METHOD FOR FILTERING A LIQUID AND FILTER DEVICE

Abstract

A method the filtering a liquid in a membrane filter immersed in the liquid and including membranes, the method including introducing a gas through a gas introduction device into a base of the membrane filter in successive pulses so that the membranes are cleaned wherein the gas introduction device includes a liquid flow channel which vertically penetrates a gas collection cavity and admits the liquid into a bottom of membrane filter; and initially filling a gas volume arranged below a free surface of the liquid and defined in a downward direction by an enclosed level of the liquid with the gas wherein the gas simultaneously displaces the liquid top down from a gas lifting channel until the enclosed level of the liquid drops below an inlet cross section of a gas flow out channel; and subsequently.

Claims

1. A method the filtering a liquid in a membrane filter immersed in the liquid and including membranes, the method comprising: introducing a gas through a gas introduction device into a base of the membrane filter in successive pulses so that the membranes are cleaned wherein the gas introduction device includes a liquid flow channel which vertically penetrates a gas collection cavity and admits the liquid into a bottom of membrane filter; and initially filling a gas volume arranged below a free surface of the liquid and defined in a downward direction by an enclosed level of the liquid with the gas wherein the gas simultaneously displaces the liquid top down from a gas lifting channel until the enclosed level of the liquid drops below an inlet cross section of a gas flow out channel; and subsequently flowing the gas out of the gas volume downward through the gas lifting channel, a deflection portion adjoining at a bottom of the gas lifting channel, in upward direction through the inlet cross section and through the gas flow out channel adjoining the inlet cross section at a top and flowing the gas to the free surface, wherein a housing laterally develops the membrane and adjoins the gas introduction device on top.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: running a blocking flow of the liquid through a compensation inlet below a gas lifting inlet to the inlet cross section; and pulling the blocking flow of the liquid along by the gas until the liquid fills the deflection portion and closes the inlet cross section for the gas.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: after the level has dropped below the inlet cross section initially only flowing the gas through the gas outflow channel until the level rises above the compensation inlet; and only then running the blocking flow through the compensation inlet to the inlet cross section.

4. A filter device, comprising: a membrane filter for filtering a liquid, the membrane filter including membranes and a gas introduction device arranged below the membranes, the gas introduction device including a liquid flow channel which vertically penetrates the gas collection cavity and admits the liquid into a bottom of membrane filter, a gas collection cavity which is open at a base and defined by an upper wall and a lateral wall, a gas inlet configured to flow a gas into the gas collection cavity, a gas lifting channel configured to siphon a gas out of the gas collection cavity and empty the gas collection cavity, the gas lifting channel including a gas lifting inlet at a top in the gas collection cavity, a deflection portion arranged at a bottom of the gas lifting channel, an inlet cross section arranged at a top of the deflection portion wherein a gas outflow channel is connected at a top of the inlet cross section, and a housing which laterally envelops the membranes and which is connected to the gas introduction device at a top of the gas introduction device.

5. The filter device according to claim 4, further comprising: a compensation inlet arranged below the gas lifting inlet and flowable towards the inlet cross section.

6. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the compensation inlet is arranged at a level of the inlet cross section or above.

7. The filter device according to claim 5, wherein the compensation inlet is formed at the gas lifting channel.

8. The filter device according to claim 5, further comprising: a compensation channel which connects to the compensation inlet in a direction towards the deflection portion.

9. The filter device according to claim 8, wherein the compensation channel leads into the gas lifting channel.

10. The filter device according to claim 8, wherein the compensation channel leads parallel to the gas lift channel into the deflection area.

11. The filter device according to claim 8, wherein a cross section of the compensation inlet is larger than a minimum cross section of the compensation channel.

