Filter apparatus and method of making it

Abstract

An apparatus for filtering solid particulates from fluid flows having a honeycomb filter body formed by a matrix of thin, interconnected porous walls which define inlet and outlet faces of the body and a plurality of hollow inlet and outlet cells each extending through the body from at least one of the inlet or outlet faces, the thin walls having internal interconnected open porosity sufficient to allow the fluid to travel completely across the thin walls in their narrower dimension and through the thin walls in their longer dimensions between the inlet and outlet cells and to prevent at least a significant portion of the solid particulate material carried by the fluid from passing either completely across or through the walls. Solid particulate filtering occurs on all thin wall surfaces of the inlet cells regardless of whether those thin walls are shared with adjoining inlet or outlet cells. Also a method of fabricating the apparatus comprising providing the matrix, forming the inlet cells by closing them at the outlet face and forming the outlet cells by closing them at the inlet face.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.