FILTER APPARATUS

Abstract

A filter device having a filter housing (1), having a fluid inlet (11) for unfiltered matter and having a fluid outlet (19) for filtered matter and at least one filter element (7, 9) of one or more parts accommodated in the filter housing (1), which filter element can be cleaned using at least one backwash element (21) in counter current to the direction of filtration, which can be moved by means of a fluid-conveying drive shaft (20) of a rotary drive at the inside (17) of the relevant filter element (7, 9) and which has, at the end adjacent to this inside (17), a gap-shaped passage opening, which is parallel to the axis of rotation (16) of the drive shaft (20) and which opens into a flow chamber connected to the drive shaft (20) in a fluid-conveying manner, is characterized in that the distance between the backwash element (21) and the adjacent assignable filter element (7, 9) can be predetermined by means of an adjustment device (27; 47).

Description

The invention relates to a filter device having a filter housing and having a fluid inlet for unfiltered matter and having a fluid outlet for filtered matter and at least one filter element of one or more parts accommodated in the filter housing, which filter element can be cleaned using at least one backwash element in counter current to the direction of filtration, which can be moved by means of a fluid-conveying drive shaft of a rotary drive at the inside of the relevant filter element and which has, at the end adjacent to this inside, a gap-shaped passage opening, which is parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft and which opens into a flow chamber connected to the drive shaft in a fluid-conveying manner.

The perfect condition of the lubricating oil is of great importance for the operational safety and service life of internal combustion engines. In particular, the continuous operation of diesel engines, which are operated using heavy fuel oil for instance in maritime applications, makes particularly high demands at the characteristics of the lubricating oil, i.e. the use of filter devices for lubricating oil purification is essential in such applications. In this regard, it is state of the art to use filter devices, in which filter cartridges are backwashed to allow longer run times between changes of filter cartridges and to keep maintenance costs low in that way. As examples of the related state of the art, the documents DE 34 43 752 A1 and DE 20 216 012 206 U1 show filter devices of the type mentioned above.

Based at this state of the art, the invention addresses the problem of providing a filter device of the type mentioned at the outset, which is characterized by a high efficiency of cleaning and a particularly high level of operational reliability.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by a filter device having the features of claim 1 in its entirety.

According to the characterizing part of claim 1, a significant feature of the invention is that the distance between the backwash element and the adjacent assignable filter element can be predetermined by means of an adjustment device. The option of adjusting the backwash element to the relevant filter element provides tolerance compensation, which permits an optimum distance-free contact of the gap-shaped passage opening of the respective backwash element at the wall of the filter material even for deviations within the usual tolerance ranges. As a result, the filter device according to the invention is distinguished not only by a particularly high efficiency of cleaning achieved during the backwashing process, but also by a high degree of operational reliability.

In advantageous exemplary embodiments, the adjusting device has a spindle drive, which can be actuated manually from one side of the drive shaft and has closing means, which act at the other side of the drive shaft at the respective backwash elements.

Advantageously, the arrangement may in this case be such that the spindle of the spindle drive executing its adjustment motion extends through the inner fluid guide of the drive shaft and its end extending through the drive shaft forms the part of the dosing means acting at the individual backwash element.

Alternatively, dosing mean, that can be moved by the spindle drive can be guided past outsides of the drive shaft, wherein the ends of this dosing means routed to the other side also act on the backwash element.

The backwash element may have a receiving housing, with which the spindle drive engages with its respective dosing means and in which the at least two partial backwash elements are accommodated, wherein one fluid guide is assigned to every partial element, which, guided longitudinally, engages in every traversing position of the receiving housing with the internal fluid guide of the drive shaft. The fluid guides of the partial elements can be formed by telescopically movable pipe parts, one of which is connected to the relevant partial element and the other to the inner fluid guide of the drive shaft.

In embodiments, in which the spindle drive is fed through the drive shaft, its respective dosing means can act on the receiving housing between the fluid guides of a pair of partial elements.

