Patent ID: 6558541
Filing Date: 2003-05-06
Classification: B03C,F01M,F16H

Abstract:
A contaminant capture device adapted to be immersed in a circulating fluid that is contained in an enclosed reservoir space that includes a wall formed with an opening, comprising:an installation cap configured to be removably installed into the opening in the reservoir enclosure; a non-magnetic high-strength metallic, generally cylindrical capture element joined to the installation cap and configured with a substantially smooth finish on the exterior surface and having an interior recess; a plurality of cylindrical permanent magnets stacked together and separated by at least one pole interface and received within the interior recess, each magnet having opposite north and south poles at generally planar ends, wherein the magnets are arranged so the north poles confront each other at the pole interfaces, whereby the resulting flux lines deflect outward from the pole interfaces with increased flux density relative to the flux density at regions distal to the pole interface; and whereby the quantities of magnetic contaminants in the circulating fluid that are attracted to and captured on the exterior surface proximate to the pole interfaces is greater than the contaminant quantities captured on the surface of the capture element in the regions between the pole interfaces.