Apparatus and process for continuous concentration of solids from a solids-containing fluid

Claim 2

A dynamic concentrator for separating a filtrate and a concentrated slurry from a solids-containing fluid, said concentrator comprising () a housing defining an enclosed separation chamber; (2) an inlet in said housing for the introduction of a pressurized solids-containing fluid into said chamber; (3) a first outlet in said housing; (4) at least one filter means comprising a filter chamber with at least one filtering surface thereon mounted in stationary relationship within said housing in the flow path of said solids-containing fluid between said inlet and said first outlet, said filtering surface disposed for passing a filtrate therethrough into the interior of the filter chamber from the solids-containing fluid; (5) a second outlet in said housing connected to the interior of said filter chamber for discharging the filtrate from said separation chamber and said filter means, said first outlet in said housing being constructed and arranged to discharge therethrough a concentrated slurry of solids produced by the removal of the filtrate from the solids-containing fluid, and (6) a rotor means rotatably mounted in said housing on a longitudinal axis thereof and disposed to have a motor means connected thereto for imposing rotation thereon, said rotor means having at least one radial element extending radially outwardly of said axis toward the interior surface of said housing but terminating in spaced relation thereto sufficient for fluid flow therebetween and having at least one blade projecting laterally from said radial element toward the filtering surface of said filter means parallel with said longitudinal axis of said rotor, said blade having an edge adjacent but spaced from said filtering surface and constructed and arranged to permit an initial build-up and the maintenance of a filter cake layer of predetermined thickness over said filtering surface by the rotation of said blade during the passage of solids-containing fluid through said housing from said inlet to said first outlet and the passage of filtrate through said filtering surface and into the chamber of its filter means and out of said second outlet.

Claim 3

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inlet in said housing is formed in a front end plate of said housing and the first outlet in said housing is formed in a rear end plate thereof, said concentrator having inlet and outlet separation chambers within said housing adjacent said inlet and outlet end plates respectively and further having at least one turbulator element comprising a perforated blade mounted to said rotor means within each said inlet and outlet separation chambers, said turbulators extending outwardly from said rotor means toward the interior surfaces of the inlet and outlet separation chambers respectively and each of said turbulators having an edge region adjacent but spaced aT least slightly apart from the interior surface of the housing and being so constructed and arranged that a substantial accumulation of solids on the interior surfaces of the housing in the regions of said inlet and outlet separation chambers is prevented by rotation of the turbulator and rotor combination within those separation chambers.

Claim 4

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inlet in said housing is formed in a front end plate of said housing and the first outlet in said housing is formed in a rear end plate thereof, said concentrator having inlet and outlet separation chambers within said housing adjacent said inlet and outlet end plates respectively and said rotor means further comprising turbulator means mounted to said rotor within each said inlet and outlet separation chambers, said turbulator means being formed of a plurality of planar turbulator elements characterized by first and second edges and radiating outwardly from the longitudinal axis of said rotor means and extending out into said inlet and said outlet separation chambers, the first edges of said turbulator elements being adjacent but spaced apart from nearby filtering surfaces and the second edges of said turbulator elements being adjacent but spaced at least slightly apart from the interior surface of said housing whereby said turbulator elements are constructed and arranged to permit an initial build-up and the maintenance of filter cake layers of predetermined thickness over the filtering surfaces and to prevent substantial accumulation of solids in said inlet and outlet separation chambers by rotation of said turbulator means during the passage of solids-containing fluid through said housing from said inlet to said first outlet and the passage of filtrate from said filter means to said second outlet, and circular supporting members connecting the outer edges of each of said turbulators with the center points of said supporting members substantially coinciding with said longitudinal axis.

Claim 5

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 3 wherein said rotor means has a rotor shaft mounted on the longitudinal axis within said housing passing coaxially through said concentrator and said turbulator means in said inlet and said outlet separation chambers comprises a plurality of generally planar elements radially mounted to said rotor shaft with the plane of each of said elements being substantially parallel to the axis of said shaft, and wherein said planar elements are shaped generally to conform to the longitudinal cross sectional area of the inlet and outlet separation chambers respectively in spaced relation at their edges to the interior surfaces of those chambers.