In the case of closing means guided laterally past the drive shaft, the respective dosing means for every partial element may be movably guided in every guide housing mounted at the outside of the drive shaft, wherein a spring element acts as a further dosing means providing additional closing force between these guide housings and adjacently arranged housing parts of the receiving housing.

Advantageously, the arrangement can be made such in this case that the relevant spring element permits compensating motions of the receiving housing relative to the gap-shaped passage opening of the relevant partial element. The adjustment thus forms a kind of “pendulum device”, which permits an additional angle compensation.

In a particularly advantageous manner, the compensating motion can occur in parallel to the closing direction of the relevant dosing means of the spindle drive or at a tilt angle, for which the receiving housing is tilted to close a partial element at least partially more in the direction of the adjacent filter element and the other partial element of a pair moves away from the element.

A prestressed compression spring can be used for a parallel dosing motion, and for a tilting motion, an elastically yielding sealing element, which comprises the fluid guide of the partial element when entering the internal fluid guide of the drive shaft, can be used.

In advantageous exemplary embodiments, a receiving plate interacting with the spindle drive is used to implement the tilting motion, the free ends of which receiving plate are connected to the receiving housing and which, while maintaining a distance, at least partially comprises the receiving housing, viewed in the direction of the drive shaft.

In exemplary embodiments having dosing means of the spindle drive laterally guided along the drive shaft, the arrangement may be advantageously made such that the receiving plate is connected to two rods assigned to the spindle drive, which are guided in the outer guide housings located at the drive shaft and which can be attached to the guide housing by means of a toggle drive to lock the adjustment in place.

Below the invention is explained in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing.

In the Figures:

FIG. 1 shows a vertical section of an exemplary embodiment of the filter device according to the invention, drawn broken and slightly offset from the center plane;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective oblique view of the device part shown in FIG. 1, the housing wall of which is cut open;

FIG. 3 shows a vertical section of the device part shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a central sectional plane;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective oblique view of the device part of FIGS. 1 to 3 cut along the central plane;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective oblique view of a longitudinal section of the drive shaft and of a backwash element located thereon according to a second exemplary embodiment of the filter device according to the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective oblique view of the device part of the second exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5, wherein device parts are drawn cut away in the area of a guide housing located laterally at the drive shaft;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective oblique view of the device part of the second exemplary embodiment, cut away in a central vertical plane;

FIG. 8 shows a side view of a backwash element with an assigned adjustment device of the second exemplary embodiment, in a separate representation without a drive shaft, drawn at a smaller scale;

FIG. 9 shows a plan view of the backwash element of FIG. 8 mounted at the drive shaft shown in cross section;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a side view and a longitudinal section of the spindle drive of the guide housing assigned to adjustment device of the second exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 12 shows a side view of a longitudinal section of the drive shaft of the second exemplary embodiment having a backwash element located thereon;

FIG. 13 shows the side view of FIG. 12 in a partially broken-away and sectioned drawing;

FIG. 14 shows an enlarged partial section of the area designated XIV in FIG. 13.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show a first exemplary embodiment of the filter device according to the invention. It has a filter housing designated as a whole by 1, the construction of which corresponds to the relevant, mentioned prior art (cf, FIG. 1 of the mentioned DE 202016003089 U1). The truncated representations of the filter housing 1 in FIGS. 1 to 4, therefore, show only a part of the housing main part 3 and of a downwardly adjoining housing bottom part or entry part 5. A first filter element 7 and a second overlying filter element 9 are arranged in the main part 3, of which filter elements only the lower one is completely visible. At the bottom part 5, there is a lateral inlet 11, through which the unfiltered matter flows into the bottom part 5 and after flowing through an input filter 13, which is provided in maritime applications as a so-called fish trap, flows into the inner cavity of the filter elements 7 and 9 via passages 15, which cavity is encompassed by the inside 17 of filter material(s) of the filter elements. During the filtration process, the fluid flows from the inside to the outside through the finer material, the fluid reaches the chamber 18 encompassing the filter elements 7, 9, which forms the filtered side in the main part 3, from which it flows off via a lateral outlet 19 for filtrate.

