Filter for removing sediment from water

Abstract

A system for removing sediment from water is disclosed. The exemplary embodiments described herein disclose a system comprising a filter chamber, having a deck positioned inside to divide it into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The deck may have a plurality of holes to hold filtration elements and also may have a ridge or a skirt or both. The filtration elements may be filter cartridges with multiple elongated filter elements that extend down into the lower chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A water runoff system for removing suspended particles from a liquid, the system comprising:
 a filter vessel defining an internal chamber;   a deck positioned within the internal chamber and dividing the internal chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the deck having a plurality of holes formed therein, each hole having a filtration element therein;   an inlet line for introducing a liquid into the internal chamber;   an outlet above the deck for permitting liquid to exit the upper chamber;   a ridge positioned atop the deck, the ridge forming an outlet weir atop the deck;   a plurality of the filtration elements positioned upstream of the ridge; and   at least one the filtration elements positioned downstream of the ridge;   wherein when flow subsides from the inlet, liquid that has accumulated above the deck and behind the ridge flows downward through the filtration elements located upstream of the ridge, flowing downward and into the lower chamber and up through the filtration element positioned downstream of the ridge, thereby backwashing filter elements located upstream of the ridge with filtered liquid.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the filtration element located downstream of the ridge has a lid with at least one hole sized to induce a pulsing/vibration effect during backwashing to assist in maintaining cleanliness of the filtration elements, wherein pressure caused by the downward flow causes the water flowing through said at least one hole in the lid of the filter element positioned downstream of the ridge to pulse, thereby creating a vibration that shakes the filtration elements. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the filtration elements comprises a filtration cartridge. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a skirt that is positioned below the deck and surrounds the filtration elements. 
     
     
         5 . A system for removing suspended particles from a liquid, the system comprising:
 a filter chamber defining an internal chamber;   a deck positioned within the internal chamber and dividing the filter chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the deck having a plurality of holes formed therein, each hole having a filtration cartridge therein;   an inlet line for communicating an influent liquid to the filter chamber; and   a ridge positioned atop the deck, wherein the ridge acts as an outlet weir atop the deck, at least one of the filtration cartridges is positioned so that liquid that moves upward through the filtration cartridge for filtration exits the filter chamber by passing over the ridge to reach an outlet of the filter chamber, and when flow into the filter chamber subsides, liquid that has accumulated above the deck behind the ridge then flows backward through the filtration cartridge to backwash the filtration cartridge, causing liquid in the lower chamber to flow upward through another opening in the deck downstream of the ridge and then to the outlet of the filter chamber.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5  wherein the another opening in the deck contains an additional filtration cartridge, and when flow into the filter chamber subsides, liquid that flows upward through the another opening passes through the additional filtration cartridge. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a skirt positioned on a bottom surface of the deck and extending below the deck into the lower chamber.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the skirt surrounds at least one of the filtration cartridges. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the skirt surrounds all of the filtration cartridges. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 6  wherein the additional filtration cartridge has a lid with at least one hole sized to induce a pulsing/vibration effect such that during backwash water flowing upward through the at least one hole in the lid creates a vibration. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5  wherein each of the filtration cartridges comprises a plurality of elongated filter elements extending downward into the lower chamber, each filter element comprising a pleated filter member disposed around an internal frame to help retain a form of the pleated filter member and to define an internal flow space within the filter element. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11  wherein each filter element further comprises an upper cap engaged with a top portion of the pleated filter member and a lower cap engaged with a bottom portion of the pleated filter member. 
     
     
         13 . A method of removing sediment from stormwater, the method comprising:
 introducing sediment-laden stormwater into a filter chamber that defines an internal chamber, a deck positioned within the internal chamber and dividing the filter chamber into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, the deck having a plurality of holes formed therein, each hole holding a filtration cartridge therein, and a ridge positioned atop the deck, wherein the ridge acts as on outlet weir atop the deck that is positioned between multiple filtration cartridges and an outlet of the filter chamber, the sediment-laden stormwater directed into the lower chamber;   filtering the sediment-laden stormwater by passing the stormwater from the lower chamber upward through the multiple filtration cartridges into the upper chamber;   passing the filtered stormwater over the ridge to reach the outlet of the filter chamber; and   when introduction of sediment-laden stormwater into the filter chamber subsides, filtered stormwater that has accumulated above the deck behind the ridge then flows backward through the multiple filtration cartridges to backwash the multiple filtration cartridges and thereby causes liquid in the lower chamber to flow upward through another opening in the deck at a downstream side of the ridge and then to the outlet of the filter chamber.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the another opening in the deck contains an additional filtration cartridge, and when flow into the filter chamber subsides, liquid that flows upward through the another opening passes through the additional filtration cartridge. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  wherein a skirt positioned on a bottom surface of the deck and surrounds the multiple filtration cartridges. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein sediment-laden stormwater swirls around the skirt, passes under the skirt and then upward through the filtration cartridges for filtering. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the additional filtration cartridge has a lid with at least one hole sized to induce a pulsing/vibration effect such that during backwash water flowing upward through the at least one hole in the lid creates a vibration. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13  wherein each of the filtration cartridges comprises a plurality of elongated filter elements extending downward into the lower chamber, each filter element comprising a pleated filter member disposed around an internal frame to help retain a form of the pleated filter member and to define an internal flow space within the filter element. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein each filter element further comprises an upper cap engaged with a top portion of the pleated filter member and a lower cap engaged with a bottom portion of the pleated filter member.