Filtration Equipment

Abstract

To provide a small-sized filtering device capable of returning only filtered liquid after reliable processing to a mother machine and reducing retention of suspension introduced into a casing body. [Solution] In a filtration device 1 having an inlet 11 through which suspension flows in from a mother machine and an outlet 14 through which filtered liquid is returned to the mother machine, and a cover member 10 which seals the upper opening of a casing body 2 in which a filter member 5 is housed, the cover member has an introduction passage 12 for introducing suspension from the inlet into an annular region 6 between the casing body and the filter member, and the introduction passage has a ceiling surface 12A that slopes spirally downward from the inlet to the opening region 13 of the annular region.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a filtering device that separates and removes sludge from liquids used in various mechanical devices, such as machining fluids and coolant fluids for machine tools, thereby enabling the liquids to be repeatedly reused. [Background technology]

[0002] In various processing equipment including machine tools, it is common for the machining fluids and coolants used to be discharged, then collected and reused. However, the discharged fluids after use contain so-called sludge, such as cutting chips, grinding chips, and dust, and if this sludge is not removed before use, malfunctions will occur in the equipment.

[0003] Therefore, a filtration device is used which is attached to a mother machine such as a machine tool, filters the suspension discharged from the mother machine to remove sludge and purify the suspension, and then returns the suspension to the mother machine.

[0004] As an example of such a filtration device, Patent Document 1 discloses a filter system in a machine tool that is equipped with a machining fluid tank for storing machining fluid for the machine tool, and is configured so that the machining fluid is sent from this machining fluid tank to the machine tool by a pump device and the used machining fluid is returned to the machining fluid tank to circulate. The filter system is configured to circulate and filter the machining fluid within the machining fluid tank by installing a submersible pump and a filter device in the machining fluid tank. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2024-31634 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, a filter system such as that described above, which is poured into a machining fluid tank to filter the machining fluid within the tank, is a large filtration device that requires a machining fluid tank, and installing such a machining fluid tank requires a relatively large amount of space near the mother machine.

[0007] Moreover, the machining fluid supplied from the machining fluid tank to the machine tool is not the one after all the sludge-containing machining fluid has been filtered, but is only partially filtered in the machining fluid tank, so it is not necessarily supplied in a state in which the sludge has been removed, and there is a risk that the fluid may be supplied to the mother machine with sludge remaining. Furthermore, in this type of filtration method, sludge accumulates inside the device, so there is a limit to continuous filtration processing, and it is not efficient.

[0008] Therefore, there has been a demand for a small and efficient filtration device that does not require a processing liquid tank that would occupy a large space near the mother machine, but can directly collect the suspension discharged from the mother machine, filter it, and return only the filtered liquid after reliable processing to the mother machine, and that can carry out this filtration process continuously over a long period of time.

[0009] Therefore, the present inventor has already developed a small-sized filtration device 100 capable of continuous processing as shown in Fig. 4. This device has a cylindrical filter element 105 concentrically housed inside a cylindrical casing body 102, and an annular region 106 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the filter element 105 and the outer peripheral surface of the filter element 105. The casing body 102 has a funnel-shaped bottom 103 that continues downward from its lower end, and a discharge port 104 is formed in the center of the bottom 103. A sludge discharge pipe 108 is connected to this discharge port 104 in an openable and closable manner, and the sludge that has been removed from the suspension and settled at the bottom 103 is discharged by its own weight.

[0010] In addition, the upper opening of the casing body 102 is sealed by a cover member 110, and this cover member 110, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 4(b) and the oblique view of FIG. 5, is provided with an inlet 111 connected to a discharge pipe from the mother machine to allow the suspension to flow into the annular region 106 in the casing body 102, and an outlet 114 connected to a return pipe to the mother machine to allow the filtered liquid that has passed through the inside of the cylindrical filter element 105 to flow out of the casing body 102.

[0011] The cover member 110 defines an annular flow passage 115 which communicates with the inlet 111 and the upper end opening surface of the annular region 106 on the casing main body side, and an inner chamber 116 inside the annular flow passage 115 which communicates with the inner upper end opening of the filter element 105 and the outlet 114. The lower end of the inner chamber 116 and the upper end of the filter element 105 are detachably connected via a mounting member 107, and the filter element 105 is held concentrically within the casing main body 102 by this mounting.

[0012] Therefore, when the sludge discharge pipe 108 is closed, the suspension introduced from the inlet 111 of the cover member 110 above the casing body 102 flows downward while spreading and circulating to the left and right within the annular flow path 115 due to its own weight, and then falls while circling into the annular region 106 of the casing body 102.