As usual in the state of the art, a backwash element is provided for every filter element 7 and 9 at a drive shaft 20 formed by a square tube, which contains two partial backwash elements 22 arranged one above the other in a receiving housing 21. The partial elements 22, which are state of the art and therefore only schematically outlined in the figures, are formed in the usual way by a type of scraper, the slot-shaped passage opening of which runs in parallel to the axis of rotation of the drive shaft 20, and which are guided along the inside 17 of the filter elements 7, 9 in contact with the latter during a rotational motion of the drive shaft 20. The passage opening continues in the interior of the partial elements 22 in a flow chamber, which is connected to the interior of the drive shaft 20 via one fluid guide 23 each. These fluid guides 23 are guided longitudinally in a telescopic manner in a connector part 24 located at the drive shaft 20. The drive shaft 20 can be driven according to the state of the art and is rotatably mounted, wherein only one lower pivot bearing 25 of the bearings is visible, at which the lower end of the drive shaft 20 transitions into a sludge discharge pipe 26.

An adjustment device having a spindle drive is provided for closing the receiving housing 21 having the backwash elements 22, i.e. for the adjustment of the distance of the gap-shaped passage openings of the partial elements 22 of the rotation axis 16 of the drive shaft 20. The spindle drive has, in the example of FIGS. 1 to 4, a threaded spindle 27 which can be fed through the drive shaft 20 in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis 16. The threaded spindle 27 forms a dosing means, the end of which facing the receiving housing 21 is connected to the latter in the middle between the partial elements 22. The receiving housing 21 has the shape of a bar-like body having long sides 28 and 29 (FIG. 2), which extend in parallel to the axis of rotation 16 of the drive shaft 20, wherein the partial elements 22 are arranged one above the other inside the receiving housing 21, and the vertical axis is arranged in alignment between the long sides 25, 29. The fluid guides 23 of the partial elements 22 have an output tube 30 at the fluid guide 23, which, cf. FIGS. 3 and 4, is telescopically guided in the associated connector part 24 of the drive shaft 20. The end of the threaded spindle 27 facing the receiving housing 21 is connected to a plate 31 of the receiving housing 21, which forms the end wall of the receiving housing 21 facing the drive shaft 20. The connection point 37 to the spindle drive 27 is in the middle between the fluid guides 23. For the position adjustment of the threaded spindle 27, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4, a nut 32 is attached to the outside of the drive shaft 20 facing the receiving housing 21, which is in threaded engagement with the external thread of the threaded spindle 27. On the opposite outer side 33 of the drive shaft 20 a knurled nut 34 is in threaded engagement with the external thread of the threaded spindle 27. A manually operable rotary lever 35 is located at the free end of the threaded spindle 27 projecting beyond the knurled nut 34.

The connection 37 of the end of the threaded spindle 27 to the plate 31 of the receiving housing 21 is designed such that the spindle 27 can be rotated relative to the receiving housing 21, but the spindle 27 limits the radially outwardly extended position of the receiving housing 21. This position can be adjusted in that for a not tightened knurled nut 34 when the threaded spindle 27 is rotated by means of the lever 35 due to the threaded engagement with the nut 32, the axial position of the spindle 27 and thus the fully extended end position of the receiving housing 21 are set. By tightening the knurled nut 34, the rotational position of the spindle 27 is secured and the setting is locked. If, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a spring element 36 is inserted at the fluid guides 23 of the partial elements 22, which spring element stresses the receiving housing 21 radially outwards for closing, the connection 37 between the spindle 27 and the plate 31 is advantageously implemented as a type of floating bearing, which limits a motion of the receiving housing 21 radially outwardly in a form-fitting manner, but permits a tilting motion of the receiving housing 21 about an axis transverse to the main axis and optionally provides an axial clearance for a spring travel that is directed radially inwards.

