Filtration apparatuses and screen changer devices for polymer processing and related methods

A method of changing a screen within a screen changer device within a fluid processing apparatus, the method comprising:

• heating a top spacer plate that is positioned between a top portion of a front and back face plates of a screen changer device and a bottom spacer plate that is positioned between a bottom portion of the front and back face plates causing the top and bottom spacer plates to expand to create space within a slide plate chamber of the screen changer device that is formed by the top and bottom spacer plates and the front and back face plates;
• sliding a slide plate within the slide plate chamber from a first position where a first screen housing bore within the slide plate in which a first filter screen resides is aligned with flow bores in the front and back face plates to a second position where a second screen housing bore within the slide plate in which a second filter screen resides is aligned with the flow bores in the front and back face plates;
• and
• cooling the top and bottom spacer plates such that the top and bottom spacer plates contract to decrease space within the slide plate chamber to tightly hold the slide plate between the front and back face plates preventing movement of the slide plate within the slide plate chamber.

A screen changer device comprising:

• a slide plate assembly comprising:
• a hydraulic cylinder with an extension arm that extendable and retractable;
• and
• a slide plate secured to an end of the extension arm, the slide plate having a first screen housing bore and a second screen housing bore for housing exchangeable screens for filtering of a fluid being processed;
• a flow bore body comprising:
• a front face plate having a front flow bore and a back face plate having a back flow bore that align with each other;
• a top spacer plate and a bottom spacer plate that are positioned between a top portion of the front and back face plates and a bottom portion of the front and back face plates to form a slide plate chamber in which the slide plate slidably resides to align one of the respective first and second screen housing bores with screens therein with the respective flow bores of the front face plate and the back face plate;
• and
• the top spacer plate and the bottom spacer plate each comprising a heating element chamber for receiving a heating element, the heating elements when heated causes the top spacer plate and the bottom spacer plate to expand to create enough space within the slide plate chamber to permit the slide plate to be movable within the slide plate chamber and when the top spacer plate the bottom spacer plate are cooled, the slide plate is tightly held in place within the slide plate chamber.