Continuous filter

Claim 1

A continuous filter comprising a chamber provided with a cylindrical upper portion and a conical lower portion and having at its upper end portion a feed opening for a slurry to be filtered and at its lower end portion a discharge opening for the filtration cake, an electromagnetic valve for opening and closing said discharge opening, a porous support disposed inwardly of, and spaced from, the side wall of the chamber, a filter medium provided on the porous support, an outer annular filtrate-collecting space and an inner, slurry-and cake-holding space defined by the porous support, an agitation shaft extending from the slurry feeding end portion to the cake discharge end portion through said slurry-and cake-holding space, a motor for rotating said shaft, a spiral or vane-like blade on the agitating shaft for shaving the cake on the filter medium and moving it to the discharge end portion of the chamber, means for detecting the torque on said motor as a function of the squeeze ratio of said filtration cake at said lower end portion, and means for automatically opening and closing said electromagnetic valve in response to the torque detected by said torque detecting means, whereby when the squeeze ratio is below a preset value, the electromagnetic valve automatically closes the discharge opening and when the squeeze ratio is above said preset value, the electromagnetic valve automatically opens the discharge opening so that the filtration cake can be discharged from said chamber through said discharge opening.