KR100422891B1 - Modular filtration system - Google Patents

Abstract

The weight of the fluid is used to activate multiple semipermeable membranes or other filtration materials to produce permeate, so that at least some level of the device, more than 30% of the resulting permeate is collected in a single casing 32. In another aspect, the filter material may be at least partially contained in a series of production modules 40 to include a transport zone for transporting feed or flushing liquid. In another aspect, the end of the adjacent generating module may be instructed to engage with another generating module using a slip fit, which may be held in engagement with the support cable or rod 23 via a connection. In another aspect of the present invention, the submersible pump 53 may be used to elevate permeate to the surface side, and the pump may advantageously at least partially use centrifugal force and / or air flotation principles. In another aspect, the feed liquid may be provided using a pipe having a removable inlet plug that inhibits clogging from a brine or semi-salt source, such as the ocean or bay, which pipe may be underwater while digging and arranging the pipe at the same time. It is anticipated that the sled may be deployed using it.

Description

Modular Filtration System {MODULAR FILTRATION SYSTEM}

Despite many advances over the years, the need for water purification is still required. Many parts of the world lack drinking or agricultural freshwater, while in other areas where the freshwater is rich, water is often contaminated with chemical or biological contaminants, metal ions, and the like. There is also a continuing need for commercial purification of other fluids such as industrial chemicals and food juices. For example, US Pat. No. 4,759,850 discusses the use of reverse osmosis to separate alcohols from hydrocarbons in the presence of additional ethers, and US Pat. No. 4,959,237 discusses the use of reverse osmosis for orange juice.

Many of these needs have been addressed by filtration, in particular reverse osmosis, in which the components are separated under pressure using a semipermeable membrane. As used herein, the term "membrane" means a functional filtration unit and may include one or more semipermeable layers and one or more support layers. Depending on the fineness of the membrane used, reverse osmosis can separate particles of varying sizes, from macromolecules to micromolecules, and recent reverse osmosis units have been found to contain particles, bacteria, spores, viruses and even Cl ^- or Ca ^+. Ions such as ⁺ can be separated.

Some problems associated with large-scale reverse osmosis (RO) are the high cost of generating excessive contamination of the membrane and the required pressure across the membrane. These two problems are correlated in that most or all known RO units must flush the membrane in operation with a relatively large amount of feed liquid relative to the amount of permeate produced. For example, the ratio of flushing liquor discarded in seawater desalting to recovered permeate is about 3: 2. Since only part of the seawater used is recovered as purified water, the energy used for the remaining water is wasted, resulting in inherent inefficiency.

Over the years, many studies have been conducted to improve the efficiency of RO units and at the same time cost efficiency. For example, US Pat. No. 5,229,005 to Fok et al. Describes a deep descent of the vessel from the side of the boat toward the ocean. The vessel is equipped with an RO membrane on either surface, and when it reaches a depth of about 700 meters, the pressure at this depth is sufficient to force fresh water through the membrane to the vessel. When the container is filled with fresh water, it is emptied again by boat. To increase work efficiency, the inventors propose to alternately lower and empty two such containers. The claimed method may be functional, but due to the discontinuity of the process it is very insufficient to provide fresh water on a commercial scale.

Another study to improve the cost efficiency of RO units is discussed in US Pat. No. 4,512,886 to Hicks et al. In this patent, the RO module is submerged into the sea at a depth where the ambient pressure is insufficient to operate the membrane, but at this depth the depth pressure combined with the additional pressure provided by the pump is sufficient to operate the membrane. Thus, the pressurized water is pumped through the RO module using energy from overhead waves, fresh water flows out at one end of the module, and brine is removed from the other end. Unfortunately, this mechanism is limited to places where wave action is significant, and in any case is relatively expensive to install and operate.

Another study that seeks to improve the cost efficiency of an RO unit is discussed in US Pat. No. 3,456,802 to Cole et al. In this patent, several RO cells are submerged to a sufficient depth in the sea, and the pre-filtered brine is filtered at the surface and fed downwards through the pipe into the cell. The fresh water discharged from the cell is then pumped back to the surface, but flush water is returned to the sea. By this mechanism, Kohl et al. Claim to increase membrane life by prefiltering the brine applied to the membrane and increasing the flushing rate. However, the proximity requirements for deep areas of saline and the difficulty of RO cell replacement have not been addressed.

