US4388087A — Cyclonic separator-filter

Claim 1

Independent Claim 369 words

A method of removing particulate matter from a gas, comprising, in combination: (a) connecting an inlet opening of a partitioned housing to a source of gas and particulate matter; (b) causing said gas and particulate matter to flow through the housing by continuously inducing a vacuum in the housing with a centrifugal blower vacuum machine means that is connected to a gas discharge opening of the housing; (c) causing separation of a first portion of the particulate matter from the gas by directing both the particulate matter and the gas to flow vortically in a cyclonic manner around a cylindrical interior wall of a first chamber of the housing so that terrestrial gravitational force causes said first portion of the particulate matter to fall from the vortically flowing gas toward a bottom of said first chamber; (d) causing separation of another portion of the particulate matter from the gas by directing the gas flow through a plurality of pleated paper filters, each filter being positioned in a low gas velocity core of the vortical gas and particulate matter flow and affixed over one of a like plurality of openings in a partitioning means between said first chamber and a second chamber of the housing, and each filter having a normal rated filtering capacity expressed in terms of a gas volume per unit time flowable through the filter and being utilized to filter such rated capacity of gas; (e) continually cleaning said second portion of particulate matter from the filters with counterflowing gas pulses periodically directed through the filters from the second chamber to the first chamber wherein said counterflowing gas pulses are comprised of a compressed gas from an external source being discharged through a plurality of normally-closed valves, located in the second chamber, by rapidly opening and closing, in rotation, approximately one-fourth of said valves simultaneously; (f) intermittently removing all of the separated first and second portions of particulate matter from the housing through a particulate matter discharge opening in the bottom of said first chamber; and (g) continuously removing all of said gas flowing through the housing through the gas discharge opening by use of the same vacuum means used to induce the vacuum in the housing.

Claim 2

Independent Claim 369 words

A method of removing particulate matter from a gas, comprising, in combination: (a) connecting an inlet opening of a partitioned housing to a source of gas and particulate matter; (b) causing said gas and particulate matter to flow through the housing by continuously inducing a vacuum in the housing with a centrifugal blower vacuum machine means that is connected to a gas discharge opening of the housing; (c) causing separation of a first portion of the particulate matter from the gas by directing both the particulate matter and the gas to flow vortically in a cyclonic manner around a cylindrical interior wall of a first chamber of the housing so that terrestrial gravitational force causes said first portion of the particulate matter to fall from the vortically flowing gas toward a bottom of said first chamber; (d) causing separation of another portion of the particulate matter from the gas by directing the gas flow through a plurality of pleated paper filters, each filter being positioned in a low gas velocity core of the vortical gas and particulate matter flow and affixed over one of a like plurality of openings in a partitioning means between said first chamber and a second chamber of the housing, and each filter having a normal rated filtering capacity expressed in terms of a gas volume per unit time flowable through the filter and being utilized to filter such rated capacity of gas; (e) continually cleaning said second portion of particulate matter from the filters with counterflowing gas pulses periodically directed through the filters from the second chamber to the first chamber wherein said counterflowing gas pulses are comprised of a compressed gas from an external source being discharged through a plurality of normally-closed valves, located in the second chamber, by rapidly opening and closing, in rotation, approximately one-fourth of said valves simultaneously; (f) intermittently removing all of the separated first and second portions of particulate matter from the housing through a particulate matter discharge opening in the bottom of said first chamber; and (g) continuously removing all of said gas flowing through the housing through the gas discharge opening by use of the same vacuum means used to induce the vacuum in the housing.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 58 words

The method of claim 1, wherein said gas from an external source is continuously supplied from the external source to a third chamber within the housing, said plurality of valves are individually connected by a gas conduit means to the third chamber and said third chamber serves as a storage reservoir for said gas from the external source.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 36 words

The method of claim 2, wherein said approximate one-fourth of said plurality of valves are rapidly opened and closed, in rotation by control signals from a sequencing timer mounted in a fourth chamber of the housing.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 31 words

The method of claim 3, wherein said valves are pneumatically operated, said control signals are pneumatic and said sequencing timer is pneumatically operated by the compressed gas from said third chamber.

