Non-metallic laterals for filtration and water treatment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11446591-B2
Application number	US-202017017068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2020
Priority date	Sep 10, 2020
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A lateral filter, a method of its use, and a system incorporating at least one lateral filter are provided. The lateral filter includes a filter screen that includes a screen wire and screen support rod comprise a non-metallic material and are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component. In using the lateral filter, a fluid entrained with solids is introduced through an exterior-facing side and permeate forms in the interior of the filter. The solids remaining in the permeate, if any, have a smallest dimension that is less than a width of a slot in the filter screen. The permeate passes from the interior of the lateral filter. Lateral filters may be incorporated into a system comprising many lateral filter, such as sand filter is configured to filter raw seawater.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lateral filter comprising:
a filter screen,
wherein the filter screen comprises one or more screen wires and a screen support rod,
wherein the filter screen consists of a non-metallic material,

wherein the filter screen in part defines an interior-facing side and an exterior-facing side of the lateral filter,
wherein adjacent screen wires of the one or more screen wires, or adjacent passes or portions of a screen wire, are spaced from one another thereby defining a perimetrical slot having a width through which a fluid and a solid having a smallest dimension that is less than the width of the slot may traverse from the exterior-facing side to the interior-facing side of the lateral filter,
wherein the filter screen is a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component, and
wherein the non-metallic material is a polymeric material.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 where the screen wire is in a circumferential configuration and where the screen support rod is in an axial configuration.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises a proximal support ring, where the proximal support ring consists of the non-metallic material, and where the proximal support ring and the filter screen are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises both a proximal connector and a proximal support ring, where the proximal connector consists of the non-metallic material, where the proximal support ring consists of the non-metallic material, and where the proximal connector and the proximal support ring are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 where the proximal connector is configured as a male screw-type connector having external threads.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises a distal support ring, where the distal support ring consists of the non-metallic material, and where the distal support ring and the filter screen are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises a distal support ring and a distal end cap, where the distal end cap consists of the non-metallic material, where the distal support ring consists of the non-metallic material, and where the distal end cap and the distal support ring are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises a distal support ring and a distal connector, where the distal connector consists of the non-metallic material, where the distal support ring consists of the non-metallic material, and where the distal connector and the distal support ring are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 where the distal connector is configured as a female screw-type connector having internal threads.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 where the lateral filter further comprises a proximal connector, a proximal support ring, a distal support ring, and a distal end cap, where the proximal connector, the proximal support ring, the distal support ring, and the distal end cap each consists of the non-metallic material, and where the filter screen, the proximal connector, the proximal support ring, the distal support ring, and the distal end cap are a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 where the non-metallic material is a polymer comprising acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

12. The apparatus of claim 1 where the width of the slot is in a range of from about 90 to about 150 mesh gauge.

13. A method, comprising:
introducing a fluid entrained with solids to a lateral filter such that the introduced fluid passes into the lateral filter through a filter screen of the lateral filter and forms a permeate fluid in an interior of the lateral filter,
where any solids in the permeate fluid have a smallest dimension that is not greater than a width of a slot in a filter screen of the lateral filter,
where the lateral filter consists of a non-metallic material, is a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component, and comprises the filter screen as claimed in claim 1 .

14. The method of claim 13 where the introduced fluid entrained with solids is an aqueous fluid.

15. The method of claim 14 where the introduced fluid entrained with solids comprises raw seawater, a polyelectrolyte, and a disinfectant.

16. The method of claim 13 where the introduced fluid entrained with solids is introduced as a pressure in a range from greater than atmospheric pressure to 200 pounds per square inch gauge (psig).

17. A system comprising a sand filter further comprising a lateral filter,
where the sand filter is configured to receive an introduced fluid entrained with solids and to pass a permeate fluid,
where any solids in the permeate fluid have a smallest dimension that is not greater than the width of a slot in a filter screen of the lateral filter,
where the lateral filter consists of a non-metallic material and is a unitary, integrated, inseparable, and singular component,
wherein the filter screen comprises the filter screen as claimed in claim 1 .

18. The system of claim 17 where the sand filter further comprises both a coarse filter media positioned above a fine filter media, where both are within the sand filter and exterior to the lateral filter.

19. The system of claim 18 where the lateral filter comprises more than one lateral filter, where the sand filter is configured to distribute the introduced fluid entrained with solids to the more than one lateral filter, and where the sand filter is configured to aggregate the permeate fluid passed from the more than one lateral filter before passing the permeate fluid from the sand filter.

20. The system of claim 17 where the introduced fluid entrained with solids comprises raw seawater, a polyelectrolyte, and a disinfectant.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Banna Rakan Wajdi
• Orfali Ahmed Mohsen
• Khan Imran A
• El-Ayoubi Ensan Mahmoud
• Asiri Abdulaziz Y
• Baig Mirza Mansoor

Classifications

• B01D29/111

  Making filtering elements · CPC title

• B01D29/46 Primary

  of flat, stacked bodies · CPC title

• C02F2103/08

  Seawater, e.g. for desalination · CPC title

• B01D2201/0415

  Details of supporting structures · CPC title

• C02F1/52

  by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities {(C02F1/463 takes precedence)} · CPC title