Patent Application
20250099890
The present invention relates a mini-pleat compact filter. More specifically the invention relates to frame of the mini-pleat compact filter which is molded as a single plastic frame to hold the filter media, thus enabling a higher strength for the filter, resulting in a longer and safer operation.
Filters are widely used for air and gas filtration in industrial and commercial application. Mini-pleat V bank filters are one of the majorly used static filter. This type of filters have a series of paired filtration portions arranged in a V-shape and connected together at top and bottom of the plastic frame using a potting agent. The bases of the V-shape filtration portions are attached to a flange at the front which fits into the holding frame. The dust and pollutants from the airstream are removed by filtration process to provide clean air downstream of the filter. In installations at offshore and high humid atmosphere, moisture may also accumulate on to the filter medium increasing the resistance to the flow and eventually fully clogging the filter and eventually leading to collapse or bursting of filters. Longer service life is preferred in filters used in gas turbines to avoid leakage due to clogging of the filter and eventual collapse leading to frequent shut downs. It is also preferable that the filters used in this application have higher burst strength to protect the turbine blades from getting damaged. As of now the standard filters available in the market to serve these industries are the following:
The patent application US20110154991A1 titled “Intake air filter system” discloses an improved filter and system for minimizing the moisture removed by a filter from re-entering the flow of air through the filter. The air intake filter system comprises a housing connectable with a gas turbine for fluid communication with the gas turbine. A frame is located within the housing. A filter assembly comprises a flange connectible with the frame to mount the filter assembly. The flange has a portion contained in a first plane that is adapted to extend in a substantially vertical direction when mounted in the frame. The filter system comprises a housing connectable with a gas turbine for fluid communication with the gas turbine. The filter portion includes filter media capable of separating moisture from air flowing through the filter portion. A moisture resistant first end is attached to the flange and filter portion. The first end has a portion contained in a second plane that extends at an acute angle relative to the first plane. The first end is adapted to form a drain surface to direct moisture away from the interior of the filter assembly.
Another patent U.S. Pat. No. 8,328,895B2 titled “Filter media pleat pack retention” provides filter media pleat pack retention attained by providing a filter media pleat pack having a joining member located between a first filter media portion and a second filter media portion. The first filter media portion is coupled to the joining member at one side and the second filter media portion is coupled to the joining member at an opposite side. The joining member provides stiffness to the filter media pleat pack and provides support to the panel stopping excessive bowing under high pressure and subsequent tearing and puncture.
Similarly, in patent application US2007204579A1 titled “Box-V filter and method of fabricating the same”, includes a filter assembly having a media pack having a single web of pleated media having at least two mini-seated regions arranged in non-linear orientation. In one embodiment, a filter assembly includes a media pack defined by a single web of media, and an adhesive layer coupling a flat end of the media pack to a frame assembly to from a lap joint. In another embodiment, a filter assembly includes a media pack sealed to a frame assembly. A discontinuous layer of adhesive couples at least one edge of the media pack to the frame assembly.
The filters such as that of the present invention are called by various names such as Mini-Pleat V cell or Mini-Pleat Compact Filter or Mini-Pleat V Bank Filter in the market. Existing designs consist of a top panel, a bottom panel and a middle frame which are subsequently assembled together as a single entity during installation. These panels and frames are also manufactured as different parts, and the panels and frames are formed by assembling or connecting parts together. Injection molded, extruded or thermoformed parts are used for this. The maximum burst strength of these type of filters are up to 6200 pa. The filters are available in sizes such as 287 mm×287 mm×290 mm up to 595 mm×595 mm×600 mm (width×height×depth). The available products are manufactured using plastic parts wherein the plastic type used are ABS, HIPS, PVC, PP etc, as well as plastic and metal parts together.
Products such as SuperFLO Max extended surface, mini-pleat filters are designed for use in environments where low airflow resistance, high dust holding capacity, and long service life are crucial. The SuperFLO Max has five times the media surface area when compared to standard pleated air filters resulting in a lower energy cost and a longer service life.
The SuperFLO Max is constructed using heavy-duty metal, plastic, or beverage board frame with micro-fiberglass filter media. Adhesive beads in these filters ensure even airflow and filter strength. The micro-fiberglass filter media is resistant to moisture and will not promote the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, or fungi in normal operating environments. The media pack is securely bonded with a urethane adhesive to the metal frame eliminating air bypass and creating an airtight seal.
Existing designs consist of a top panel, a bottom panel and a middle frame each of which comprise several smaller units which are assembled together as a single entity during installation. Some of the disadvantages of such panels are their lower burst strength and dust holding capacity.
The present invention provides a single molded filter assembly into which the pleated filter material is inserted. The mini-pleat filter of the present invention has a single molded top panel and bottom panel, into which the middle frame is inserted. The single molded mini pleat V cell filter of the present invention has higher burst strength and dust holding capacity and longer service life.
The following summary is provided to facilitate a clear understanding of the new features in the disclosed embodiment and it is not intended to be a full, detailed description. A detailed description of all the aspects of the disclosed invention can be understood by reviewing the full specification, the drawing and the claims and the abstract, as a whole.
The system of the present invention is to provide a V cell filter assembly comprising a frame that has a single molded (single body) lower panel and another single molded top panel. Advantageously, the single molded V cell filter assembly of the present invention avoids leakage and deformations.
In another aspect of the invention, there are plastic meshes on each wall of the V structure for securely enclosing the pleated filter and for stronger resistance which is an integral part of the single molded main body.
The new molded structure provides an higher burst strength which is able to withstand over 10,000 Pascal of pressure.