[0013] Of the suspension flowing through the annular region 106, only the liquid that has passed through the filter element 105, i.e., the filtered liquid from which sludge has been removed, accumulates inside the filter element 105 as the introduction and filtration of the suspension progresses, flows into the inner chamber 116 of the upper cover member 110, and is discharged from the outlet 114.

[0014] Here, the sludge separated from the suspension flows down in the annular region 106 by its own weight, and settles to the bottom 103. Finally, the sludge that has settled to the bottom 103 is discharged downward and collected by opening the sludge discharge pipe 108.

[0015] However, in the filtration device 100 having the above-described configuration, the suspension introduced through the inlet 111 and flowing downward tends to split and spread to the left and right, generating vortices above the annular region 106 and causing it to stagnate.

[0016] Here, a simulation analysis was performed on the flow of coolant liquid as a suspension in a conventional filtration device when it is introduced into the filtration device 100 at a flow rate of 80 L / min, and the results are shown in the flow distribution diagram in Figure 6. As can be seen in Figure 6, the suspension accumulates in the upper region, causing the sludge contained in the suspension to concentrate and adhere to the outer circumferential surface of the filter element 105 at the suspension accumulation location, resulting in poor filtration efficiency.

[0017] In view of the above problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a small filtration device that can return only the filtered liquid after reliable processing to the mother machine without enlarging the size of the device so that a large occupying space is required near the mother machine, and that can reduce the retention of suspension introduced into the casing body, thereby performing a filtration process more efficiently than before. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] In order to achieve the above object, the filtration device according to the invention described in claim 1 is a filtration device that filters and removes sludge from a suspension discharged from a mother machine, and then returns the filtered liquid to the mother machine, the filter element is provided in a cylindrical shape; a cylindrical casing body that houses the filter element concentrically to form an annular region between its inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the filter element; a bottom portion that is provided continuously downward from the lower end of the casing body and that allows sludge that is removed from the suspension by the filter element and settled to be discharged by gravity from a discharge port formed in the center; and a lid member that seals an upper opening of the casing body, The cover member is an inlet connected to a discharge pipe through which the suspension is discharged from the mother machine and through which the suspension flows into the annular region; an outlet connected to a return pipe to the mother machine for allowing the filtered liquid that has passed through the inside of the filter element to flow out of the casing body; a bottom surface that exposes a portion of an upper end surface of the annular region as an opening region and closes the upper end surface other than the opening region; an introduction passage for introducing the suspension from the inlet to the opening region; an inner chamber portion that is partitioned from the introduction passage, holds an upper end portion of the filter element, and communicates an upper end inner peripheral opening of the filter element with the outlet port; The introduction passage is characterized in that it has a ceiling surface that slopes downward in a spiral shape from the inlet to the opening area.

[0019] According to the filtration device of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, the suspension from the mother machine is sent into the annular region through an inlet passage that extends from the inlet of the cover member to the opening region of the upper end face of the annular region between the casing body and the filter element. At this time, the suspension flows down the inlet passage along the ceiling surface that slopes spirally downward, and a spiral downward rotational force is applied along this ceiling surface, causing the suspension to move in a swirling flow around the annular region.

[0020] Therefore, in the present invention, the accumulation of the suspension as in the conventional case is avoided, and the sludge in the suspension does not concentrate at the accumulation position on the outer circumferential surface of the filter element, so that more efficient filtration is achieved.

[0021] The sludge, which is efficiently separated from the suspension that flows down the annular region in this swirling flow, falls smoothly and accumulates at the bottom of the filter element, and can be easily collected by opening the discharge pipe. On the other hand, the filtered liquid that has efficiently passed through the filter element is returned to the mother machine from the inside of the filter element through the inner chamber of the upper cover member and the outlet, and is reused.

[0022] In addition, in the filtering device of the present invention, it is preferable that the bottom of the casing body has a conical shape. In the bottom of a generally seen dish-shaped end plate, there is a flat bottom area around the discharge port, so the separated and settled sludge is likely to accumulate. The sludge that accumulates on the flat surface around the discharge port will not be discharged even if the sludge discharge pipe connected to the discharge port is opened.

[0023] Therefore, by making the bottom conical, the sludge can slide down the angled tapered surface more easily. Therefore, the separated and settled sludge will gather on the drain hole at the bottom, and most of the sludge can be discharged from the drain hole by opening the sludge discharge pipe.

[0024] In addition, when performing continuous filtration processing over a long period of time, the area of ​​sludge adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the filter element will become larger over time, and further sludge accumulation may occur, which may lead to a deterioration in the filtration performance of the filter element. Therefore, it is desirable to install a scraper device in the filtration device of the present invention to scrape off the sludge adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the filter element.

