GB2146258A

GB2146258A - Divided-bed fluid filter

Info

Publication number: GB2146258A
Application number: GB08324204A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dennis Albert George Marshall
Original assignee: Marshall D A G
Current assignee: Marshall D A G
Priority date: 1983-09-09
Filing date: 1983-09-09
Publication date: 1985-04-17
Also published as: GB8324204D0; GB2146258B

Abstract

The invention relates to a divided-bed fluid filter having two planar filter elements (12, 14) with a baffle (20) arranged between them. The housing or casing (10) of the filter has two corridors or channels (34, 44) extending alongside the filter elements which serve as air or gas manifolds. The provision of these two manifolds (34, 44) gives rise to the advantage that inlet and outlet passages (28, 52) of the filter housing can be located in any one of a large number of alternative positions on the housing, and can be so orientated that air or other gas can enter and leave the housing in any one of a large number of alternative directions. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Divided-bed fluid filter This invention relates to divided-bed fluid filters for removing noxious substances from air or other gaseous streams. In particular, the invention is directed to a filter comprising at least two spaced-apart filter elements through which the air or other gas flows in two separate streams so that the velocity/resistance square law curve for the flow of fluid through the filter falls in the flatter part of the curve. In other words, the filter is of such a construction as to provide a substantial reduction in the pressure drop across the filter due to a substantial decrease in resistance.

Divided-bed filters of the above construction have already been described in my prior published Patent Publication No. 2.076.690A, and certain of the figures in that application show a form of filter in which the filter elements are each of planar shape. The present invention is concerned with an improvement in the construction of that particular form of filter in order to allow the inlet and outlet to and from the filter to be located in any one of a large number of alternative positions and to enter or leave the filter in any one of a large number of alternative directions.

With this aim in view, the invention is directed to a divided-bed filter comprising at least two spaced-apart filter elements of substantially planar form which are arranged in a single housing with a baffle between them in such a way that air or other gaseous fluid to be filtered is divided by the baffle into two separate streams on entering the housing with each stream passing through a respective one of the filter elements, in which a corridor or channel forming an air or gas manifold is provided between each filter element and a facing side wall of the housing, there being an opening into each manifold formed in an end wall of the housing or in the respective side wall of the housing.

An example of a filter in accordance with the invention is shown in section in the accompanying drawing which will now be described in detail.

The drawing shows a divided-bed filter comprising a generally rectangular casing 10 containing two separate filter elements 12 and 14. These filter elements can each be activated carbon units having at least two layers of celular material with the cells containing activated carbon particles. Alternatively, the two filter elements 12 and 14 can be formed of a filtering material such as pleated filtering paper or expanded foam material depending on the use to which the filter is to be put in practice. In short, the character of the filter elements 12 and 14 is not vital from the point of view of the present invention, apart from the fact that each of them is of planar form.

It will be seen that the two filter elements 12 and 14 lie parallel to each other and are staggered with respect to each other so that a passage 16 is formed at one end of the filter element 12 and a corresponding passage 18 is formed at the opposite end of the filter element 14. These two passages 16 and 18 are shut off from communication with each other by an inclined baffle 20 which extends from a point 22 at one end of the filter element 12 to a point 24 at the opposite end of the filter element 14. The baffle 20 extends across the full width of the casing 10 and is carefully sealed in the latter.

In the end wall 26 of the filter casing there is an inlet passage 28 which communicates with the passage 16 so that air or other gas entering the filter casing or housing through the passage 28 is able to flow into the passage 16 and then through the lower filter element 14 as indicated by the arrows 30 and 32. It will, however, be seen that a corridor or channel 34 is formed at the top of the filter between a side wall 36 of the casing and the flat surface 38 of the upper filter element 12.

The channel or corridor 34 extends the full length of the filter casing or housing and thus acts as an air or gas manifold for the upper filter element 12. Air or other gas entering the filter through the passage 28 therefore divides itself into two streams, one stream going into the passage 16 and then through the lower filter element 14, and the other stream going into the manifold 34 so as to pass through the upper filter element 12 as indicated by the arrows 40 and 42. Air or other gas passing through the upper filter element 12 enters the passage 18, while air or other gas passing through the lower filter element 14 enters a lower manifold 44 which corresponds to the upper manifold 34. In other words, the lower manifold 44 is formed as a corridor or channel between a flat lower surface 46 on the lower filter element 14 and a lower side wall 48 of the housing.

The two streams of air passing along the passage 18 and the manifold 44 meet each other in the zone 50 of the lower manifold 44 and then pass out of the filter housing or casing through an outlet passage 52 formed in the other end wall 54 of the filter housing or casing.

The provision of the two manifolds 34 and 44 gives rise to the advantage that the inlet and outlet passages 28 and 52 can be located in one of a large number of alternative positions on the filter housing or casing 10, and can bes orientated that air or other gas can enter and leave the filter housing or casing 10 in any one of a large number of alternative directions. Thus, although the specific filter shown in the drawing has the air inlet 28 in an end wall 26 of the filter casing so that air or other gas enters the filter in a direction parallel to the filter elements 12 and 14, that inlet passage 28 can just as easily be provided along any part of the side wall 36 of the filter casing so as to allow air or other gas to enter the filter in a direction lying, say, at right angles to the filter elements 12 and 14.

Exactly the same applies to the outlet passage 52 which could equally well be located in the bottom side wall 48 of the filter casing 10.

Yet another alternative would be for the inlet and the outlet passages to be located at one end only of the filter casing, i.e., by providing the outlet passage 52 in the part 56 of the end wall 26 of the casing.

It will therefore be seen that the filter shown in the drawing can be installed in a large number of different positions because of the facilities with which the inlet and outlet passages can be provided in different parts of the filter casing. This is of great practical importance and enables the filter to be used in situations where it would otherwise be wellnigh impossible to fit it.

Claims

1. A divided-bed fluid filter for removing noxious substances from air or other gaseous streams, comprising at least two spaced-apart filter elements of substantially planar form which are arranged in a single casing or housing with a baffle between them in such a way that air or other gaseous fluid to be filtered is divided by the baffle into two separate streams on entering the housing with each stream passing through a respective one of the filter elements, in which, to permit an inlet and an outlet of the filter to be located in any one of a number of alternative positions and to permit air or other gas to enter and leave the filter in any one of a number of alternative directions, a corridor or channel forming an air or gas manifold is provided between each filter element and a facing side wall of the housing, there being an opening into each manifold to serve as an inlet or an outlet with the opening being formed in an end wall of the housing or in a respective side wall of the housing.

2. A fluid filter according to claim 1, in which the casing or housing is of generally rectangular form with the two filter elements lying substantially parallel to each other and staggered with respect to each other so that a passage is formed at one end of one filter element and a corresponding passage is formed at the opposite end of the other filter element. the said two passages being shut off from comunication with each other by the baffle which extends from a point at one end of one filter element to a point at the opposite end of the other filter element, the baffle being arranged to extend across the full width of the casing and being sealed in the latter.

3. A fluid filter according to claim 1 or claim 2, in each channel or corridor extends the full length of the filter casing or housing.

4. A fluid filter substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.