Large-Area Polymer Melt Filters With Reused-Melt Backflushing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filter devices with duplex filter units suffer from high investment costs due to unused parallel filter units, labor-intensive and time-consuming cleaning processes, and environmental drawbacks, while ensuring continuous operation.
Innovation Solution
Simultaneously filter polymer melt through both large-area filters in a basic mode, and initiate backflushing of one filter using filtered polymer melt when contamination reaches a predefined level, alternating between basic and backflushing modes to maintain continuous operation and reduce cleaning complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If both filter chambers are operated in parallel simultaneously, then continuous operation is ensured and productivity is increased, but the filter surface is doubled and investment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between parallel operation mode (both filter chambers active) and sequential operation mode (one filter chamber active while the other is cleaned). This dynamic operation allows the system to maintain high productivity during filtration while reducing filter surface requirements during cleaning cycles, resolving the contradiction between continuous operation and filter surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards the need for a second filter chamber during cleaning operations by using the first filter chamber for both filtration and cleaning of the second chamber. The filtered polymer melt from the first chamber is reused to clean the second chamber, eliminating the need for separate cleaning systems and reducing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If traditional cleaning methods are used (transport to specialist company, pyrolysis, chemical solutions), then thorough cleaning is achieved, but labor intensity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system cleans itself using the filtered polymer melt from the first chamber to backflush the second chamber. This self-service cleaning mechanism eliminates the need for external cleaning facilities, pyrolysis processes, or chemical solutions, significantly reducing cleaning time and labor intensity while maintaining effective cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning process continues the useful action of filtration by using the already-filtered polymer melt to remove contaminants from the filter chamber. This continuous use of filtered melt for cleaning ensures that the cleaning process does not interrupt production and maintains high operational efficiency.
3Reliability
If traditional cleaning processes are used (pyrolysis, chemical solutions, ultrasonic baths), then contaminants are removed, but environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the potentially harmful accumulation of contaminants in the filter chamber into a beneficial cleaning medium. The filtered polymer melt, which would otherwise be waste, is reused to clean the filter chamber, eliminating the need for environmentally harmful pyrolysis, chemical solutions, or ultrasonic baths.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding the filtered polymer melt after use, the system recovers and reuses it for cleaning purposes. This recovery process eliminates waste and avoids the environmental harm associated with traditional cleaning methods, while still achieving effective contaminant removal.
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
Reduces the overall size of the filter device, cuts costs, and extends service life by using filtered polymer melt for cleaning, ensuring efficient and continuous operation with reduced environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the material to be filtered flows through the filter candles from the outside to the inside. The polymer melt to be filtered is filtered via the side walls of the filter candles
Implementation Method 2
The backflushing mode of operation is initiated when both large-area filters have reached a predefined degree of contamination meaning that it is necessary to clean the first large-area filter using a backflushing mode of operation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a filter device for polymer melt to be filtered, said filter device incorporating at least one first large-area filter, which has a plurality of filter elements, in a first filter chamber; and a first drain for the filtered polymer melt from the first filter chamber. The polymer melt to be filtered is conveyed under pressure through the filter device. The polymer melt to be filtered is fed to the first large-area filter in the filter direction, and filtering is continuously performed via the first large-area filter. During a backflushing operation, at least one filter element is cleaned of impurities and backflushed by reversing the flow direction of the filtered polymer melt and passing it through the filter element.