Magnetic bar filter

Abstract: A bar filter is disclosed, which is fit for use in an apparatus for removing phosphates from waste water. Thereto phosphates are chemically bound to magnetic mate­ rial, like magnetite, and subsequently the liquid contai­ ning the suspended particles is fed through a filter according to the present invention. Therein the magnetic particles adhere to the bars of the magnetic filter, so that the filter gradually fills with the particles. According to the present invention the configuration of the bars of the filter is such, that the gradient of the magnetic field is substantially constant, leading to an even filling of the filter, so that the frequency of flushing the filter to empty it, is limited as far as possible. Preferably the density of the bars in a plane perpendicular to the bars is constant.

Description: The present invention relates to a filter for filtering magnetic particles from a flowing liquid, the filter comprising: a chamber, through which the liquid to be filtered is fed; bars provided parallel to the direction of flowing of the liquid in the chamber; and means for applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the rods. Such apparatuses are known from "Magnetic methods for the treatment of minerals", J. Swoboda, Elsevier. Such bar filters are applied in apparatuses, in which a liquid, in which magnetic particles have been suspended is filtered for removing the magnetic particles from the liquid. Such an apparatus is used for removing phosphates from waste water. Therefore, phosphates are chemically bond to magnetic material, for instance magnetite, after which the liquid thus obtained is fed through a filter according to the present invention. Therein the phosphatemagnetite particles adhere to the bars of the magnetic filter, in which the filter is increasingly filled with these particles, which have to be removed from the liquid. At a certain moment the filter is filled to such extent, that the passage thereof is limited considerably. Then the filter has to be cleaned. Whereas such cleaning actions interrupt the real action of the filter, it is necessary to limit the frequency thereof as far as possible. This frequency can be limited by flushing only when a filling to the highest extent, i.e. as homogeneous as possible, is obtained. The aim of the present invention is to provide such a filter, in which the filling of the filter is as much homogeneous as possible. This aim is reached, in that the chamber has the shape of a cylinder jacket, that the bars are parallel to the axis of the cylinder, and that the direction of the magnetic field is radial, in which the product of the distance between two bars subsequent in radial direction and the mean distance between said bars and the axis is constant. As a consequence of this dimensioning, leading to a constant gradient of the magnetic field, the magnetic particles and the liquid, which are filtered from the flowing liquid by means of the magnetic filter, a force which is as constant as possible, so that the chance, that they are drawn to one of both adjacent bars as an equal magnitude and all locations within the filter. This leads to an even filling of the filter. JP-A-6274460 discloses a magnetic filter of a rectangular configuration and which is constructed for collecting ultrafine particles. SU-A-925394 discloses a magnetic filter of a cylindrical configuration, and in which the magnetic field appears to be parallel with the direction of flow. Subsequently the present invention will be elucidated with the help of the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away of a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a side view, partially executed as a cross section of a second embodiment of the present invention, in which this is applied in an apparatus for generating a magnetic field; fig. 3 is a schematic perspective representation of a third embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a perspective view partially broken away of a detail of the embodiment shown in fig. 3; and fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus depicted in fig. 1 comprises a chamber 1, in which a number of bars 2 extending in a vertical direction has been provided. These bars are mutually connected at their upper and lower sides respectively by means of strips 3 of non-magnetic material. The distance between a adjacent bars in the direction of the field lines is constant, so that the gradient of the magnetic field is equal. Also the distance between adjacent bars in the direction perpendicular to the field direction is equal, so that the room to be filled is equal. Further a supply pipe 4 has been provided, which is connected with the chamber 1 by means of a widening coupling piece 5. Above the chamber 1 a second coupling piece 6 has been provided, leading to a drain pipe 7. Further a magnetic circuit connected with two opposite sides of the chamber 1 has been provided, which circuit comprises a yoke 8 of magnetic material, around which a winding 9 has been wound. During the action of this apparatus a liquid comprising magnetic particle suspended therein is supplied from below through the supply line 4, after which the liquid is fed to the chamber 1 by means of the coupling piece 5, and is drained via the coupling piece 6 and the drain pipe 7. Further a current is applied to the winding 9, so that a magnetic field 10 will develop in the yoke 8. The direction of the magnetic field is indicated by dotted lines 10. The field will also extend through the chamber 1, and therein it will be guided substantially through the bars 2, such that the field extends in a beadlike way between two subsequent bars. Herein also the equal distance between the bars, coinciding with several times the diameters of the bars is of importance. As a consequence thereof a substantial field gradient develops in the vicinity of the bars, so that the magnetic particles suspended in the liquid will be attracted. These particles will adhere to the bar, so that the greater part of the magnetic particles will be removed from the liquid. As the distance between the bars is equally great, and the gradient of the field is just as great, the growing of the particles in all areas will be equal, so that the filter will be filled evenly. After some time the grow of the magnetic particles around the bars has been reached such a level, that the passage of the liquid has become too small. Then the flowing of the liquid is stopped, the current through the winding 9 is switched off, whereas from the opposite direction liquid is supplied under a substantial pressure, flushing away the magnetic particles grown on to the bars. As a consequence of the fact, that on each of the bars 2 a non-magnetic layer has been provided the particles grown on are not attracted so strongly by remanent magnetism that the flushing away is difficult; on the contrary, the adhered particles can be removed easily. Further fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the filter according to the present invention as applied in an apparatus as known from the Dutch patent application 88.01463. In here the annular filter 9, that, in the case of said patent application, is manufactured from a magnetisable grate with small meshes replaced by the rod filter as described in the present application. The rod filter has been provided in the space between the outer wall 11 of the apparatus and the core 12. The rod filter 13 comprises three arrays of bars each arranged in the shape of a circle, which have been mutually connected in the radial direction between bars 16 of non-magnetic material. In the radial direction the distance between the bars belonging to the middle circle and the bars belonging to the outer circle smaller than the distance between the bars of the middle circle and those of the inner circle. These distances have been choosen such, that the product of the distance between two bars adjacent in the radial direction and the mean distance between these bars and the centre is constant. Further in an outer direction the distance between the bars and the tangential direction is increasing, so that the density of the bars is maintained constant. At their upper sides the arrays of bars are welded to concentric hoops 17, 18 respectively and at their lower sides to hoops 19, 20 respectively. The hoops do not have to be made of non-magnetic material. Further the hoops are mutually connected by means of non-magnetic strips 21. The hoops 17, 18, 19, 20 can be interrupted to devide the filter into segments, so that the segments can be removed piece by piece from the magnetic housing, just as is the case in the embodiment according to fig. 5 still to be described. At their lower sides the inner hoopes 20 comprise support 22, through which the whole filter rests against support 24 provided at the inner side of the lower piece 23. Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the annular filter, which diverges from the embodiment shown in fig. 2 only by the number of rods; in the embodiment according to fig. 3 bars arranged according to four circles have been provided, whereas in the embodiment according to fig. 2 only three circles of rods have been provided. Further in this embodiment hollow rods or pipes 25 have been applied, which are mutually connected in the radial direction by means of solid rods 26. Also here the filter rods 25 are provided of layer of non-magnetic material. Halfway the rods are mutually connected in the radial direction by strips 27, which have been provided of non-magnetic material. This filter can be applied in the same way as the filter as depicted in fig. 3. As is shown in fig. 4 every pipe 25 is surrounded by a layer 28 of non-magnetic material. This provides the action as set out in the preamble of the present application. At the upper side, just as at the lower side of every pipe 25 caps 29 have been provided to avoid the liquid entering the inner place of the pipes. Fig. 5 shows an embodiment, which can be applied to the apparatus shown in fig. 2, and which the bar filter has been devided into segments 30 to ease the removal from the filter, for instance for inspection. Fig. 5 shows such a segment 30. The segment 30 is composed of five arrays of bars 21, in which each array has been arranged like a circle segment. Every array of bars is kept by two strips 32. The bars have been welded to the strips. Further the ends of the strips are connected by strips 33 of non-magnetic material extending radially. For every segment 30 two sets of five tangential strips 32 have been provided, of which the strips belonging to the lower set are connected with the strips 33. Consequently in such a segment 5 x 12 = 60 bars are fixed. The distances between the bars and the radial direction are such, that the product of the mean distance between two bars and the centre and the distance between these two adjacent bars is constant. Further the distances between the bars in the tangential direction within an array are constant, whereas the distances per array increase, as the total number of rods in every circle is equal and the circumference of the circle is increasing. At last a set of bended bars 34 extending in a tangential direction has been provided, which have been connected at their ends by a plate 35. Both plates 35 are connected with the outer bars 31. The bars 34 have been provided in two layers, of which the lower layer is located between the imaginary extension of the bars 31. This provides an improved catching of magnetic particles obtained by the particles which move in the direction of flow in the middle between two bars 31 by means of the lower bar 34. The upper layer of bars serves as a last possibility for the particles which have not used the first catching possibilities. Thus rate of catching of the filter is substantially improved. For fixing the filter segment 30 in the chamber between the wall 11 and the core 12 two of the outer arrays of bars 31 has been extended downwardly, and at a lower side has been provided of a cross piece 36, making the segment rest on a support 37. At last two stops 38 have been provided on the outer strip 32 for fixing the segment 30. This also eases the fixing of the filter segment. During exciting the magnet the filter segment will be pulled towards the magnet, so that a good fixation is obtained.