12. The filter device according to claim 4, wherein the housing is a continuous tube.

13. The filter device according to claim 4, further comprising a gas distributor arranged below the membranes, wherein the gas outlet channel leads into the gas distributor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The invention is subsequently described in more detail based on an advantageous embodiments with reference to drawing figures, wherein

[0038] FIGS. 1A-I illustrate process steps of a method according to the invention showing a gas introduction device according to the invention in sectional views; and

[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates a filter device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The drawing figures are not to scale. All details of the subsequently described methods or gas filtering devices are identical with the embodiments of the filtering devices according to the invention described supra.

[0041] FIG. 1A shows the process steps of a first method according to the invention for introducing a gas 1 into a liquid 2 using a first gas introduction device 3 according to the invention illustrated sectional views.

[0042] The gas introduction device 3 includes a gas volume 6 that is arranged below a surface 4 of the liquid 2 and defined in downward direction by a level 5 of the liquid 2. The gas volume 6 is arranged in a gas collection cavity 7 that is defined by an upper wall 8 and a side wall 9. Through a gas inlet 10 installed below the gas collection cavity 7 and separate from the gas collection cavity 7 gas 1 is introduced into the gas collection cavity 7 and thus fills the gas volume 6 so that the level 5 of the liquid 2 goes down. Thus, the liquid 2 that is in the gas collection cavity 7 is displaced at this point in time successively by inflowing gas 1 in downward direction and replaced by the gas 1.

[0043] The gas introduction device 3 according to the invention includes a deflection portion 11 which includes an inlet cross section 12 on top wherein a gas outflow channel 13 joins the inlet cross section on top. A gas lifting channel 14 and a compensation channel 15 lead into the deflection portion 11. The gas lifting channel 14 includes an open gas lifting inlet 16 in a top of the gas collection cavity 7 and the compensation channel 15 includes a compensation inlet 17 below the upper wall 8 in the gas collection cavity 7, wherein the cross section of the compensation inlet 17 is sized larger than the minimum cross section of the compensation channel 15. Furthermore, the gas outlet channel 13 penetrates the upper wall 8.

[0044] FIGS. 1B-1D show additional filling of the gas collection cavity 7 with the gas 1 and thus an additional filling of the gas volume 6 and an additional lowering of the level 5 of the liquid 2. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, gas 1 moves from above through the gas lifting inlet 16 into the gas lifting channel 14 when filling the gas volume 6 so that the gas lifting channel 14 is filled with the gas 1 top down.

[0045] In FIG. 1C the level 5 has dropped below the compensation inlet 17 and gas 1 moves from above into the compensation channel 15. During the method steps shown in FIGS. 1A-1C, the gas flow out channel 13 remains filled with fluid 2, this means no gas flows out of the gas introduction device 3.

[0046] In FIG. 1D, the level 5 of the liquid 2 has dropped below the inlet cross section 12. From this moment the gas 1 flows out of the gas volume 6 through the gas lifting channel 14 and the compensation channel 15 in downward direction to the deflection portion 11 and thereafter through the inlet cross section 12 and the subsequent gas flow out channel 13 to the surface 4.

[0047] FIG. 1E shows how the gas volume 6 in the gas collection cavity 7 is reduced by the outflowing gas 1. Thus, gas 1 flowing out of the gas collection cavity 7 is successively replaced by liquid 2 that flows in from below so that the level 5 of the liquid 2 rises again.

[0048] The gas 1 flowing out through the gas flow out channel 13 generates a vacuum in the gas flow out channel 13 and in the adjoining gas lifting channel 14 and in the compensation channel 15. Since the gas lifting inlet 16 as well as the compensation inlet 17 are arranged at this point in time in the gas volume 6 filled with the gas 1 in the gas collection cavity 7, initially only the gas 1 flows through the gas outlet channel 13 induced by the suction created.

[0049] FIG. 1F shows the moment in time when the level 5 of the liquid 2 reaches the compensation inlet 17. Up to this point in time, only gas 1 has flowed through the gas outlet channel 13.

