Liquid purification or separation – Magnetic
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-09
2003-06-17
Reifsnyder, David A. (Department: 1723)
Liquid purification or separation
Magnetic
C210S304000, C210S313000, C210S512100, C210S512200, C096S001000, C096S002000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06579454
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a magnetic separator for separating particles from a fluid, comprising a collection chamber through which the fluid is arranged to flow, and a device for producing a magnetic field by means of which the particles are retained in a collector region of the collection chamber during a collection phase.
Such magnetic separators are known from the state of the art.
In the case of magnetic separators of the type mentioned hereinabove, the particles retained in the collector region of the collection chamber during the collection phase are discharged from the collection chamber during a discharge phase by flushing a fluid through the collection chamber in the reverse direction. It is disadvantageous hereby, that the considerable amount of fluid used for expelling the particles from the collection chamber is discharged, together with the particles that are to be separated, from the magnetic separator and is therefore lost.
Consequently the object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic separator of the type mentioned hereinabove wherein only a small quantity of fluid is lost when the particles that were retained in the collector region of the collection chamber are removed from the collection chamber after the collection phase.
In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved in the case of a magnetic separator having the features mentioned in the first part of claim 1 in that the magnetic separator comprises a sluice chamber having a closable inlet opening through which the particles collected in the collection chamber are transferable into the sluice chamber, and also having a closable extraction opening through which the particles are removable from the sluice chamber.
The advantage offered by the concept in accordance with the invention, is that the quantity of fluid, which is discharged together with the particles, is restricted to the volume remaining in the sluice chamber after the transfer of the particles that were collected in the collection chamber into the sluice chamber. This residual volume can be kept very small, firstly by appropriate selection of the size of the sluice chamber and secondly by appropriate selection of the quantity of particles retained in the collector region of the collection chamber during the collection phase. Moreover, due to the presence of the sluice chamber, it is possible to transfer the particles that were collected in the collection chamber out of the collector region into the interior of the sluice chamber without first having to drain the fluid requiring cleaning from the collection chamber.
The magnetic separator in accordance with the invention is particularly suitable for stripping ferrite particles from fluids, such as washings, cooling lubricants or oils, for example.
However the magnetic separator may also be used for separating ferrite particles from streams of gas and especially from air streams, for example, for cleaning the exhaust air from an abrasion dust extraction plant.
Furthermore, it has been established experimentally that non-ferrite particles, especially very fine aluminium particles, are also separable from a fluid by means of the magnetic separator in accordance with the invention.
The magnetic separator in accordance with the invention may be employed as a main stream magnetic separator in a circulating fluid system, for example in a scouring, cooling lubricant, or oil circulation system.
As an alternative thereto, it is also possible to employ the magnetic separator in a bypass line, for example, for bath maintenance purposes in washing baths or cooling lubricant plants.
The magnetic separator in accordance with the invention is easily integratable into fluid lines and reliably prevents the storage and/or operational containers in a fluid circulating system from silting up.
In a preferred embodiment of the magnetic separator, the sluice chamber is disposed below the collection chamber. This thereby ensures that the particles that are retained in the collector region of the collection chamber will fall into the sluice chamber under the effect of gravity after the magnetic field has been switched off or removed.
In principle, the sluice chamber could have any shape, cylindrical for example.
However, it is preferred to have a sluice chamber which tapers, preferably conically, towards the extraction opening.
In order to enable the sluice chamber to be easily emptied, the extraction opening is preferably disposed at the lower end of the sluice chamber so that the particles will fall out of the sluice chamber and into a collection container disposed therebelow due to the effect of gravity after the extraction opening has been opened.
Furthermore, for the purposes of completely emptying the sluice chamber, it is expedient for the extraction opening to extend over the entire base of the sluice chamber.
Furthermore, complete emptying of the sluice chamber can be assisted by providing the inner surface of the wall of the sluice chamber at least partially with a non-stick coating, preferably with a non-stick coating of polytetrafluoroethylene.
In principle, any form of closure device could be used for closing the inlet opening of the sluice chamber.
In a preferred embodiment of the magnetic separator, provision is made for the inlet opening to be closable by means of a pivotal flap.
In principle, any form of closure device could also be used for closing the extraction opening of the sluice chamber.
In a preferred embodiment of the magnetic separator, provision is made for the extraction opening to be closable by means of a slider.
As already mentioned, the maximum volume of fluid, which is discharged by the sluice chamber together with the particles, corresponds to the difference between the volume of the interior of the sluice chamber and the volume of the particles transferred into the sluice chamber.
In order to keep the volume of the fluid that is discharged together with the particles as small as possible, it is therefore of advantage if the volume of the interior of the sluice chamber substantially corresponds to the volume of particles collected in the collection chamber during the collection phase.
In principle, the fluid could flow through the collection chamber in any arbitrary direction, particularly in any horizontal or vertical direction.
In a preferred embodiment of the magnetic separator, provision is made for the fluid to flow from top to bottom through the collection chamber. It is thereby ensured that the inflow of the fluid into the collection chamber will be arranged above the collector region so that the particles will not be able to fall from the collector region into the fluid inlet feed.
It is expedient if the magnetic separator comprises guide means for producing a substantially helical flow through the collection chamber. Due to the helical flow, there thus arises a so-called cyclone effect, i.e. the particles being separated, which generally have a greater density than the fluid, will be accelerated towards the (relative to the helical axis of the helical stream) radially outwardly located boundary walls of the collection chamber by the centrifugal forces effective thereon. Thus, by virtue of the cyclone effect, separation of the particles that are to be separated from the fluid will commence immediately, and the particles requiring separation then only need to be retained on said radially outward boundary walls.
In this case, it is particularly expedient for the device for producing the magnetic field to be arranged close to the radially outer boundary walls of the collection chamber and for it to produce a magnetic field by means of which the particles will be retained on the radially outer boundary walls of the collection chamber.
The magnetic separator is particularly easy to manufacture and arrange in space-saving manner if the collection chamber has a substantially cylindrical shape.
For the purposes of producing the cyclone effect which has already been described hereinabove, it is advantageous if the collection chamber has an inlet feed throu
Durr Ecoclean GmbH
Leydig , Voit & Mayer, Ltd.
Reifsnyder David A.
LandOfFree
Magnetic separator does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Magnetic separator, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Magnetic separator will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3090954