Proximity requirements for deep areas of saline in desalting operations are described in US 4,125,463 to Chenoweth, which is incorporated herein by reference. In this patent, a plurality of semipermeable membrane assemblies are placed inside a well or other underground cavity. Brine flows from the top into the membrane, and the permeate passes through the membrane due to the water pressure of the brine. The permeate, which in this case is purified water, is then pumped out from the system through the riser. The main advantage intended by Chenowwet is that energy consumption is primarily limited to pumping purified water.

Despite the reduced energy consumption intended by Chenowett, this design is impractical. Above all, the design of the Chenowwet teaches a central riser surrounded by a group of five incidental RO units at many different depths. Each minor unit has its own collector, and multiple collectors of each group are moved together in a central riser in a manifold. This design is inherently inefficient. Clustering of secondary RO units adds unnecessary complexity and cost, and the presence of multiple secondary casings at the same height wastes significant channel volume.

Thus, there remains a need for apparatus and methods for cost-effectively purifying large quantities of fluid using pressure filtration.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention utilizes a head pressure developed by the weight of a fluid to operate a plurality of filters to produce permeate, and at a certain level (i.e. a certain depth) in the device, at least 30% of the resulting permeate An apparatus and method are collected in this single filter casing. Thus, the present invention reduces or eliminates colonization in channel based filtration systems and other filtration systems, thereby improving efficiency and cost efficiency.

In a preferred embodiment, substantially all filter material at a given depth is wrapped around one or more permeate collectors in a single filter casing. In a more preferred embodiment, the length of the filter and collector tube (s) forms the inner core of the series of production modules. In a particularly preferred embodiment, each production module further comprises a transport zone for brine transport and a transport zone for permeate transport.

In another aspect of the invention, the ends of adjacent generating modules may be designed to be coupled to each other using slip fit joints, wherein the generating modules may be held in engagement with the support cable or rod. Can be.

In another aspect of the invention, a submersible pump can be used to elevate permeate towards the surface. In a preferred embodiment with this feature, the pump can be operated using at least the centrifugation and / or air lift principle, and when the air lift principle is used, the fluid and the rising fluid using the energy recovery system, Energy can be recovered from the gas. It is also contemplated to use a gas produced by electrolysis to assist in pumping.

In another aspect of the invention, the feed fluid may be supplied using a pipe having a removable inlet plug that prevents clogging from a salt or semi-saline source, such as the ocean or bay. It is also contemplated that such pipes may be arranged using an underwater sled that places the pipes at the same time as the digging.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate like elements.

The invention relates in particular to the filtration of fluids, including the filtration of water.

1 is a schematic diagram of a reverse osmosis system.

2 is a schematic diagram of a generation module.

3 is a schematic perspective view of a generation module.

4 is a vertical cross-sectional view at 4-4 of the generation module of FIG. 3.

5 is a vertical cross-sectional view at 5-5 of the generating module of FIG. 3.

6 is a perspective view of a transition assembly installed or removed.

7 is a perspective view of a portable flotation device.

8A is a schematic diagram of a wrapped filter subassembly.

8B is a schematic diagram of an unwrapped filter subassembly.

FIG. 8C is a schematic diagram illustrating in more detail a portion of the unwrapped filter subassembly of FIG. 8B.

8D is a schematic diagram of an alternative filter subassembly shown in superimposed filter material.

8E is a schematic diagram of another alternative filter subassembly.

In FIG. 1, the filtration system 10 generally comprises a headwork 11, a plurality of transition modules 60, a pump module 50, a plurality of generating modules 40 and a cable 23 supporting several modules. It includes. The headwork 11 and several modules 60, 50, 40 all work together to provide a feed liquid flow path 18, a permeate flow path 18A and a flushing fluid flow path 19.

Several modules of the system 10 may be contained in wells or other channels (not shown) or may be placed in ocean or other water bodies (not shown). In the case of a well or other channel, it may be advantageous for one of the flow paths 18, 18A or 19 to be formed as an annular space between the outer casing of the modules 60, 50, 40 and the lining 20 of the channel. When the system 10 is disposed in an ocean or other open liquid zone, the feed liquid and flushing liquid flow paths 18 and 19 may each comprise an open liquid.

