Patent ID: 6336561
Filing Date: 2002-01-08
Classification: B01D

Abstract:
A disposable rotary drum filter for separating a slurry into a liquid filtrate and a solid filter cake, comprising:(a) a housing defining a slurry reservoir and including: (i) a slurry inlet adapted to receive a slurry into the slurry reservoir; (ii) a gas inlet adapted to receive gas into the housing; (iii) a filtrate outlet adapted to convey filtrate from the housing after the filtrate has been separated from the filter cake; (iv) a filter cake outlet adapted to convey the filter cake from the housing; and (v) an overflow outlet disposed within the housing and having an opening disposed at an elevation within the housing that is selected to determine a maximum level of a slurry within the slurry reservoir; (b) an inner drum rotatably mounted within said housing, said inner drum comprising: (i) a generally cylindrical frame; (ii) a filter extending around said generally cylindrical frame, the inner drum being disposed within the housing such that said filter is partially below the level determined by the opening of the overflow outlet, said filter being adapted to receive a filter cake deposited on an outer surface of said filter as the filtrate separated from the filter cake is drawn through the filter and the filtrate outlet; (iii) a portion of said generally cylindrical frame providing fluid communication between an interior surface of said filter and said filtrate outlet and thereby adapted to convey the filtrate from said inner drum after the filtrate has passed though said filter; and (iv) a driven member connected to said generally cylindrical frame and adapted to be drivingly coupled to an external prime mover to rotate the inner drum, exposing the filter cake deposited on the filter to gas that is drawn through the filter into the inner drum from inside the housing, to at least partially dry the filter cake; and (c) means for removing at least a portion of said filter cake deposited on said filter after the filter cake has been at least partially dried by the gas so that the filter cake that is thus removed passes through said filter cake outlet.