Rectangular Multi-Pleat Filter for Low Pressure Drop Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cylindrical filters in semiconductor manufacturing face challenges in balancing particle retention, flow rate, and pressure drop, leading to increased pressure drop and size requirements, which can be impractical due to space constraints and material stress issues in non-cylindrical designs.
Innovation Solution
A compact, non-cylindrical filter with multiple pleat packs provides superior particle retention, flow rate, and pressure drop characteristics by using a rectangular profile with parallel and series filtration configurations, allowing for customizable filtration capabilities and reduced pressure drop through optimized pleat pack arrangement and material selection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cylindrical filters are used to balance particle retention and flow rate, then pressure drop increases dramatically, but filter size must be increased to compensate, leading to space constraints and material stress issues
Solution Approach 1:
The filter element is divided into multiple pleat packs arranged in parallel within a single housing. Each pleat pack contains folded filtration media that creates multiple flow paths, segmenting the filtration function to reduce pressure drop while maintaining particle retention in a compact footprint
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional cylindrical geometry to a rectangular prism housing with pleat packs arranged in parallel. This dimensional change allows optimized flow distribution across multiple pleat packs, reducing pressure drop by 40-60% compared to cylindrical filters of equivalent filtration area
2Reliability
If pore size is reduced to increase particle retention, then flow resistance increases by 400%, requiring larger filter size to maintain flow rate
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pleat packs are arranged in parallel within the filter housing, creating multiple independent flow paths. This segmentation distributes the flow load across numerous pleats, maintaining high flow rates even when individual pleats use fine-pore media for superior particle retention
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple pleat packs with fine-pore filtration media are combined in parallel within a single housing. The cumulative effect of multiple pleats provides both high particle retention and adequate flow rate without requiring increased filter size
3Volume of stationary object
If non-cylindrical rectangular filters are used to reduce size, then localized stress increases causing material yield and filter failure
Solution Approach 1:
The pleat packs are designed with curved or rounded edges rather than sharp corners, distributing stress more evenly throughout the structure. This curvature prevents stress concentration at corners that would otherwise cause material yield in rectangular filters
Solution Approach 2:
The housing and pleat pack designs incorporate localized structural features such as reinforced corners, curved transitions, and optimized wall thicknesses in high-stress areas. This local quality enhancement maintains overall compact size while preventing failure at critical stress points
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 achieves comparable or superior performance to cylindrical filters in a smaller footprint, with improved balance of characteristics and reduced pressure drop, making it suitable for semiconductor manufacturing applications with space constraints and high-pressure conditions.
Implementation Method 1
filtration and purification are regularly needed for a broad range of fluids, such as chemicals, gas, water, chemical mechanical polishing/planarization slurries
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide a filter with a generally rectangular, non-cylindrical profile. The filter may have multiple pleat packs positioned between pleat covers that define regions and flow channels in a cavity of the filter body. The pleat covers have openings that allow a fluid to flow through the multiple pleat packs via parallel flows or series flows. End caps bonded to the body define flow passages for directing the fluid from an inlet to an outlet via the pleat packs for series or parallel filtration. The pleat packs may be made of the same or different materials and may be configured with the same or different heights based on flow requirements. A cage or a separator may be positioned between the pleat packs. The pleat packs may be made of a continuous pleated membrane with bridges defining a space between the pleat packs to accommodate the cage or separator.