Filter press

Abstract: The present invention relates to a filter press. This filter press includes a plurality of filter plates each of which comprises a filter frame (2) having a space (2a) therein. The filter plate has a simple construction, providing the effect of reducing the weight of a filter press as a whole and protecting a filter press from damage by the filtering compression.

Description: The present invention relates to a filter press comprising a pair of front and rear stands, a plurality of filter plates arranged between the pair of stands, each of the filter plates having a filter frame inside which a space is formed; a pair of filter cloths which are located on both sides of each filter frame; a movable plate located at a side of the rear stand to press and retract the plurality of filter plates; and a filtrate recovery member in the form of a sheet located in the space inside the filter frame and supported by either the filter frame or the pair of filter cloths, whereby filtrate which has passed the filter cloths flows down the filter frame along the filtrate recovery member. In a filter press disclosed in the US-A-2 006 131 there are arranged alternating frames for holding the filter cake and frames with filter plates, having filter cloths on both sides of the frame. Inside the filter cloths there is a pad encased in a bag, forming a dish-shaped filter bag. The pressure is applied to the whole surface of the filter pad and the function of the pad is to be compressible or leaving a space for the deposit of the filter cake of considerably larger volume than the frame, holding the filter cake, defines. The disadvantage of this filter press is, that the recovery of the filtrate is very slow, as the rubber pad in the bag additionally inhibits the flow of the filtrate. Another type of filter press is known by the US-A-3 957 645, having elastic filter walls in the form of a rubber bag, which is fixed to the frame with ports. This rubber bag also has the function to press and remove the filter cake, when it is expended. This filter press also has an insufficient speed of the filter operation. A further type of the filter press is known by the GB-A-1 118 383, having a pair of hollow cores, which are surrounding the through hole of the filter pad and which form a supply hole for the slurry. The cores are fixed to a diaphragm having spacers for defining a space between the diaphragm and the filter cloth, in which the filtrate can flow. As these spacers have the form of ripples, a sufficient flow speed of the filtrate is not obtainable. It is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide a filter press of the above mentioned type, having an improved filtrate emission. A filter press according to the invention is characterized by the filtrate recovery member being made of cloth. The filter press further may comprise a gap retaining member mounted between each pair of filter cloths, said gap retaining member being attached to the filtrate recovery member. The above object and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front view showing a filter plate - filter cloth assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the arrangement of the two assemblies according to the embodiment; Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation taken on line VIII - VIII in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front view of the filtrate recovery member having a gap retaining member, according to the embodiment; Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the filtrate recovery member as shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation showing the filtrate recovery member in which the gap retaining member is removed; Fig. 7 is a front view showing a filtrate recovery member according to a modification of the embodiment; Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation taken on line XIII - XIII in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a front view showing a filtrate recovery member with the gap retaining member according to a modification of the embodiment; Fig. 10 is a sectional side elevation taken on a line XV - XV in Fig. 9; Figs. 1 through 10 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment, the filter plate is provided with a filtrate recovery member, which improves filtrate emission. That is to say, the filter plate - filter cloth assembly comprises a frame, a pair of filter cloths which are located depthwise on both sides of the frame and enclose the space formed inside the frame, and a sheetlike filtrate recovery member which is located in the space inside the frame and supported by either the above frame or the filter cloths, in which the filtrate which has passed through the filter cloths is flowed downward through the frame along the above filtrate recovery member. Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the assembly 1 comprises a frame 2, a filtrate recovery member 3 supported so that it can freely move within the frame 2, and filter cloths 4, 4 which are located depthwise on both sides of the frame 2 and enclose space 2a within the frame 2. The pair of filter cloths 4, 4 are inserted between the adjoining frames 2. When raw liquid is injected and filtered into a filter chamber 8 defined between the pair of filter cloths 4, the filtrate is gathered into a space 2a within each frame 2 through the filter cloth 4, and is flowed downward along said filtrate recovery member 3 to the bottom of the frame 2 where the filtrate is recovered, while a cake remains in the filter chamber 8 between the filter cloths 4, 4. The frame 2 described above is a member whose cross section have pentagonal configuration, inside of which are located slanting surfaces 2e that incline from the center. The side portion of each frame 2 is provided with a bracket 2b which is slidably hung from and supported by side beams (not illustrated) which extend, respectively, between the front and rear stands of a filter press. Thus, each frame 2 is guided to move forwardly and backwardly. On the lower portion of each side of the frame 2 is formed a tab through which a filtrate recovery port 2c passes. At each of the lower corners of the frame 2, a communicating hole 2d is formed so that the space 2a of the frame 2 communicates with the filtrate recovery port 2c. The material of the filter cloth 4 has been properly selected from various kinds which have been popular in use. Each filter cloth is located depthwise on both sides of the frame 2 (lengthwise on both sides of a filter press), interposing the space 2a formed within the frame 2. The pair of filter cloths 4 whose upper and lower parts are respectively fastened by bolts 9. A circular raw liquid supply port 4a is formed at the center of the filter cloth 4 which corresponds to the center of the frame 2. The