Tubular inorganic filter element having increased mechanical strength and increased filter area

摘要

An inorganic filter element for filtering a fluid medium in order to recover a filtrate, the filter element being of the type including an inorganic rigid porous support of cylindrical shape having a longitudinal central axis, and channels formed in the support parallel to its central axis and presenting respective surfaces each covered in at least one separator layer that is intended to come into contact with the fluid medium, and at least some "peripheral" ones of the channels. The channels have their centers situated on a circle that is coaxial about the central axis and present a peripheral wall situated facing the outside surface of the support and co-operating therewith to define a direct through passage for the filtrate, and at least one radial wall co-operating with the facing radial wall of an adjacent channel to define a partition, the walls being interconnected by connection fillets. The channels also have a transverse cross-section that is non-circular. Each of the peripheral channels has a through passage of thickness that increases on either side of the middle of the passage going away from the middle so that each through passage possesses a profile in the form of a vault for the purpose of increasing its mechanical strength.