The term "channel" as used herein is generally used to mean a space having a relatively deep and narrow portion that may contain a fluid. Thus, oceans, bays, lakes or other large bodies of water cannot be considered channels used herein because they are wider than depth. On the other hand, underground chambers connected by wells or wells or passageways may all be considered channels used herein. The channel preferably has a usable internal diameter of at least 6 inches, although channels with smaller diameters can also be used. Lining of the channels is not particularly important and suitable channels may have conventional steel, cast iron, concrete or other casings or no casing at all. In many cases, the channels used in accordance with the present invention may be disposed in the ocean or other saline or semi-salt water bodies to provide a convenient source of water. In this case, the channel may be from a particular point in the body of water or from a particular point on land. In other cases, a suitable channel can be used, several kilometers from the source. Suitable channels may be inclined rather than vertically oriented. In summary, the devices and methods described herein may be used with a number of different types of channels regardless of their original purpose, shape, orientation, and orientation.

In the headwork 11, for example, a feed liquid, which may include brine, is supplied to the system 10 via the feed liquid supply 12, while the waste liquid is discharged from the flushing liquid outlet 14, and the purified liquid The permeate is discharged from the permeate discharge part 13. The feed liquid supply portion 12, the permeate discharge portion 13 and the flushing liquid discharge portion 14 may be welded or otherwise fixed to the headwork 11. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the system 10 may be pressurized to about 3 bar by the feed liquid pump 56. This helps to prevent frictional losses in the feed fluid flow path 18, head losses that occur when passing through the production assembly 40, and frictional losses in the flushing fluid flow path 19.

Prefiltration system 57 may optionally be used where appropriate depending on the concentration of particulates in the feed. The receiving tank 58 may also be used to receive the permeate.

The transition module 60 was originally designed to provide a conduit between the headwork 11 and the pump module 50. Thus, the transition module 60 can be very simple in design, such as one or more collector tubes arranged in a pipe (not shown) or in a parallel configuration (not shown) in the pipe.

Pump module 50 generally includes a centrifugal pump or other pump 53 that raises permeate from production module 40 to headwork 11. The pump 53 is believed to be electrically operated and electrical energy can be induced to the pump using a power cable (not shown). Alternative pumps may be operated using other types of force, for example pressurized air, and it is contemplated that pump 53 may include an air flotation pump or a specific combination pump using the air flotation principle. In such cases, the gas used may be compressed at the surface using a high pressure gas line and transported to the pump or some or all of the gas may be produced at or near the pump via electrolysis. In other embodiments, system 10 may include multiple pump modules (not shown) or a single pump module may contain one or more pumps. It is advantageous to provide a means for raising and lowering the pump 53 without dismantling the transition module 60, which can be achieved using the pump installation cable 51.

It is contemplated that the pump 53 can be used to reduce the net positive suction force to about 1 bar and to discharge the permeate into the permeate flow path 18A at 60 to 70 bar. The actual discharge pressure is at least partly a function of the depth below the surface on which the pump 53 is installed and the salinity of the feed liquid.

The generation module 40 generally includes one intake subassembly 70 and a plurality of adjacent filtration subassemblies 30. The intake subassembly 70 directs the feed liquid from the feed liquid passage 18 to the top or bottom filtration subassembly 30, and guides the flushing liquid from the filter 35 contained in the filtration subassembly 30. As described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 2, the filtration subassembly 30 may contain one or more filters 35 that separate the feed liquid into permeate and flushing liquid.

It is contemplated that the generation module may be placed at a depth of about 50 meters or more. This depth is sufficient to perform reverse osmosis for semi-saline using currently available membranes, and as membrane technology improves, the production module is expected to perform well at depths of less than 50 meters. On the other hand, it is contemplated by the system of the present invention that the filter will be used in a wide range of depths including at least 100 meters, at least 250 meters, at least 350 meters, at least 500 meters, at least 750 meters and at least 1000 meters.

