Continuously operable rotating drum pressure differential filter, method and systems

A rotating drum pressure differential filter comprising:

• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall including at least one opening for allowing the passage of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation, said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• a scraper adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum for scraping a layer of filter medium from said drum;
• and
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface;
• wherein said applicator comprises at least one nozzle, a pressurized gas conduit for carrying a pressurized gas, and a pressurized filter medium conduit for carrying a pressurized filter medium slurry;
• wherein the at least one nozzle is capable of combining pressurized gas from said pressurized gas conduit with pressurized filter medium slurry from said pressurize filter medium conduit, to form a spray.

A rotating drum pressure differential filter comprising:

• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall
• including at least one opening for allowing the page of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation, said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• a scraper adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum for scraping a layer of filter medium from said drum;
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface;
• and
• means to simultaneously operate said scraper and said applicator such that, in operation, said applicator directs a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface at the same time that said scraper scrapes a layer of filter medium from said drum.

A rotating drum pressure differential filter system comprising:

• at least a first and a second rotating drum pressure differential filter, each of said first and second filters comprising;
• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall including at least one opening for allowing the passage of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• and
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation, said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• at least one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters having a scraper to remove sample medium, filter medium, or both, from the respective outer surface;
• and
• a conveyor to convey scraped sample medium, scraped filter medium, or both, from one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters for use in the other of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters;
• wherein at least one of said containers of said first and second filters contains a sample medium and said sample medium comprises at least one enzyme and at least one other component to be separated from said at least one enzyme, and
• at least one of the rotating drum pressure differential filters further comprises:
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface;
• wherein said applicator comprises at least one nozzle, a pressurized gas conduit for carrying a pressurized gas, and a pressurized filter medium conduit for carrying a pressurized filter medium slurry, and the at least one nozzle is capable of combining pressurized gas from said pressurized gas conduit with pressurized filter medium slurry from said pressurized filter medium conduit, to form a spray.

A rotating drum pressure differential filter system comprising:

• at least a first and a second rotating drum pressure differential filter, each of said first and second filters comprising;
• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall including at least one opening for allowing the passage of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• and
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• at least one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters having a scraper to remove sample medium, filter medium, or both, from the respective outer surface;
• and
• a conveyor to convey scraped sample medium, scraped filter medium, or both, from one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters for use in the other of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters;
• wherein at least one of said containers of said first and second filters contains a sample medium and said sample medium comprises a fermentation broth, and
• at least one of the rotating drum pressure differential filters further comprises:
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface;
• wherein said applicator comprises at least one nozzle, a pressurized gas conduit for carrying a pressurized gas, and a pressurized filter medium conduit for carrying a pressurized filter medium slurry, and the at least one nozzle is capable of combining pressurized gas from said pressurized gas conduit with pressurized filter medium slurry from said pressurized filter medium conduit, to form a spray.

A rotating drum pressure differential filter system comprising:

• at least a first and a second rotating drum pressure differential filter, each of said first and second filters comprising;
• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall including at least one opening for allowing the passage of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• and
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation, said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• at least one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters having a scraper to remove sample medium, filter medium, or both, from the respective outer surface;
• and
• a conveyor to convey scraped sample medium, scraped filter medium, or both, from one of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters for use in the other of said first and second rotating drum pressure differential filters;
• wherein at least one of said first and second filters further comprises a filter medium, applied as a layer to the outer surface of the respective drum of the filter, and which can be scraped off of the outer surface of said respective drum, said filter medium being capable of covering said at least one opening and separating components that can pass through said layer and through the respective at least one opening from components that cannot pass through said layer;
• and
• wherein said filter medium comprises diatomaceous earth, and
• at least one of the rotating drum pressure differential filters further comprises:
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface;
• wherein said applicator comprises at least one nozzle, a pressurized gas conduit for carrying a pressurized gas, and a pressurized filter medium conduit for carrying a pressurized filter medium slurry, and the at least one nozzle is capable of combining pressurized gas from said pressurized gas conduit with pressurized filter medium slurry from said pressurized filter medium conduit, to form a spray.

A rotating drum pressure differential filter comprising:

• a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation, said drum including at least one wall having an inner surface that at least partially defines an inner chamber, and an outer surface, said wall including at least one opening for allowing the passage of fluid from outside the drum to said inner chamber;
• a drive to rotate said drum about said axis of rotation;
• a source of differential pressure to provide a lower pressure in said inner chamber than outside said drum;
• a container for containing a sample medium having components to be separated, said container being positioned with respect to said drum such that, in operation, said drum is rotated about said axis of rotation and at least a portion of a layer of filter medium applied to the outside surface of said drum rotates within the container to contact a sample medium disposed within the container;
• a scraper adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum for scraping a layer of filter medium from said drum;
• and
• an applicator adapted to be positioned adjacent said drum between said scraper and said container for directing a layer of filter medium toward said outer surface, said applicator comprising at least one nozzle, a pressurized gas conduit, a pressurized filter medium conduit, a pressurized filter medium slurry disposed within the pressurized filter medium conduit, and a pressurized gas disposed within the pressurized gas conduit;
• wherein the nozzle is capable of combining the pressurized gas from said pressurized gas conduit with the pressurized filter medium slurry from said pressurized filter medium conduit, to form a spray comprising a filter medium slurry.