Method for sealing a filter
AssigneeCoors Ceramics Company
InventorsMarcus A. Ritland, Dennis W. Readey, Richard N. Kleiner, Jack D. Sibold
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Abstract
A process for sealing a ceramic filter by infiltrating a metal into an end of the filter. The process includes the steps of contacting the end of a porous ceramic filter with a molten metal, whereby the metal enters into the ceramic matrix to substantially fill the void space. The ceramic filter is cooled to form a filter having a ceramic-metal composite portion. The present invention also provides a filter having an infiltrated metal seal.
Claims21
A method for sealing an end of a ceramic filter element, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a porous ceramic filter element comprising a first portion and a second end portion and comprising filtering channels therethrough wherein said filter element comprises a substantially continuous network of open porosity;
- b) contacting a portion of said first end of said filter element with a molten metal to infiltrate said metal into the continuous network of open porosity in said first end portion of said filter element without substantially infiltrating said filtering channels;
- c) cooling said infiltrated portion to form a filter element having an internally sealed end comprising a ceramic-metal composite portion;
- and
- d) attaching a metal seal ring to said ceramic-metal composite portion.
A method for sealing an end of a ceramic-based filter element, comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a metal in a refractory vessel;
- (b) heating said metal to a temperature in excess of the melting temperature of said metal such that said metal is in the form of a molten pool having a top surface;
- (c) contacting a sintered cylindrical ceramic filter element having a first end and a second end and comprising a plurality of channels therethrough with said top surface of said molten pool for a time sufficient to infiltrate a portion of said sintered ceramic filter element;
- (d) removing said sintered ceramic filter element from contact with said molten pool;
- (e) cooling said metal-infiltrated portion to form a ceramic filter element having a ceramic-metal composite portion;
- (f) attaching a metal seal ring to said ceramic-metal composite portion.
A method for sealing an end of a porous ceramic filter element, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a porous ceramic filter element having a first end and a second end and comprising a plurality of channels therethrough;
- (b) providing a metal seal ring located around a perimeter of said first end of said filter element;
- (c) contacting said first end of said ceramic filter element with molten reactive braze metal to infiltrate a portion of said first end with said reactive braze metal;
- and
- (d) cooling said reactive braze metal to form a seal between said filter element and said seal ring.
A ceramic filter element for a filtration device, comprising:
- a) a substantially cylindrical sintered ceramic porous support having channels therethrough;
- b) a membrane layer coated on at least a portion of said channels in said porous ceramic support;
- c) a metal infiltrated into an end portion of said ceramic filter element to form a ceramic-metal composite portion wherein said ceramic metal composite portion creates a substantially hermetic internal seal within said porous support and wherein said channels are not substantially filled with said metal;
- and
- d) a stainless steel ring attached to said ceramic-metal composite portion.
A method for sealing an end of a ceramic filter element, comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a porous ceramic filter element having a first end and a second end and comprising filtering channels therethrough;
- (b) contacting a portion of said first end of said filter element with a molten metal to infiltrate said metal into said first end of said filter element;
- (c) cooling said infiltrated portion to form a filter element having a sealed end comprising a ceramic-metal composite portion;
- and
- (d) attaching a metal seal ring to said ceramic-metal composite portion.
A ceramic filter element for a filtration device, comprising:
- (a) a sintered ceramic porous support having channels therethrough;
- (b) a membrane layer coated on at least a portion of said channels in said porous ceramic support to form a ceramic filter element;
- (c) a metal infiltrated into a portion of said ceramic filter element to form a ceramic-metal composite portion;
- and
- (d) a metal ring attached to said ceramic-metal composite portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.