# US 2011/0089122 A1 · Liquid removal apparatus

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- Number: US 2011/0089122 A1
- Document ID: US20110089122A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/936,387
- Filed: 2009-04-06
- Published: 2011-04-21
- Earliest claimed: 2008-04-05
- Assignees: Aquaclear Technology Limited
- Inventors: Gary Lewis Smith
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20110089122A1

## CPC

- B01D 33/745: {Construction of suction casings, pans, or the like}
- B01D 33/04: with filtering bands or the like supported on cylinders which are impervious for filtering
- B01D 33/056: Construction of filtering bands or supporting belts, e.g. devices for centering, mounting or sealing the filtering bands or the supporting belts
- B01D 33/37: in parallel connection
- B01D 33/41: in series connection
- B01D 33/705: {with internal recirculation through the filter}
- B01D 2201/204: Systems for applying vacuum to filters
- 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 liquid removal apparatus adapted to separate liquid from a composite slurry of liquid and solids. The apparatus includes a movable, permeable membrane having opposing first and second sides. A ‘loaded belt portion’ of the second side is configured to receive the slurry. A permeable membrane support system is configured to provide movable support for the loaded belt portion and includes a transport deck located in contact with the first side of the permeable membrane below the loaded belt portion. The liquid removal apparatus has a housing with a low-pressure chamber in sealing contact with the first side of the permeable membrane. A pressure conditioning system applies a differential pressure via the housing to generate a lower pressure on the first filter belt side than on the second side. The transport deck is located within the low pressure chamber.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid removal apparatus adapted to at least partially separate liquid from an infeed composite slurry of liquid and solids, the apparatus including:
a movable, permeable membrane (hereinafter termed a ‘filter belt’) having a first side and an opposing second side, at least a portion (hereinafter termed the ‘loaded belt portion’) of said second side configured to receive said slurry;
a permeable membrane support system configured to provide movable support for said loaded belt portion, said support system including;
at least one transport deck located adjacent or in contact with at least part of said first side of the filter belt below the loaded belt portion;
a housing configured to allow a pressure differential to be applied between the first and second sides of the filter belt, such that said first side is at a low pressure with respect to the second side; said housing including:
at least one low-pressure chamber with a first aperture in sealing contact with said first side of the movable filter belt below the loaded belt portion,
a pressure conditioning system for applying said differential pressure via the housing to generate a lower pressure on said first side of the filter belt than the second side;
wherein the or each said transport deck is entirely located within said low pressure chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure conditioning apparatus further includes a high-pressure chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said high-pressure chamber is configured to allow an elevated pressure with respect to the first side of the filter belt to be applied to the second side of the filter belt.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said elevated pressure includes a super-atmospheric pressure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said high pressure chamber is in communication with at least part of said second side of said filter belt.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said high pressure chamber is at least partially in communication with a portion of said second side overlapping said first aperture.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transport deck includes:
one or more continuous flexible drive members;
a plurality of support beams.

### Claim at position 8

8-9. (canceled)

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said flexible drive member is formed as a pair of endless roller chains constrained in parallel orbits by two or more rollers, with said plurality of transverse support beams attached therebetween and rotatable about said constrained orbit by at least one driven roller provided with a drive sprocket.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein an upper-most run of the support beam and roller chain assembly runs in a plane directly across the first aperture in the low pressure chamber.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further including one of more supplementary layers interposed between the filter belt and support beams.

### Claim at position 12

13-15. (canceled)

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the filter belt travels in a continuous endless loop with a substantially planar upper run-portion providing said loaded belt portion for receiving the slurry.

### Claim at position 14

17-19. (canceled)

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a head of liquid filtrate required to open the relief valve is directly proportional to a closure force of a resiliently biased valve member sealing said pressure relief valve.

### Claim at position 16

21-22. (canceled)

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said liquid removal apparatus housing includes a low-pressure chamber with two or more compartments located between an infeed point of said slurry onto said loaded belt portion and a discharge point, each compartment configured to collect liquid filtrate beneath a predetermined portion of the loaded belt portion, wherein collected liquid filtrate from at least one compartment is re-applied to a further predetermined portion of the loaded belt portion closer to said discharge point.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein liquid filtrate collected in one said compartment is re-applied to a further predetermined portion of the loaded belt portion corresponding to another said compartment closer to said discharge point.

### Claim at position 19

25-46. (canceled)

### Claim 47 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including one or more liquid absorption vacuum rollers.

### Claim 48 (depends on 47)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 47, wherein a said vacuum roller is configured as a cylindrical roller with an inner vacuum chamber and a rotatable outer surface provided with a liquid-absorbent material sleeve, said inner vacuum chamber being in communication with at least a portion of said absorbent sleeve.

### Claim at position 22

49-65. (canceled)

### Claim 66 (depends on 1)

A method of liquid separation from a composite slurry of liquid and solids using the liquid removal apparatus of claim 1, said method includes the steps of:
moving the permeable membrane over said first aperture at a first velocity;
applying said slurry to the first side of the permeable membrane;
applying a pressure differential between the first and second sides of the filter belt;
characterised in that said first velocity of the moving membrane is cyclically pulsed to apply a variable impetus to the slurry on the permeable membrane

### Claim at position 24

67-75. (canceled)

### Claim 76 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, adapted to at least partially separate liquid from an infeed composite slurry of liquid and solids, the apparatus including:
a permeable membrane having a first side and an opposing second side;
a housing configured to allow a pressure differential to be applied between the first and second sides of the permeable membrane, such that said first side is at a low pressure with respect to the second side; said housing including:
at least one low-pressure chamber with a first aperture in sealing contact with said first side of the movable permeable membrane;
a pressure conditioning system for applying said differential pressure via the housing to generate a lower pressure on the first permeable membrane side than the second permeable membrane side;
wherein the infeed distribution manifold is used in combination with one or more of:
a surface wiper, positioned adjacent the distribution manifold outlet, configured to apply an at least partially compressive, frictional force onto an upper surface of slurry solids exiting the manifold outlet;
a rigid cake former, positioned adjacent the distribution manifold outlet and configured to at least partially compress and extrude slurry solids exiting the manifold outlet into a particulate product cake;
a vacuum former;
an attenuated atmospheric pressure slurry former;
flow rate control, configured to controllably attenuate the flow of slurry onto the permeable membrane from the manifold.

### Claim at position 26

77-78. (canceled)

### Claim 79 (depends on 2)

A method of extracting bitumen oils from a slurry including bitumen oil sands using the liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 2, said method including the steps;
pre-heating said slurry;
capturing heated gas from said pre-heating;
placing said slurry on the loaded belt portion;
applying said captured heated gas into said high-pressure chamber; and
collecting molten and/or liquid oils passing through said filter belt into the—low-pressure chamber under effects of said applied differential pressure.

### Claim at position 28

80-83. (canceled)

### Claim 84 (depends on 1)

A liquid removal apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further including at least one belt manipulation roller, positioned beneath, and in intimate contact with, the first side of the filter belt, wherein movement of the filter belt across the or each belt manipulation roller causes the slurry to traverse an undulating path generating compression and tension within the slurry.

### Claim at position 30

85-95. (canceled)