Cleaning apparatus for a gas filter

A cleaning apparatus for an air filter that has clean and dirty air chambers separated by a partition having a plurality of openings each provided with a filter bag extending into the dirty air chamber, wherein the partition is divided into a plurality of segments with an equal number of the openings disposed in approximately the same arrangement in each segment, the cleaning apparatus comprising:

• a source of cleaning gas;
• a support disposed within the clean air chamber;
• a number of orifices disposed on the support and arranged in approximately the same arrangement as the arrangement of openings in each segment, wherein:
• the number of orifices corresponds to the number of the openings disposed in each segment,
• the orifices are divided into at least first, second and third groups of orifices,
• each of the first group of orifices is fluidly connected to a first valve, each of the second group of orifices is fluidly connected to a second valve, and each of the third group of orifices is fluidly connected to a third valve,
• each one of the first, second and third valves is configured to selectively deliver cleaning gas from the source of cleaning gas to the orifices fluidly connected to that valve without delivering cleaning gas to the orifices fluidly connected to another one of the first, second and third valves, and
• each of the orifices is configured to discharge cleaning gas toward the partition;
• a drive mechanism configured to move the support relative to the partition from a first cleaning position toward a second cleaning position and a third cleaning position, where in the first cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a first one of the segments, in the second cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a second one of the segments, and in the third cleaning position the support positions the orifices proximate the openings disposed in a third one of the segments;
• a sensor configured to provide:
• a first indication when the support is proximate a first one of the first, second and third cleaning positions, a second indication when the support is proximate a second one of the first, second and third cleaning positions, and a third indication when the support is proximate a third one of the first, second and third cleaning positions;
• and
• a control system, wherein responsive to the first indication the control system is configured to activate the first valve to discharge cleaning gas from the first group of orifices, responsive to the second indication the control system is configured to activate the second valve to discharge cleaning gas from the second group of orifices, and responsive to the third indication the control system is configured to activate the third valve to discharge cleaning gas from the third group of orifices.

An air filter, comprising:

• a housing having a dirty air portion and a clean air portion proximate the dirty air portion;
• an inlet fluidly connected with the dirty air portion;
• an outlet fluidly connected with the clean air portion;
• a filter plate disposed between and separating the dirty air portion from the clean air portion and including a plurality of openings, wherein the filter plate is divided into a first number of segments with a second number of the openings disposed in a first pattern in each of the segments;
• a filter bag disposed in each of the openings;
• a cleaning arm disposed within the clean air portion and configured for rotation about an axis that is perpendicular to the filter plate;
• a drive mechanism configured to rotate the cleaning arm from a first cleaning position toward a second cleaning position;
• a sensor configured to provide a first indication when the cleaning arm is proximate the first cleaning position and a second indication when the cleaning arm is proximate the second cleaning position;
• a source of cleaning gas;
• a third number of nozzles disposed on the cleaning arm, wherein:
• the nozzles are arranged in a second pattern approximately corresponding to the first pattern and the third number corresponds to the second number,
• each of the nozzles is configured for selective discharge of cleaning gas toward a corresponding one of the openings in a first one of the segments when the cleaning arm is proximate the first cleaning position,
• each of the nozzles is configured for selective discharge of cleaning gas toward a corresponding one of the openings in a second one of the segments when the cleaning arm is proximate the second cleaning position,
• the nozzles are grouped into a fourth number of groups of nozzles with the first number of segments being greater than the fourth number of groups of nozzles,
• each of the nozzles in a first one of the groups of nozzles is fluidly connected to a first valve and each of the nozzles in a second one of the groups of nozzles is fluidly connected to a second valve, the first valve is configured to selectively deliver cleaning gas from the source of cleaning gas to each of the nozzles in the first one of the groups of nozzles for discharge, and the second valve is configured to selectively deliver cleaning gas from the source of cleaning gas to each of the nozzles in the second group of nozzles for discharge without delivering cleaning gas to the nozzles in the first one of the groups of nozzles, and
• at least some of the nozzles in the second one of the groups of nozzles are disposed further from the axis than at least some of the nozzles in the first one of the groups of nozzles;
• and
• a control system configured to activate the first valve to cause a discharge of cleaning gas from the nozzles of the first one of the groups of nozzles toward the filter plate in response to the first indication and to activate the second valve to cause a discharge of cleaning gas from the nozzles of the second one of the groups of nozzles toward the filter plate in response to the second indication.