Rotary leaf filter with independently movable sluice arms

Claim 1

In a filter having a plurality of transverse filter leaf elements spaced along the axis of the filter, filter cake being depositable on the surfaces of said elements, the combination including a sluicing assembly comprising at least a pair of crank-shaped sluice arm means with longitudinally extending portions parallel to the axis of the filter and coextensive with the filter leaf elements, one of said arm means being on one side of said leaf elements and the other of said arm means being on the other side of said leaf elements, each arm means being mounted for pivotal oscillatory movement about an axis parallel to the axis of the filter, said sluice arm means and longitudinally extending portions being hollow and connected to a source of sluicing fluid, spray nozzles on said longitudinally extending portions positioned to direct sluicing fluid against and generally parallel to the faces of the filter leaf elements, so that sluicing fluid can be directed onto cake from either side of the filter and into filter cake on the surfaces of the leaf elements as a sluice arm means is pivoted so as to erode and remove filter cake thereon, independent drive means for each of said sluice arm means for pivoting the same when energized, and control means for energizing said drive means independent of each other and so that sluicing fluid from one side of said filter does not impinge on sluicing fluid from the other side of said filter whereby the sluicing fluid from each sluice arm as it sweeps said leaf elements will be unopposed by the sluicing fluid of the other sluice arm.