Jwi Ltd.

David P Mc Leod

Wesley G Koops

David J Spyker

Daniel De Haan

John W Vanden Bos

Joel D De Haan

Gregory De Haan

Thomas W Peterson

A filter press plate shifter assembly provided with a shifting housing having a tunnel-like center part which passes over the filter plates and housing parts positioned adjacent opposite side rails. The housing parts are rollingly supported on rods which extend along the side rails. One housing part mounts a rotary pneumatic motor and a drive roller which drivingly engages the rod to control movement of the shifter assembly along the press. Each side housing part mounts a pneumatic plate shifter for permitting the endmost plate in the closed stack to be individually and sequentially shifted away from the stack into an open position when discharge of filtrate is desired. The shifter housing mounts a bumping device which cooperates with the endmost plate in the stack to effect vertical bumping thereof relative to the support rails to assist in loosening sticky cake which adheres to the plate. The shifter housing also mounts an air-assist discharge mechanism which includes a nozzle-bearing head assembly which moves vertically downwardly between the opposed faces of an open pair of adjacent plates for discharging pressurized airstreams downwardly against the plates to assist in removing the sticky cake from the plates. The overall operation of the shifter assembly is fully automated to permit each adjacent pair of plates in the closed stack to be opened, bumped and subjected to an air blow to cause discharge of sticky cake.

Air-assist discharge of filter press cake

A batch-type dryer, such as for sludge, having a generally upwardly-opening channel-like drying chamber which is closed at opposite ends. The chamber is defined by a generally U-shaped sidewall having an arcuate bottom portion generated about a radius so as to define a generally semi-cylindrical configuration. The edges of this semi-cylindrical bottom wall are joined to straight sidewall parts which project upwardly in generally parallel relationship. An auger-type rotor extends axially along the bottom of the chamber to agitate the material therein. A heat exchanger is associated with and extends around at least the arcuate bottom wall of the chamber. The U-shaped wall of the chamber has the central upwardly-extending plane thereof disposed at a selected angle, preferably about 30.degree., relative to the vertical so that the material, when the agitator rotates, remains in intimate heat-transfer contact with the arcuate bottom wall over substantially the full 180.degree. extent thereof.

Batch-type dryer

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Muskegon, MI, United States of America

David P Mc Leod