Filtering apparatus having inlet vanes for preventing accumulation of particulates

An apparatus comprising a fluid duct having an inlet and outlet and a plurality of vanes positioned progressively laterally across and progressively longitudinally along an interior wall of said duct for deflecting fluid as it moves through said duct and further for preventing the accumulation thereon of particulate matter entrained in the fluid, each of said vanes comprising:

• (a) a vane body comprising a base secured to the inner wall of the duct and supporting said vane body within the duct;
• (b) said vane body also comprising a free end opposite said base for being spaced-apart from the duct walls;
• (c) said vane body fruther comprising a forward edge portion intermediate said base and said free end for being faced upstream toward the duct inlet, said forward edge portion having a pre-determined angle of incidence to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet sufficient to overcome frictional adherence of particulate to said forward edge portion;
• (d) said vane body being constructed to define a curve corresponding to the extent of the deflection to be applied to the moving fluid;
• whereby as particulate matter entrained in the fluid impacts said angled forward edge portion of said vane body, the particulate matter continues downstream along said forward edge portion towards the duct outlet, clearing said angled forward edge portion and being deflected to a pre-determined extent by said vane body.

In a fluid filtration system including an elongate filter surface for filtering entrained particulate matter from a fluid as the fluid is passed from the upstream to the downstream side thereof, and a duct, having an inlet and an outlet, disposed at less than a right angle to said filter surface for conveying a fluid thereto, the combination therewith of a plurality of vanes positioned progressively laterally across and progressively longitudinally along an interior wall of the duct, each of said vanes comprising:

• (a) a vane body comprising a base secured to the inner wall of the duct and supporting said vane body within the duct;
• (b) said vane body also comprising a free end opposite said base for being spaced-apart from the duct walls;
• (c) said vane body further comprising a forward edge portion intermediate said base and said free end for being faced upstream toward the duct inlet, said forward edge portion having a pre-determined angle of incidence to the travel of the fluid from the duct inlet sufficient to overcome frictional adherence of particulate matter to said forward edge portion;
• (d) said vane body being constructed to define a curve corresponding to the extent of the deflection to be applied to the moving fluid;
• whereby as particulate matter entrained in the fluid impacts said angled forward edge portion of said vane body, the particulate matter continues downstream along said angled forward edge portion towards the duct outlet clearing said angled forward edge portion and being deflected to a pre-determined extent by said vane body.