Dry sump liquid filter

A liquid filter apparatus for connection to inlet and outlet piping, including a housing connected to said piping and an integral filter unit removably inserted into said housing, such housing permitting replacement of said integral filter unit without spillage of liquid;

• said housing including:
• a. a base plate having fixed inlet and outlet apertures communicating, respectively, with said inlet and outlet piping;
• b. a side wall extending from the peripheral region of said base plate;
• c. a cover plate mounted atop said side wall, said cover plate having a vent aperture therein and removably mounted relative to said base plate;
• said integral filter unit including:
• d. a bottom end cap having inlet and outlet apertures and adapted for sealing engagement with the respective inlet and outlet apertures of said base plate;
• e. a cylindrical core tube surrounding the inlet aperture of said bottom end cap and in sealing engagement with said bottom end cap and extending upwardly therefrom, said core tube effecting a continuation of said inlet piping;
• f. a concentric cylindrical outer tube extending upwardly from the periphery of said bottom end cap and in sealing engagement with, respectively, said inlet and outlet apertures in said plate;
• g. a top end cap mounted atop said outer tube, and in sealing engagement with said outer tube, said top end cap having a vent aperture in registry with the vent aperture in said cover plate;
• h. a filter element disposed between said core tube and said outer tube;
• i. said bottom and top end caps each including axially extending ribs to create, respectively, bottom and top radial flow channels below and above said filter element;
• and
• j. said filter element including a porous filter material defining a plurality of axial flow channels:
• some of said axial flow channels being open at their tops and open at their bottoms to discharge liquid into said bottom radial flow channel, whereby filter action is by way of radial flow from those axial flow channels with open tops to those axial flow channels with open bottoms;
• whereby said integral filter unit defines the complete liquid flow path through said apparatus from said inlet to said outlet apertures.