The cable 23 supports all of the various modules 60, 50, 40 and is used to support their weight. As described in more detail below with respect to FIG. 5, the cable 23 can be replaced with a bar (not shown), rod (not shown), strap (not shown) or other support. Alternatively, all can be eliminated by using other support and coupling means between adjacent modules.

Modules 60, 50 and 40 can be constructed in virtually any operable size and shape using virtually any suitable material, and not all modules need to have the same structural or compositional properties. For convenience and cost efficiency, the transition module 60, the permeate pump assembly 50, and the production module 40 will be substantially tubular and are considered to be comprised primarily of suitable materials. In particular, structural materials such as PVC, epoxy glass fibers, stainless steel or other steels can be used. Other structural materials may include new composites or materials not yet developed.

In operation, the generating module 40 will typically be combined with the remaining generating module 40 or alternatively juxtaposed end to end to form a chain. One or more pump modules 50 will be placed on top of the top generation module, and the transition module 60 will be added at a higher position than the pump module (s) to reach the headwork 11. The assembly will be lowered to the required depth into the open area or channel using a device such as the device shown in FIG. 6 or 7.

Multiple modules are preferably coupled using a slip fit coupling. However, in other embodiments, two or more modules may be joined by other means, including threaded couplings, clamps, bolts, and glues.

It is also contemplated that the system according to the invention may be combined with a kind of support arrangement which may comprise one or more buildings, pump rooms and the like. Although not explicitly shown, the feed fluid may be prefiltered, which may occur at any point upstream of the feed liquid supply 12 that is fed to the production assembly 40. The ability to pre-filter brine extracted from bays or ocean waters can be relatively important in terms of long-term protection of the filter material, whereby the apparatus and method according to the invention simply place the filter in the ocean and provide adequate flushing. It can be superior to devices and methods that rely on natural water flow or pump water through filters to achieve this.

With reference to FIG. 2, the generation module 40 generally includes one or more filter subassemblies 30 and a single transition subassembly 70. Each filter subassembly 30 includes an outer shell 31, an annular space 19A and one or more filter subassemblies 44. As best shown in FIGS. 8A-8E, each filter subassembly 44 may advantageously comprise one or more filter casings 32, each casing being coupled to a collector tube 33. The filter leaf 35 and the spacer 41 of the can be housed.

As further described below, FIG. 2 shows a number of water intake holes in the water intake subassembly 70 that delivers fluid from the feed liquid passage 18 through the spokes 77 into the filter supply region 78. Port 74 is shown.

Also shown in FIG. 2 is a possible coupling 22 between the cable 23 and the generating module 40 in detail. Coupling may occur at any point (s) over the full length of the generating module 40, but such coupling will take place near the top and bottom of the generating assembly 40.

Although not shown in the drawings of the present invention, there are a number of alternative generation modules consistent with the present invention. For example, the fluid transport annulus in the production module 40 need not be annular, and the production module 40 does not need to include a fluid transport region. As discussed below, the feed liquid may be delivered to the space between the production module and the channel lining, and the feed or permeate may also be delivered to a separate pipe or compartment outside of the production module. Similarly, in alternative embodiments, the filter leaf 35, spacer 41 and collector tube (s) may be arranged differently than shown herein.

In FIG. 3, the preferred arrangement includes three filter subassemblies 30 bracketed by a single transition subassembly 70. However, it should be appreciated that more or fewer filter subassemblies 30 may be located between the transition subassemblies 70, and a filtration system used for desalination of brine is located between the transition subassemblies 70. It will have five consecutively installed filter subassemblies 30, with each filter subassembly 30 being about 6 meters in length. The value 5 is considered particularly advantageous because it is believed to suitably match the flux (flush) rate to the pressure drop and recovery rate.

4 and 5, arrows are used to indicate possible flow directions of the feed liquid. In the specific embodiment shown, the feed liquid flows downwardly through the intake port 74 along the flow path 18 and enters the filter feed area 78 along the spoke 77. Thereafter, the feed liquid flows downward through the spacer 41 (see FIG. 8C), where the feed liquid is divided by the filter material 45 into separate streams of permeate and flushing liquid. The permeate then enters the collector tube 33 through the collector aperture 34, from which the permeate flows upward towards the permeate pump 53. At the same time, the flushing liquid flows downward through the spacers 41 of one or more filter assemblies 44 directly below until it reaches the collection space 79 located in the subassembly 70. Thereafter, the flushing liquid is discharged from the transition subassembly 70 and continues to pass upwardly through the overhead generating module 40, the pump module 50 (not shown), and the transition module 60 (not shown). Headwork (not shown).

In FIG. 6, the upper transition module 60U is coupled to or separated from the lower transition module 60L. In this embodiment, each conversion module 60U, 60L has an outer pipe 61 and an inner pipe 62. The outer pipe 61 is coupled via a slip fit coupling 61A, and the inner pipe 62 is coupled via a slip fit coupling 62A. In addition, ring seals 61B and 62B are used to seal the pipes 61 and 62, respectively. It would also be advantageous for any guiding ribs or spokes (not shown) to be disposed between various annular spaces, for example between pipes 61 and 62 and between pipe 61 and channel lining 20. Can be. Of course, as described above, the coupling shown in FIG. 6 is merely exemplary, and other types of coupling and coupling methods are also contemplated.

With regard to cabling, the cable 23 comprises an upper cable end 27, a lifting point 28, a rest point 29 and a lower cable end 26. Coupling pins 27A are used to secure the coupling between adjacent cables 23, and cable clamps 25 are used to couple the cables 23 to the module 60. In this particular embodiment each cable is only about the length of the module 60, but it should be appreciated that each cable can be longer or shorter than the corresponding module, and that a single cable can be the full length of the system 10. . In addition, the cable clamp 25 shown is different in design from the cable clamp 22 in FIGS. 2 and 3, and it should be appreciated that other types of cable clamping or arresting means are also contemplated.

Lifting assembly 80 may be used to assemble or disassemble system 10. The assembly may have as many configurations as possible, and there are many possible forms, including the illustrated assembly 80 including a telescoping support 82 and a ram 81.

FIG. 7 shows a portable mechanical lifting assembly 90 that includes a telescoping support 92 and a ram 91. Also shown is a lifting charness 95 which is used to secure the upper cable end 27 and to raise or lower any module 60, 50 or 40. Lifting assembly 90 may be controlled by any convenient controller including movable control panel 94.

In the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 8A and 8B, two or more separate filters are overlapped and glued together to form a filter leaf 35, spirally wrapped around the collector tube 33 with an interspacing spacer 41. . This design creates a high pressure side and a low pressure side of the filter leaf 35. It is to be appreciated that one or more filter leaves 35 need not be disposed around the collector tube 33 and that wrapping does not necessarily include wrapping. In another embodiment, it is contemplated that, for example, the filter leaf (s) may be partially wrapped and / or partially overlapped around the collector tube 33.

8C shows further details of a preferred embodiment of the filter 35. Each filter leaf 35 comprises a layer of filter material 45 on each side of the permeate carrier material 42. Permeate carrier material 42 is sealed in seal 43 and discharged into collector holes 34 provided in collector tubes 33. As described above, the spacers 41 are disposed between the overlapping filter leaves 35. Feeds that do not pass through the filter leaf 35 will continue to flush the high pressure side of the leaf 35 and ultimately will be transported out of the system through the flushing flow passage 19.

Filter materials 45 contemplated herein include, but are not limited to, membranes used in reverse osmosis processes. Therefore, in the present invention, macroparticles (100 to 100 µm), microparticles (1.0 to 100 µm), macromolecular particles (0.1 to 1.0 µm), molecular particles (0.001 to 0.1 µm) or ionic particles (less than 0.001 to 0.001) Materials designed to filter 탆) can be used. In the future, as filters are developed, the filtration range can be increased to further include separating smaller particles, and perhaps even hydrogen and oxygen as in molecular dissolution, for example hydrolysis. In this way, the process considered will include all of the filtration spectra for the liquid. The identified filtration spectra will include particle filtration, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration and Hyperfiltration (reverse osmosis).

