Patent ID: 7314556

Claim:
A panel sector for a disc filter for separation of liquids from a suspension, the disc filter being rotatable about a filter axis, being divided into a plurality of sectors, and including a substantially tubular filter core, or rotor; the filter core having a core wall defining an axially extending core channel, a plurality of core inlet fittings, and a plurality of core filtrate channels extending axially through the core wall from the core inlet fittings to the core channel; each panel sector comprising: front and back filter panel assemblies, each of the filter panel assemblies including a frame, and a filter material clamped by the frame; a sector assembly for mounting the front and back filter panel assemblies, the sector assembly including a radially outer, outer end plate, a radially inner, core mounting plate subassembly adapted for mounting to the disc filter core, or rotor, and having front and back channels for receiving portions of the frames of the front and back filter panel assemblies, respectively, first and second side channel subassemblies, each of the side channel subassemblies having front and back channels for receiving portions of the frames of the front and back filter panel assemblies, respectively, at least one structural member extending radially between the core mounting plate subassembly and the outer end plate, and at least one support member extending laterally between the first and second side channel subassemblies; and a top cap including oppositely disposed first and second end portions, and first and second halve portions each having front and back channels, the front and back channels of the first half portion receiving portions of the frames of the front and back filter panel assemblies, respectively, mounted in the one of the sector assemblies and the front and back channels of the first half portion receiving portions of the frames of the front and back filter panel assemblies, respectively, mounted in the adjacent sector assembly, the top cap first end portion being removably mountable to the second half portion of the outer end plate of a one of the sector assemblies and the top cap second end portion being removably mountable to the first half portion of the outer end plate of an adjacent sector assembly, whereby the front back filter panel is removable from the sector assembly independently from the back filter panel assembly and the back filter panel is removable from the sector assembly independently from the front filter panel assembly.