US 5,958,205 AGranted

Apparatus for a fluid filtration system

AssigneeVipur

InventorsRex Ingalls, John Kantak, Mel Chaskin

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Abstract

An electrostatic fluid filtration system of the present invention is designed to remove contaminants from liquids thereby refreshing their functionality and extending their useful life. This system reduces to commercial practice a myriad of partially attained and less efficient techniques of filtration by focusing upon economic, environmental, and health factors as well as simplicity of manufacture, use and maintenance. Several generic embodiments are identified for cooking oils, fuels, lubricants and solvents, all of which have been successfully demonstrated in commercial operating environments. Proven magnetic and electrostatic phenomenologies are integrated in a controlled system that is electronically and physically adaptable to the viscosity and dielectric properties of various fluids as well as contaminant characteristics.

Claims79

Dependent claims

A system for electrostatic filtering of fluids, comprising:

an electrostatic filtering device for filtering out contaminants from a fluid to be processed, said electrostatic filtering device including a plurality of electrostatic filter packages stacked one on top of the other, each of said filter packages including a filter tray, a filter element and an electrostatic plate, and means for selectively one of electrically charging or grounding each electrostatic plate such that an electrostatic plate of at least one filter package is electrically charged and an electrostatic plate of at least one other filter package is grounded;
an input conduit connected to an input to said electrostatic filter device through which the fluid to be processed is introduced into said electrostatic filter device;
an output conduit connected to an output from said electrostatic filter device through which the fluid to be processed is removed from said electrostatic filter device;
a magnet device fixedly mounted on said input conduit a predetermined distance from said input to said electrostatic filter device for magnetizing contaminant particles in said fluid to be processed, whereby said magnetized contaminant particles are electrostatically charged flowing through said electrostatic filter devices and thereby trapped in said electrostatic filter packages;
and
means for vacuum drawing said fluid to be processed from said input conduit, into and through said electrostatic filter device, and out through said output conduit, said vacuum drawing means being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to vacuum draw fluid flowing therethrough.

3 more elements

An electrostatic filtration system for processing cooking oil, comprising:

a sieve and sump structure for receiving cooking oil to be processed, said sieve and sump structure having means for performing a first stage mechanical filtering of contaminants in the cooking oil to be processed;
a pre-filter device for performing a second stage mechanical filtering of the contaminants in the cooking oil to be processed, said pre-filter device being operatively connected to receive the cooking oil to be processed from said sieve and sump structure;
an electrostatic filtering device for performing a third stage filtering of the contaminants from the cooking oil to be processed, said electrostatic filtering device including a plurality of electrostatic filter packages stacked one on top of the other, each of said filter packages including a filter tray, a filter element and an electrostatic plate, and means for selectively one of electrically charging or grounding each electrostatic plate such that an electrostatic plate of at least one filter package is electrically charged and an electrostatic plate of at least one other filter package is grounded;
a reservoir into which the cooking oil processed through said electrostatic filtering device is temporarily stored;
an input conduit connected between an output of said pre-filter device and an input to said electrostatic filter device through which the cooking oil to be processed is introduced into said electrostatic filter device;
an output conduit connected between an output of said electrostatic filter device and said reservoir;
a magnet device fixedly mounted on said input conduit a predetermined distance from said input to said electrostatic filter device for magnetizing contaminant particles in the cooking oil to be processed, whereby said magnetized contaminant particles are electrostatically charged flowing through said electrostatic filter devices and thereby trapped in said electrostatic filter packages;
and
means for vacuum drawing said cooking oil to be processed at least from said input conduit, into and through said pre-filter device and said electrostatic filter device, and out through said output conduit to said reservoir, said vacuum drawing means being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to vacuum draw the cooking oil flowing therethrough.

