Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 20th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 21st Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1887
1. JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN of Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.
Consulting Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :—
My invention relates to improvements in filtration whereby certain advantages are
obtained.
Two disadvantages which exist in the filters in ordinary use are the difficulty of
cleaning the filtering material when it gets foul, and the difficulty of regulating the
size of the interstitial spaces in the filtering material so as to admit of filtration to
any desired degree.
The object of my invention is to obviate these defects by the employment of a
filtering material which may always be easily and readily cleansed and which may, by
having the size of the interstitial spaces in the filtering material under control, admit
of filtration to any desired degree that is capable of separating the larger particles
only, or of all the matter down to the finest, or of fixing the limit anywhere between
these two points as may be desired-and by the employment of suitable means for the
advantageous use of such filtering material.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ as a filtering material a number of
spheres or other bodies of more or less similar shape. These bodies may be of any
suitable elastic substance and they may be solid or hollow. When hollow they may
have their interiors filled with any suitable fluid, and in some cases the interior space
may be in connection with the exterior. I may enclose the said filtering material in
a vessel of any convenient shape which when desired may be fitted with one or more
perforated plates either movable or fixed. When movable the said plate or plates may
De actuated or controlled by any suitable device. In some cases the vessel may be
fitted with a device for reversing or otherwise altering its position and it may have a
piston or other suitable or equivalent device by means of which pressure to a greater
or lesser extent may be exeried on the filtering material.
The action of my invention is as follows:-
When the bodies composing the filtering material simply rest upon each other by
their own weight or under slight pressure the spaces between them are large and

page_text: filtration is only effected in a low degree, that is only the larger particles are separated.
When pressure is applied the bodies are brought closer together and being elastic they
are pressed into a different shape, the spaces between them being made smaller and the
material rendered capable of filtering in a higher degree than before pressure was
applied. As more pressure is applied the bodies close up and alter their shape more
and more till at last the spaces disappear altogether. Thus the material may be
rendered capable of filtration in the highest degree as well as being simply made to
remove the
grosser matters suspended in the water.
The filtering material may be easily and readily cleansed, for example by the
releasing the pressure from the spheres or other shaped bodies and allowing them to
roll over each other so as to remove adhering dirt whilst water is passing through, or
by reversing the position of the vessel and passing water through the filtering material
in the direction opposite to that in which the water passes in normal working whilst
at the same time pressure is removed, or by working the piston or its equivalent whilst
water is passing through so as to alternately apply and remove pressure, or by a
combination of one or more of these methods.
1
1
M
100

page_text: I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.,
Consulting 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 :-
My, invention relates to improvements in filtration whereby certain advantages are
obtained.
Two disadvantages which exist in the filters in ordinary use are the difficulty of
cleaning the filtering material when it gets foul and the difficulty of regulating the
size of the interstitial spaces in the filtering material so as to admit of filtration to
any desired degree.
The object of my invention is to obviate these defects by the employment of a
filtering material which may always be easily and readily cleansed and which may by
having the size of the interstitial spaces in the filtering material under control admit of
filtration to any desired degree-that is capable of separating the larger particles only
or of all the matter down to the finest or of fixing the limit anywhere between these
two points as may be desired-and by the employment of suitable means for the
advantageous use of such filtering material.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ as a filtering material a number of
spheres or other bodies of more or less similar shape. These bodies may be of any
suitable elastic substance such for example as india-rubber and they may be solid or
hollow. When hollow they may have their interiors filled with any suitable fluid such
as air or water. I find india-rubber air-balls about three fourths of an inch in diameter
to be a convenient filtering material for the purposes of my invention. I enclose the
said filtering material in a vessel of cylindrical or other convenient shape which I
prefer to fit with perforated plates one or both of which may be moveable.
When one
of the plates is moveable I prefer to attach it to a piston-rod or the like suitably
actuated so that it may be employed to exert pressure upon the filtering material to a
greater or less extent as may be required. When both of the plates are moveable I
attach them both to piston-rods or the like for the purpose mentioned. In some cases
I mount the vessel containing the filtering material upon trunions or other convenient
equivalent devices so as to admit of the position of the vessel being altered at will for
the purpose of cleansing or otherwise.
The action of my invention is as follows:-
When the bodies composing the filtering material simply rest upon each other by
their own weight or under slight pressure the spaces between them are large and
filtration is only effected in a low degree, that is only the larger particles are separated.
When pressure is applied the bodies are brought closer together and being elastic they
are pressed into a different shape the spaces between them being made smaller and the
material rendered capable of filtering in a higher degree, than before pressure was
applied. As more pressure is applied the bodies close up and alter their shape more

page_text: and more til at last the spaces disappear altogether. Thus the material may be
rendered capable of filtration in the highest degree as well as being simply made to
remove the grosser matters suspended in the water or other fluid to be filtered.
My filtering material is diagramatically represented in the accompanying sheet of
drawings. In figure 1 air-balls A are shown in an uncompressed condition. It will
be seen that the balls rest upon each other simply by their own weight and that the
interstitial spaces
Bare large. In figure 2 the elastic balls are shown under submission
to a considerable pressure and it will be seen that the interstitial spaces B are con-
siderably smaller than in the former figure so that the filtration will take place to a
much higher degree than when the balls are uncompressed. In figure 3 the balls are
shown under such a state of compression as to entirely obliterate the interstitial spaces
and it will be seen that no fluid could pass.
It will be readily understood that any desired degree of compression intermediate
between what is shown in figures 1 and 3 may be obtained; and therefore that any
desired degree of filtration can be obtained by varying the pressure applied.
The filtering material may be easily and readily cleansed for example by releasing
the pressure and allowing the elastic bodies to roll over each other so 'as to
remove adhering dirt whilst water is passed through. A second method of cleansing
is by turning the vessel upon its trunions and reversing its position so as to pass water
through the filtering material in a direction opposite to that in which the water passes
in normal working the pressure being at the same time removed. A third way of
cleansing the filtering material is whilst water is passing through to alternately work
the piston or movable plate or plates so as alternately to apply and remove pressure.
Or a combination of one or more of these methods may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improvement in filtration consisting in the use of elastic bodies substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
2. The improvement in filtration consisting in the use of elastic bodies in conjunc-
tion with a vessel fitted with a movable plate or plates substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Dated this 20th day of February 1887.