Sorption Element with Stacked Sheets for Bilge Water Filtration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filter elements used for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from aqueous liquids, such as bilge water, tend to clog prematurely and require frequent replacement, leading to increased complexity and maintenance in cleaning systems, and are not suitable for aqueous environments due to dissolution of water-soluble acidic materials.
Innovation Solution
A sorption element with a frame structure containing stacked sheets of sorbent material bonded by line-shaped or punctiform joints, forming channels that guide the liquid along the sorbent surface, enhancing contaminant capture through adherence and coalescence while minimizing flow resistance and clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If liquid is forced to flow through filter material transversely to the layers of the rolled-up filter web, then filtration capacity is increased, but pressure drop changes substantially particularly towards the end of the filter lifetime
Solution Approach 1:
The filter web is divided into multiple layers that are rolled up and stacked, with each layer contributing to the overall filtration capacity. The segmentation of the filter into discrete layers allows increased surface area for filtration while maintaining manageable pressure drop characteristics through proper layer arrangement and spacing.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter web is transformed from a flat two-dimensional structure into a three-dimensional rolled-up configuration. This dimensional change increases the effective filtration surface area within a compact volume, allowing more contaminant capture capacity while distributing the pressure drop across multiple layers rather than concentrating it in a single plane.
2Quantity of substance
If filter elements are used to remove hydrocarbon contaminants from aqueous liquid, then contaminant removal is achieved, but filter elements tend to clog up long before the capacity for uptake of contaminants by the filter medium is reached
Solution Approach 1:
The filter medium utilizes porous material structure that allows liquid to pass through while capturing hydrocarbon contaminants. The porous structure provides extensive surface area for contaminant adsorption while maintaining open pathways for fluid flow, preventing clogging even as contaminants accumulate on the filter surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter design changes the flow pattern parameter from traditional depth filtration to surface filtration along the rolled-up web layers. This parameter change allows contaminants to be captured on the surface of the filter material rather than blocking the entire cross-section, extending the filter element lifespan before replacement is needed.
3Reliability
If filter elements require replacement when pressure drop rises above critical value, then system reliability is maintained, but system complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rolled-up filter web design allows for easier replacement and maintenance compared to traditional filter elements. The modular stacked structure enables straightforward removal and installation of filter cartridges, reducing the complexity of maintenance operations while maintaining system reliability through predictable end-of-life indicators.
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 sorption element effectively extends the lifespan of the cleaning system by allowing contaminants to be captured based on surface interaction rather than flow through the sorbent material, reducing pressure drop and maintenance needs, and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations by achieving low contaminant concentrations in the discharged water.
Implementation Method 1
The sorption element effectively extends the lifespan of the cleaning system by allowing contaminants to be captured based on surface interaction
Implementation Method 2
a sorption medium comprising stacked sheets of a sorbent material, the sheets being bonded together by a plurality of interspaced line-shaped joints and/or punctiform joints
Implementation Method 3
enhancing contaminant capture through adherence and coalescence
Implementation Method 4
enhancing contaminant capture through adherence and coalescence
Data Source
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AI summary
A sorption element 101 for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from an aqueous liquid, wherein the sorption element 101 comprises a frame structure 102 with at least one opening providing a fluid connection between an input side and an output side of the sorption element 102, each opening being filled with a sorption medium 103, comprising stacked sheets 120, 121, 122 of a sorbent material, the sheets 120, 121, 122 being bonded together by a plurality of inter- spaced line-shaped joints 130, 131 and/or punctiform joints 130, 131, wherein the sheets 120, 121, 122 of the sorbent material are arranged to extend in the direction from the input side to the output side, thereby forming a plurality of channels 108, each channel being defined by sorbent sheet material and having a feed opening 109 towards the input side and a discharge opening 110 towards the output side. A method for producing a sorption medium comprises: rolling up a first and a second web of a sorbent sheet material onto a spool member and bonding adjacent layers together by line-shaped and/or punctiform joints in one step; cutting open the rolled up material; and flattening out the rolled up material.