# US 10,245,539 B2 · Virtual impactor filter assembly and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,539 B2 - Document ID: US10245539B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/933,749 - Filed: 2015-11-05 - Published: 2017-05-11 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2015-11-05 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: William Collins Vining; Robert Francis Manning; Victor Hugo Silva Correia; Corey Bourassa; Jared Peter Buhler; Hojjat Nasr - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245539B2 ## CPC - B01D 45/04: by utilising inertia (B01D45/12 takes precedence) - B01D 45/08: by impingement against baffle separators - B01D 50/20: Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00 - B01D 46/0002: {Casings; Housings; Frame constructions} - B01D 46/0004: {Details of removable closures, lids, caps or filter heads} - B01D 46/0005: {Mounting of filtering elements within casings, housings or frames (B01D46/2422 takes precedence)} - B01D 2265/06: Details of supporting structures for filtering material, e.g. cores - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) ## Abstract A filter system and method use a filter housing that defines an interior chamber and that includes an inlet opening extending into the interior chamber. The outer air flow housing has an outlet conduit through which a flow of air having particles is directed toward the inlet opening of the filter housing along a flow direction toward the interior chamber of the filter housing. The outer air flow housing engages the filter housing such that the filter housing is separated from the outer air flow housing along the flow direction to permit at least some of the air to pass around an exterior of the filter housing and exit the outer air flow housing while the particles in the at least some of the air pass into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A virtual impactor filter assembly comprising: a filter housing having a cylindrical sidewall defining an interior chamber, the filter housing including an inlet opening spaced a separation distance from an outer air flow housing that directs a flow of air having particles along a flow direction into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening, the cylindrical sidewall including a plurality of exit openings extending therethrough; a filter medium disposed in the interior chamber of the filter housing along an inner surface of the cylindrical sidewall, the filter medium removing particles from the flow of air having particles to provide a filtered air flow that exits the filter housing through the plurality of exit openings; and a volume defined between the filter housing and the outer air flow housing along the flow direction to permit at least some of the flow of air to flow, via the separation distance, through the volume and pass around an exterior of the filter housing, and exit the outer air flow housing while the particles in the at least some of the flow of air pass into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening wherein the filter housing is configured to engage with the outer air flow housing such that the filter housing is separated from the outer air flow housing along the flow direction by an air gap. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 1, further comprising a bridge conduit configured to extend from an outlet opening of the outer air flow housing through which the air is directed toward the filter housing to the inlet opening of the filter housing, the bridge conduit including openings that allow the air to flow out of the bridge conduit prior to reaching the inlet opening of the filter housing and around the filter housing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter housing is configured to capture and remove the particles in the at least some of the air without decreasing the flow of the air through or around the filter housing after clogging of the filter medium. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter housing includes a backflow prevention conduit disposed within the interior chamber and extending inward from the inlet opening of the filter housing, the backflow prevention conduit preventing backflow of the at least some of the particles out of the filter housing via the inlet opening. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter housing includes an end wall that opposes the inlet opening of the filter housing, the end wall including an angled impingement surface configured to evenly distribute the particles in the at least some of the air entering into the filter housing along the cylindrical sidewall. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 1, wherein the filter housing is configured to be engaged with the outer air flow housing such that the filter housing is laterally spaced apart from the outer air flow housing in directions that are transversely oriented with respect to the flow direction of the flow of the air. ### Claim 7 A filter system comprising: a filter housing having a cylindrical sidewall defining an interior chamber, the filter housing having an inlet opening extending into the interior chamber, the cylindrical sidewall including a plurality of exit openings extending therethrough; a filter medium disposed in the interior chamber of the filter housing along an inner surface of the cylindrical sidewall; and an outer air flow housing having an outlet conduit through which a flow of air having particles is directed toward the inlet opening of the filter housing along a flow direction toward the interior chamber of the filter housing, the outer air flow housing spaced a separation distance from the inlet opening of the filter housing; and a volume defined between the filter housing and the outer air flow housing along the flow direction to permit at least some of the flow of air to flow, via the separation distance, through the volume and pass around an exterior of the filter housing, and exit the outer air flow housing while the particles in the at least some of the flow of air pass into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening, and wherein the filter medium removes particles from the flow of air to provide a filtered air flow that exits the filter housing through the plurality of exit openings wherein the filter housing engages the outer air flow housing such that the filter housing is separated from the outer air flow housing along the flow direction by an air gap. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The filter system of claim 7, further comprising a bridge conduit configured to extend from an outlet opening of the outlet conduit to the inlet opening of the filter housing, the bridge conduit including openings that allow the air to flow out of the bridge conduit prior to reaching the inlet opening of the filter housing and around the filter housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The filter system of claim 8, wherein the filter housing includes an end wall that opposes the inlet opening of the filter housing, the end wall including an angled impingement surface configured to evenly distribute the particles in the at least some of the air flow entering into the filter housing along the cylindrical sidewall. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The filter system of claim 7, wherein the filter housing engages the outer air flow housing to capture and remove the particles in the at least some of the air without decreasing the flow of the air through or around the filter housing after clogging of filter material in the filter housing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The filter system of claim 7, wherein the filter housing includes a backflow prevention conduit disposed within the interior chamber and extending inward from the inlet opening of the filter housing, the backflow prevention conduit preventing backflow of the at least some of the particles out of the filter housing via the inlet opening. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The filter system of claim 7, wherein the outlet conduit of the outer air flow housing is elongated and staged in inner diameter such that a first stage of the outlet conduit has a larger inner diameter than a second stage of the outlet conduit with the second stage being located closer to the filter housing than the first stage. ### Claim 13 A virtual impactor filter assembly comprising: a filter housing having a cylindrical sidewall defining an interior chamber, the filter housing including an inlet opening positioned relative to an outer air flow housing that directs a flow of air having particles along a flow direction into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening, the cylindrical sidewall including a plurality of exit openings extending therethrough; a filter medium disposed in the interior chamber of the filter housing along an inner surface of the cylindrical sidewall, the filter medium removing particles from the flow of air having particles to provide a filtered air flow that exits the filter housing through the plurality of exit openings; and a bridge conduit configured to extend from an outlet opening of the outer air flow housing through which the air is directed toward the filter housing to the inlet opening of the filter housing, the bridge conduit including openings that allow the air to flow out of the bridge conduit prior to reaching the inlet opening of the filter housing and around the filter housing, wherein the filter housing is separated from the outer air flow housing along the flow direction to permit at least some of the flow of air to pass around an exterior of the filter housing, and exit the outer air flow housing while the particles in the at least some of the air pass into the interior chamber of the filter housing through the inlet opening. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 13, wherein the filter housing is configured to capture and remove the particles in the at least some of the air without decreasing the flow of the air through or around the filter housing after clogging of the filter medium. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 13, wherein the filter housing includes a backflow prevention conduit disposed within the interior chamber and extending inward from the inlet opening of the filter housing, the backflow prevention conduit preventing backflow of the at least some of the particles out of the filter housing via the inlet opening. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 13, wherein the filter housing includes an end wall that opposes the inlet opening of the filter housing, the end wall including an angled impingement surface configured to evenly distribute the particles in the at least some of the air entering into the filter housing around the interior chamber. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The virtual impactor filter assembly of claim 13, wherein the filter housing is configured to be engaged with the outer air flow housing such that the filter housing is laterally spaced apart from the outer air flow housing in directions that are transversely oriented with respect to the flow direction of the flow of the air.