Improvements in Asbestos Filters.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 22nd Feb.,
1896
[Communicated from abroad by Bernhard Blumenfeld, of Vienna, Austria.]
Improvements in Asbestos Filters.
1, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of London, Consulting Engineer and Chartered Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to asbestos filters more particularly of the kind described
in the Specification to Breyer's Patent No. 5377 of 1890 in which the filtering
layer of asbestos is formed on the outer surfaces of porous walls of flat hollow
bodies that are enclosed in greater or less number within a filtering chamber, with
which communicates a supply pipe for the water to be filtered, and in which the
cleansing of the filter layers, after having accumulated deposit, has heretofore been
effected by means of a brush device.
The present improvements relate firstly to devices for cleansing the filter elements
from the accumulated deposit, which devices may advantageously be used in lieu
of the brush devices above referred to, and secondly to a special form of the filter
apparatus.
All these improvements have for their object to increase the efficacy of filter
apparatus such as Breyer's, and to simplify to a considerable extent the manipulations
in working; also, to render the apparatus more compact, in particular as regards
its height, while at the same time its weight and cost of construction are also
considerably reduced.
These improvements consist mainly in:
1. A moveable water rinsing device, for cleansing the filter elements.
2. A filter base into which all the inlet and outlets open in such manner that the
hand wheels of the shut off valves are all situated at the same height above the
floor, for convenience of manipulation.
The water rinsing device consists of pipes with nozzles or perforations arranged
between the filter elements and supplied with water under pressure so as to cause
jets of water to impinge upon the surfaces of the elements, while at the same time
they are moved over such surfaces.
The accompanying drawings shew the above described improved constructions.
Figs. 1 and 2 shew two vertical sections taken at right angles to each other of
a filter apparatus in which, by way of example, the rinsing devices are arranged to
move up and down.
Figs. 3 and 4 shew plans of the rinsing device and of the base of the apparatus.
Figs. 5 and 6 shew details of the rinsing device;
Figs. 7 and 8 shew a filter apparatus with swinging rinsing device moveable
round a centre.
As shewn at Figs. 1 to 6 the rinsing device having up and down motion consists
of two pipes A connected to the water pressure supply pipe a, which are connected
with each other by means of pipes a¹ which are either perforated, slotted, or
provided with nozzles.
The distance apart of the jet pipes a' is such that they fit accurately between
the filter elements D.
The water pressure supply pipes are arranged to slide up and down in stuffing
TDi Q71

page_text: boxes on the head B of the filter chamber. The pipes A have at their ends sliding
sockets a² by means of which the water jet frame can be moved up and down on guide
rods a³ fitted within the filter chamber. By this means the accurate guiding of the
pipes a' between the elements while moving up and down is insured.
The raising and lowering of the jet frame A a¹ may be advantageously effected
by means of a toothed rack attached centrally to the jet frame; it may however
be effected by a hydraulic or other suitable raising and lowering device.
If a toothed rack is employed the toothed pinion 61 is carried in a casing 62
serving as guide to the toothed rack b, and fixed directly on the head piece B of
the filter casing. This pinion is rotated by hand by means of a crank handle b³
and pitch wheel and chain gear bª 1º.
In the arrangement shewn at Figs. 7 and 8, the vertically moveable jet frame is
replaced by a swinging rinsing device rotatable ou a centre.
In this arrangement the jet pipes a¹ are fitted on a tubular shaft E Fig. 8 which
is mounted in a stuffing box at d about half way up the casing, at the longer side
thereof, while the supply of the water under pressure is effected at e.
The shaft E
bas at a hand lever by means of which it can be turned so as to swing the pipes a
up and down.
When the rinsing device is started, a single up and down motion of the jet frame
or swinging pipes is sufficient for removing the deposit on the elements by the
strong jets of rinsing water issuing from the pipes a'.
After cleansing, the regeneration and sterilisation of the filter elements can be
effected.
It will be obvious that the motion of the jet pipes between the elements might
also be effected in other ways; also, the jet pipes a' might be fixed between the
elements, in which case several pipes are arranged one above the other, all com-
municating with the water pressure supply.
The second above named improvement consists, as shewn on the drawings, in
providing the filter casing C with a base or lower part G carried by the
foundation F.
This lower part is formed. in one with the filter collecting chamber H on which
the filter elements are fixed in the usual manner.
The lower part G, Figs. 1, 2 and 4, carries five branch pipes i i¹ 23, of which
i serves for the impure water supply, for the pure filtrate, for the hot filtrate
for the introduction of the asbestos water and for the sediment discharge.
The said branches i to it are so arranged that the shut-off valves connected
thereto and their hand wheels are all situated at the same level, the latter being
at such a height from the floor as to be conveniently worked; ; are steam pipes
serving to heat the asbestos water entering through branch ³ to boiling point, for
the purpose of sterilisation.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this' inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In asbestos filters of the kind in which the asbestos layer is formed on the
outer surface of porous hollow bodies, the use, for cleansing such layers of deposit,
of a water rinsing device consisting of jet pipes such as a arranged between the
filter elements and supplied with water under pressure, substantially as described.
2. In cleansing apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, the use of jet
pipes a connected together by pipes A to which are fixed the water pressure supply
pipes working through stuffing boxes in the casing, the framing carrying the
jet pipes being arranged to receive an up and down motion and preferably to slide
ou guides a³ substantially as described.
3. In the cleansing apparatus referred to in the second claim, effecting the up
and down motion of the rinsing frame by means of a toothed rack fixed to such
frame, with which gears a pinion contained in a casing 2 on the head-piece of
the filter casing substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In cleansing apparatus such as is referred to in the first claim, the use of jet
pipes a' carried by a tubular shaft E mounted in bearings in the filter casing and
connected to the water pressure supply, such shaft receiving a reciprocating rotary
motion for causing the jet pipes a¹ to swing up and down over the surfaces of the
filter elements, substantially as described.
5. In asbestos filters of the kind herein referred to, providing the filter casing
with a base or lower part G which is formed in one with the collecting chamber H
of the filter elements, and in which are arranged the inlet and outlet branches i i
in such manner that the hand wheels of the shut off valves are all situated at
the same convenient height from the ground for working them, substantially as
described.
Dated this 28th day of December 1895.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.