Claim 6

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said rotor means includes at least one plough member mounted on the periphery of said radial element and extending outwardly therefrom toward the interior surface of said housing but terminating in spaced relation thereto, said plough member serving to deter accumulation of solids between said radial element and said housing as said rotor means is rotated.

Claim 7

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said radial element is substantially imperforate with said blade projecting perpendicularly therefrom.

Claim 8

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blade edge is spaced apart from said filtering surface a distance of approximately one thirty-second (1/32) inch.

Claim 9

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said blade edge is spaced apart from said filtering surface a distance in the range of approximately one sixteenth (1/16) to one thirty-second (1/32) inch.

Claim 10

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said filter means is configured substantially circularly and the filtering surface thereof has an outer diameter of approximately 24 inches.

Claim 11

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 wherein said filter means is configured substantially circularly and tHe filtering surface thereof has an outer diameter in the range of approximately 6 to 96 inches.

Claim 12

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 1 having a plurality of said filter means mounted within said housing extending over transverse cross-sections thereof and coaxially spaced apart therein in the flow path of said solids-containing fluid, each of said filter means being characterized by a central opening and said rotor means having a shaft portion with clearance for flow of solids-containing fluid through the central openings in said filter means and having further a plurality of said radial elements mounted coaxially on said shaft portion between successive ones of said plurality of filter means.

Claim 13

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of said radial elements is characterized by a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings adjacent said shaft portion of said rotor means for passage of a portion of said solids-containing fluid through said radial elements.

Claim 14

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 11 wherein each of said radial elements has at least one plough member mounted on its periphery and extending outwardly therefrom toward the interior surface of said housing but terminating in spaced relation thereto, said plough members serving to deter accumulation of solids between said radial elements and said housing as said rotor means is rotated.

Claim 15

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 11 wherein each filter means of said plurality thereof comprises a filter chamber characterized by one side and another opposite side and having a filtering surface on each of said sides, and wherein further each radial element of said plurality thereof is characterized by one side and another opposite side and at least one radial element has at least one blade on each side thereof projecting laterally therefrom in edge-spaced relationship to a filtering surface of an adjacent filter means.

Claim 16

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 11 in which each radial element of said plurality thereof is characterized by one side and another, opposite side and has a plurality of blades projecting laterally from at least one of those sides in edge-spaced relationship to a filtering surface of an adjacent filter means.

Claim 17

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 15 further comprising a valve in said first outlet for controlling the discharge of concentrated slurry from that outlet.

Claim 18

A dynamic concentrator as set forth in claim 15 wherein the inlet in said housing is formed in a front end plate of said housing and the first outlet in said housing is formed in a rear end plate thereof, said concentrator having inlet and outlet separation chambers within said housing adjacent said inlet and outlet end plates respectively and further having at least one turbulator element comprising a perforated blade mounted to said rotor means within each said inlet and outlet separation chambers, said turbulators extending outwardly from said rotor means toward the interior surfaces of the inlet and outlet separation chambers respectively and each of said turbulators having an edge region adjacent but spaced at least slightly apart from the interior surface of the housing and being so constructed and arranged that substantial accumulation of solids on the interior surfaces of the housing in the regions of said inlet and outlet separation chambers is prevented by rotation of the turbulator and rotor combination within those separation chambers.

