DE20012867U1 - Filter device - Google Patents

Description

GRÜNECKER KINKEtDEY fTTCCKMArR.&^SCHWANHAUSSER

0 TIME.

GKS & S MAXIMIUANSTRASSE 58 D-80538 MUNICH GERMANY

YOUR REF.

LAWYERS PATENT ATTORNEYS PATENT ATTORNEYS LAWYERS EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS MUNICH MUNICH COLOGNE DR. HELMUT EICHMANN DR. HERMANN KINKELDEY DR. MARTIN DROPMANN GERHARO aARTH PETER H. JAKOB DR. ULRICH BLUMENRÖDER, LLM. WOLFHARD MEISTER CHEMNITZ CHRISTA NIKLAS-FALTER HANS HILGERS MANFRED SCHNEIDER DR. MAXIMILIAN KINKELDEY, IL.M. DR. HENNING MEYERPLATH SONJA SCHAEFFLER ANNELIE EHNOLD BERLIN DR. KARSTEN BRANDT THOMAS SCHUSTER DIETER JANOER MICHAEL J. FRANKE, LLM. DR. KLARA GOLDBACH UTE STEPHANI MARTIN AUFENANGER DR. BERND ALLEKOHE, LL.M. GOTTFRIED KLITSCH OR. HEIKE VOGELSANG-WENKE OF COUNSEL REINHARD KNAUER PATENT ATTORNEYS DIETMAR KUHL DR. FRANZ JOSEF ZIMMER AUGUST GRÜNEECKER BETTINA K. REICHELT DR. GUNTER BEZOLD DR. ANTON K. PFAU OR. WALTER LANGHOFF DR. UDO WEIGELT RAINER BERTRAM JENS KOCH, M.S. (UoIPA) M.S. BERND ROTHAEMEL OR. WILFRIED STOCKMAIR DR. DANIELA KINKELDEY (-1996) DR. EN/OUR REF. DATE

G 4360-011/Ms

Anton Steinecker Maschinenfabrik GmbH Raiffeisenstr. 30 85356 Freising/Attaching

Filter device

GRÜNECKER KINKELDEY STOCKMAIR & SCHWANHÄUSsIr* MAXIMIUANSTR. 58 J

D-80S38 MUNICH ···

GERMANY

h49 89 21 23 50

«Ve2 0^i?

3.9· 21 as*9| $3*;

DEUTSCHE BANK MUNICH .!No. 17 51734

JBLZ 700 700 10 • »SWIFT: DEUT DE MM

e-mail: postmaster@grunecker.de

·

FILTER DEVICE

The invention relates to a filter device for filtering sulfur-containing compounds from a fluid such as a fermentation gas in beer production or the like.

During the fermentation of the beer wort in the brewing process, carbon dioxide is released and collected. The CO ₂ can be used for various purposes, e.g. when bottling to carbonate lemonade, beer, etc.

However, the CO2 obtained usually has to be purified to remove unwanted impurities such as sulfur-containing compounds. This is usually achieved using a complicated purification process involving washing with aqueous solutions and activated carbon filtration.

However, this known process is complicated and not without its problems, because the use of activated carbon filters can lead to contamination of the filter.

Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide a filter device for filtering sulfur-containing compounds from a fluid such as a fermentation gas in beer production or the like, which enables simple and safe desulfurization of fermentation gases.

This object is achieved by the device having the features of claim 1. Preferred embodiments are the subject of subclaims.

A filter device according to the invention is provided with a container closed to the outside with a copper-plated filter aid filled in and a supply line for feeding the fluid to be filtered into the container and a discharge line for draining the filtered fluid out of the container. When "filter" or "filtering" is mentioned here,

What we are talking about here is the cleaning process in general. These terms therefore include the adsorption processes that actually take place chemically.

According to the invention, an additional container can thus be connected directly to the fermentation container, for example, which is filled with a copper-containing filter aid, e.g. in the form of copper chips or wool, and through which the gas to be purified is then passed in a simple manner, so that, for example, sulfur-containing compounds such as H ₂ S can be filtered out of the fermentation carbon dioxide.

