Apparatus for filtering solids from gases

Claim 1

A DUST FILTERING APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A POLYGONAL, AIR-TIGHT HOUSING DIVIDED TRANSVERSELY BY A HORIZONTAL PARTITION INTO AN UPPER CHAMBER AND A LOWER CHAMBER, SAID PARTITION HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES, A VERTICALLY DISPOSED CONDUIT CENTRALLY PASSING THROUGH THE TOP OF SAID HOUSING AND SAID PARTITION, SAID CONDUIT HAVING AN OUTLET OPENING AT ITS LOWER END WHEREBY A GAS HAVING SUSPENDED DUST THEREIN IS INTRODUCED INTO SUBSTANTIALLY THE MIDDLE OF SAID LOWER CHAMBER, SAID UPPER CHAMBER BEING SUBDIVIDED INTO A PLURALITY OF ADJACENT TRIANGULAR-SHAPED FILTERING COMPARTMENTS WHICH ENCIRCLE SAID CONDUIT AND ARE EQUIDISTANT THEREFROM, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL SPACED, VERTICALLY FIXED, FILTER BAGS SUSPENDED IN EACH OF SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS BY THEIR CLOSED UPPER ENDS, THE OPEN LOWER ENDS OF SAID FILTER BAGS BEING IN SEALED COMMUNICATION WITH SAID APERTURES, EACH OF SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS HAVING AN OUTLET STACK FOR REMOVING DUST-FREE GAS INTO SAID COMPARTMENTS, SAID OUTLET STACK HAVING A NORMALLY OPEN SOLENOID ACTUATED VALVE THEREIN, FIRST CONDUIT MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY REINTRODUCING A PORTION OF SAID DUST-FREE GAS INTO SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS UNDER PRESSURE WHEREBY DUST DEPOSITED ON THE INSIDES OF SAID FILTER BAGS IS DISLODGED AND PERMITTED TO FALL THROUGH APERTURES INTO SAID LOWER CHAMBER, SAID FIRST CONDUIT MEANS HAVING A NORMALLY CLOSED SOLENOID ACTUATED VALVE THEREIN, AT LEAST TWO OF SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS SERVING AS SOURCES OF DUSTFREE FOR THE PURPOSE OF REPRESSURIZING SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS, EACH OF THE LATTER FILTERING COMPARTMENTS HAVING SECOND CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH A COMPRESSOR AND A REPRESSURIZING GAS HEADER, EACH OF SAID SECOND CONDUIT MEANS HAVING A SOLENOID ACTUATED VALVE THEREIN, SAID FIRST CONDUIT MEANS COMMUCATING WITH SAID HEADER, MEANS PERIODICALLY ACTUATING THE SAID SOLENOID ACTUATED VALVES OF EACH FILTERING COMPARTMENT ACCORDING TO A PREDETERMINED TIMED SEQUENCE WHEREBY SAID FILTERING COMPARTMENTS ARE REPRESSURIZED WITH SAID DUSTFREE GAS, REVOLVING SCRAPING MEANS IN SAID LOWER CHAMBER, AND CONVEYING MEANS FOR REMOVING COLLECTED DUST FROM SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT.