Filtering apparatus

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FILTERING APPARATUS The present invention relates to a filter cartridge for remov1ng contaminants rom a liquid. The invention also relates to a filter arrangement for removing contaminants from a liquid.

Liquids, such as water, may contain many cli~ferent kinds of contaminants including, for example, pasticulates, harmful chemlcals, and microbiological organisms such as pathogenic bacteria, amoeba, flagellate, and viruses. In a variety of circumstances, these contaminants must be removed before the liquid can be used. For example, in many medical applications and in the manufacture of certain electronic `:

components, extremely pure water i~ required. As a more comMon example, any harmful and observable contaminants must be removed from water before it i5 potable, i.e., fit to drink.

Ideally, a filtering apparatus for removing thi~ broad spectrum of contaminants would comprise a single, ~mall, lightweight, self-contained device rather ~han a complex multicomponent and/or multistage system to remove the various contaminants. Such adevice would not only be more reliable than a complex system, but it would also be far more portable.

Thus, it could be carried into very prim~tlve environments, for instance, during backpacking, to provlde a supply of potable water.

~ 3~9~ --2- In a preferred design, the filtering apparatus shouldpresent a low resistance to the flow of li~lid through the apparatus so that in a remote environment, where the electricity necessary to drive a pump may be unavailable, the filtering apparatus may simply be connected between upper and lower containers of water, for example, between a contai.ner of water hanging from a tree and a container of water resting on the ground. The filtering apparatus should also have sufficient internal structural integrity to withstand even greater pressures if, for example, a hand pump or other source of pressure is available to drive the liquid through the filtering apparatus. Further, the filtering apparatus should include a prefilter portion which is able to remove substantial quantities of gross contaminants without becoming completely clogged so that a considerable amount of purified liquid can be obtained.

According to the present invention, there is provided a filter cartridge for removing contaminants from the liquid, the filter cartridge comprising a housing having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet and defining a liquid flow path therebetween; a generally cylindrical filter arrangement disposed within the housing in the liquid flow path, the filter arrangement comprising a cylindrically shaped porous means for removing particulate contaminants from the liquid, a cylindrically shaped sorbent-containing means for removing chemical contaminants from the liquid, and a cylindrically shaped microporous membrane for removing microbiological contaminants from the liguid, the microbiological contaminant-removing means being disposed downstream from the particulate contaminant~removing means and the chemical contaminant-removing means; and means for directing the liquid '~ 3 ~ --3- i . flow radially through the filter arrangement, the directing means includLng a flr~t impervious end means sealingly engaging one end of the ~ilter arrangemen~ and a secQnd impervious end means sealingly engaging the other end of the filter arrangement, the second end means including a central aper ' ~ ture means for allowing fluid ~o flow through the :~ filter arrangement.

, . According to the present invention, there is ~ 10 also provided a filter cartridge for removin~ contamj inants from the liquid, the filter cartridge compris~ ing a housing having a liquid lnlet and a liquid : outle~ and deining a liquid flow path therebetween;

1 a filter assembly disposed within the housing in the j 15 liquid flow path and including a cyllndrically shaped microfibrous filter having an absolute pore rating at least wi~hin the range from about 0.5 micrometer to , about 5 micrometers, the microfibrous filter communi! cating with the inlet, a cylindrically shaped bed of ~¦ 20 sorbent particles coaxially disposed within the microfibrous filter, and a cylindrically shaped microporous membrane coaxially disposed within the sorbent bed and having an absolute pore rating in the : range ~rom about 0.02 micrometer to about 0.5 microm eter; a first end cap enclosing a first end of the filter assembly; and a second end cap enclosing a second end of the filter assembly, the second end cap . including a central aperture communicatlng with the outlet.

3D According to the present invention, there is ~¦ further provided a filter arrangement for removing : contaminants from the liquid flowing through the : filter arrangement, the filter arrangement comprising a microfibrous filter having an upstream portlon and a down s~ream por~ion, the upstream portion having a ~.3~ larger pore size than the downstream portion; a bed of immobilized sorbent particles d1sposed downstream from the microfibrous filter; and a pleated microporous membeane disposed downstream from the sorbent S bed and having an absolute pore rating in the range from about 0.02 micrometer to about 0.5 mlcrometer.

PreEerred embodiments of the present invention may eature, for example, a cylindrically shaped, paeticulate removing structure which may be fashioned from a variety of suitable materials and which has a graded porosity where the size of the pores increases or decreases along the radius of the structure.