It is contemplated that a single outer shell 31 may contain multiple filter casings 32. In this embodiment, multiple collectors 33 can be used while making full use of the space inside the filter casing 32, whereby at least a certain level within the device, at least 30% of the permeate produced is any The restriction requirement to collect in a single filter subassembly 30 at a given level is met. In another preferred embodiment, it is collected in a single filter subassembly 30 suspended at any given depth up to 40%, 60% and substantially all of the resulting permeate.

In even less preferred embodiments, multiple filter subassemblies 30 may be provided at a given depth. However, for this application, the 30% restriction requirement was chosen to distinguish it from the Chenowet patent and provide significant advantages. In the Chenowet patent, there are always five separate membrane assemblies at each production level. It is apparent that this choice was made to efficiently accommodate a large number of conventional membrane assembly groups at a given depth in a round well hole. No improvements have been taught or suggested in the Chenowett patent, but it would be possible to provide only three separate membrane assemblies at each production depth. This group would produce about one third of the permeate at a given depth in each of the three filter casings, and for this reason the 30% limit was chosen.

As a further alternative, it is contemplated that the permeate collector tube 33A may be located at a position other than the central position (as in FIGS. 8D and 8E) or the collector may be located completely outside of the filter subassembly. For example, one or more collectors (not shown) may be located inside production assembly 40, and permeate may flow from the collector (s) to an outer section containing new rings (not shown). . Once again an important limitation is that above a certain level in the device, at least 30% of the permeate produced at a given depth is collected in a single filter subassembly 30.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments explicitly shown and described. For example, in alternative embodiments, any liquid flow may operate in opposition to the liquid flow described herein. Alternatively, various fluid flow paths can be exchanged with each other. Thus, in FIG. 2, the feed fluid does not enter the port 74 but the flushing fluid may be discharged from the port 74. In other embodiments, the systems and methods described herein can be used to purify foods such as orange juice or to isolate industrial chemicals. Thus, while specific embodiments and applications have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that more modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims (19)

Placing the fluid in the flow path; Providing a flow path with a plurality of filter casings having a filter and a collector operatively coupled to use head pressure as a substantial driving force in passing some or all of the fluid through the filter to produce permeate; Directing permeate produced in at least two filter casings and providing a covalent permeate conduit with the filter wrapped around the permeate; And disposing a casing around the shared permeate conduit such that at least 30% of the permeate produced at the set depth is produced in one of the filter casings. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing the fluid comprises disposing the fluid in a channel. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the depth of the channel is at least 50 meters. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the depth of the channel is at least 250 meters. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a filter comprises providing a semipermeable membrane. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least 40% of the permeate produced at the set depth is produced in one of the filter casings. The method of claim 1 wherein at least 60% of the permeate produced at the set depth is produced in one of the filter casings. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein almost all of the permeate produced at the set depth is produced in one of the filter casings. 2. The stacking of claim 1, wherein the at least two stackings have a first transport zone for transporting permeate, a second transport zone for transporting a supply portion of the fluid, and a third transport zone for transporting the flushing portion of the fluid. Placing a plurality of filters in the generated generation module. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing at least two generation modules with slip fit connections. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining the generating module in a mating relationship through engagement with a support cable or rod. The method of claim 1 further comprising raising the permeate to the surface using a submersible pump. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pump operates at least in part using an air flotation principle. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising electrolyzing the fluid to produce a gas. The method of claim 1 further comprising drawing a fluid from the water source using a pipe having a removable inlet plug. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing the pipe using an underwater sled that digs the arc and simultaneously positions the pipe. The method of claim 1 wherein disposing the fluid comprises disposing the fluid in a channel having a depth of at least 250 meters, and providing the filter comprises providing a semipermeable membrane, wherein 40% of the permeate produced at said depth. Wherein the anomaly is generated in one of the filter casings. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing the fluid comprises disposing the fluid in a channel having a depth of at least 250 meters, and providing the filter comprises providing a semipermeable membrane, wherein the at least two stacked production modules And disposing a plurality of filters. The method of claim 1, wherein disposing the fluid comprises disposing the fluid in a channel having a depth of at least 50 meters, and providing the filter comprises providing a semipermeable membrane, wherein the at least two stacked production modules Disposing a plurality of filters, and maintaining the generating module in a mating relationship through engagement with a support cable or rod.