Fluid treatment media support system

Abstract

A filter media support system that reduces media clogging and head loss in granular filtration systems by providing a layered porous plate. The porous plate can have multiple layers of fine sized and coarse sized pores. The porous plate is positioned between the media and the filter bottom. The filter media support system is securely anchored to the infrastructure of the underdrain system thereby inhibiting media penetration of the filter bottom and avoiding seal failures. The infrastructure can be air lateral piping fitted beneath the underdrain blocks of the support system. The anchors can be secured to pipe clamps circumscribing the air laterals.

1 . A fluid treatment media support system for a fluid treatment filter having a filter bottom, underdrain blocks, air laterals, and filter media, the system comprising: 
 a rigid, porous plate adapted to support the filter media over the underdrain blocks, the porous plate comprising integral layers of different pore size.;    anchors extending from the porous plate and adapted to attach to air laterals positioned below the the porous plate.    
     
     
         2 . The filter media support system of    claim 1    wherein the porous plate includes a relatively coarse pore size layer adjacent the filter bottom and a relatively fine pore size layer above the coarse pore size layer.  
     
     
         3 . The filter media support system of    claim 2    wherein the porous plate further includes a relatively coarse pore size layer above the fine pore size layer.  
     
     
         4 . The filter media support system of    claim 2    wherein the coarse layer has a pore size of from 500 to 5000 microns and the fine layer has a pore size of from 150 to 1500 microns.  
     
     
         5 . The filter media support system of    claim 3    wherein the coarse layers have a pore size of from 500 to 5000 microns and the fine layer has a pore size of from 150 to 1500 microns.  
     
     
         6 . The filter media support system of    claim 1    wherein the porous plate comprises sintered polyethylene.  
     
     
         7 . The filter media support system of    claim 1    wherein the porous plate is made of a material selected from the group consisting of ceramics, metals and polymers.  
     
     
         8 . A fluid treatment media support system for a fluid treatment filter having a filter bottom, underdrain blocks, an infrastructure, and filter media, the system comprising: 
 a rigid, porous plate adapted to support the filter media over the underdrain blocks, the porous plate comprising integral layers of different pore size;    anchors extending from the porous plate and adapted to attach to the infrastucture positioned below the the porous plate.    
     
     
         9 . The filter media support system of    claim 8    wherein the infrastructure includes a plurality of air laterals running under the underdrain blocks and the anchors are adapted to be secured to the air laterals.  
     
     
         10 . The filter media support system of    claim 8    wherein the underdrain blocks are arranged end-to-end in rows over the air laterals, the porous plate has a larger horizontal dimension than the individual underdrain blocks so that the porous plate is adapted to cover a plurality of the underdrain blocks, and the anchors are adapted to extend between adjacent ends of the blocks.  
     
     
         11 . The filter media support system of    claim 10    wherein upper ends of the anchors are secured to bars positioned over the porous plate running transversely to the rows of the underdrain blocks.  
     
     
         12 . The filter media support system of    claim 10    wherein the porous plate includes lap joints adapted to be parallel to the rows of underdrain blocks.  
     
     
         13 . The filter media support system of    claim 12    wherein the anchors pass through a bore formed through an overlap of the joint between adjacent porous plate sections.  
     
     
         14 . The filter media support system of    claim 8    wherein the underdrain blocks comprise lateral sides and the anchors are adapted to extend from the porous plate, pass the lateral sides of the underdrain blocks to the infrastructure.  
     
     
         15 . A fluid treatment media support system for a fluid treatment filter having a filter bottom, underdrain blocks, air laterals, and filter media, the system comprising: 
 a rigid, porous plate adapted to support the filter media over the underdrain blocks, the porous plate comprising integral layers of different pore size.;    anchors extending from the porous plate and adapted to attach to the underdrain blocks positioned below the the porous plate.