Gas cleaner

Claim 1

Apparatus for cleaning and quenching a hot gas stream contaminated with solids comprising: a gas flow duct having a gas inlet and a gas outlet through which the contaminated gas flows into and out of said duct, a plurality of porous filter elements arranged serially and spaced apart along said duct between said inlet and said outlet and each extending transversely across said duct, a plurality of liquid discharge heads in said duct located respectively between successive filter elements along the duct for respectively discharging a liquid washing agent transversely into the duct and onto each of said filter elements for removal of solids from the gas in passing through the duct and said filter elements, suction blower means mounted in said duct adjacent to said gas outlet for drawing contaminated gas into said inlet and through said duct and said filter elements and forcing the same out through said outlet, means communicating with said outlet to discharge cleaned gas to the atmosphere, means communicating with said inlet to supply the contaminated gas thereto, said duct having a plurality of environmental air inlets located respectively between successive filter elements along its length and at the gas inlet side of the spray head that is located between the same successive filter elements to pass ambient air from outside the duct into the gas stream drawn through the duct and through Said filter elements by said blower means, washing liquid supply means connected to said discharge heads for supplying washing liquid thereto, washing liquid return means for returning washing liquid from said duct, washing liquid filter means connected to said return means for filtering the washing liquid to clean the same, a reservoir receiving the cleaned liquid from said filter means, pump means connected between said reservoir and said supply means for pumping washing liquid from said reservoir to said discharge means, a pipe extending centrally inside the duct and carrying said liquid discharge heads, and wherein each of said filter elements has a transverse slot extending inward from its periphery and slidable over said pipe for the insertion or removal of the filter element transversely of the duct, and a removable section of each filter element closing said slot when the filter element is in place in the duct.