Drum type disc filter device for paper pulp slurry

Claim 1

A drum type disc filter device for dehydrating paper pulp slurry, comprising: (a) a vat; (b) a shaft rotatably mounted within said vat; (c) a rotatable drum mounted on said shaft within said vat; (d) a plurality of drain chambers located on the outer surface each extending along the drum and said chambers being adjacent each other around the periphery of said drum, and integral with said drum; (e) a plurality of filter members attached to said rotating drum, both around the periphery and along the axis of said drum, said filter members being attached to other filter members around the periphery of said drum to form a plurality of filter discs surrounding said drum and located at spaced intervals along the axis of said drum, said individual filter members of said filter discs which are aligned with each other along the axis of said drum, communicating with a single drain chamber; (f) fluid suction pressure means successively connected to said drain chambers as said drain chambers are rotated by said drum through said paper pulp slurry, for causing paper pulp to attach itself to said portion of said filter discs communicating with said drain chambers which are submersed in the said paper pulp slurry; (g) air pressure means for successively introducing pressurized air into one of said drain chambers as said drum is rotated into a predetermined position of rotation, wherein said drain chambers having pressurized air introduced into them are positioned outside of said vat and past the upper center position of rotation of said drum for separating said paper pulp which is attached to corresponding filter disc filter members; (h) an exit chute for removing said paper pulp from said vat and filter discs; and (i) paper guide plates fixedly secured between adjacent filter discs at said predetermined position of rotation wherein said paper pulp is separated, said paper pulp being separated as individual cakes from said filter members, said paper guide plates preventing blockage of said chute and lumping of said paper pulp cakes with each other.