Copper combines with the H ₂ S gas so that it can be filtered out. In contrast to the activated carbon filters used previously, copper has an antiseptic effect so that germs can no longer grow.

It is also conceivable to connect several filter containers in parallel or in series and to work with different grain sizes of the filter medium in each container. For example, in an upstream container, you could first work with copper wool and then further downstream with a container filled with copper chips.

Preferably, the copper is introduced into the container in the form of copper wool and/or copper powder and/or copper granules. These variations are preferred because the filtering efficiency of the device essentially increases the larger the surface area of the copper in the container.

For example, if powder or granules are used, the copper should have an average grain diameter of 0.1 to 3.0 mm, particularly preferably 1 to 2 mm. These values have proven to be particularly advantageous for filtering H ₂ S gas from fermentation carbon dioxide. If the copper particles were smaller, this could lead to a reduction in the desulfurization efficiency due to the presence of possible dead zones in the vessel.

As mentioned, the H ₂ S in the fermentation gas is bound to the copper inside the container as it flows past. This means that the copper is gradually consumed. To make refilling easier, the container can be provided with a lid for filling and replacing the filled copper, e.g. with a swivel lid.

The filtering efficiency can also be increased by providing, for example, an atomizing device in the area of the inlet into the interior of the container for atomizing the fluid to be filtered inside the container. The atomization should lead to a more uniform distribution of the fluid to be filtered, which flows through the container from the inlet to the outlet, so that the interaction areas between the copper and the evenly distributed fluid to be filtered can be increased.

In a preferred embodiment, the filter device comprises a flow control device for adjusting the flow rate of the fluid to be filtered in the supply line and/or the filtered fluid in the discharge line. Thus, for example, a controllable valve can be provided in both the supply line and the discharge line in order to regulate the speed and the amount of gas introduced into the container under pressure or the gas discharged from it. This enables the process parameters, such as the average residence time of the gas and the rate of interaction with the copper in the container, to be set in an optimized manner to achieve a desired desulfurization efficiency.

Furthermore, water can be filled into the closed container and/or a supply line can be provided for filling water into the container. In this case, the desulfurization efficiency can be increased even further by washing out the water-soluble contaminants such as sulfur compounds.

In the following, the invention will be explained and described in more detail using an embodiment of a filter device according to the invention, which is shown schematically in a cross-sectional view in the single figure.

The filter device, designated as a whole by 1, comprises a cylindrical container 2 shown schematically in a longitudinal axis cross-section. In the operating position shown in the figure, this container is sealed to the outside at the top and bottom with a lid 3, 4 in the form of a cylinder section. The two lids 3 and 4 can each be opened by pivoting about the axes of rotation 5 or from the closed operating position shown in the figure in the direction of the arrows D1 or D2. On the underside of the container 2, a supply pipe 7 leads into the interior of the container 2 in the area of the lower lid 4. Accordingly, on the top of the container 2 in the area of the lid 3, a discharge pipe 8 is attached, which leads out of the interior of the container 2. It should be noted that the dashed lines to indicate the difference between the cylindrical middle container housing 2 and the lids 3, 4 only indicate the outer boundary lines. The free passage inside the container 2 from the inside of the lid to the container 2 or from the container 2 to the lid 3 is thus not blocked.

Although the case of using a filter device according to the invention for desulfurizing fermentation gases has been described above, the filter can also be used in other fields. For example, it can be used for desulfurizing biogases, normal gaseous fuels, liquid fuels such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, flue gases, liquid foodstuffs or, in general, liquid beverages.

In addition, an adjustable flow valve 9 or 10 is installed in the supply pipe 7 and the discharge pipe 8, respectively, in order to be able to continuously adjust the free-flow cross-section in this area of the pipeline. Furthermore, in the area of the supply line 7 in the container 2, on the underside of the lid 4, a schematically illustrated atomizing device 11 is provided in order to atomize the fluid fed through the supply line 7 into the interior of the container 2.