Preferred embodiments may also Eeature a sorbent containing structure in which the sorbent material is lS immobilized, for example, by a polymeric binder such as powdered polyethylene, by entrapment in a microfibrous web of various materials, e.g., polymeric microfibers of polypropylene, cellulose, or nylon, or by a combination of physically restraining materials Preferably, the sorbent containing structure contains a sufficient quantity of sorbent material and the flow velocity through ~he sorbent material is sufficiently low to allow an adequate contact or resident time between the sorbent material and the chemical contaminants which are to be sorbed by ~he sorbent material. Since different chemical contaminan~s have dif~erent sorbent kinetics and different sorbent materials have different sorption capacities, the sorbent containing s~ructure may also be fashioned from a variety of suitable materials including, or I example, activated carbon, acti~ated alumina, molecu! lar sieve, or ion exchange resins.

Preferred embodiments may further feature~ for example, a microbiological contaminant removing structure comprising a microporous polymeric 1, ~l3~ --5 membrane. Such a membrane may preferably have an absolute pore rating o~ 0.2 micron or less and may be fashioned, e.g., from nylon or a fluorinated polymer.

The invention will now be descrihed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectlonal side view of an exemplary filtering apparatus embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 i5 a partial sectional end view of the filtering apparatus of Figure 1 as vlewed along lines 2-2; and Fiqure 3 is an illustration of a liquid filter ing system incorporating the filtering apparatus of Figure 1.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an exemplary ~ilter cartridge 10 embodying the present invention comprises a generally cylindrical housing 11 and a cylindrical filter arrangement 12 disposed within the housing 11. The filter cartridge 10 purifies liquids, e.g., waterj containing a broad spectrum of contaminants including, for example, solid particulates including radioactive iso~opes, certain polyvalent dissolved salts, toxic organic chemicals such as many pesticides, and microbiological contaminants such as bacteria, amoeha or flagellates.

The housing 11 is preferably fabricated from polypropylene, although it may be fabrlcated from any Rufficiently rigid material, including other polymers or sheet metal. In the preferred embodiment, the housing 11 has a top wall 13, a bottom wall 14 and a cyl~ndricaL side wall 15 and comprises an upper portion 16 and a lower portion 17 joined to one another a~ a circumferential joint 20. The top wall 13 of the housing 11 includes an air-bleed valve 21 and an . , , ~ . . . .

~3~ --6 1nlet 22.

The inlet 22 comprises a coaxially projecting cylindrical protrusion 23 with a coaxial hole 24 and a flange 25 which facilitates connecting the inlet 22 to a supply line 26.

Similarly, the bottom : 5 wall 14 of the housing 11 has an outlet 30 comprising a coaxially projecting cylindrica]L protrusion 31 with a coaxial hole 32 and a flange 33 which facilitates connecting the outlet 30 to a dra.in line 34.

Alternatively, the cylindrical protrusions 23, 31 of the inlet 22 and the outlet 30 may have threaded portions rather than flanges 25, 33 to facllitate connection of the supply line 26 and the drain line 34.

The filter a~ranqement 12 comprises a cylindrical filter assembly 35 disposed between top ancl bottom end caps 36, 37 which direct Liquid radiallythrough the filter assembly 35. The end caps 36, 37 also lend axial and radial support to the ~ilter assembly 35. In the preferred embodiment, both the top and bo~tom end caps 36, 37 are fabricated from polypropylene. However, they can be fabricated from any su~ficiently impervious material, lncluding other polymersO The top end cap 36 comprises a circular disc having a diameter equal to the inside diameter of the side wall 15. It is pre~erably dlsposed coaxially within the housing 11 a short distance from and parallel to the top wall 13 and is joined to the side wall 15. While the top end cap 36 completely encloses the top end 40 of the filter assembly 35, it includes peripheral peroratlons 41 which allow liquid to flow between the upper space 42, i.e., the ~ space between the top end cap 36 and the top wall 13 ; of the housing 11, and the annular space 43, i.e., the space between the exterior o~ ~he fil~er as~embly 35 and the side wall 15 of the housing 11.

.... . .. . .

--7- The bottom end cap 37 comprises a circular disc which, in the preferred embodiment, has a diameter smaller than the inside diameter of ~he side wall 15 of the housing 11 but at leas~ equal to the outside diameter of ~he filter assembly 35. The bottom end cap 37 is disposed coaxially within the housing and is joined to the bottom wall 14. Except for a central hole 44 in ~he bottom end cap 37 which allows liquid to flow between a central space 45 in the filter assembly 35 and the ou~let 30, the bottom end : cap 37 completely encloses the bottom end 46 of. the filter assembly 35.

