Fluid strainer

Details Fluid strainer Fluid strainer

1992-03-02

1993-08-24

Savage, Matthew O.

Liquid purification or separation

Filter

With residue removing means or agitation of liquid

2104161, B01D 2966

Patent

active

052385663

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to strainers which can be used for the removal of solid or liquid particles or other contaminating material from a fluid, for example plankton from seawater, particles from a gas, or sand from a liquid. The particles may be of various shapes and sizes e.g. from several microns to several millimeters.
Water is used to maintain the pressure of liquid in natural submarine petroleum reservoirs but many of the reservoirs are in the form of porous rocks, and plankton can, if permitted to enter the rocks, choke the small pores thereby making it more difficult to inject water into the reservoir. For this reason it is desirable to employ water from which contaminants such as plankton have been removed.
Strainers usually have one or more openings and the fluid, from which the contaminating material is to be removed, passes through the opening(s). The material that is prevented from passing through the opening(s) may be too large to fit through the opening(s), or may be prevented from passing therethrough by some other means, for example an electrostatic force. Fluid that has been derived from contaminated fluid, by passing the latter through the opening(s) of a strainer, may be called a decontaminated fluid.
A phenomenon which occurs with many strainers is the blockage of the opening(s) by the residue of the particles or other entrained contaminating material which have been filtered or strained out of the fluid. The blockage of the opening(s) will usually restrict the flow of fluid through the opening(s) and increase the pressure difference between the contaminated fluid and decontaminated fluid.
In particular applications, such as the removal of plankton from seawater, it may be beneficial to remove the residue from the vicinity of the opening(s). This can enable a greater flow of fluid to pass through the opening(s), or cause a decrease in any potential build-up of pressure difference between the contaminated fluid and the decontaminated fluid. The removal of the residue may be effected on a continuous basis or may be carried out on a periodic basis.
There are a number of techniques employed for the removal of residue from the vicinity of the opening(s). Some techniques currently employed include the following.
(1) The passage of decontaminated fluid, or some other fluid, in the reverse direction through the opening(s). This flow in the reverse direction is known as backwashing. The fluid flowing in the reverse direction may flush away at least some of the residue from the vicinity of the opening(s); and there are various ways of effecting the backwashing.
(2) The use of apparatus to scrape the residue away from the vicinity of the opening(s).
(3) The rotation of the component provided with the opening(s) to allow centrifugal force to move the residue away from the vicinity of the opening(s).
(4) Chemical modification of the residue by, for instance, the use of an acid, solvent or some other chemical agent to dissolve the residue or allow the residue to be removed by other means.
(5) The alteration of the geometry or size of the opening(s), so as to permit dislodging of the residue or passage of the residue through the opening(s) whereupon it is discharged, but not sent to join the decontaminated fluid.
(6) The vibration of the residue.
(7) The spraying of the residue with a fluid which treats the residue.
Problems associated with existing backwashing methods used at least to partially remove the residue are as follows.
(A) The backwashing fluid does not remove all of the residue from the vicinity of the opening(s). In many circumstances a low percentage of the residue is removed from the vicinity of the opening(s), whereas it is usually preferable to remove a large percentage or all of the residue from the vicinity of the opening(s). Additionally, there is a tendency for the backwashing fluid to flow through the opening(s) in such a manner as to cause minimal pressure drop between the upstream and downstream side of the opening(s), for the particular flow rate of backwash fluid which is pa

REFERENCES:
patent: 2312999 (1943-03-01), DeLanger
patent: 3994810 (1976-11-01), Schaeffer

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