Patent ID: 8778183
Filing Date: 2014-07-15
Classification: B01D

Abstract:
1. A filtering apparatus comprising: a plurality of sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements each of which includes two sheets of laminated filtering materials with outer peripheral edge parts of the filtering materials being bonded to each other; a plurality of suction pipes that penetrate said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements to be connected to hollow portions inside of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements; a plurality of packing members provided on said suction pipes, wherein, on each of said suction pipes, at least one of said packing members is interposed between said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements that are adjacent to each other so as to space said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements from each other, and thereby hollow space is defined between said adjacent sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements; and a plurality of attachment members coupled to first ends of said suction pipes, respectively, so that said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements are fixed in a stack, wherein liquid passes the hollow portion inside said sheet-shaped hollow filtering element from the outside of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering element, and moves from the hollow portion of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering element to said suction pipes so that the liquid is filtered, wherein each of said suction pipes forms suction holes to fluidly connect said suction pipes to the hollow portions of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements, wherein said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements form through holes that receive said suction pipes, and said suction pipes are inserted into the through holes so that said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements are arranged side by side and are connected to said suction pipes, wherein said packing members are interposed between said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements that receive said suction pipes and are arranged side by side to water-tightly seal clearances between said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements and said suction pipes, and each of said packing members has an outer shape that is larger than the inner shape of the through holes of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering element, wherein each of said attachment members includes a peripheral region that applies a force to said packing members disposed on the respective suction pipe to bring said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements into contact with the packing members interposed between said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements, wherein the through holes are arranged at a plurality of locations along the outer peripheral part of each of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements, and said suction pipes are inserted into the through holes of each of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements so that each of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements is held at the plurality of outer peripheral locations to said suction pipes, wherein each of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements has a quadrangular shape and the through holes are arranged at corners of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering element, each of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements having a pair of first sides which are opposed to each other and a pair of second sides which are opposed to each other, the first sides and the second sides being orthogonal to each other and each of the first sides being shorter than each of the second sides, and wherein centers of the through holes of said sheet-shaped hollow filtering elements are located within a region that is less than a quarter (W/4) of a first side length (W) away from edges of the second sides, and wherein the filtering apparatus further comprises a plurality of spacers provided on said suction pipes, wherein, on each of said suction pipes, each of said spacers is in intimate contact with the packing members at both side surfaces of each spacer such that said spacers and said packing members are in line along said suction pipes.