Title: Filter elements arranged in waste tanks for separating substances which are harmful to the health from flowing air in connection with nuclear installations

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Filter elements with changing devices and contamination protection, installed in waste tanks and serving to separate substances which are prejudicial to the health from the breathing or process air of ventilation systems used in nuclear installations, wherein a filtration plant comprises two series-arranged waste tanks within each series a coarse material filter and a fine material filter interconnected by a detachable cover constructed for air guidance purposes by means of a lockable, air-carrying pipe connecting piece and whose projecting central pipes closable by means of flaps for carrying the supply and spent air respectively are in each series fixed in stationary manner to a superimposed, inclined, juxtaposed air duct partitioned for dustladen and clear air respectively with lateral connections.

2. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the coarse filter comprises an air-permeated porous loose material, of homogeneously fractionated crushed sand which can be charged with harmful substances from bottom to top the coarse filter being fitted between an upper, perforated plate covering inserted horizontally over the entire tank cross-section and a lower, perforated plate which is spaced from the tank bottom and between in each series one central air supply pipe sealable by means of pivotable flaps and located in the tank centre, through which the dustladen air must pass before it comes into contact with the coarse filter layer and subsequently flows via the cover and the air supply pipe, connecting pieces lockable by the pivoted flaps into the waste tank with the fitted suspended material filter, against which air flows from the outside to the inside and is removed again at the top through the cover central pipe via the air duct.

3. A filter element according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the covered coarse filter waste tank is sealable by a pivoted flap in the central pipe, provided with a cover and a sealable pipe connecting piece having an intermediate container filled with grandular loose material, is centrally arranged and is traversed from top to bottom by air laden with harmful substances, and towards the inner wall of the waste tank said intermediate container forms an outer annular cavity for the outflow of the clean air and having at the top and bottom over the entire intermediate container cross-section in each case one horizontally inserted disk-shaped perforated plate covering leaving open air-carrying cavities both at the top towards the centrally perforated intermediate container cover and at the bottom towards the waste tank bottom, and wherein said outer annular cavity between the waste tank and intermediate container wall is fillable from the top with a liquid, self-hardening, radiation protection medium.

4. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the coarse filter waste tank is provided with two concentrically telescoped, on edge, top-covered perforated plate jacket rings, sealed by a cover and whose space therebetween is filled with loose material, said rings forming internally a porous central pipe and externally an annular cavity towards the inner wall of the waste tank so that the pre-cleaned air which has previously traversed the loose material layer in both the thickness direction and the length direction from the supply air duct from top to bottom through the porous central pipe can flow upwards again to the cover and from there via the sealable pipe connecting pieces and the cover to the series-connected waste tank with the incorporated suspended material filter for final cleaning purposes and then passes from the outside to the inside via a sealable central pipe to the spent air duct for air carrying purposes.

5. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the coarse filter waste tank filled with granular loose material has in the inner area a central pipe and three circular perforated plate coverings filling the entire tank cross-section which subdivide the tank space into two cylindrical halves, whose inner areas are filled with classified sand of different particle sizes and which are successively traversed from top to bottom by the air laden with harmful substances from the supply air duct via the cover until after passing through the cavity between the lowest perforated sheet covering and the tank bottom the pre-cleaned air leaves the waste tank again via a central pipe and the spent air duct positioned above the supply air duct.

6. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the coarse filter waste tank is provided with an intermediate container through which the air laden with harmful substances flows from top to bottom and towards the inner wall of the waste tank leaving open an annular cavity and whose inner space is covered by three disk-shaped perforated plates such that two hollow cylinder halves are formed, the cylinder halves being filled in the air flow direction with sand particle fractions which become increasingly fine and in which the lowermost perforated plate covering towards the tank bottom and the uppermost perforated plate covering towards the perforated intermediate container cover form cavities, the supply air flowing in from an upper supply air duct via a central pipe with a sloping gasket until, after vertically passing through the graded filter layers, the spent air can flow out via the outer cavity between the waste tank and intermediate container and via the cover inner space to the clean air duct.

7. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the waste tank filled with loose material comprising or an activated contact agent has a precisely centrally located, vertically installed partition which divides off a coarse layer from a finer granular layer and through inclined, roof-shaped upper and lower perforated plate coverings forming the cavity the air laden with harmful substances firstly traverses the coarse granular layer from top to bottom and then the fine granular layer from bottom to top and for which purpose there are provided in the detachable cover fixed to the waste tank separate and sealable supply and spent air connections, which in turn issue in each case into a air duct partitioned for supply air and spent air, respectively.

8. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the coarse filter waste tank is subdivided by at least three concentrically telescoped perforated cylinders, which are sealed somewhat at the top, so that two annular cavities successively arranged in the air flow direction are formed, the cavities being filled with loose material having different particle sizes and whereby the air laden with harmful substances flows via a central pipe from the upper supply air duct through the cover into the waste tank until, after horizontal contact with the step filter layers, said air leaves the waste tank again via the outer cavity between the perforated cover and the inner wall of the tank and through the cover to the superimposed spent air duct.

9. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein to bring about the necessary sealing between the cover flange and the coarse filter waste tank flange a lever-transmitted clamping device engages by means of tensioning or pressing hooks resiliently supported by cup spring plates, said hooks being individually formed by two fixed shafts located in two transverse members on the cover and about whose fulcrums on the shafts are arranged in each case one knee-like articulated lever carrying the rotatable resilient pressure hooks, said levers being connected on the operating side with on each side a left-hand and right-hand power transmission rod held in the centre of an unequal-sided shears with four lever members on which acts a fluid power cylinder producing a self-locking dead-centre position of the levers in order to bring about a permanent cylinder pressure release during filter operation.

10. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein a lever-transmitted, resilient clamping device acts between the cover and the waste tank filter by means of a linkage operated by a threaded spindle arranged vertically and rotatably between two bearings by means of a motor gear in order to move a threaded bushing upwards or downwards, whereby tie rods articulated in a rotary manner thereto can be carried along by said bushing and are in turn coupled to toggle levers and resilient pressure or tensioning hooks, the threaded spindle being brought into a self-locking dead-centre position by the horizontal tension position of the tie rods in order to permanently relieve the motor gear.

11. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein by means of a lifting or tensioning jack with a right or left-hand thread and a centrally positioned ratchet by means of a lever or by means of a pulsed power cylinder a right and left-hand threaded shaft with end shackles is moved in the direction of the rotary, knee-like lever linkage, so that the self-locking, resilient pressure or tensioning hooks are either fixed to the waste tank flange or detached therefrom.

12. A filter element according to claim 1, wherein the complete waste tank is raised and pressed by a worktable moved in shear-like manner which is fixed to the bottom or is movable on rollers, said worktable being operated by a known, centrally arranged threaded spindle and by nuts located thereon with articulated levers either by means of a ratchet member or by means of automatically operable power transmission elements, the movable worktable version being adjustable by fixed bottom depression via the rollers.


Other info:


Inventors: Neumann, Gerhard-max (Berlin, DE)

Application Number: 06/224636
Filing Date: 1981-01-12
Publication_date: 1982-06-15
Assignee: DELBAG LUFTFILTER GMBH

Primary Class(es): 55/350.100 55/DIG.009, 55/512, 55/482, 55/484, 55/417, 376
Other Classes: B01D46/24; B01D46/42; G21F9/02; G21F9/00; B01D46/14
US Patent Ref:

1890283	December, 1932	Ericksson-Jons	55/509	Vacuum cleaner
3690045	September, 1972	Neumann	55/350	AIR FILTER
4247315	January, 1981	Neumann	55/350	Filter element

Other Refs: AU268317DE2549552FR872584NO21294GB1561978

November, 1963	55D/IG9
May, 1977	55/316
June, 1942	55/316
July, 1910	55/350
March, 1980	55/482

Primary Examiner: Nozick, Bernard
Assistant Examiner:
Attorney: Basile, Weintraub & Hanlon