The filter assembly 35 comprises a cylindrical filter 50 for removing particulate contaminants and a cylindrical sorbent bed 51 for removing chemical contaminants, both disposed up~tream from a cylindrlcal filter 52 for removing pathogenic microbiological con~aminants. The cylindrical geometry of ~he filter arrangement 12 minimizes the resistance to the flow of liquid through ~he ~ilter cartridge 10 compared to : comparably sized conventional axial flow fil~er car`; tridges capable o~ filtering such substances~ Consequently, the exemplary filter cartridge 10 provides reasonable flow rates even for a small pressure dif ferential between the inlet 22 and outlet 30.

In a preferred embodiment, the particulate filter 50 and the sorbent bed 51 comprise distinct ; upstream and downstream regions, respectively, of a cylindrical, nonwoven, microfibrous filter element 53 - 30 composed of a fibrous mass of the ~ype which i5 dls closed in the European Patent Appllcation Number 84309094.5, published under Publication Number 0 148 638 on July 17, 1985. As disclosed in that application, the fibrous mass comprises a mass of nonwoven, synthetlc polymeric microfibers ~e.g., . . .

,,,,, i. ~ : ,.. .

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polypropylene microfibers) free of fiber-to-fiber bonding and maintained by mechanical entanglement or intertwining of the microfibers. As further disclosed, this fibro~s mass may be fabricated in a graded pore size conflguration, i.e., a configuration having pore sizes which decrease progressively with decreasing radius of the cylindrical fibrous mass, or a constan~ pore size configuration and may have various additives or combinations of additives, such as activated carbon or ion exchange resins, interspersed in the fibrous mass.

In a preferred embodiment, the upstream region 50 of the microfibrous filter element 53 comprises a graded pore size con~iguration having, for example, an upstream absolute pore rating in the range from about 50 micrometers to about 150 micrometers and a downsteam absolute pore rating in the range from about 0~5 micrometer to about 5 micrometers. A graded pore size configuration is hlghly effective 2n for rernoving certain microorganisms and other fine particulates while delaying the onset of clogging due to gross contamination components in the influent stream. The downstream region 51 of the microfibrous filter element 53 may comprise a microporous fiber matrix having a constant pore size configuration and containing particles of sorbent material, i.e. t a material which adsorbs or absorbs contaminants, such as activated carbon, reticulated water service resins, activa~ed alumina, molecular sleve, ion exchange resins, and/or attapulgite clay for removing a broad spectrum of chemical contaminants. Particles in a wide variety of size ranges may be used, including particles in the size range of about 50 x 100 U.S.

Sieve Series. Since the sorbent particles are bound, i.e., immobilized, within the fiber matrix of the ~3~ --9- filter element 53, settling and channeling of the sorbent bed due to shock or vibr~tion are min1mized ; or even precluded, enhanclng both the reliability and the durability of the filter cartridge lOo Whlle ~he fllter assembly 35 of the preferred -: embodiment of the filter cartridge 10 comprises dis~. tinct upstream and ~ownstream regions 50, 51 of a single filter element 53t the filter assemhly 35 could alternatively comprise any approprlately con~ figured and suitably fashioned particulate filter and : sorbent bed.

For example, the partlculate f11~er and .: sorbent bed may be coextensive over the filter element 53 rather than comprised of distinct regions S0, 51.

On the other hand, they may comprlse entirely independent elements~ Thus, the particulate filter may comprise, for example, a woven mesh of glass ~: i fibers or a pleated, porous nylon membrane while the ~: sorbent bed may comprise a compresslbly-loaded bed of loose sorbent particles or a binder-immobilized sorbent particle bed a~ described in European Patent Application Number 85104933.8, published under Publi ; cation Number 0 159 698 vn October 30; 1985, and . European Patent Application Number 85305652.1, pub lished under Publication Number 0172003 on January 19, 1986.

In accordance with European Patent Application 85104933.8, the sorbent particle bed may comprise a : bed of binder-immobilized sorbent particles in whlch sorbent particles, such as particles of activated carbon, are mixed with a suitable polymeric binding material, such as powdered polyethylene. The mixture i~ ~hen hea~ed and compressed to the ~olid-liquid transition s~age of the binding material, ylelding a binder-immobillzed sorbent par~icle bed once the mixture cools. A similar process for immobllizing . " ~ ~3~ 9~ ., --1 o- i inorganic sorbent particles is disclosed in European Paten~ ~pplication Number 85305652.1.

To remove microbiological contaminants, any suitable microporous polyme~ic membrane may be used9 including membranes having certain surface charged properties. Preferably, these membranes have an absolute pore rating in the range from about 0.02 micrometer to about 0.5 micrometer. The downstream microbiological filter 52 of the exemplary filter ~ - L0 assembly 35 preferably comprises a microporous mem¦ brane such as a surface-modified, hydrophilic, mlcro porous polyamide membrane having an absolute pore rating of about 0.2 micrometer. This membrane is described in European Patent Application Number 83300518.4, published under Publication Number 0 090 483 on October 5, 1983, and is available under the trademark POSIDYNE from Pall Corporation. As disclosed in that application~ the membrane has a positive zeta potential in neutral or alkaline liquids, such as waterO Consequently, the membrane ishighly effective for removing both microbiological I contaminants and certain ionic contaminants.

