Non-clogging microporous filter with cross flow operation

Claim 1

In a liquid filter, a filter cartridge, a shell for containing said filter cartridge, said cartridge having a set of inner and outer edges on opposite sides thereof defining together with said shell an inlet side for accepting material to be filtered and an outlet side opposite thereof for delivering a filtrate, said cartridge being constructed in a cylindrical pleated form in which the filter material is folded back and forth to define said set of inner and outer edges on opposite sides of the cartridge, the folds of said pleated form defining an inner boundary and an outer boundary for said filter located on concentric cylindrical boundaries, first port means forming an inlet port through said shell to the exterior of said inlet side of said cartridge, second port means forming a filtrate outlet on the other side of said filter cartridge and through said shell, third port means forming a bypass outlet through said shell on the inlet side of said cartridge and at a location remote from said first port means, a cylindrical sleeve surrounding a portion of the length of said cartridge in close fitting proximity to its outer boundary and leaving access rings at each end thereof, and means for preventing flow of liquid between said first inlet port and said third bypass port except between said sleeve and said filter cartridge, means for withdrawing a percentage of inlet liquid from said third port, means forming said bypass outlet to create a flow of liquid tangential to the folds of said filter cartridge on said inlet side, said first port means and third port means are disposed at remote locations so that filterable material passing from the first port means to the third port means flows solely between said inner outer filter cartridge boundaries and along the folds tangentially thereto.