[0025] That is, a simple configuration for the scraper device includes a motor attached to the top of the cover member, a rotating shaft that penetrates the cover member and is inserted onto the central axis of the filter element and rotated about its axis by the motor, a mounting member that joins the upper end of the filter element to the rotating shaft and rotates the filter element about its central axis, and a rod-shaped scraper member that slides relative to the outer peripheral surface of the filter element as it rotates.

[0026] In this scraper device, when the motor is driven, the filter element connected to the rotating shaft of the motor via an attachment member rotates around its central axis, and the rod-shaped scraper member slides relatively along the outer circumferential surface of the filter element, scraping off the sludge adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the filter element. This immediately restores the filtering performance of the filter element, and allows the continuous filtering of the suspension to proceed smoothly.

[0027] The timing of driving the motor may be such that it continues to operate while the suspension continues to be discharged, or, depending on the discharge of the suspension, the level of sludge contained, and the duration of discharge, it may be possible to drive the motor automatically at appropriate time intervals to scrape off the sludge more efficiently. Also, if the discharge of the suspension is not constant, it is possible to respond by driving the motor at any desired timing. Effect of the Invention

[0028] As described above, in the filtration device of the present invention, in a filtration device equipped with a cover member that introduces suspension from a mother machine through an inlet and sends it through an introduction passage to an annular region between an inner peripheral surface of a casing body and an outer peripheral surface of a filter element, the introduction passage has a ceiling surface that slopes downward in a spiral shape, so that the suspension flowing down along the ceiling surface is subjected to a downward spiral rotational force, forming a swirling flow that moves through the annular region. This has the effect of allowing efficient filtration to continue without the accumulation of suspension that made filtration processes using conventional filter elements inefficient. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] 1A is a schematic diagram showing a filtration device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire device, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged sectional view of a cover member in FIG. [Diagram 2] 2A and 2B are explanatory views showing the configuration of the cover member in FIG. 1, in which (a) is a front view and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view of the rear view. [Diagram 3]FIG. 2 is a flow distribution diagram showing the results of a simulation analysis of the suspension flow in the filtration device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional filtration device, in which (a) is a longitudinal sectional view of the entire device, and (b) is an enlarged sectional view of a cover member in (a). [Diagram 5] 5 is a perspective view of the cover member of FIG. 4 as viewed from below. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a flow distribution diagram showing the results of a simulation analysis of the suspension flow in the filtration device of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] A filtration device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the filtration device according to this embodiment, where (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the entire device, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the cover member in (a). Figure 2 is an explanatory view showing the configuration of the cover member in Figure 1, where (a) is a front view, and (b) is a partial cross-sectional view of the back.

[0031] The filtration device 1 according to this embodiment has a cylindrical filter element 5 concentrically housed inside a cylindrical casing body 2, and an annular region 6 is formed between the inner surface of the casing body 2 and the outer surface of the filter element 5.

[0032] The casing body 2 is provided with a funnel-shaped bottom 3 that continues downward from its lower end, and a discharge outlet 4 is formed in the center of the bottom 3. A sludge discharge pipe 8 is connected to this discharge outlet 4 in an openable and closable manner, and the sludge that has been removed from the suspension and settled at the bottom 3 is discharged into the sludge discharge pipe 8, which is opened by its own weight.

[0033] In addition, the upper opening of the casing body 2 is sealed by a cover member 10, and this cover member 10 is equipped with an inlet 11 connected to a discharge pipe from the mother machine to allow the suspension to flow into the annular region 6 in the casing body 2, and an outlet 14 connected to a return pipe to the mother machine to allow the filtered liquid that has passed through the inside of the cylindrical filter element 5 to flow out of the casing body 2.

[0034] In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the lid member 10 opens a portion of the upper end surface of the annular region 6 as an opening region 13, and blocks the upper end surface other than the opening region 13. Inside the lid member 10, an inlet passage 12 is formed that connects from the inlet 11 to the opening region 13 on the outer periphery side and introduces the suspension into the opening region 13.

[0035] An inner chamber 16 that communicates with the inner upper end opening 5A of the filter element 5 and the outlet port 14 is provided in the center inside the cover member 10 and is partitioned from the introduction path 12. The lower end of the inner chamber 14 and the upper end of the filter element 5 are detachably connected to each other by the mounting member 7, so that the filter element 5 is held concentrically within the casing body 2.

[0036] In this embodiment, the introduction passage 12 has a ceiling surface 12A that is inclined downward in a spiral shape. Therefore, the suspension introduced from the inlet 11 flows down inside the introduction passage 12 along the ceiling surface 12A, and a downward spiral rotational force is applied to the suspension, causing it to move downward inside the annular region 6 as a swirling flow.