Claim 19

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A CONCENTRATED SLURRY AND A FILTRATE FROM A SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) INTRODUCING A SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID INTO ONE END OF A HOUSING CHARACTERIZED BY SAID ONE END AND ANOTHER, OPPOSITE END AND CONTAINING (I) AT LEAST ONE FILTER MEANS COMPRISING A FILTER CHAMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE FILTERING SURFACE, THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHAMBER BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION ,THE INTERIOR, OF SAID CHAMBER BEING FLUID COMMUNICATION BEING DISPOSED IN A PATH WHEREALONG FLUID MAY FLOW THROUGH SAID HOUSING, AND (II) A ROTOR MEANS INCLUDING AN EDGED BLADE DISPOSED TO BE ROTATED WITH ITS EDGE TURNING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH AND IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID FILTERING SURFACE; (2) FLOWING SAID SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH SAID HOUSING PAST AND AGAINST SAID FILTERING SURFACE AND THEREBY AND THEREAT EFFECTING A SEPARATION OF SAID FLUID INTO A CONCENTRATED SLURRY FLOWING PAST SAID FILTERING MEANS AND A FILTRATE ENTERING SAID FILTER CHAMBER; (3) DISCHARGING THE CONCENTRATED SLURRY FROM SAID OTHER, OPPOSITE END OF SAID HOUSING AND THE FILTRATE FROM SAID FILTER CHAMBER; (4) SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE EFFECTING OF SAID SEPARATION FORMING A FILTER CAKE LAYER ON SAID FILTERING SURFACE OF SOLIDS DEPOSITED THEREON FROM SAID SOLIDSCONTAINING FLUID, AND (5) THEN AND THEREAFTER MAINTAINING SAID FILTER CAKE LAYER AT A PREDETERMINED THICKNESS BY ROTATION OF THE BLADE OF SAID ROTOR MEANS ACORSS THAT LAYER.

Claim 20

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING A CONCENTRATED SLURRY AND A FILTRATE FROM A SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID, SAID PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF (1) INTRODUCING A SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID INTO ONE END OF A HOUSING CHARACTERIZED BY SAID ONE END AND ANOTHER, OPPOSITE END AND CONTAINING (I) AT LEAST ONE FILTER MEANS COMPRISING A FILTER CHAMBER HAVING AT LEAST ONE FILTERING SURFACE, THE INTERIOR OF SAID CHAMBER BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION ,THE INTERIOR, OF SAID CHAMBER BEING FLUID COMMUNICATION BEING DISPOSED IN A PATH WHEREALONG FLUID MAY FLOW THROUGH SAID HOUSING, AND (II) A ROTOR MEANS INCLUDING AN EDGED BLADE DISPOSED TO BE ROTATED WITH ITS EDGE TURNING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH AND IN SPACED RELATION TO SAID FILTERING SURFACE; (2) FLOWING SAID SOLIDS-CONTAINING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE THROUGH SAID HOUSING PAST AND AGAINST SAID FILTERING SURFACE AND THEREBY AND THEREAT EFFECTING A SEPARATION OF SAID FLUID INTO A CONCENTRATED SLURRY FLOWING PAST SAID FILTERING MEANS AND A FILTRATE ENTERING SAID FILTER CHAMBER; (3) DISCHARGING THE CONCENTRATED SLURRY FROM SAID OTHER, OPPOSITE END OF SAID HOUSING AND THE FILTRATE FROM SAID FILTER CHAMBER; (4) SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THE EFFECTING OF SAID SEPARATION FORMING A FILTER CAKE LAYER ON SAID FILTERING SURFACE OF SOLIDS DEPOSITED THEREON FROM SAID SOLIDSCONTAINING FLUID, AND (5) THEN AND THEREAFTER MAINTAINING SAID FILTER CAKE LAYER AT A PREDETERMINED THICKNESS BY ROTATION OF THE BLADE OF SAID ROTOR MEANS ACORSS THAT LAYER.

Claim 21

A process as set forth in claim 18 wherein said solids-containing fluid is selected from a group of fluids the solids of any of which form a hard, porous and substantially friable filter cake layer when deposited on said filtering surface.

Claim 22

A process as set forth in claim 18 including the step of moving said solids-containing fluid under pressure radially across said filtering surface and the solids deposited thereon by rotation of the blade of said rotor means.

Claim 23

A process as set forth in claim 18 including the step of producing a continuously moving wave of fluid across the surface of said filter cake layer by rotation of the blade of said rotor means thereby effecting hydraulic scrubbing of that surface.

Claim 24

A process as set forth in claim 18 including the step of pressurizing said solids-containing fluid sufficiently that that fluid is flowed through said housing at a pressure exceeding 200 pounds per square inch (psig).

