Cleanable Filter Media With Misaligned Apertures for Particle Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleanable air filters made from woven materials have lower efficiency and higher upfront costs compared to disposable filters, and existing extruded polymer filters do not achieve equivalent performance characteristics at a lower cost.
Innovation Solution
The development of cleanable filter media comprising extruded reticular structures with misaligned apertures and a silicone-based coating, which enhances particle capture efficiency and reduces manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional cleanable air filters are made from woven materials, then they achieve cleanability and reusability, but their particle capture efficiency is lower and upfront cost is higher
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs extruded reticular structures with controlled porosity and aperture configurations to achieve both high particle capture efficiency and cleanability. The porous design allows fluid passage while trapping particles, and the structured apertures enable effective cleaning without damaging the filter media.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter combines multiple layers including extruded reticular structures, apertured films, and support layers to create a composite material system that integrates high efficiency particle capture, structural stability, and cleanability into a single cost-effective solution.
2Reliability
If cleanable filters are made with simpler structures, then manufacturing cost decreases, but particle capture efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The filter is divided into multiple functional layers including extruded reticular structures, apertured films, and support layers. Each layer performs a specific function (particle capture, structural support, flow distribution), allowing the complex performance requirements to be met through modular design while maintaining manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes multi-layer construction where each layer operates in a different dimensional plane, with apertures misaligned between layers to create tortuous flow paths. This dimensional approach increases particle capture efficiency without requiring excessive complexity in any single layer.
3Reliability
If extruded polymer filters use aligned apertures, then manufacturing is easier and cost is lower, but particle capture efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately introduces asymmetry in the aperture arrangement between layers, with apertures in successive layers offset from each other. This asymmetric configuration creates tortuous flow paths that enhance particle capture efficiency while remaining compatible with standard extrusion manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The misaligned aperture configuration creates curved, tortuous flow paths through the filter layers, forcing fluid to follow non-linear trajectories. This curvature increases the residence time and contact between fluid and filter media, improving particle capture efficiency without complicating the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The filter media achieves improved particle capture efficiency, particularly in the E2 and E3 particle range, with reduced pressure drop and lower manufacturing costs, making it a cost-effective alternative to conventional cleanable filters.
Implementation Method 1
at least a portion of the apertures in the first layer are spaced away from the apertures in the second layer in a direction substantially parallel to the first and second layers such that the apertures in the first layer do not completely overlap with the apertures in the second layer. This provides a more tortuous path for fluid flowing through the filter media, thereby increasing its efficiency at capturing particles from the fluid.
Implementation Method 2
The particulate matter in the gas flowing through the paths in the web is retained on the upstream side of the web, or within the tortuous paths of the web due to the size of the particles relative to the paths' diameters.
Data Source
AI summary
Cleanable filter media and filters are provided that are formed from extruded reticular materials, such as nettings, meshes, mattings, apertured films, apertured sheets and the like. A cleanable filter media comprises a first layer comprising an extruded reticular structure and a second layer in contact with the first layer and comprising an extruded reticular structure. The first and second layers may include holes, perforations or apertures that are misaligned with each other. The reticular structures may comprise an apertured polymer film or a netting. One or more of the layers may be electrically charged and/or may comprise charge additives or charge control agents. One or more of the layers may include a silicon-based coating. The cleanable filter media are less expensive to manufacture than conventional cleanable filter media and may have equivalent or improved performance characteristics.