25
2001-04-10
Walker, W. L. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Filter
Movable medium
C210S085000, C210S388000, C055S292000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213311
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for countering the clogging of a filter for a fluid, in particular a liquid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
For a large number of existing filters, the problem arises that the filtering elements become clogged by particles, which substantially reduces the capacity of the filter during its operation.
In order to remedy this loss of capacity, it is necessary to schedule regular maintenance operations, during which the clogged filtering element is replaced or the filtering element is cleaned by external means.
However, these regular maintenance operations occur at frequent intervals, and on every occasion they lead to a temporary shut down of the filtering process and therefore a shut down of the plant of which the filter forms a part, and this has an unfavourable effect on the operating cost of this plant.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to overcome this drawback by providing a device for countering the clogging of a filter which allows the filtering performance of the filter to be improved substantially, in particular in the long term, by reducing the frequency at which the maintenance operations occur on account of clogging of the filtering element.
To this end, the invention relates to a device for countering the clogging of a filter for a fluid, in particular a liquid, having a filtering element arranged in a filter cavity bounded by an outer casing, characterized in that it comprises at least one ultrasound emitter and associated means for coupling the ultrasound emitted by the emitter into the said cavity, in the direction of the filtering element, in order to prevent the filtering element from becoming clogged during operation of the filter.
The filtering device according to the invention may furthermore include one or more of the following characteristics:
the ultrasound emitted by each emitter has a frequency of between 30 and 50 kHz, and in particular 40 kHz,
the emission power of each emitter is in excess of 100 W, in particular between 100 W and 400 W, or in excess of 600 W,
for each ultrasound emitter, the coupling means comprise an oscillating mass which is interposed between the ultrasound emitter and the cavity, and which is acoustically tuned with respect to the geometry of the cavity and that of the filtering element,
the oscillating mass is made of metal,
each oscillating mass surrounds the filter and is in intimate contact with it,
for one oscillating mass, it includes at least two ultrasound emitters arranged on both sides of the filter,
each oscillating mass includes a passage intended to form the outer casing of the filter,
each oscillating mass includes a passage intended to contain the outer casing of the filter,
a transfer medium, in particular a grease, is provided between the oscillating mass and the outer casing of the filter,
in the case when the filter is a filter for tangentially filtering a liquid, the outer casing of which is formed by a tube, and the filtering element of which has a tubular shape and is arranged substantially coaxially in the tube so as to divide the cavity into a central part, through which the liquid to be filtered passes, and a peripheral part for accumulation of filtrate, a filtrate outlet being formed in the wall of the casing, the device for countering clogging includes at least two ultrasound emitters and two associated means for coupling the ultrasound emitted by the emitters into the cavity, the emitters and the associated coupling means being arranged respectively on either side of the filtrate outlet,
the emission direction of each emitter is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the outer casing and of the filtering element,
each oscillating mass surrounds the outer casing of the filter and includes at least one recess extending in a longitudinal plane containing the axis of the filter, perpendicular to the emission direction of the corresponding emitter, in order to concentrate the intensity of the ultrasound at the filtering element,
it furthermore comprises a unit for intermittently activating each emitter,
it comprises a sensor for measuring the degree to which the filtering element is clogged, means for comparing the measured degree of clogging with a predefined threshold, which activate the said at least one ultrasound emitter when the degree to which the filtering element is clogged exceeds a predefined threshold,
the sensor for measuring the degree to which the filtering element is clogged is a flow meter for measuring the flow rate of the filtrate obtained.
The invention also relates to a filtering device comprising a filter for a fluid, in particular a liquid, having a filtering element arranged in a filter cavity bounded by an outer casing, characterized in that it furthermore comprises a device for countering clogging of the filter defined above.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4028232 (1977-06-01), Wallis
patent: 4253962 (1981-03-01), Thompson
patent: 4282100 (1981-08-01), Kunishio et al.
patent: 4753257 (1988-06-01), Gabriel et al.
patent: 4861494 (1989-08-01), Bratten
patent: 4946602 (1990-08-01), Ekberg et al.
patent: 5059331 (1991-10-01), Goyal
patent: 5085772 (1992-02-01), Busch-Sorenson
patent: 5102534 (1992-04-01), Gabet
E.I.F.
Ocampo Marianne S.
Walker W. L.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
Filter having a device for countering the clogging of the... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Filter having a device for countering the clogging of the..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Filter having a device for countering the clogging of the... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2530541