Improvements in Filtering Apparatus.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1893—Accepted, 25th Mar., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Filtering Apparatus.
A communication by MAX SONNENSCHEIN, of No. 1, Pramergasse, Vienna IX., in
the Empire of Austria, Merchant.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E. of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street, Man-
chester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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 apparatus contains closed chambers, the walls of which, of porous material,
constitute the filtering surfaces into which the liquids, which are to be purified, flow
from the outside and in passing through the filtering surfaces leave behind their
mechanical impurities, and are drawn out of these chambers, which are the filtering
elements, by means of the natural suction of a constantly maintained column of
water through a siphon shaped tube.
On the accompanying drawings:
:-
Figure 1 shows a front view of the whole arrangement of the filter.
Figure 2 is a cross section on the line of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side view of the filter, and
Figure 4 is a section of a filtering element on a larger scale.
O is a reservoir of wood, metal or masonry: bare wooden or cast iron filter
frames which stand on feet a. At the bottom of these frames, spring sockets c are
attached, in which the removable cast iron or metal filter plates d are secured.
The inserted filter plates are held at the sides by spring sliding pieces and at
the top by means of screw clamps, whereby the filter plates are caused to fit close
together so preventing the escape of any unfiltered liquid.
Handles gare arranged on the filter plates to allow of their being more easily
handled. The distance of the plates, composing the filter frames, from each other
is greater at the bottom than at the top, and in this way allow of the filter plates
being very simply fastened by means of the sliding pieces, as well as of an easier
flow off of the filtrate from the interior.
The filter frames have a flat lattice work on each side which serve as support
for the filter cloth (felt, cotton or other fabric, perforated metal, wire cloth,
etcetera, etcetera) and further mainly serve to distribute the actual filtering material y
(asbestos, cellulose, etcetera) evenly over the filtering surfaces, and also to prevent
the too rapid falling down of the filtering material in case of a momentary
cessation or stoppage of the suction action. This lattice work k may be made of
wood, iron or metal or of leather or india rubber strips fastened in any suitable
manner.
d
The filter plates & may, in consequence of the above described arrangement, be
easily and quickly changed without the continuity of the filtering process being
thereby essentially interrupted.
In order to obtain an even delivery from the whole apparatus, all the filter
frames fixed in one reservoir are connected by means of a common pipe h, from
which a pipe i leads to the collecting basin. The cocks 1, arranged at both sides,
serve to regulate the delivery of the filter as well as for running off, at the com-
mencement of the filtering process, the imperfectly purified liquid into a collecting
gutter which leads into a reservoir for unfiltered liquids. The air taps n serve for
discharging any deleterious air accumulated at the highest points of the filter frame
and siphon pipes.
The cleaning hole p, which is closed by means of a simple cone valve p³, serves

page_text: for at any time thoroughly cleaning the whole filter, for removing the filtering
substance and the accumulations of dirt. The cock y is for admitting the liquid to
be filtered. The liquid is maintained at a constant level of height by means of the
throttle valve which is regulated by means of a floats and lever t.
?"
The filter is set in operation in the following manner :-
The cocks are closed and the cocks n opened; the filter is filled with liquid to
about 25 centimetres over the frame, the cocks are then closed, and the filtering
material in a very finely subdivided condition inserted and stirred about.
The inlet tapy and the cocks are then opened, the filtration commences, the
first incompletely filtered liquid, however, running through the cocks into the
draw off gutter. When all the filtering material has thoroughly settled on
the filter plates, the cocks are shut and the purified liquid flows into the collecting
reservoir.
This arrangement allows of any suitable number of filters being placed side by
side with a common inlet and outlet, and everything which may be necessary to be
done can be done from above.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A filtering apparatus with fixed filter frames the bottoms of the sides of
which have a greater distance between them at the bottom than at the top, and
removable filter plates d in combination with a filtering lattice work and loose
filtering materials Y.
2. A suction filter with curved tubes R arranged at both ends for producing a
suction action for any suitable number of filters, together with the arrangement of
a floats operating on a throttle valve whereby a constant level of the liquid is
maintained.
Dated thie 17th day of January 1892
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.