The second exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 to 15 in particular provides compensating and tilting motions. As in the first exemplary embodiment, the adjustment device has a spindle drive, which can be actuated manually from the outside of the drive shaft 20. Unlike the first example, the receiving housing 21 of the partial elements 22 does not have the form of a beam-shaped bar body, but its outer shape is formed by the two superposed flow funnels of the partial backwash elements 22, which are interconnected by a front plate 41 at the radially outer side. To interact with the spindle drive, a receiving plate 43 extending in parallel to the end plate 41 is provided, which has lateral wings 44, which partially encompass the partial elements 22 and are interconnected via a central web 45 extending through the gap between the partial elements 22. The ends of the wings 44 are each firmly connected to the end plate 41 of the receiving housing 21. Another difference to the example described first is that the threaded spindle of the spindle drive is not fed through the drive shaft 20. As most clearly shown in FIG. 7 in conjunction with FIGS. 5 and 6, a threaded spindle in the form of a pressure screw 47 is provided, which has a knurled head 49, which allows a manual rotational adjusting motion. As FIG. 10 shows, the pressure screw 47 has a non-threaded end section 51 and a threaded section 52. The non-threaded end section 51, which can be rotated in a guide body 54, is supported at its free end at a pressure plate 53, which is located at the outside of the drive shaft 20. The threaded portion 52 is in threaded engagement with an internal thread in a cross bar 55. The cross bar 55 extends beyond the width of the facing outside of the drive shaft 20 and its protruding ends form the connection points for a rod 57. These are each longitudinally guided in a guide housing 59 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation 16 of the drive shaft 20. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in conjunction with FIGS. 10 and 11, a fastening bolt 63 penetrates a sleeve 61 and an annular disc 60 at the respective connections of the cross bar 55 to the rods 57. In a corresponding manner, the other end of the rods 57 is connected to the receiving plate 43 by a bolt, at a position which is located centrally between the ends of the wings 44. In this bolted connection, a fastening bolt 43 extends through an elastomeric sleeve body 66, such that a flexible support of the receiving housing 21 is formed relative to the drive shaft 20 on the receiving plate 43.

As in the first exemplary embodiment, the fluid guides 23 of the sub-elements 22 are guided in a telescopically displaceable manner in the assigned connector part 24 of the drive shaft 20. As with the connection between the rods 57 and the receiving plate 43 of the receiving housing 21, where a flexible support 66 is formed by the elastomeric sleeve body used, a flexible guide is also provided in the guide of the fluid connections 23 in the connecting parts 24 of the drive shaft 20. As can be seen in FIGS. 13 and 14, a radial play see FIG. 14 at 65) is provided between the fluid guide 23 and the connecting part 24 and a resilient sealing element 67 is used, for which there is a free space available in the connecting part 24 for the yielding of the sealing element 67.

As in the first exemplary embodiment, the receiving housing 21 is prestressed by the spring elements 36 encompassing the fluid guides 23 for a radially outwardly extending adjustment, which is limited by the position of the dosing means connected to the spindle drive. In the this exemplary embodiment, this is the position of the rods 57 laterally guided in the receiving housings 59. These are supported against the force of the spring elements 36 by means of the pressure bolt 47 and the cross-bar 55 in threaded engagement with the pressure bolt. By manually turning the pressure bolt 47 using the knurled head 49 in one or the other direction of rotation, the axial position of the rods 57 can be adjusted. The flexible mounting of the rods 57 at the receiving plate 43 of the receiving housing 21 in conjunction with the shown, flexible guidance of the fluid guides 23 at the connecting parts 24 of the drive shaft 20 permits compensating motions, such as a tilt angle of plus/minus 1 degree of the end plate 41 of the receiving housing 21 in a plane parallel to the axis of the drive shaft 20. FIGS. 5 and 8 and 9 show for each guide housing 59 a toggle drive 69, which is attached to the end of the relevant guide housing 59 facing the receiving housing 21 and can be actuated manually to lock the position of the rod 57 by clamping.