Claim 6

Independent Claim 300 words

An apparatus for removal of particulate matter from a continuous flow of a gas combined with the particulate matter, comprising, in combination: (a) a cylindrical housing means; (b) a frusto-conical lower housing means affixed to the cylindrical housing means; (c) an inlet flow connection means and an inlet flow guide means for inducing the continuous flow of gas combined with the particulate matter to flow vortically within an incoming gas chamber means of the cylindrical housing means; (d) a particulate matter removal aperture means in the frusto-conical lower housing means; (e) a centrifugal vacuum pump means affixed to a top surface of the cylindrical housing means and connected to a gas removal aperture means through a top enclosure means of the cylindrical housing means so that the vacuum pump means can provide continuous removal of said gas from a filtered gas chamber means in the cylindrical housing means; (f) a filter means interposed between the incoming gas chamber means and the filtered gas chamber means in the cylindrical housing means, with the filter means disposed in an upper central portion of the incoming gas chamber means and affixed to a bottom surface of an apertured partitioning plate means affixed transversely with the cylindrical housing means separating the incoming gas chamber means, and the filtered gas chamber means; (g) a filter cleaning means comprised of a plurality of valve means, disposed within the filtered gas chamber means, for discharging a pressurized gas into said filter means in a counterflow direction and a timer means arranged to sequentially operate said valve means; (h) pressurized gas storage means within the cylindrical housing means and conduit-connected to said valve means, to said timer means and to an external source of the pressurized gas; and (i) a timer cabinet means within the cylindrical housing means.

Claim 7

Independent Claim 300 words

An apparatus for removal of particulate matter from a continuous flow of a gas combined with the particulate matter, comprising, in combination: (a) a cylindrical housing means; (b) a frusto-conical lower housing means affixed to the cylindrical housing means; (c) an inlet flow connection means and an inlet flow guide means for inducing the continuous flow of gas combined with the particulate matter to flow vortically within an incoming gas chamber means of the cylindrical housing means; (d) a particulate matter removal aperture means in the frusto-conical lower housing means; (e) a centrifugal vacuum pump means affixed to a top surface of the cylindrical housing means and connected to a gas removal aperture means through a top enclosure means of the cylindrical housing means so that the vacuum pump means can provide continuous removal of said gas from a filtered gas chamber means in the cylindrical housing means; (f) a filter means interposed between the incoming gas chamber means and the filtered gas chamber means in the cylindrical housing means, with the filter means disposed in an upper central portion of the incoming gas chamber means and affixed to a bottom surface of an apertured partitioning plate means affixed transversely with the cylindrical housing means separating the incoming gas chamber means, and the filtered gas chamber means; (g) a filter cleaning means comprised of a plurality of valve means, disposed within the filtered gas chamber means, for discharging a pressurized gas into said filter means in a counterflow direction and a timer means arranged to sequentially operate said valve means; (h) pressurized gas storage means within the cylindrical housing means and conduit-connected to said valve means, to said timer means and to an external source of the pressurized gas; and (i) a timer cabinet means within the cylindrical housing means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 124 words

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the gas combined with the particulate matter is cleaning air from a hole being drilled into the earth, the particulate matter is dust and cuttings from the earth and the pressurized gas is compressed air, in combination with an earth hole drilling machine and having a mounting means for affixing the apparatus to a structure of the earth hole drilling machine, being of a physical size mountable on the structure of the hole drilling machine, having a conduit means for receiving compressed air for filter cleaning from the drilling machine and designed to separate particulate matter from a known air flow volume of cleaning air being discharged from the hole being drilled into thearth by the drilling machine.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 120 words

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the filter means is a plurality of pleated paper filter elements, each of a cylindrical configuration and each being used for a normal rated flow capacity expressed in terms of gas volume per unit time flowing through the element, disposed within the cylindrical housing means so that all gas flowing from the incoming gas chamber means to the filtered gas chamber means must pass through a pleated paper portion of one of the elements and the particulate matter is prevented from passing through the pleated paper filter portion of any element to the extent that no visible particulate matter is discharged from the filtered gas chamber means by way of the vacuum pump means.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 125 words

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of valve means is comprised of several pneumatically operated individual valves designed for rapid opening and closing; the timer means is pneumatically operated and arranged to pneumatically operate approximately one-fourth of the valves simultaneously as a unit; the valves are individually conduit-connected to the timer means; the valves are normally closed against the pressurized gas; and, the valves are disposed, one above each filter element, to discharge from each operated valve a pulse of said pressurized gas downward into a core of the filter element disposed beneath that valve as each valve unit is sequentially operated by the timer means at a time interval determined by a pressure level of the gas in the gas storage means.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1986-06-13	1986-12-13	1987-06-14	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1990-06-13	1990-12-13	1991-06-14	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1994-06-13	1994-12-13	1995-06-14	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Cyclonic separator-filter

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