US 5,344,533 AGranted

Apparatus and method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material

OwnerJames T. Candorinventor

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Abstract

An apparatus and method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material are provided, the apparatus comprising a pair of electrode units having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet to the adjacent portions and an outlet from the adjacent portions, structure for feeding the liquid bearing material into the inlet, structure for moving the liquid bearing material from the inlet to the outlet so that sections of the material serially move from the inlet to the outlet while being disposed between the adjacent portions, structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material between the adjacent portions of the electrode units as the material is moving from the inlet to the outlet whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to the material, and structure for creating a voltage between the pair of electrode units so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between the adjacent portions of the pair of electrode units for acting through the material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that material, the structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material having structure for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of the material that are serially disposed between the inlet and the outlet so that different intensities of the vibratory field arrangement serially act on each section of the material as each section of the material moves from the inlet to the outlet, the structure for vibrating the liquid bearing material comprising at least one of the electrode units.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, means for feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, means for moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, means for vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and means for creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that said material, the improvement wherein said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material has means for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means and said outlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means, said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material comprising a unit having a plurality of vibratable sections thereof disposed in a serial manner respectively adjacent at least some of said sections of said material between said inlet means and said outlet means and having means generally vibrationally isolating said vibratable sections from each other so that each vibratable section can provide its own said different vibratory field action to its respective adjacent said section of said material.

In a method for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising the steps of providing a pair of electrode means having portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means with vibrating means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from said material, the improvement wherein the step of vibrating said liquid bearing material comprises the step of simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means with said vibrating means comprising a unit having a plurality of vibratable sections thereof disposed in a serial manner respectively adjacent at least some of said sections of said material between said inlet means and said outlet means and having means generally vibrationally isolating said vibratable sections from each other so that each vibratable section provides its own said different vibratory field action to its respective adjacent said section of said material.

In a method for making an apparatus for removing liquid from liquid bearing material and comprising the steps of forming a pair of electrode means so as to have portions thereof disposed adjacent each other and defining an inlet means to said adjacent portions and an outlet means from said adjacent portions, forming means for feeding said liquid bearing material into said inlet means, forming means for moving said liquid bearing material from said inlet means to said outlet means so that sections of said material serially move from said inlet means to said outlet means while being disposed between said adjacent portions, forming means for vibrating said liquid bearing material between said adjacent portions of said electrode means as said material is moving from said inlet means to said outlet means whereby a vibratory field arrangement is applied to said material, and forming means for creating a voltage between said pair of electrode means so as to create an electrostatic field arrangement between said adjacent portions of said pair of electrode means for acting through said material that is disposed therebetween to remove liquid from that said material, the improvement comprising the steps of forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material to have means for simultaneously providing different vibratory field actions to different sections of said material that are serially disposed between said inlet means and said outlet means so that different intensities of said vibratory field arrangement will serially act on each said section of said material as each said section of said material moves from said inlet means to said outlet means, and forming said means for vibrating said liquid bearing material to comprise a unit having a plurality of vibratable sections thereof disposed in a serial manner respectively adjacent at least some of said sections of said material between said inlet means and said outlet means and having means generally vibrationally isolating said vibratable sections from each other so that each vibratable section can provide its own said different vibratory field action to its respective adjacent said section of said material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/031,575Filed 15 Mar 1993 · continuation in part
Priority: 3 Mar 1987
Granted: 6 Sep 1994
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B01D 61/56
Electrodialysis; Electro-osmosis ; Electro-ultrafiltration; Membrane capacitive deionization: electro-osmotic dewatering
B03C 9/00
Electrostatic separation not provided for in any single one of the other
D21F 1/66
Wet end of machines for making continuous webs of paper: pulp catching, de-watering, or recovering; Re-use of pulp-water
D21F 5/165
Drying webs by electrical heating: inductive heating; Capacitive heating

Family

Serial32,746Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 Mar 1987
Serial62,201Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Jun 1987
Serial189,974Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 4 May 1988
Serial213,709Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Jun 1988
Serial284,197Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 14 Dec 1988
Serial386,579Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Jul 1989
Serial454,718Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 21 Dec 1989
Serial575,416Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Aug 1990
Serial502,506Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 Mar 1991
Serial695,603Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 3 May 1991
Serial731,791Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 17 Jul 1991
Serial842,898Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 Feb 1992
US 5,259,940 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,160,593 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,114,560 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,019,230 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,975,166 AParent of this continuation-in-part
Serial454,718Parent of this division
US 4,877,503 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,780,188 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 4,767,514 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,344,533 AThis patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.