Membrex, Inc.

Malcolm R Kahn

Philip M Rolchigo

Leonard Timbrook Hodgins

Guanghua Yu

Chang W Jen

Rotary disc filtration devices and filtration processes using those devices are disclosed. The devices have one or more fluid filtration gaps into which fluid to be filtered into permeate and retentate is placed. Each fluid filtration gap is defined by a disc and a filter, one of which rotates with respect to the other. The filter is carried on a filter member. The discs and interleaved filter members may be suspended from the top of the device, the top may rest on a vessel containing the fluid to be filtered, the discs may be attached to a single shaft for rotation, and the filter members may be suspended from a sleeve around the shaft, which sleeve keeps the filters centered with respect to the discs. Removal of the device's top removes the discs and filter members together, facilitating maintenance. Each filter member may have a peripheral lip and the lips of adjacent filter members may be sufficiently close to one another to substantially restrict the flow of retentate out of the fluid filtration gap. Retentate flowing out of each fluid filtration gap may be directed into the vessel to counteract the tendency of the fluid in the vessel to rotate in the same direction as the discs are rotated, or the retentate may be recycled directly to the fluid filtration gaps. The liquid level in the vessel may be held constant using a dual-pipe system and three-head peristaltic pump.

Immersible rotary disc filtration device

A rotary filtration system comprising a device having a fluid filtration gap between a filter and a rotating member (e.g., a disc), a filter pack for use in the rotary filtration device, and a cartridge formed by structurally connecting (and optionally fluidly connecting) two or more of the filter packs is disclosed. In the filter pack, the filter lies adjacent a permeate collection member, which also desirably can support the filter. The permeate collection member has one or more passageways for collecting the permeate that flows through the filter and is connected to a permeate collection header in the device. The filter pack and device are designed so that the filter pack may be easily inserted into and removed from the device, preferably by moving the filter pack in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft that rotates the rotating member. Desirably the rotating member and/or filter has one or more spiral grooves in fluid communication with fluid in the gap. Several rotating members and filter packs may be interleaved to increase filtration device capacity and make more efficient use of equipment space. In such a device, the rotating members can be mounted on a common shaft for rotation in unison and can have spiral grooves on both major faces of each rotating member.

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Franklin Lakes, NJ, United States of America

Malcolm R Kahn