The Vertical Pressure Leaf Filter

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Description
Vertical Pressure Leaf Filters are quite similar to the Horizontal Plate Filters except for
the orientation of the filter elements which are vertical rather than horizontal. They are
applied for the polishing slurries with very low solids content of 1-5% or for cake
filtration with a solids concentration of 20-25%.
Just like the Horizontal Plate Filter the Vertical Leaf Filters are also very well suited for
handling flammable, toxic and corrosive materials since they are autoclaved and
designed for hazardous environments when high pressure and safe operation are
required. Likewise, they may be readily jacketed for applications whenever hot or cold
temperatures are to be preserved. These features are not possible on Filterpresses which
require the opening of plates to the atmosphere and shifting them one by one to allow
cake discharge at the end of each cycle.
The largest Leaf Filters in horizontal vessels have a filtration area of 300 m2 and vertical
vessels 100 m2 both designed for an operating pressure of 6 bar (see below the section
on The Vessel).

The Leaves

Slurry Feed
Filtrate
Leaf
Screen
Spacers

The slurry is pumped under

pressure into a vessel that is
To view the components move
mouse pointer over the menu fitted with a stack of vertical
leaves that serve as filter
elements. Each leaf has a
centrally located neck at its
bottom which is inserted into a
manifold that collects the
filtrate. The leaf is constructed
with ribs on both sides to allow
free flow of filtrate towards the
neck and is covered with coarse

mesh screens that support the

finer woven metal screens or
filter cloth that retain the cake.
The space between the leaves
may vary from 30-100 mm
depending on the cake
formation properties and the
ability of the vacuum to hold a
thick and heavy cake to the
vertical leaf surface. The space
is set by the filtrate necks of the
leaves at the bottom end and
with spacers at the top end
brackets.
For fast filtering slurries the
space may be doubled by
removing every second plate so
consequently the cake space
doubles but the filtration area is
cut in half.

The Vessel
There are two types of vessel configuration:

Vertical vessels
Horizontal vessels

In most of the fine chemicals

processes the leaves are fitted
into vertical vessels whilst
horizontal vessels are used in
the heavier process industries
such as the preparation of
sulfur in phosphoric acid
plants. The leaves inside
horizontal tanks may be
positioned either along the
tank axis or perpendicular to
the axis.
In order to utilize the tank
volume for maximum filtration
area the width of the leaves is
graduated so they fit to the
circular contour of the tank.
This also reduces the slurry
heel volume that surrounds
the leaves.
The vessels are fitted with

highly secured cake discharge

openings to ensure safe
sealing of the tank under
pressure. The cake that
accumulates on the leaves
may be discharged as a wet
thickened sludge or as a dry
cake. For wet cakes the vessel
will normally have a small
outlet that is fitted with a
valve whilst for dry cakes the
opening is large and the
closure locks up electrically or
hydraulically with a bayonet
wedge.
The head cover of vertical
vessels is often pivoted so that
it is swung away to allow the
upwards removal of the leaves
in the stack. It is good practice
to design a special rig that will
support a leaf that is removed
from the vessel.
Special quick opening bolts are
fitted around the cover so that
tightness is secured during
operation but enable easy
opening when access to the
stack is required.

Cake Discharge
One of the advantages of the Vertical Leaf
Filter when compared to the Horizontal Plate
Filter is when cakes depart easily from the
filtering medium. In such cases it is not
necessary to incorporate means to assist
discharge since gravity will release the cake
and let it drop towards the discharge
opening. For such cakes that do not
discharge readily a special mechanism that
vibrates the entire stack is incorporated and
this will in most instances release the cake.
However, with this method care must be
taken so that the cake does not bridge
between the two adjacent plates since this
will impair cake discharge.
There are instances when the cake is
disposed to ponds or repulped for further
treatment and in these cases special
oscillating high impact jet headers sweep

the medium surface and sluice the cake

through the discharge outlet. These headers
also serve to wash the filtering medium and
dislodge particles that clog the metal screen
or cloth.

Selection Criteria
Vertical Leaf Filters are best selected in the following instances:

When minimum floor space for large filtration areas is required.

When the liquids are volatile and may not be subjected to vacuum.
When there is a risk of environmental hazard from toxic, flammable or volatile
cakes specially secured discharge mechanisms may be incorporated.
When high filtrate clarity is required for polishing applications.
When handling saturated brines that require elevated temperatures the tank may
be steam jacketed.
When the cake may be discharged either dry or as a thickened slurry.

