Contact Filter Block, A Method of Producing Structural Elements of a Contact Filter Block and an Apparatus for Producing Structural Elements of a Contact Filter Block

摘要

A method of producing tubular elements of a contact filter block using an apparatus comprising: a reservoir (18) for storing granulate material, said reservoir having a first inlet and a second inlet, said granulate material including a foaming additive having a melting point higher than the melting point of said granulate material, a heating and pressurising unit (20) including a chamber having a second inlet and a second outlet, said second inlet in communication with said first outlet, a path of travel defined from said second inlet to said second outlet, said heating unit comprising heating and pressurising elements distributed along said path of travel, an extruder unit (14) mounted downstream relative to said heating and pressurising unit at said second outlet, said extruder unit further including an extruder heating unit, said extruder defining an extruder outlet (36), said extruder unit generating a mesh-type tubular structure (34), a cooling unit mounted at said extruder unit for rapidly cooling said granulate material, and a measuring and cutting device (40) for measuring and cutting elements having a predetermined length within a specific interval the method comprising the steps of: supplying said granulate material to said heating and pressurising unit from said reservoir via said second inlet, conveying said granulate material along said path of travel, heating said granulate material to a temperature at or below the melting point of said granulate material and pressurising said granulate material to an elevated pressure while conveying said granulate material along said path in said heating and pressurising unit, said heating and pressurising performed according to a specific heating and pressurising profile, transferring said heated and pressurised granulate material to said extruder unit, heating said granulate material within said extruder heating unit to a temperature above said melting point of said granulate material and/or at or above said melting point of said foaming additive, extruding said mesh-type tubular structure from said granulate material, said heating of said granulate material causing an expansion of said foaming additive causing said mesh-type tubular structure to obtain an porous structure, cooling said extruded tubular element by said cooling unit according to a specific cooling profile thereby stopping or halting expansion of said granulate material and/or said foaming additive and locking or fixating said porous structure of said tubular element, and cutting said tubular elements using said measuring and cutting unit.