Abstract: In the method and apparatus for filtering industrial processing liquids including feeding unfiltered liquids into a tank, guidably movably supporting and immersing portions of a continuous conveyor screen within the tank, positioning a filter media upon and along the screen with the filter media providing a loop within the tank, a clean liquid reservoir within the loop and an unfiltered liquid reservoir upon its exterior, providing an open top vacuum chamber within the clean liquid reservoir with the conveyor screen sealed over, along and covering the vacuum chamber, and positioning a power-operated tractor chain sludge elevator upon the tank opposite the open top of the vacuum chamber to longitudinally overlie and frictionally engage the outer surface of a return portion of the filter media effecting a positive upward lift movement of adjacent portions of the filter media with accumulated sludge thereon.

Abstract: An apparatus for filtering industrial processing liquids is disclosed which includes a tank, a continuous conveyor screen positioned in and defining a loop in the tank, and a continuous filter media placed on an outer surface of the conveyor. The apparatus includes a power operated tractor chain sludge elevator guidably mounted within the tank extending along and frictionally engaging an outer surface return portion of the filter media for effecting a positive upward lift movement of adjacent portions of the filter media with accumulated sludge thereon. The apparatus may also include an apertured horizontal partition in the tank, the filter media sealed over the aperture defining a filtered liquid reservoir chamber positioned below the partition and an unfiltered liquid chamber above the partition, an opened-top vacuum chamber sealed to the filter media and immersed within the filtered liquid chamber positioned within the aperture so as to form a peripheral channel between the aperture and vacuum chamber.