Horizontal belt filter with vacuum pan alignment

Abstract

A mechanism in a horizontal belt filter controls the position of the drainage belt to ensure its alignment with the vacuum pan. A section of belt rollers supporting the drainage belt is mounted on a movable structure capable of shifting the rollers laterally to the degree necessary to compensate for misalignments between the drain holes and the vacuum pan. The control operation is implemented with a detector capable of sensing the position of the drain holes in the belt with respect to the vacuum pan. A signal is sent to an actuator that causes the belt rollers to move laterally in the direction required to maintain alignment of the drain holes with the vacuum pan. A dual-drive system is preferably utilized to provide a more uniform force distribution along the drive pulley and to increase torque, thereby also advantageously increasing the capacity of the filter.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.