They should be selected with care:

When the cake is thick and heavy and the pressure is not sufficient to hold it on
the leaf.
When coarse mesh screens are used the filtration step must be preceded with a
precoat to retain cakes with fine particles. Precoating with a thin layer of
diatomite or perlite is not a simple operation and should be avoided whenever
possible.

Advantages

The cloth or woven mesh screens that cover the leaves of horizontal tanks may
be accessed easily once the stack is pulled out of the vessel. This allows thorough
washing of the medium with high impact jets manually in case that the cake
bridges between the leaves. On vertical tanks the head cover must be unbolted
and removed in order to access the leaf stack.
Mechanically simple since there are no complex sealing glands or bearings.

Disadvantages

High headroom is required for dismantling the leaves on vertical vessels.

Large floor space is required for discharging the cake on horizontal vessels.
The emptying of the vessel in between cake filtration, washing and drying
requires close monitoring of the pressure inside the vessel to ensure that the
cake holds on to the candles.

Operational Sequence
The operation of a Vertical Pressure Leaf Filter is labor intensive and requires a complex
manipulation of valves so present day installations are in most cases fully automated.

Precoating
The precoating stage is done only in the
following cases:

When the contaminants are

gelatinous and sticky the precoat
layer forms a barrier that avoids
cloth blinding. Likewise the
interface between the precoat and
the cloth departs readily so the
cake discharges leaving a clean
cloth.
When a clear filtrate is required
immediately after the filtration
cycle commences otherwise
recirculation must be EMPLOYED
until a clear filtrate is obtained.

Filtration
Once the precoating stage is completed
the process slurry is pumped into the
filter, the forming cake is retained on the
leaves and the filtrate flows to further
processing.
When the solids are fine and slow to filter
a body-aid is added to the feed slurry in
order to enhance cake permeability.
However, it should be kept in mind that
the addition of body-aid increases the
solids concentration in the feed so it
occupies additional volume between the
leaves and increases the amount of cake
for disposal.
Likewise, for all those applications when
the cake is the product, precoat and
filter-aid may not be used since they mix
and discharge together with the cake.
Please refer to the section on Pressure
Filters for further details on precoating
and the addition of body-aid.
Heel Removal
Once the filtration cycle is completed air
or gas is blown into the vessel and the
slurry heel that surrounds the leaves is
pushed and displaced downwards until it
reaches the lowest part of the leaf stack.

At this point the remaining heel slurry is

evacuated back to the feed tank by a
special dip pipe that is located at the very
bottom of the vessel so that the vessel is
empty from slurry.

Cake Drying
The air then continues to pass through
the cake until the captive moisture is
reduced to a minimum and the cake is in
practical terms considered to be dry.

Cake Discharge
At this point the air pressure is released,
the cake outlet is opened and the leaf
stack is vibrated to discharge the cake.
The cake outlet opening must be
interlocked with a pressure sensor to
avoid opening under pressure.
On some filters the cloth or mesh screen
may be backwashed with water after cake
discharge to dislodge and remove any
cake residue that adhered to the
medium.

Maintenance
The Vertical Pressure Leaf Filter requires attention on a regular basis to safety devices
and automation features that accompany modern filters.
The space above the filter should have a hoisting device and sufficient headroom to lift
each leaf and move it horizontally to a location adjacent to the filter tank. It is
recommended to have a special rig that will hold the leaf for maintenance. Space must
also be allocated for the cover which may be either hinged or removed.
The major components that require attention are:

The filter tank must conform to an Unfired Pressure Vessel code, such as ASME,
and checked periodically as required by the safety regulations.
The pressure relief valve that is located on the top of the tank must be checked
for emergency functioning.
The "o"-rings that seal between the leaves necks and the filtrate collecting
manifolds.
The large diameter caulking gasket of the dished top head cover. The ends must
be cut in an angle to ensure a perfect seal.
The hinged head cover locking bolts.
The cleanliness of the filtrate sight glass that monitor on-line or visually enables
inspection of the filtrate clarity.
The interlock that disables opening the cake discharge when the vessel is still
under pressure.
The maintenance hoist above the filter must pull out the leaves vertically so that
they will not hit the tank wall.
The condition of the filter medium, cloth or mesh screen, must be done
periodically to ensure that they are not damaged.
The vent on top of the head must be checked for free evacuation of air.
The filter must not be overfilled with cake since this causes the leaves to bend so
they must be checked periodically.