Abstract: A liquid-gas bubble separator comrising a container having an inlet for a fluid which includes liquid and gas bubbles, an outlet and upstream and downstream vents. A filter element is provided in the container between the inlet and the outlet. The filter element permits the passage of the liquid and inhibits the passage of the gas bubbles. The filter element is between the upstream and downstream vents so that gas bubbles which do not pass through the filter element can be vented through the upstream vent, and any gas bubbles downstream of the filter element can be vented through the downstream vent. A bypass passage is provided around the filter element. A portion of the filtered fluid is recirculated through the bypass passage to prevent forward flow through the bypass passage when the filter element is clean, and such recirculating flow is terminated when the filter is clogged to a predetermined degree to thereby open the bypass passage for forward flow.

Abstract: A filter device is disclosed, comprising two compartments within a housing. The first compartment includes a filter element, of the screen or the disc types, with communication to the filtered fluid outlet of the housing. A controllable valve communicates the first compartment with the inlet of the housing across the second compartment. A drain valve connects the first compartment with outside the housing. For flushing the filter element by reverse-flow, the first valve is closed and the flushing fluid drains through the drain valve. In a further embodiment two or more filter elements and associated compartments and valves are installed, in parallel, within the same housing, so that by stopping the filtering operation of one of the filter elements, it becomes flushed with the product, filtered fluid of the other element.

Abstract: A box-like structure which receives effluent from a septic tank which enters the structure above a removable horizontal screen which screens out larger sized solids. A settling chamber below the screen permits smaller solids to precipitate out of the effluent. A series of outlets are in each side wall of the box-like structure and are located so as to discharge effluent from the top of the settling chamber.

Abstract: A water purifier including a body section, a cartridge section for purifying water, and a spool section. A horizontal water passage which is provided in the main body constituting the body section has a large-diameter portion opened to the outside of the main body and a small-diameter portion connected to the cartridge section. A vertical water passage is provided in the main body in communication with the large-diameter portion and therein a spool sleeve is disposed. A spool body including an "O" ring is provided such as to change the direction of flow of the horizontal water passage by selectively coming into contact with the continuous portion leading from the large-diameter portion to the small-diameter portion and the spool sleeve without making any contact with the edges which communicate the vertical water passage with the large-diameter portion, thereby avoiding the impairment of the "O" ring and lengthening the life of the water purifier.

Abstract: A self-cleaning filter installed in a cylindrical conduit for a liquid to be cleaned, such as cooling water for an industrial power plant, comprises a sieve spanning the conduit and undulating between an upstream and a downstream transverse plane. The interior of the conduit is divided into two or more sectoral compartments which are bounded by corresponding sieve segments on the downstream side and are provided with respective peripheral outlets leading to a drain, these outlets being normally closed by associated shutoff valves. To clean any sieve segment bounding a particular compartment, the upstream entrance to that compartment is obstructed by a flap valve while the corresponding shutoff valve is opened to generate a reverse flow across that sieve segment.

Abstract: For a device for separating solid particles of dirt from cooling water for power stations and the like, a screening drum (2) is disposed in a cylindrical housing (1) so as to form an annular chamber (3). An axially fitted dome (5) is provided with a tangential inflow spigot (6) so that the incoming cooling water flows helically into the interior of the drum (2). An outflow spigot (4) is secured tangentially in the housing (1), a baffle (10) being disposed in the annular chamber (3) in front of the outflow spigot orifice (9). Baffle (10) bears by one edge (11) coaxially against the outer surface of the drum (2), and extends over part of the periphery of the latter, the distance from said drum increasing in the direction of flow. The baffle (10) ensures uniform pressure distribution between the interior of the drum (2) and the annular chamber (3) over the entire periphery.

Abstract: A foreign matter removing apparatus for removing foreign matters from cooling water such as sea water taken as the cooling water for the condenser of, for example, a power generating plant. The apparatus has an inversed frusto-conical barrel, a filter of a substantially same form as the barrel and disposed in the latter, a cooling water inlet pipe connected to a side portion of the barrel, a cooling water outlet pipe connected to an upper portion of the barrel, a foreign matter discharge pipe connected to a lower side portion of the barrel, and a butterfly valve disposed in the cooling water inlet at which the cooling water inlet pipe is connected to the barrel. The foreign matter discharge pipe is periodically opened while varying the opening degree or angular position of the butterfly valve thereby to remove and discharge foreign matters from the filter surface.

