FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention generally relates to a monolithic filtration module for
processing contaminated fluid. In particular the present invention provides
solution for filtration issues like separating fluid feedstock into filtrate and
retentate where the accumulated layers in the retentive part of the fluid stream
need to be separated more frequently. The present invention is useful for
processing fluid streams in applications such as coarse microfiltration, extraction,
separating, purifying, filtering or other processing functions for a variety of liquid-
phase mixtures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
Multichannel monolithic filtration modules with or without membrane coating are
known in the art for liquid filtration.
US Patent No. 7,258,723 (Jan 17, 1978) discloses an ultra filtration device with
porous ceramic materials having axially parallel passageways and a permselective
membrane coated onto the surface of the passageways. Similar cross-flow filtration
devices described in US patent Nos. 4,781,831 and 4,983,423) have also been
used to separate contaminated liquid feedstock into cleaner filtrate and retenate. In
all these and several other patent applications the passageways in the retenate
zone are of narrow cross-section, the performance of which are poor to handle high

accumulated particulate during filtration. Plugged honeycomb monolithic filter
modules are well known in the art. European patent applications EP 0745416
describe the use of such filter module for the removal of particulates from vapour,
water and other fluid streams, and PCT application WO 99/32212 describes cyst
reduction water filter. However for both the disclosers filtration rate is low for highly
contaminated fluid since the filter is constructed by plugging each individual cells of
honeycombs which are narrow square configuration.
US Patent No. 4,894,160 (Jan 16,1990) claimed to design a cavity on the filtration
module to collect the filtrate, but still the feedstock is to flow through the similar
restricted passageways.
Published PCT Patent application No. WO 2004/091756 Al (Oct 28, 2004)
discloses filtrate collecting slits on ceramic honeycomb based filter module, however
uses the lower cross-section cells as the feed fluid passageways.
US document No. 2010/0038308 Al (Feb 18, 2010) discloses the filter conduits,
which are cut into honeycomb monolith after extrusion. However the said filter
conduits will help in collecting filtrate liquid but could not offer any solution for the
particulate concentration increase in the retentate passages and its easy disposal.
The use of these modules is limited because of their slow filtration rate preventing
their wide application where rejection load is higher and high yield is desirable.
Ceramic honeycomb monolith based filter modules are also being manufactured

with innovative designs specifically meant for liquid filtration applications, which are
expected to address such issues. However these monolithic ceramic module design
specific to water filtration known in the art and its recent improvements failed to
provide the desired solution to the industry for application where the accumulated
rejection layers in the retentive part of the fluid stream is higher.
There is therefore, a need for designing a monolithic filtration module which is easy
to manufacture, capable of providing high filtration rate, and capable of handling
high rejection rate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the prior art drawbacks described under
Background of the Invention.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a new monolithic filtration
module which is capable of providing high filtration rate while handling high
rejection rate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a monolithic filtration unit that
is easy to manufacture.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing wider
flow channels at the retentate zone, discarding the conventional concept of circular

or other symmetric or nearly symmetric passageway cross-section, which is the
base design of all prior art documents, thereby reducing high restriction of the
narrow channels which are not capable of handling highly loaded retentate. The
wide flow channel of the filter module of the present offers first time to the industry
an inventive concept of wide envelop type thin-walled membrane support strongly
held by a large number of honeycomb cells at the other side in filtrate zone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrate views of an exemplary embodiment of (a) schematic view of a
monolithic fluid filter module and (b) schematic illustration of a filtration system
utilizing the filter module of the present invention.
FIG. 2 (a) shows another isometric view of the monolithic fluid filter module
illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 (b) shows two views of the monolithic fluid filter module as manufactured
illustrating the exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 3 illustrates another variation of the embodiment where open channels of the
filter module are further enlarged.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of
embodiments of the present invention. To this end, those skilled in the relevant
art will recognize and appreciate that many changes can be made to the various
embodiments of the invention described herein, while still obtaining the beneficial
results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired
benefits of the present invention can be obtained by selecting some of the
features of the present invention without utilizing other features. Accordingly,
those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations
to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain
circumstances and are a part of the present invention. Thus, the following
description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and
not in limitation thereof.
A schematic view of an embodiment of invented monolithic filter module 10 is
shown in Fig. 1(a), where face A and Face C are visible in the sketch. The
monolithic filter module is made from cordierite (2Mg0.2AI203.5Si02), alumina
(AI203), mullite (3AI203. 2Si02), silicon carbide (SiC), porcelains, aluminium
titanate, alumina-silica mixtures, glasses glass-ceramics, inorganic refractory
materials, metal oxides, and sintering aids. Further during manufacturing
processing materials such as binders, plasticizers and other additives and pore
formers are mixed with the composition as required. When the inlet contaminated
fluid enter the filter element, 10 through the multiple openings 11 of Face A,
rejects part of the particulates through openings in face B while filtering operation