The i microbiological filter 52 may further comprise upstream and downstream support layers adjoining both sides of the membrane. The support layers may be fashioned from any suitable woven or nonwoven polymeric ibrous material, such as a nonwoven layer of polypropylene or polyester, terephthalate fibers.

The filter assembly 35 al50 comprises a cyllnj 30 drical perforated core 54 dlsposed coaxially within the microbiological filter 52 for radially supporting the particula~e filter 50, the sorbent bed 51~ and the microblologlcal filter 52. The perforated core 54 is preferably fabricated from polypropylene, although it can be fabricated from many sufficiently ~3~lg9 ~ --11- rigid materials, lncluding other polymers or sheetmetal. In alternative embodiments, the filter assembly may ~urther include a perfora~ed cage disposed upstream from the particulate contaminant filter to support and protect the particulate contaminant filter and/or a midstream perforated core disposed - between the sorbent bed and the microbiological fil~ ter to support the sorbent bed.

;~ The filter car~ridge 10 may be fabricated and assembled according to several known techniques. For example, the upper and lower portions 16, 17 of.the housing 11, the top and bottom end caps 36, 37, and the perforated core 54 may be formed by injection molding, a well known technlque for fabricating polymeric structures. The microfibrous filter element 53and the microporous polyamide membrane may be fabricated accoeding to the disclosures in the previou~ly referenced European Patent Applications 84309094O5 and 83300518.4, respectively. The membrane may then be disposed between the upstream and downstream support layers to form a composite and the composite may then be pleated and arranged in a cylindrical configuration in a conventional manner to form the microbiological filter 52. The microbiological fil~ ter 52 may then be disposed within the microfibrous filter element 53 and the perforated core 54 may be ; disposed within the pleated membrane 52, yielding the filter assembly 35.

The top and bottom ends 40t 46 of the ilter assembly 35 may then be joined to the top and bottom end caps 36, 37, respectively, for example, by splnbonding, a well known technique for joining polymeric structures, or by heat-melt sealingt a technique disclosed ln Pall et al, U. S.

Patent 3,457,339~ yielding the filter arrangement 12. The bottom end ~3~ ,, ~ -12 cap 37 of the filter arrangement 12 may then be spunbound to the lower portion 17 of t:he housing 11, and the upper portion 16 of the housirlg 11 may be spunbound to both the lower portion 17 of the housing 11 S and the periphery of the top end cap 36 withou~ clos ing off the peripheral perforations 41~ In one preferred mode of operation, the filter cartridge 10 is connected between an upper container 55 which contains a contaminated liquid, such as water, and a lower container 5~ which stores purlfied water~ as shown in Figure 3. ~he water is fed by gravity from the upper container 55, along the supply line 26, and through the filter cartridge 10 where it is purified. The purified water is then fed along the drain line 34 and into the lower container 56.

The cylirldrical geometry of the filter arrangement 12 minimizes the resistance to the flow of water and, therefore, permits a reasonable flow rate, e.g., 5002,000 ml/minute, using a small gravity head, e.g., a 27 inch (68 cm) water column. Alternatively, a pump may be installed in the supply or drain line 26, 34.

More specifically, the water flows from the upper container 55, down the supply line 26, ~hrough the coaxial hole 24 of the inlet 22; and into the upper space 42 Oe the filter cartridge 10. The water then Elows through the peripheral perforatlons 41 in the top end cap 36 and into the annular space 43. To insure that the upper space 42 and annular space 43 fill with water and that all air escapes from the filter cartridge 10, the air-bleed valve 21 is opened until significant amounts of water begln escaping the filter cartridge 10 through the valve 21 and is then closed.

From the annular space 43 the water flows radially inwardly ~hrough the microfibrous fLlter elelnent -13 53, passing first through the geaded pore size upstream region 50, where particulates and certain organisms are removed, and next through the sorbentcontaining do~instream regiorl 51, where chemical contaminants are removed. The water then flows radiallyinwardly through the pleated membrane 52, where microbiological contaminants and certain ionic contaminants are removed. From the pleated membrane 52, the purified water flows radially inwardly through the peeforated core 54 and into the central space 45 of the filter assembly 35. From the central space 45, the purified water flows axially through the central hole 44 in the bottom end cap 37, through the coaxial hole 32 of the outlet 3G, along the drain lS line 26 and into the storage reservoir 56.

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