Hydraulic filter press

An apparatus for pressing liquid from drilling mud, comprising:

• a filtration cell, including:
• a container means for receiving a sample of said drilling mud;
• a pressure inlet communicating with said container means;
• a bladder means for preventing fluid communication between said drilling mud sample and said pressure inlet and for transmitting hydraulic pressure from said pressure inlet to said drilling mud sample;
• a filter means, a first side of which is arranged for contacting said drilling mud sample in said container means;
• and
• a liquid outlet for draining liquid pressed from said drilling mud sample through said filter means;
• pump means for supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to said pressure inlet of said filtration cell, including:
• a pump body having a cylindrical bore disposed therein and an outlet port means for communicating said bore with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell;
• and
• a rotatable piston member means, threadedly engaged with said pump body, for pressurizing fluid contained in said bore upon rotation of said piston member means relative to said pump body;
• and
• a pressure regulator means for regulating the hydraulic pressure supplied to said filtration cell, said regulator means including a high pressure inlet communicated with said outlet port means of said pump means and including a regulated pressure outlet communicated with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell.

A method of pressing liquid from a drilling mud, said method comprising the steps of:

• placing a sample of said drilling mud within a cup shaped bladder of a filtration cell;
• securing a cap over an open end of said cup shaped bladder with a filter means located between said drilling mud sample and a drain port of said cap;
• connecting a pressure inlet of said filtration cell to a hand operated hydraulic pump means;
• applying pressure to a hydraulic fluid in said pump means by hand operation of said pump means and thereby supplying said hydraulic fluid under pressure to said pressure inlet of said filtration cell;
• and
• transmitting hydraulic pressure from said hydraulic fluid through said bladder to said drilling mud sample and thereby pressing liquid out of said drilling mud sample through said filter means to said drain port.

An apparatus for pressing liquid from a fluid including suspended solids, comprising:

• a filtration cell having a container means for receiving a sample of said fluid, having a pressure inlet communicating with said container means, having a filter means, one side of which is arranged for contacting said fluid sample in said container means, and having a liquid outlet for draining liquid pressed from said fluid sample through said filter means;
• a hand-operated, hydraulic pump means, communicated with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell, for supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to said pressure inlet, said pump means including a pump body having a cylindrical bore disposed therein and an outlet port means for communicating said bore with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell, and including a rotatable piston member means, threadedly engaged with said pump body, for pressurizing said hydraulic fluid within said bore upon rotation of said piston member means relative to said pump body;
• wherein said pump body is cylindrical and has a closed first end and an open second end;
• said bore of said pump body includes a first bore portion adjacent said first end and an internally threaded second bore portion;
• wherein said outlet port means communicates with said first bore portion;
• and
• wherein said piston member means includes a first cylindrical portion closely received in said first bore portion of said pump body and a threaded second cylindrical portion engaged with said internally threaded second bore portion of said pump body.

An apparatus for pressing liquid from a fluid including suspended solids, comprising:

• a filtration cell having a container means for receiving a sample of said fluid, having a pressure inlet communicating with said container means, having filter means, one side of which is arranged for contacting said fluid sample in said container means, and having a liquid outlet for draining liquid pressed from said fluid sample through said filter means;
• a hand operated hydraulic pump means, communicated with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell, for supplying hydraulic fluid under pressure to said pressure inlet;
• a pressure regulator means for regulating the hydraulic pressure supplied to said filtration cell, said regulator means including a high pressure inlet communicated with said pump means and including a regulated pressure outlet communicated with said pressure inlet of said filtration cell;
• a first pressure gauge means for indicating the hydraulic pressure at an outlet of said pump means;
• and
• a second pressure gauge means for indicating the hydraulic pressure at said regulated pressure outlet of said regulator means.