In another aspect of the present invention more surface area is conceivable because of space optimization in a single molded built, and therefore more square feet of filter area is achieved.
The manner in which the proposed system works is given a more particular description below, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the components, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawing. It is to be noted, that the appended drawing illustrates only typical embodiments of this system and therefore should not be considered limiting of its scope, for the system may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
The features and advantages of the present proposed system will become more apparent from the following detailed description along with the accompanying figures, which forms a part of this application and in which:
The principles of operation, design configurations and evaluation values in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are merely cited to illustrate at least one embodiment of the invention, without limiting the scope thereof.
The embodiments disclosed herein can be expressed in different forms and should not be considered as limited to the listed embodiments in the disclosed invention. The various embodiments outlined in the subsequent sections are constructed such that it provides a complete and a thorough understanding of the disclosed invention, by clearly describing the scope of the invention, for those skilled in the art.
The filter assembly of the present invention comprises a frame assembly having single molded frame with mesh grid as a single body without any joints and a filter media having web of pleated media having mini-pleated regions arranged in V-bank orientation. V-bank orientation is an arrangement of the filter media in a series of paired arrangement of filtration portions in a V-shape, and connected together at top and bottom of the plastic frame using a potting agent. The term ‘potting’ herein refers to joining two components/parts using an adhesive. In the present invention the filter media is potted (joined) to the frame using a 2 part polyurethane adhesive.
In one embodiment of the present invention the V cell filter assembly comprises a frame that has a single molded lower panel having a V shape structure and a top panel flange structure, for avoiding leaks and deformations during high pressure conditions. The plastic meshes on each wall of the bottom panel V structure securely encloses the mini-pleated filter and prevent the filter from damages due to high pressure which is critical for installations such as in those provided at air intake portion of a gas turbine.
The single molded mini-pleat V cell structure of the present invention will withstand pressure of about 10,000 pascal or more.
In one embodiment of the present invention the V cell filter assembly comprises a frame having width ranging about 250 mm to 625 mm, height ranging from 250 mm to 625 mm and depth ranging from 150 mm to 650 mm.
The dimensions of the present invention are disclosed below:
Standard Sizes for the invention are (Width×Height×Depth)
The present invention provides a new design for the main filter frame body where the filter media is assembled in is produced as a single molded frame without any plastic or metal parts locked together, and closes the single molded bottom frame by a single front cover plastic frame and an inserted pleat separator; all in plastic material.
The present invention design can be industrially manufactured in sizes such as 250 mm×250 mm×250 mm up to 625 mm×625 mm×650 mm sizes, as width x height x depth (all sizes in between are covered in this design). The mini-pleat V cell filter assembly has wall thickness of about 1 mm-5 mm.
Being a single molded frame design in which the filter media is assembled in to, the filter frame can withstand a burst pressure over 10,000 pa while holding filter media loaded with over 5,000 grams of dust, without causing any structural damage to the frame. Prior art filter frames which are joined together at corners would not withstand pressure of over 10,000 Pa using a similar amount of potting compound like those in the present invention. The potting compound used in the present invention is polyurethane. Different plastic combinations such as but not limited to polyamide, polypropylene, High Impact Polystyrene (HIS), High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE), nylon, Low Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), and combination of plastics can be used.
Assembly of the filter can be carried out easily and efficiently as there are no joints to be locked. Therefore, advantageously, assembling the mini-pleat V cell filter units of the present invention can be carried out faster. This saves time and resource for assembling the units.
The capacity to withstand high pressure and dust increases the productivity and life of the filter. Also, minimal quantity of potting compounds like polyurethane (less than 1.5 kg per filter for size 592×592×430 mm) or other plastic is required to manufacture mini-pleat V cell filter units of the present invention which still withstand pressure of over 10,000 Pa. The burst resistance of the filter is defined as the pressure drop across a filter at a stated flow and under given conditions; generally expressed in millimeters water gauge or PSI, or in SI units as N/m2 or Pascals.
This design can also be used for recurring use of filter frame by changing only filter medium in HVAC applications. This will reduced cost of filter as well as plastic wastage. The pleat separator insert holds the filter media pleats in position and reduces the use of potting compounds like polyurethane.
The plastic mesh is an integral part of the filter frame body. This saves space allowing use of higher filter surface area for the filter. This mesh can be made with open surface area of 60% to 90%. The similar designs available in the market has mesh as a separate part which is potted using two-part polyurethane to hold it on to the frame and can withstand the pressure. In the present invention polyurethane or other potting compounds are not used to hold the mesh to the filter body.
Following experiment was conducted in a test specimen having the below specification: Experiments are conducted based on ARAMCO standards where it is required to establish minimum requirements for the selection, design, construction, test, maintenance, and repair of equipment and facilities.
The above results were compared with existing standard products and the comparative data shows that the present invention has the highest burst strength.
Burst Resistance is expressed in millimeters water gauge or PSI, or in SI units as N/m2 or Pascals.
The accuracy of the airflow control is 2% of the nominal value. The pressure drop was read with three sensors ranging: 0-300, 0-1000 and 0-10.000 Pa. The accuracy of the sensors is 1% of the range maximum. The test dust has been dispersed with an auger type feeder (Fa. Brabender Technology) and four injection nozzles according to ISO 5011. The dust has not been electrically discharged.
Results of the loading phase up to 8.000 Pa: Test dust fed: 5.192,3 g. The
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope of the invention as claimed.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202241015117 | Mar 2022 | IN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IN2023/050265 | 3/19/2023 | WO |