6 more elements

An electrostatic filtration system for processing dielectric fluid, comprising:

a pre-filter device for performing a first stage filtering of contaminants in dielectric fluid to be processed, said pre-filter device being operatively connected to receive the dielectric fluid to be processed;
an electrostatic filtering device for performing a second stage filtering of the contaminants from the dielectric fluid to be processed, said electrostatic filtering device including a plurality of electrostatic filter packages stacked one on top of the other, each of said filter packages including a filter tray, a filter element and an electrostatic plate, and means for selectively one of electrically charging or grounding each electrostatic plate such that an electrostatic plate of at least one filter package is electrically charged and an electrostatic plate of at least one other filter package is grounded;
an input conduit connected between an output of said pre-filter device and an input to said electrostatic filter device through which the dielectric fluid to be processed is introduced into said electrostatic filter device;
an output conduit connected to an output of said electrostatic filter device;
a magnet device fixedly mounted on said input conduit a predetermined distance from said input to said electrostatic filter device for magnetizing contaminant particles in the dielectric fluid to be processed, whereby said magnetized contaminant particles are electrostatically charged flowing through said electrostatic filter devices and thereby trapped in said electrostatic filter packages;
means for vacuum drawing said fluid to be processed at least from said input conduit, into and through said pre-filter device and said electrostatic filter device, and out through said output conduit, said vacuum drawing being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to vacuum draw the dielectric fluid flowing therethrough.

3 more elements

An electrostatic filtration system for processing dry cleaning solvent, comprising:

an electrostatic filtering device for performing a first stage filtering of contaminants from dry cleaning solvent to be processed, said electrostatic filtering device including a plurality of electrostatic filter packages stacked one on top of the other, each of said filter packages including a filter tray, a filter element and an electrostatic plate, and means for selectively one of electrically charging or grounding each electrostatic plate such that an electrostatic plate of at least one filter package is electrically charged and an electrostatic plate of at least one other filter package is grounded;
an input conduit connected to an input to said electrostatic filter device through which the dry cleaning solvent to be processed is introduced into said electrostatic filter device;
an output conduit connected to an output of said electrostatic filter device;
a secondary filter device for performing a second stage filtering of the contaminants in the dry cleaning solvent to be processed, said secondary filter device being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to receive the dry cleaning solvent to be processed from said electrostatic filter device;
a magnet device fixedly mounted on said input conduit a predetermined distance from said input to said electrostatic filter device for magnetizing contaminant particles in the dry cleaning solvent to be processed, whereby said magnetized contaminant particles are electrostatically charged flowing through said electrostatic filter devices and thereby trapped in said electrostatic filter packages;
means for vacuum drawing said fluid to be processed at least from said input conduit, into and through said electrostatic filter device, out through said output conduit to said secondary filter device, said vacuum drawing being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to vacuum draw the dry cleaning solvent flowing therethrough.

3 more elements

An electrostatic filtration system for processing diesel fuel, comprising:

a water separator device for performing water separation in the diesel fuel to be processed, said water separator device being operatively connected to receive the diesel fuel to be processed;
an electrostatic filtering device for filtering contaminants from the diesel fuel to be processed, said electrostatic filtering device including a plurality of electrostatic filter packages stacked one on top of the other, each of said filter packages including a filter tray, a filter element and an electrostatic plate, and means for selectively one of electrically charging or grounding each electrostatic plate such that an electrostatic plate of at least one filter package is electrically charged and an electrostatic plate of at least one other filter package is grounded;
an input conduit connected between an output of said water separator device and an input to said electrostatic filter device through which the diesel fuel to be processed is introduced into said electrostatic filter device;
an output conduit connected to an output of said electrostatic filter device;
a magnet device fixedly mounted on said input conduit a predetermined distance from said input to said electrostatic filter device for magnetizing contaminant particles in the diesel fuel to be processed, whereby said magnetized contaminant particles are electrostatically charged flowing through said electrostatic filter devices and thereby trapped in said electrostatic filter packages;
means for vacuum drawing said fluid to be processed at least from said input conduit, into and through said water separator device and said electrostatic filter device, and out through said output conduit, said vacuum drawing being operatively connected to said output conduit so as to vacuum draw the diesel fuel flowing therethrough.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.