# US 10,369,524 B2 · Autogenous cleaning filtration method and device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,369,524 B2 - Document ID: US10369524B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/589,068 - Filed: 2015-01-05 - Published: 2015-07-09 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-01-06 - Assignees: W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. - Applicants: W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. - Inventors: Gary P. Harp - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10369524B2 ## CPC - B01D 65/02: Membrane cleaning or sterilisation {; Membrane regeneration} - B01D 63/16: Rotary, reciprocated or vibrated modules - B01D 65/08: Prevention of membrane fouling or of concentration polarisation - B01D 69/10: Supported membranes; Membrane supports - B01D 71/36: Polytetrafluoroethylene - F04B 43/06: Pumps having fluid drive - F04B 43/14: having plate-like flexible members - F04B 53/20: Filtering - B01D 2201/184: Special form, dimension of the openings, pores of the filtering elements - B01D 2313/243: Pumps - B01D 2315/04: Reciprocation, oscillation or vibration - B01D 2321/2058: by vibration of the membrane, e.g. with an actuator - B01D 2321/30: Mechanical cleaning, e.g. with brushes or scrapers - 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) - F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F) ## Abstract The present invention provides an apparatus including: a filter medium having a slack state and a ballooned state and an elastic support attached to the filter medium to define a contiguous fluid flow path through the filter medium and the support. The elastic support is adapted to displace the filter medium repeatedly between the slack state and the ballooned state; the ballooned state is out-of-plane with respect to the slack state; and the slack state of the filter medium provides for areal strain greater than about 10% of the ballooned state. A method of cleaning a filter medium in a flow path of a fluid containing a suspended component is also described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of cleaning a filter medium in a flow path of a fluid containing a suspended component, wherein said flow path of said fluid is from a high pressure side of said filter medium to a low pressure side of said filter medium, said method comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining an apparatus comprising a filter medium and an elastomer support and attaching said filter medium to elastomer support at several discrete points at a distended state in which the geometrical area of the support is increased under a load between 10% and 1000% so that the filter medium and the elastomer support are both configured to have a first slack state and a second ballooned state, wherein when the elastomer support is in the first slack state, the filter medium is in the first slack state, and wherein when the elastomer support is in the second ballooned state, the filter medium is in the second ballooned state; (b) disposing said filter medium in said flow path of said fluid to separate said suspended component from said fluid; (c) repeatedly displacing the elastomer support between the first slack state and the second ballooned state thereby repeatedly displacing said filter medium between said first slack state and said second ballooned state and thereby discharging said suspended component from said filter medium during the course of filtration while allowing said fluid to flow continuously through said filter medium from said high pressure side to said low pressure side. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1 wherein said filter medium is displaced between said first slack state and said second ballooned state one hundred to three hundred times per minute. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1 wherein said filter medium is substantially planar in shape. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1 wherein said filter medium is substantially tubular in shape. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1 wherein said filter medium is asymmetric. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said second ballooned state is out-of-plane with respect to said first slack state. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said filter medium is attached to said elastomer support in said ballooned state. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1 wherein said elastomer support comprises an array of molded posts and said filter medium is attached to said posts by the use of an adhesive. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method as described in claim 1, wherein said filter medium is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method as described in claim 9, wherein said filter medium has a tensile strength (Tmedium) of: Tmedium>Esupport(Aballooned/Aslack), wherein: Esupport is an elastic modulus of said support, Aballooned is a geometric area of said filter medium in said ballooned state, and Aslack is a geometric area of said filter medium in said slack state. ### Claim 11 An apparatus comprising: (a) a filter medium and an elastomeric support both having a first slack state and a second ballooned state; (b) wherein the elastomer support is attached to said medium to define a contiguous fluid flow path through said filter medium and said support, wherein said filter medium is attached to said elastomer support at several discrete points at a distended state in which the geometrical area of the support is increased under a load between 10% and 1000%; (c) wherein the elastomer support is configured to displace said filter medium repeatedly between said first slack state and said second ballooned state, such that when the elastomer support is in the first slack state, the filter medium is in the first slack state, and wherein when the elastomer support is in the second ballooned state, the filter medium is in the second ballooned state, wherein the repeated displacement of the elastomer support and the filter medium between the first slack state and the second balloon state is configured to discharge a suspended component from the filter medium during the course of filtration while fluid is configured to flow continuously through said filter medium from said high pressure side to said low pressure side; wherein said second ballooned state is out-of-plane with respect to said first slack state; and (d) wherein said first slack state of said filter medium provides for areal strain greater than about 10% of said ballooned state. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said filter medium is substantially planar in shape. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said filter medium is substantially tubular in shape. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said filter medium is asymmetric. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 in a tubular form. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) A double diaphragm pump comprising the apparatus of claim 11 wherein said double diaphragm pump provides force for driving flow of fluid and force for displacing said filter medium between said first slack state and said second ballooned state. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said filter medium is attached to said elastomer support in said ballooned state. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said elastomer support comprises an array of molded posts and said filter medium is attached to said posts by the use of an adhesive. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) An apparatus as described in claim 11, wherein said filter medium is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) An apparatus as described in claim 19, wherein said filter medium has a tensile strength (Tmedium) Of: Tmedium>Esupport(Aballooned/Aslack), wherein: Esupport is an elastic modulus of said support, Aballooned is a geometric area of said filter medium in said ballooned state, and Aslack is a geometric area of said filter medium in said slack state.