Claims: Filter for filtering magnetic particles from a flowing liquid, the filter comprising: a chamber, through which the liquid to be filtered is fed; bars provided parallel to the direction of flowing of the liquid in the chamber; and means for applying a magnetic field perpendicular to the rods; caracterised in that the chamber has the shape of a cylinder jacket, that the bars are parallel to the axis of the cylinder, and that the direction of the magnetic field is radial, in which the product of the distance between two bars subsequent in radial direction and the mean distance between said bars and the axis is constant. Filter according to one claim 1, caracterised in that the bars have been provided of a layer of non-magnetic material. Filter according to claim 2, caracterised in that the layer of non-magnetic material is an epoxy resin. Filter according to claim 2, caracterised in that the layer of non-magnetic material is zinc. Filter according to one of the claims 2-4, caracterised in that the distance between the bars is equal to several times the diameter of the rods. Filter according to claim 5, caracterised in that the distance between the rods is between two and five times the diameter of the rods. Filter according to one of the preceding claims, caracterised in that the bars are hollow. Filter according to one of the preceding claims, caracterised in that behind the filter a second filter has been located, of which the bars are perpendicular to the direction of flow and to the direction of the magnetic field. Filter according to claim 8, caracterised in that at least a part of the bars of the second filter are halfway between the projections of the bars of the main filter. Filter according to claim 9, caracterised in that at least a part of the bars of the second filter are in the extension of the bars of the main filter.

Inventors: DE REUVER JOHANNES LAURENTIUS, DE REUVER, JOHANNES LAURENTIUS
Applicants: ENVIMAG BV, ENVIMAG B.V.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B03C1
IPC codes: B03C1