periphery of the raw liquid supply ports 4a on the pair of filter cloths 4 are seamed together. The filtrate recovery member 3 is made of cloth as shown in Fig. 4 and is located in the space 2a within the frame 2. In the center of the filtrate recovery member 3, a through hole 3a is formed to communicate with the raw liquid supply port 4a on the filter cloth 4. The periphery of the through hole 3a is seamed to that of the raw liquid supply port 4a so that the filtrate recovery member 3 may be hung from and supported by the filter cloth 4. Thus, the filtrate recovery member 3 as well as the filter cloth 4 can oscillate. As described above, since the peripheries of the raw liquid supply port 4a on the filter cloth 4 and the through hole 3a in the filtrate recovery member 3 are seamed together, the seamed portions do not affect the filtering efficiency. The filtrate recovery member 3 preferably has thickness and hardness to some extent so that it can stand in the space 2a of the frame 2 in parallel the filter cloth 4 even if the upper portion of the filtrate recovery member 3 is not be supported by the cloths. Although the front view of the filtrate recovery member 3 shown in the figures is quadrilateral, its shape may be circular or triangular. Certain clearance is formed between the periphery of the filtrate recovery member 3 and the inside surface 2e of the frame 2. In the upper part of the periphery of the through hole 3a in the filtrate recovery member 3, a gap retaining member 5 is mounted, as shown best in Fig. 5, to maintain a certain gap between the filter cloths 4, within the frame 2 so that the filtrate may easily flow into the space 2a of the frame 2 through the filter cloth 4. This gap retaining member 5, as shown in Fig. 6, is mounted on the filtrate recovery member 3 by a fastening means which comprises two half members 5a and 5c. One half member 5a has a projection 5b which is fitted in a hole 5d of the other half member 5c through a hole 3b on the filtrate recovery member 3. A plurality of assemblies 1, as described above, are hung and supported on the side beams between the front and rear stands so that each filter plate can be moved forward and backward. The assemblies 1 are pressed toward the front stand by a movable plate. Subsequently, raw liquid is injected through the raw liquid supply port 4a of the filter cloth 4 into the filter chamber 8 between such a pair of filter cloths 4, thus separating raw liquid into cake and filtrate. The cake is retained in the filter chamber 8, while the filtrate passes through each filter cloth 4 into the frame 2, then flows downward, guided by the filtrate recovery member 3, to the bottom portion of the frame 2, where it is recovered through the communicating hole 2d and filtrate recovery port 2c. The filter plate according to above embodiment can be made much lighter than a conventional one which has a filter floor inside the frame 2. Also, the filtrate can be recovered smoothly by means of the filtrate recovery member 3. Furthermore, even if uneven pressure acts on the member, the member 3 will not be damaged by the pressure, because it can oscillate together with the filter cloth 4 and flexibly transform to absorb the pressure. The embodiment can be modified in various forms. For example, the thickness of the filtrate recovery member 3 is arbitrary. Its size may be larger, expanding to the surface 2e of the frame 2, as shown in Fig. 7, or even larger than the frame 2, exceeding the surface 2e. Such clearance as shown in Fig. 1 is not necessary between the surface 2e of the frame 2 and the periphery of the filtrate recovery member 3. Also, the number of the filtrate recovery member 3 need not be single; it may be two or more as shown in Fig. 8 which is a side elevation view of Fig. 7. The filtrate can be recovered more smoothly when there is more than two filtrate recovery members 3 because a gap may be formed easily between a pair of filter cloths 4 in the space 2a of the frame 2. The filtrate recovery member 3 may be seamed to the filter cloth 4 at arbitrary positions such as at four corners A, as shown in Fig. 7. Also, it can be seamed to a reinforcement pad that is seamed to the filter cloth 4. Furthermore, a filtrate recovery member 3 can absorb uneven pressure by flexibly transforming if it is made of an elastic material. Even if a filtrate recovery member is not elastic, it can absorb uneven pressure if it is movably mounted on the filter cloth 4 or a frame 2. The filtrate recovery member can be either of mesh sheet or can be made of either mesh sheet material or a holeless sheet material. The gap retaining member 6 may be omitted depending on the properties of filter cloths 4 and raw liquid. The member 6 can be modified with respect to its form, number, and location. For example, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, a pair of circular plates 6e, 6e as the member 6 may be mounted on a filtrate recovery member 3 by bolts 7 at the periphery of the through hole 3a of the filtrate recovery member 3. Each of the plates 6e consists of a combination of C-shaped plates 6c and 6d, each having raw liquid supplying concave 6b and contacting projection 6a arranged alternately on the surfaces thereof. Thus, when the filter plates are pressed by a movable plate toward the front stand of a filter press, the projections 6a, 6a of the gap retaining member 6 become contact with each other, forming a gap between the corresponding concavities 6b, 6b which introduce raw liquid into a filter chamber 8.

Claims: Filter press comprising: a pair of front and rear stands; a plurality of filter plates arranged between the pair of stands, each of the filter plates having a filter frame (2) inside which a space (2a) is formed; a pair of filter cloths (4) which are located on both sides of each filter frame; a movable plate located at a side of the rear stand to press and retract the plurality of filter plates; and a filtrate recovery member (3) in the form of a sheet located in the space (2a) inside the filter frame (2) and supported by either the filter frame (2) or the pair of filter cloths (4), whereby filtrate which has passed the filter cloths (4) flows down the filter frame along the filtrate recovery member (3), characterised in that said filtrate recovery member is made of cloth. Filter press as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a gap retaining member (5, 6) mounted between each pair of filter cloths (4), said gap retaining member being attached to the filtrate recovery member.

Inventors: KURITA TETSUYA, SHIBASAKI KATSUTAMI, TAKASHIMA ATSUSHI, KURITA, TETSUYA, SHIBASAKI, KATSUTAMI, TAKASHIMA, ATSUSHI
Applicants: KURITA MACHINERY MANUF, KURITA MACHINERY MANUFACTURING COMPANY LIMITED
Application year: 1987
Main classification: B01D25
IPC codes: B01D25