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US 9,352,253 B2Granted
Solid/fluid separation device and method for treating biomass including solid/fluid separation
AssigneeGreenField Specialty Alcohols Inc.
InventorsRichard Romeo Lehoux, Christopher Bruce Bradt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid/fluid separation module and pretreatment apparatus and method enables pretreatment of biomass at high temperature and pressure with the ability to vary residence and processing times.
Claims12
A solid/fluid separating module for separating a pressurized mass of fluid containing solids, comprising
- a pressurizable collection chamber and at least one filter unit for separating fluid from the pressurized mass and guiding the fluid into the collection chamber;
- the filter unit defining a core opening sealed from the collection chamber for receiving the pressurized mass and including a filter pack consisting of a filter plate having front and back faces and a filter slot cut through the plate from the front face to the back face and extending from an inner end at the core opening to a closed outer end in the filter plate for directing fluid away from the core opening;
- and a backer plate for guiding fluid collected in the filter slot from the filter slot into the collection chamber.
A solid/fluid separating module for use with a screw extruder having an extrusion barrel, an extruder block and a rotatable extruder screw fittingly received in the extruder barrel, the separating module comprising:
- a pressurizable collection chamber connectable at an input end to the extruder barrel and at an outlet end to the extruder block and having a pressure jacket sealably closed at an input end by an input end plate and at an output end by an outlet end plate;
- and
- at least one filter pack in the collection chamber defining a core opening sealed from the collection chamber for communication with the extruder barrel and extruder block, the filter pack including at least one filter plate having front and back faces and a throughgoing filter slot cut through the plate from the front face to the back face and extending from the core opening into the filter plate to a closed end, for directing fluids away from the core opening and at least one backer plate defining, together with a back face of the filter plate, a drainage passage in fluid communication with the filter slot and the collection chamber, for draining fluids collected in the filter slot from the filter slot into the collection chamber, the filter pack being sandwiched between the input and outlet end plates, the inlet, outlet, filter and backer plates defining the core opening, for communicating with the extrusion barrel, the filter plate having at least one filtering passage communicating with and extending away from the core opening, the backer plate having a recess for guiding liquid in the filter passage into the collection chamber, and the collection chamber having a drainage outlet for draining liquids separated by the filter pack.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.