Filtering apparatus having inlet vanes for preventing accumulation of particulates

Claim 3

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle of incidence of said forward edge portion to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet is greater than 30° and less than 60°.

Claim 4

An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vane body is constructed to define a right angle curve for deflecting the fluid 90°.

Claim 7

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the angle of incidence of said forward edge portion to the direction of travel of the fluid from the duct inlet is greater than 30° and less than 60°.

Claim 8

An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the angle of incidence of said forward edge portion to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet is approximately 40°.

Claim 9

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said vane body is constructed to define a right angle curve for deflecting the fluid 90°.

Claim 10

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the spacing of said plurality of vanes is greater at their respective rearward edge portions than at their respective forward edge portions, whereby the moving fluid is spread and its velocity and turbulence is decreased as it moves through said duct from the inlet upstream of said plurality of vanes to the outlet downstream thereof.

Claim 11

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein at least one of said plurality of said vanes is positioned at a first pre-determined position on the inner walls of said fluid duct, and wherein at least another of said vanes is positioned at a second pre-determined position on the inner walls of said fluid duct opposite to and laterally spaced apart from the first.

Claim 12

An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of vanes comprises first and second groups of vanes, said first group of vanes being positioned, respectively, at pre-determined, spaced-apart positions on the inner walls of said fluid duct, and said second group of vanes being positioned, respectively, in an alternating relationship with the vanes of said first group at pre-determined positions on the inner walls of said fluid duct opposite the positions of said first group.

Claim 13

In a fluid filtration system including an elongate filter surface for filtering entrained particulate matter from a fluid as the fluid is passed from the upstream to the downstream side thereof, and a duct, having an inlet and an outlet, disposed at less than a right angle to said filter surface for conveying a fluid thereto, the combination therewith of a plurality of vanes positioned progressively laterally across and progressively longitudinally along an interior wall of the duct, each of said vanes comprising: (a) a vane body comprising a base secured to the inner wall of the duct and supporting said vane body within the duct; (b) said vane body also comprising a free end opposite said base for being spaced-apart from the duct walls; (c) said vane body further comprising a forward edge portion intermediate said base and said free end for being faced upstream toward the duct inlet, said forward edge portion having a pre-determined angle of incidence to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet sufficient to overcome frictional adherence of particulate matter to said forward edge portion; (d) said vane body being constructed to define a curve corresponding to the extent of the deflection to be applied to the moving fluid; whereby as particulate matter entrained in the fluid impacts said angled forward edge portion of said vane body, the particulate matter continues downstream along said angled forward edge portion towards the duct outlet clearing said angled forward edge portion and being deflected to a pre-determined extent by said vane body.

Claim 14

In a fluid filtration system including an elongate filter surface for filtering entrained particulate matter from a fluid as the fluid is passed from the upstream to the downstream side thereof, and a duct, having an inlet and an outlet, disposed at less than a right angle to said filter surface for conveying a fluid thereto, the combination therewith of a plurality of vanes positioned progressively laterally across and progressively longitudinally along an interior wall of the duct, each of said vanes comprising: (a) a vane body comprising a base secured to the inner wall of the duct and supporting said vane body within the duct; (b) said vane body also comprising a free end opposite said base for being spaced-apart from the duct walls; (c) said vane body further comprising a forward edge portion intermediate said base and said free end for being faced upstream toward the duct inlet, said forward edge portion having a pre-determined angle of incidence to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet sufficient to overcome frictional adherence of particulate matter to said forward edge portion; (d) said vane body being constructed to define a curve corresponding to the extent of the deflection to be applied to the moving fluid; whereby as particulate matter entrained in the fluid impacts said angled forward edge portion of said vane body, the particulate matter continues downstream along said angled forward edge portion towards the duct outlet clearing said angled forward edge portion and being deflected to a pre-determined extent by said vane body.

Claim 15

The combination according to claim 11, wherein the angle of incidence of said forward edge portion to the direction of travel of the fluid from the duct inlet is greater than 30° and less than 60°.

Claim 16

The combination according to claim 12, wherein the angle of incidence of said forward edge portion to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet is approximately 40°.

Claim 17

The combination according to claim 11, wherein said vane body is constructed to define a right angle curve for deflecting said fluid 90°.

Claim 18

The combination according to claim 11, wherein the spacing of said plurality of vanes is greater at their respective rearwarde edge portions than at their respective forward edge portions, whereby the moving fluid is spread and its velocity and turbulence is decreased as it moves through said duct from the inlet upstream of said plurality of vanes to the outlet downstream thereof.

Claim 19

The combination according to claim 11, wherein said plurality of vanes comprises first and second groups of vanes, said first group of vanes being positioned, respectively, at pre-determined, spaced-apart positions on the inner walls of said fluid duct, and said second group of vanes being positioned, respectively, in an laternating relationship with the vanes of said first group at pre-determined positions on the inner walls of said fluid duct opposite the positions of said first group.

Claim 20

The combination according to claim 11, wherein said elongate filter surface comprises a rotatably mounted drum having a filter medium positioned around the circumferential periphery of said drum and wherein said plurality of vanes positioned in said duct deflects the fluid so that the fluid is passed through said filter medium at substantially right angles to the axis of rotation of said drum.