Patent ID: 7422895

Claim:
A modular support system for supporting a bed of filter or compost material through which air or gas is to be passed vertically, with provision for balancing the distribution of gas to be passed through the bed of material, comprising: (a) a multiplicity of polygonal bed platform modules having generally planar top surfaces and shaped to be arranged side-by-side contiguously to form a bed platform covering a selected area, at least some of the bed platform modules having perforations so as to allow gas to pass through the bed platform, (b) bed support legs having upper ends connected to bottom sides of the bed platform modules, and of length sufficient to support and elevate the bed platform modules above a base surface on which the support system rests to form a plenum under the bed platform modules, (c) a peripheral closure along the periphery of the bed platform and generally closing the plenum, (d) a series of flow distribution platform modules comprising some of the bed platform modules and being arranged contiguously in the bed platform, defining in the plenum a flow distribution channel space beneath the series of flow distribution platform modules, (e) a gas inlet opening into the plenum and communicating with the flow distribution channel space, and (f) the flow distribution platform modules having slots in generally vertical planes near left and right sides of the modules, and including slide gates configured to be assembled down into the slots and to hang down into the plenum sufficiently to close off the respective sides of the flow distribution channel space to a desired degree at each side of each flow distribution platform module, whereby prior to the placement of the bed of filter or compost material on the modular bed platform, air or gas can be directed through the gas inlet and into the plenum, flow of gas through the various perforated bed platform modules can be reviewed, and the slide gates can be placed, adjusted and reconfigured such that optimum balance of flow through the various bed platform modules can be achieved via adjustment of such slide gates and corresponding control of the flow of gas through and out of the sides of the flow distribution channel space.