A filter device according to the invention is now particularly characterized in that the interior of the container, which thus includes the cylindrical area 2 and the area of the lids 3 and 4 in the closed state, is filled with copper. In the case shown, copper wool 12 is filled into the interior. Copper wool is used because it has a relatively large surface area due to the wool-thread-like design of the copper, which increases the desulfurization efficiency. Alternatively, as mentioned above, a copper powder or coated granulate could be used that has an average grain diameter of 0.1 to 3 mm, in particular 1 to 2 mm. To increase the probability of interaction of the copper with the fluid to be filtered flowing through, the copper wool 12 is distributed as evenly as possible over the entire volume inside the container.

This filter device with the features according to the invention can now be used as follows. In the case where the filter device 1 is used in beer production, the supply line 7 can, for example, be connected directly to a fermentation tank and the discharge line 8 to a separate external collecting container for CO ₂ . By means of the adjustment by the valves 9 and 10, the carbon dioxide produced in the fermentation tank is now introduced, possibly under pressure, through the supply line 7 into the interior of the container 2, which is in the closed state with closed lids shown in the figure. The fermentation gas then passes through the atomization device 11, which distributes the gas evenly over the entire cross-section of the interior of the container 2. The fermentation gas now flows through this interior from the area of the supply line 7 until it reaches the area of the discharge line 8. The sulfur-containing substances, e.g. the H ₂ S gas, combine with the copper so that they are separated from the fermentation gas to be filtered. By regulating the valves 9 and 10, the residence time or the flow rate of the gas in the interior of the container 2 can be adjusted so that the sulphur-containing substances are largely completely removed from the fermentation gas. The fermentation gas, which has been cleaned of the sulphur compounds, is then led through the outlet 8 and via the valve 10 into a collecting container (not shown) in order to be used for carbonisation, for example. The use of copper also makes it possible for hydrogen sulphide

other compounds can be removed from the fermentation gas, such as mercaptans, etc.

As the copper combines with the sulphurous substances, it is gradually consumed. If the binding efficiency of the copper wool 12 gradually decreases, it can be easily replaced by pivoting the lid 4 about the axis 6 in the direction D2, removing the added wool and closing the lid 4 again in the closed position shown in the figure. The upper lid 3 can then be opened about the axis 5 in the direction D1 and new copper wool can be inserted from above.

Thus, a filter device according to the invention enables simple desulfurization of fermentation gases, for example, without the risk of contamination.

Although not shown, to increase desulfurization efficiency, water may still be added prior to filtration to further increase the removal of sulfur compounds by leaching.

Claims (7)

1. Filter device ( 1 ) for filtering out sulfur-containing compounds from a fluid such as a fermentation gas during beer production or the like, with an outwardly closed container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) filled with copper-containing filter aid ( 12 ) and a feed line ( 7 ) for feeding the fluid to be filtered into the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) and a discharge line ( 8 ) for discharging the filtered fluid out of the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ). 2. Filter device according to claim 1, characterized in that copper ( 12 ) in the form of copper wool and/or copper powder and/or copper granules is filled into the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) as a filter aid. 3. Filter device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the copper ( 12 ) has an average grain diameter of 0.1 mm to 3 mm, in particular of 1 mm to 2 mm. 4. Filter device according to at least one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) comprises a lid for filling and replacing the filled copper. 5. Filter device according to at least one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by an atomizing device ( 11 ) for atomizing the fluid to be filtered in the interior of the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ). 6. Filter device according to at least one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by a flow control device ( 9 , 10 ) for adjusting the flow rate of the fluid to be filtered in the supply line ( 7 ) and/or of the filtered fluid in the discharge line ( 8 ). 7. Filter device according to at least one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that water is filled into the closed container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) and/or a supply line for filling water into the container ( 2 , 3 , 4 ) is provided.