The filter device according to the invention can be used for other applications for which it is suitable in addition to the filtration of lubricating oil. In addition to the already mentioned maritime usage in which ballast water of ships is purified, the device can also be used for the treatment of process water.

Claims

1. A filter device having a filter housing (1), having a fluid inlet (11) for unfiltered matter and having a fluid outlet (19) for filtered matter and at least one filter element (7, 9) of one or more parts accommodated in the filter housing (1), which filter element can be cleaned using at least one backwash element (21) in counter current to the direction of filtration, which can be moved by means of a fluid-conveying drive shaft (20) of a rotary drive at the inside (17) of the relevant filter element (7, 9) and which has, at the end adjacent to this inside (17), a gap-shaped passage opening, which is parallel to the axis of rotation (16) of the drive shaft (20) and which opens into a flow chamber connected to the drive shaft (20) in a fluid-conveying manner, characterized in that the distance between the backwash element (21) and the adjacent assignable filter element (7, 9) can be predetermined by means of an adjustment device (27; 47).

2. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjusting device has a spindle drive (27; 47), which can be actuated manually from one side of the drive shaft (20) and has closing means, which act at the other side of the drive shaft (20) at the individual backwash element (21).

3. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spindle (27) of the spindle drive executing its adjustment motion extends through the inner fluid guide of the drive shaft (20) and its end (37) extending through the drive shaft (20) forms the part of the closing means acting at the individual backwash element (21).

4. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that closing means (57) that can be moved by the spindle drive (47) can be guided past outsides of the drive shaft (20).

5. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the backwash element may have a receiving housing (21), with which the spindle drive (27; 47) engages with its respective closing means (37; 57) and in which the at least two partial backwash elements (22) are accommodated, and that one fluid guide (23) is assigned to every partial element (22), which, guided longitudinally, engages in every traversing position of the receiving housing (21) with the internal fluid guide (24) of the drive shaft (20).

6. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spindle drive (27) uses its respective closing means (37) to act on the receiving housing (21) between the fluid guides (23) of a pair of partial elements (22).

7. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the respective closing means (57) for one partial element (22) each is movably guided in every guide housing (59) mounted at the outside of the drive shaft (20), and that a spring element (36) acts as a further closing means providing additional closing force between these guide housings (59) and adjacently arranged housing parts of the receiving housing (21).

8. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the relevant spring element (36) permits compensating motions of the receiving housing (21) relative to the gap-shaped passage opening of the relevant partial element (22).

9. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the compensating motion can occur in parallel to the closing direction of the relevant closing means (57) of the spindle drive (47) or at a tilt angle, for which the receiving housing (21) is tilted to close a partial element (22) at least partially more in the direction of the adjacent filter element (7, 9) and the other partial element (22) of a pair moves away from the element (7, 9).

10. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that a prestressed compression spring (36) can be used for a parallel closing motion, and for a tilting motion, an elastically yielding sealing element (67), which comprises the fluid guide (23) of the partial element (22) when entering the internal fluid guide (24) of the drive shaft (20), can be used.

11. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that a receiving plate interacting with the spindle drive (47) is used to implement the tilting motion, the free ends (44) of which receiving plate (43) are connected to the receiving housing (21) and which, while maintaining a distance, at least partially comprises the receiving housing (21), viewed in the direction of the drive shaft (20).

12. The filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that the receiving plate (43) is connected to two rods (57) assigned to the spindle drive (47), which are guided in the outer guide housings (59) located at the drive shaft (22) as closing means of the spindle drive (47) and which can be attached to the guide housing (59) by means of a toggle drive (69) to lock the adjustment in place.