Sintered Adsorptive Filter with Hollow Chamber

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing filters face challenges in efficiently removing contaminants due to flow concentration zones, reduced surface area, and premature fouling, especially when dealing with high flow rates and small contaminants, leading to decreased efficiency and potential risks.

Innovation Solution

A filter design featuring a rigid adsorptive filtering medium that functions as both a structural wall and a mechanical filtering medium, with a hollow chamber allowing fluid to enter through its entire face, eliminating the need for external cages and increasing usable surface area and contact time for enhanced filtration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If traditional filters use external cages and inner core supports to hold filter media, then structural strength is provided, but flow concentration zones are created that block portions of the filter surface and reduce effective filtration area

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeffective filtration surface areaVSAvoidstructural components (cages and supports)

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the external cage and inner core support structures from traditional filter designs. The filter media is held in place only by end caps, eliminating the complex cage-and-core architecture that creates flow concentration zones and blocks filtration surface area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using rigid cages to hold flexible filter media, the patent inverts the approach by using flexible filter media to define a rigid structural wall. The filter media itself becomes the structural element, eliminating the need for supporting cages.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If filter surface area is reduced by supporting structures, then device simplicity is improved, but contaminant build up increases in exposed areas leading to premature fouling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefilter lifeVSAvoidflow distribution uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

By removing the cage and core support structures, the patent eliminates the flow concentration zones they create. This distributes flow more uniformly across the entire filter surface, preventing contaminant build-up in localized areas and extending filter life.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Device complexity

If rigid adsorptive filtering medium is used as structural wall, then device complexity is reduced by eliminating cages, but manufacturing precision is required to ensure proper chamber formation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of componentsVSAvoidchamber formation accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the structural wall function and the adsorptive filtering function into a single rigid adsorptive filtering medium component. This merging eliminates the need for separate cages and supports, reducing device complexity to essentially the filter media and end caps.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The rigid adsorptive filtering medium performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural strength as a wall, acts as an adsorptive filter for contaminant removal, and defines the chamber geometry. This multi-functionality reduces the number of components needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This design enhances filtration efficiency by ensuring uniform fluid flow, increasing adsorptive media volume, and reducing the risk of contaminant bypass, while maintaining structural strength and simplicity, thus addressing issues of flow concentration and surface area limitations.

Implementation Method 1

adsorption materials or other reactive filtration materials have been provided as a granular mixture... U.S. Pat. No. 7,473,362 B1 (Nohren, Jr.) shows use of a semi porous composite fibrous material formed into an accordion pleated form constructed to remove certain targeted materials in the fluid with the aid of a strong electropositive charge attraction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Implementation Method 2

In the filtration of fluids such as water and some gases, particulates are typically removed through mechanical filtration. A mechanical filter typically is structured with a plurality of holes or openings (pores) the size of which is selected to restrict the passage of contaminating materials

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMechanical filtration: Filter (physical)

Data Source

PatentUS9162167B2Simplified filter

Publication Date: 2015.10.20 AQUAMIRA LLC

AI summary

A filter includes a structurally rigid adsorptive filtering medium formed as a sintered porous material chosen to remove targeted contaminant(s). The adsorptive filtering medium forms a hollow chamber sized to receive a mechanical filtering medium which is sized to press outward against the adsorptive filtering medium which supports the mechanical filtering medium thus eliminating a cage and a core to support the mechanical filtering medium and leading to a simplified construction. The fluid enters the filter through substantially the entire face of the adsorptive filtering structure and proceeds through the mechanical filtering medium which is a pleated paper filter. The hollow chamber may be capped at each end such that the caps effectively seal the filter and direct the fluid through the adsorptive filter medium and the mechanical filter medium.