takes place inside 10 through the porous ceramic-wall envelops, which are the
projected part of the cavities, the openings of which are seen as 12 on face C.
Each opening on face A is connected with respective opening on face B without
any restriction, but these openings are separated by filtering envelops. Two
adjacent filtering envelops constitute an enclosed cavity opens only on face C,
which are marked as 12. On filtering through the thin-walled envelops the cleaner
fluid flows out of openings 12 through face C. The porous ceramic thin-walled
envelops are mechanically held by a large number of walls 14, which are the part
of extruded honeycomb cells. The monolithic filter module 10 additionally may be
coated with selective membrane coating onto the surfaces of the thin-walled
envelops to separate one or more components from the fluid.
The invented monolithic filter module 10 can have any desired predetermined size
and shape. For example, although the invented monolithic filter module 10 in Fig.
1 is exemplified as a cubical shape with rectangular cross-section for easy of
explaining the finer aspects of the invention, it should be understood that the
invented monolithic filter module 10 can be shaped to provide cylindrical, elliptical
or polygon cross-section. To that end, exemplary and non-limiting monolith cross-
sectional shapes include ellipses, circles, rectangles, square, pentagonal,
hexagonal, octagonal and the like. For consistency and simplicity, cubical form of
the invented monolithic filter module 10 has been used primarily in the subsequent
discussions.

The invented monolithic filter module 10 is housed in the filtration system, a
schematic view of which is shown in Fig. 1 (b) as an exemplary embodiment. In
this example the monolithic filter module 10 is assembled using compressive seal
65 which may be made out of rubber or mat materials as shown and the
contaminated fluid enters the apparatus through the inlet 30, travels through the
cone 35, enters the filtering chamber 60 where the monolithic filter module 10 is
mounted, enters the filter module 10 through the openings 11 on face A. On
entering the filter module 10 the contaminated fluid flows unrestricted towards
opening on face B (please refer Fig. 2), but eventually due to pressure gradient
flows through the ceramic envelops inside the filter module 10. While cleaner fluid
flows through the envelop to the cavities which are opens at 12 on face C of the
filter module 10, the particulates larger than the pores of the envelop wall remain
in the channels connecting between face A, face B and face D . (please refer Fig.
2) While cleaner fluid flows out of the filtering element through 12 on face C, it
travels through the outlet pipe 40 to go out of the system as pure filtrate. The
trapped materials either stick to the envelop wall on the channel side which opens
on face A face B and face D or flows through mixed with the retenate fluid stream.
For highly contaminated fluid, materials trapped which could not pass through the
thin-walled envelop may accumulate on the wide channel and falls on its own
weight through the openings of face B to the rejection collector 20 through the
collection cone 25. Variable angle multiple spray units 80 are fitted on the
collection cone 25 periodically spray water or other cleaning liquid inside the
channel through opening in face B. This unique facility is possible because of the
inventive step disclosed in this invention which helps in dislodging more materials

which are trapped and stick to the filtering thin-walled envelop. The relieving of
the contaminants from the retenate fluids in the chamber improves the
performance of the filtering system enormously by reducing the concentration of
contaminants in the retenate fluid which is normally circulated and pass many
times through the filtering module for achieving higher yield. The materials
collected in the rejection collector 20 may be cleaned or emptied periodically.
In another variation an embodiment of the present invention each channel
connecting face A, face B and face D are enlarged further to completely open up
on face B as shown in Fig. 3 in contrast to Fig 2. Though these variations
particularly the one presented in Fig 4 are mechanically weaker than the variation
presented in Fig 2, however there are advantages of this embodiment leading to
higher amount of particular collection in certain cases.

The limitation of multichannel monolithic filtration modules for high filtration load
applications is addressed by new filter module of the present invention. A wider
flow channels at the retentate zone is visualized breaking away from the
conventional concept of circular or other symmetric or nearly symmetric
passageway cross-section, which is the base design of all prior art filtration
modules, thereby reducing high restriction of the narrow channels which are not
capable of handling highly loaded retentate.