Claim 25

A process as set forth in claim 18 including the step of pressurizing said solids-containing fluid sufficiently that that fluid is flowed through said housing at a pressure in the range of 100 to 375 pounds per square inch (psig).

Claim 26

A process for separating a concentrated slurry and a filtrate from a solids-containing fluid, said process comprising the steps of (1) introducing a solids-containing fluid into one end of a housing characterized by said one end and another, opposite end and having a longitudinal axis and containing (i) a plurality of annular filter means each comprising a filter chamber having at least one filtering surface located diametrally thereon, said filter means being arranged serially in spaced relation one to another along the longitudinal axis of said housing with their filter chambers being in fluid communication with the exterior of said housing, and (ii) a rotor means including (a) a shaft passing coaxially with fluid flow clearance through the central openings of said annular filter means, (b) a plurality of radially extensive discs fixed to that shaft and arranged thereon serially between successive ones of said filter means in spaced relation on each side thereto and terminating radially with fluid flow clearance between their outer peripheries and the interior surface of said housing whereby a sinuous fluid flow path is created between facing diametral surfaces of said annular filter members and said rotor discs with inner turns between the inner peripheries of said filter members and the outer surface of said shaft and outer turns between the outer peripheries of said rotor discs and the interior surface of said housing, and (c) at least one radially extensive edged blade on each of said rotor discs on the diametral surface thereof facing the filtering surface of an adjacent filter means with the edges of said blades being in spaced relation to said filtering surfaces; (2) flowing said solids-containing fluid under pressure through said housing by way of said sinuous path pasT and against said filtering surfaces and thereby and thereat effecting a separation of said fluid into an increasingly concentrated slurry flowing past successive filter means and a filtrate entering the filter chambers thereof; (3) discharging the fully concentrated slurry from said other, opposite end of said housing and the filtrate from said filter chambers; (4) simultaneously with the effecting of said separation forming filter cake layers on said filtering surfaces of solids deposited thereon from said solids-containing fluid, and (5) then and thereafter maintaining said filter cake layers at predetermined thicknesses by rotation of the blades of said rotor means across those layers.

Claim 27

A process for separating a concentrated slurry and a filtrate from a solids-containing fluid, said process comprising the steps of (1) introducing a solids-containing fluid into one end of a housing characterized by said one end and another, opposite end and having a longitudinal axis and containing (i) a plurality of annular filter means each comprising a filter chamber having at least one filtering surface located diametrally thereon, said filter means being arranged serially in spaced relation one to another along the longitudinal axis of said housing with their filter chambers being in fluid communication with the exterior of said housing, and (ii) a rotor means including (a) a shaft passing coaxially with fluid flow clearance through the central openings of said annular filter means, (b) a plurality of radially extensive discs fixed to that shaft and arranged thereon serially between successive ones of said filter means in spaced relation on each side thereto and terminating radially with fluid flow clearance between their outer peripheries and the interior surface of said housing whereby a sinuous fluid flow path is created between facing diametral surfaces of said annular filter members and said rotor discs with inner turns between the inner peripheries of said filter members and the outer surface of said shaft and outer turns between the outer peripheries of said rotor discs and the interior surface of said housing, and (c) at least one radially extensive edged blade on each of said rotor discs on the diametral surface thereof facing the filtering surface of an adjacent filter means with the edges of said blades being in spaced relation to said filtering surfaces; (2) flowing said solids-containing fluid under pressure through said housing by way of said sinuous path pasT and against said filtering surfaces and thereby and thereat effecting a separation of said fluid into an increasingly concentrated slurry flowing past successive filter means and a filtrate entering the filter chambers thereof; (3) discharging the fully concentrated slurry from said other, opposite end of said housing and the filtrate from said filter chambers; (4) simultaneously with the effecting of said separation forming filter cake layers on said filtering surfaces of solids deposited thereon from said solids-containing fluid, and (5) then and thereafter maintaining said filter cake layers at predetermined thicknesses by rotation of the blades of said rotor means across those layers.