[0037] Therefore, when the sludge discharge pipe 8 is closed, the suspension introduced from the inlet 11 of the cover member 10 above the casing body 2 flows downward while spiraling around the inlet passage 12 under its own weight, and when it enters the annular region 6 of the casing body 2, it becomes a swirling flow and flows downward.

[0038] Here, a simulation analysis was performed on the flow of the coolant liquid as the suspension in the filtration device 1 according to this embodiment when it is introduced into the filtration device 1 at a flow rate of 80 L / min, and the results are shown in the flow distribution diagram in Fig. 4. As can be seen from Fig. 4, the suspension does not stagnate at the top, but falls while circling the entire outer periphery of the filter element 5 as a swirling flow. Therefore, the suspension is efficiently filtered overall by the outer periphery of the filter element 5.

[0039] The sludge separated from the suspension settles smoothly to the bottom 3 of the casing body 2. Then, if the sludge discharge pipe 8 is opened when a certain amount of sludge has accumulated at the bottom 3, the sludge falls through the sludge discharge pipe 8 and can be easily collected.

[0040] On the other hand, the filtered liquid from which sludge has been removed as it passes around the outer periphery of the filter element 5 and into the inside of the filter element 5 from the suspension flowing downward in a swirling manner within the annular region 6 accumulates inside the filter element 5, flows upward into the inner chamber 16, and is returned to the mother machine from the outlet 14 for reuse.

[0041] The filtration device 1 according to this embodiment may also be equipped with a scraper device. In this case, the scraper device may be configured such that a rotating shaft 30 rotated around its axis by a motor M attached to the upper part of the lid member 10 is inserted through the lid member 10 onto the central axis of the filter element 5, the upper end of the filter element 5 is joined to the rotating shaft 30 via the mounting member 7, and a rod-shaped scraper member 31 is fixed to a position in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the filter element 5. The upper end of the scraper member 31 is fixed to the bottom surface of the lid member 10, but is fixed at a position avoiding the lower end opening of the introduction path 12 that communicates with the opening region 13 into which the suspension is introduced.

[0042] In this scraper device, when the motor M is driven, the filter element 5 connected to the rotating shaft 30 of the motor M via the mounting member 7 rotates about its central axis, and the rod-shaped scraper member 31 slides relatively along the outer circumferential surface of the filter element 5, scraping off sludge adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the filter element 5. This immediately restores the filtering performance of the filter element 5, allowing the continuous filtering process of the suspension to proceed smoothly. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1,100: Filtration equipment 2,102: Casing body 3,103: Bottom 4,104: Outlet 5,105: Filter element 5A: Inner upper end opening (of filter element) 6,106: Annular region 7,107: Mounting material 8,108: Sludge discharge pipe 10, 110: Lid member 11,111:Inlet 12:Introduction route 12A: Ceiling surface 13:Aperture area 14,114: Outlet 115: Annular flow channel 16,116: Inner chamber M: Motor 30: Rotation axis 31: Scraper parts

Claims

1. A filtration device that filters and removes sludge from a suspension discharged from a mother machine and returns the filtered liquid to the mother machine, the filter element is provided in a cylindrical shape; a cylindrical casing body that houses the filter element concentrically to form an annular region between its inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the filter element; a bottom portion that is provided continuously downward from the lower end of the casing body and that allows sludge that is removed from the suspension by the filter element and settled to be discharged by gravity from a discharge port formed in the center; and a lid member that seals an upper opening of the casing body, The cover member is an inlet connected to a discharge pipe through which the suspension is discharged from the mother machine and through which the suspension flows into the annular region; an outlet connected to a return pipe to the mother machine for allowing the filtered liquid that has passed through the inside of the filter element to flow out of the casing body; a bottom surface that exposes a portion of an upper end surface of the annular region as an opening region and closes the upper end surface other than the opening region; an introduction passage for introducing the suspension from the inlet to the opening region; an inner chamber portion that is partitioned from the introduction passage, holds an upper end portion of the filter element, and communicates an upper end inner peripheral opening of the filter element with the outlet port; The filtration device, wherein the introduction passage has a ceiling surface that slopes downward in a spiral shape from the inlet to the opening area.

2. 2. The filtering device according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the casing body has a conical shape.

3. The filter element further includes a scraper device for scraping off sludge adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the filter element. The scraper device is A motor attached to an upper portion of the cover member; a rotating shaft that is inserted through the cover member onto a central axis of the filter element and rotated about its axis by the motor; a mounting member for connecting an upper end of the filter element to the rotating shaft and rotating the filter element around a central axis; 3. The filtering device according to claim 1, further comprising a rod-shaped scraper member that slides relatively against an outer circumferential surface of the filter element as the filter element rotates.

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