Abstract: Industrial water filter comprising a filter housing comprising a sidewall and opposed endwalls, a radial inlet and an axial outlet. A stationary filter is disposed operatively between the inlet and outlet and generally eccentrically relative to the inlet axis so as to produce a sweeping flow pattern along the screen. The interior space between the screen and housing is divided diametrically along an axial plane of the filter housing into two separate channels each of which runs along the screen to a debris recovery zone diametrically opposite the inlet. At the inlet end the interior space is divided by a streamlined flow divider and at the debris recovery end by a separator member which is either a flat plate or a streamlined member. A stiffening web may be joined to the endwalls across an axial plane of the screen. A partition may divide the interior space perpendicularly to the outlet axis into two compartments.

Abstract: A sluice apparatus intended for dosed introduction of abrasive or rubbing elements into, and removal from, a liquid-carrying pipe or tube line system includes a drum-like collecting vessel with three connecting valves--namely, two continuous flow valves and one catcher valve. Disposed inside the vessel is an apertured catcher basket which is spaced from the inside wall of the vessel and which has the geometry of a partial drum with two side plates. Its upper end is secured by means of holding tubes adapted to be supported on holding pins so that the basket can be easily inserted and withdrawn.

Abstract: A fractionation system for providing a clarified fraction or a fraction for analysis of biological fluids and the like includes a disposable filtration vessel with a first reservoir chamber adapted to receive the fluid to be fractionated, a second reservoir chamber and a flow channel that extends between the reservoir chambers. The lower surface of the flow channel is defined by a microporous sheet membrane, and collection structure is disposed on the side of the membrane opposite the flow channel. Low gas pressure (less than ten psi) applied alternately to liquid surfaces in the reservoir chambers produced reciprocating flow of the fluid between the reservoir chambers in a wide thin stream through the flow channel with resulting collection of a fraction of the liquid material that passes through the membrane. A one-half milliliter volume of plasma from a two milliliter volume sample of blood is obtained with the system in less than one minute without any discernible hemolysis.

Abstract: A filter device comprising a tubular housing with an inlet for the fluid to be filtered in one end of the housing, an outlet for filtrate in the opposite end of the housing and a filter tube mounted inside the housing and extending essentially in the axial direction of the tubular housing. At least part of the filter tube wall forms the filter surface. One end of the filter is openly connected to said inlet, whereas the other end is closed so that an annular feed conduit is formed between the housing and the filter tube. A first valve means is arranged inside the filter tube to shut off the filter tube, during cleaning periods, thereby dividing the filter tube and the filter surface into an upstream part and a downstream part, and forcing the entire filtrate stream to pass through said upstream part of the filter surface into the filtrate conduit.

Abstract: Periodically operating pressure filter for the concentration of a solid matter suspension, comprising a filtering tank with an input conduit for introducing the suspension to be filtered under pressure, and a drain conduit for removal of the concentrated sludge, and a number of filtering elements suspended from the ceiling, through which the filtrate flows and which are internally in communication with a filtrate collecting tank located above and which thereby collect sludge on their outer surface. The sludge has been arranged to be periodically detached by making the pressure inside the filtering element higher than on its outside. The filtrate is under atmospheric pressure in the collecting tank.

Abstract: A filter assembly utilizing a plurality of stackable filter head units which permit parallel flow through filter elements mounted within filter bowls, there being one filter element and filter bowl mounted on each of the stackable filter head units. An improved filter head construction is employed which permits a plurality of substantially identical filter head units to be mounted adjacent each other to provide the desired flow capacity, each of the filter head units being so designed that it can be readily manufactured.

Abstract: A filter cartridge, for an internally by-passable water purifier apparatus, is in the form of a tubular shell that has inlet and outlet walls with at least one opening being defined in each. A water filtering material is disposed within the shell. Running lengthwise of the shell is an arrangement for guiding water from the inlet to the outlet regions and exclusive of the filtering material. That arrangement is either interiorly of or external to the shell.The cartridge is usable in a purifier apparatus that has a housing with an inlet for the flow of water as well as a single outlet area for discharging the flow of water. A channel defines the path of water flow from the inlet to the outlet, and a chamber is defined in that channel in the path of the flow. One valve is disposed in the channel for controlling the flow of water from the inlet through the cartridge to the outlet.