[0050] FIG. 1G shows how the compensation inlet 17 is flooded with fluid 2 during a further increase of the level 5 due to the gas flowing out through the gas lifting channel 14.

[0051] FIG. 1H shows how a blocking flow 18 of the liquid 2 is pulled through the compensation inlet 17 through the suction effect of the gas 1 flowing out of the gas flow out channel 13 so that the blocking flow 18 of the liquid 2 flows through the compensation channel 15 to the inlet cross section 12 and is pulled along by the outflowing gas 1 until the blocking flow 18 of the liquid 2 fills the deflection portion 11 in FIG. 1I and closes the inlet cross section 12 for the gas 1 like a valve.

[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of a gas introduction device 63 according to the invention which is mounted below a membrane filter 64. The gas introduction device 63 has a gas collection cavity 65 that is laterally defined by a lateral wall 66 configured as a rectangular tube with 20 cm lateral width. The gas collection cavity 65 is open in a downward direction with a gas inlet 67 arranged there under and configured to fill the gas collection cavity 65 with a gas during operations. A gas lifting inlet 69 leads into the gas collection cavity 65 on top below an upper wall 68 wherein a gas lifting channel 70 adjoins the gas lifting inlet 69. The gas lifting channel 70 leads at a bottom into a deflection portion 71 which is adjoined by an inlet cross section 72 on top. The deflection portion 71 runs through a lateral wall 66 at a bottom. A gas outlet channel 73 is connected to the inlet cross section 72 on top. Additionally, the gas introduction device 63 includes a compensation channel 74 that is arranged within the side wall 66. The compensation channel 74 includes a compensation inlet 75 at a top of the gas collection cavity 65 and leads into the deflection portion 71 at a bottom.

[0053] The membrane filter 64 includes membranes 76 configured as hollow fiber membranes 77 which are cast into a base element 78 at a bottom. The base element 78 includes a permeate collection cavity 79 wherein the hollow fiber membranes 77 are connected with an open lumen side to the permeate collection cavity in order to extract a filtrate out of the lumen of the hollow fiber membranes 77. The hollow fiber membranes 77 are individually closed on top and are laterally enveloped by a housing 80 which is configured as a rectangular tube 81 with identical cross-sectional dimensions as the lateral wall 66 and that adjoins the lateral wall 66 on top. Below the base element 78 the membrane filter 64 includes a gas distributor 82 wherein the gas flow out channel 73 leads into the gas distributor 82. The gas introduction device 63 includes a liquid flow channel 83 that vertically penetrates the gas collection cavity 65 and the upper wall 68 in order to let a liquid flow into the bottom of the membrane filter 63. The combination of gas introduction device 63 and membrane filter 64 jointly forms a filtering device 84.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

[0054] 1 gas [0055] 2 liquid [0056] 3 gas introduction device [0057] 4 surface [0058] 5 level [0059] 6 gas volume [0060] 7 gas collection cavity [0061] 8 upper wall [0062] 9 side wall [0063] 10 gas inlet [0064] 11 deflection portion [0065] 12 inlet cross section [0066] 13 gas flow out channel [0067] 14 gas lifting channel [0068] 15 compensation channel [0069] 16 gas lifting inlet [0070] 17 compensation inlet [0071] 18 blocking flow [0072] 63 gas introduction device [0073] 64 membrane filter [0074] 65 gas collection cavity [0075] 66 side wall [0076] 67 gas inlet [0077] 68 upper wall [0078] 69 gas lifting inlet [0079] 70 gas lifting channel [0080] 71 deflection portion [0081] 72 inlet cross section [0082] 73 gas outlet channel [0083] 74 compensation channel [0084] 75 compensation inlet [0085] 76 membrane [0086] 77 hollow filter membrane [0087] 78 base element [0088] 79 permeate collection cavity [0089] 80 housing [0090] 81 tube [0091] 82 gas distributor [0092] 83 liquid flow channel [0093] 84 filter device