GB476422A - Improvements in or relating to liquid refiners and method for refining liquids - Google Patents

Abstract

The refining element of apparatus for purifying liquids, particularly fuel and lubricating oils, benzine and other light hydrocarbons, and raw sugar juice, comprises a finely-divided adsorbent material so interspersed with lumps or wads of fibrous filtering material that packing is prevented. The adsorbent material may be activated, e.g. chemically activated clay which may be a mixture of coarse and fine particles. The fibrous material may be mineral wool, rock wool, cotton waste, asbestos, curled hair, or steel wool. The apparatus may be fitted in the lubrication circuit of an internal-combustion engine or other power plant. As shown in Fig. 1, the apparatus consists of an outer casing containing a shell 4<1> built up of inner and outer shells 98, 99, foraminous except near their ends, enclosing a felt pack 97, the shell 4<1> being reinforced by hollow foraminous ribs 16<1>. At each end of the shell 4<1> a chamber 96 is formed by a foraminous cup-shaped member 95 and an imperforate cover 93. An inner foraminous shell 8<1> is closed at both ends by a cup-shaped member 88 on which rest baffle-plates C<1>. A central hollow stem 91 is provided with slots 90 and surrounded by a diffusion member 85, e.g. a close-coiled spring outside which is a layer of felt 9<1>. The compartment between the shells 4<1> and 8<1> is filled with material 10<1> consisting of activated clay interspersed with lumps 71 of fibrous material. The compartment between the felt 9<1> and the shell 8<1> is filled with refining material 10<11> preferably granular magnesium oxide with or without magnesium carbonate. In modifications, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), the shells 98, 99 are foraminous right to the ends and the ribs 16<1> are omitted. In operation, oil enters the refiner at 79 or 74 and leaves at 76 or 73, or vice versa, the whole passing through the materials 10<1> and 10<11>; channelling is prevented by the baffles C<1>, and some oil seeps into and out of the chambers 96. The Specification as open to inspection under <PICT:0476422/III/1> Sect. 91 comprises also the use of finely-divided activated synthetic or other clay, e.g. chemically activated fuller's earth, with or without coarse particles of the same or of pumice, infusorial earth, diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr, or Bentonite, thoroughly mixed with a suspensory mass of mineral wool, rock wool, asbestos, cotton waste, curled hair, steel wool, sawdust, or sand. As shown in Fig. 1 (Cancelled), an outer casing contains an outer corrugated shell 4 reinforced by hollow foraminous ribs 16. The corrugations may be longitudinal. Inner shells 7 and 8 retain a filter 9 of felt, asbestos, cloth, mineral wool, curled hair, or sawdust. The shells 4, 7 and 8 are foraminous except near their ends, and are closed at each end by bevelled discs 5, the bevels of which are covered with felt, provided with foraminous baffles C, e.g. of wire cloth. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.