EP0837732B1 - Separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity - Google Patents

Separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0837732B1
EP0837732B1 EP96922716A EP96922716A EP0837732B1 EP 0837732 B1 EP0837732 B1 EP 0837732B1 EP 96922716 A EP96922716 A EP 96922716A EP 96922716 A EP96922716 A EP 96922716A EP 0837732 B1 EP0837732 B1 EP 0837732B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
recess
materials
bowl
discharge
peripheral wall
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP96922716A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0837732A1 (en
Inventor
Benjamin V. Knelson
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Individual
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Individual
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Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US08/502,019 external-priority patent/US5601523A/en
Priority claimed from US08/511,478 external-priority patent/US5601524A/en
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0837732A1 publication Critical patent/EP0837732A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0837732B1 publication Critical patent/EP0837732B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04B—CENTRIFUGES
    • B04B11/00—Feeding, charging, or discharging bowls
    • B04B11/02—Continuous feeding or discharging; Control arrangements therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04B—CENTRIFUGES
    • B04B1/00—Centrifuges with rotary bowls provided with solid jackets for separating predominantly liquid mixtures with or without solid particles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B04—CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS OR MACHINES FOR CARRYING-OUT PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES
    • B04B—CENTRIFUGES
    • B04B1/00—Centrifuges with rotary bowls provided with solid jackets for separating predominantly liquid mixtures with or without solid particles
    • B04B1/10—Centrifuges with rotary bowls provided with solid jackets for separating predominantly liquid mixtures with or without solid particles with discharging outlets in the plane of the maximum diameter of the bowl

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an apparatus and method for separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity, and in particular to an arrangement employing a rotating bowl having discharge ports in the bowl allowing heavier materials collecting in the bowl to discharge outwardly of the bowl under centrifugal action for collection.
  • U.S. Patent 5.338,284 of the present inventor discloses a centrifuge bowl having a peripheral wall, with the bowl being rotated about a longitudinal axis so that the peripheral wall rotates about the axis, and causes centrifugal force at the peripheral wall to effect separation of materials passing over the peripheral wall.
  • the arrangement provides a plurality of axially-arranged collection areas, each of which has a plurality of angularly-spaced discharge ports, so that the materials collecting in the collection areas are discharged outwardly from the bowl for collection. Pinch valves control the discharge.
  • the prior art therefore, provides a method of separating intermixed particulate materials of different specific gravity in a slurry, the method comprising:
  • the method is characterised in the steps of:
  • the invention also provides, as a second aspect, an apparatus characterised in that:
  • the apparatus comprises a centrifuge bowl generally indicated at 10 including an inner bowl wall 11 and an outer housing 12 defining therebetween a space 13 for fluidization water supplied through a hollow drive shaft 14 in a duct 15 within the shaft.
  • the drive shaft is connected to the bowl for co-rotation of the inner bowl and the outer housing with the shaft.
  • the shaft is mounted on bearings 16 and is driven by a drive system generally indicated at 17.
  • the inner bowl is shaped to define a frusto conical base portion 18, a first annular recess 19 and a second annular recess 20.
  • This shape is therefore modified relative to the previous arrangement in that there are only two recesses and the base portion includes the frusto-conical wall extending from a flat base 21 onto which the feed materials are discharged by a feed duct 22. The materials thus are spread outwardly by engagement with the flat base 21 and engage onto the frusto-conical wall 18 so as to turn and move up the wall of the bowl.
  • the base and frusto-conical wall are covered by a liner layer 23.
  • the liner layer 23 also engages into the recesses 19 and 20.
  • the recesses 19 and 20 are each of generally rectangular cross section as shown in Figure 1 but the liner material is shaped so that it becomes thicker toward a base of the recess thus shaping the recess into a generally V shape.
  • the liner layer can be omitted or of constant thickness so that the recesses are rectangular as shown in the left-hand side of figure 1.
  • the bowl in the area of the recesses is formed by two annular discs 24 and 25 connected by a cylindrical base wall 26.
  • the liner material 23 as shown in the right-hand side of figure 1 is of constant thickness so as to follow the side walls 25 and 24 part way through their depth and then increases in thickness to form the V shape.
  • the liner material is of increasing thickness through the whole of the recess so as to form constantly diverging walls.
  • the base walls 26 of the recesses are spaced from a cylindrical wall 28 of the outer housing so as to provide a space therebetween into which the fluidizing liquid or water can penetrate for injection through two or three rows of openings 30 in the base wall 26 into the interior of the recess.
  • each recess has a number of discharge ports 29 at angularly spaced positions around the recess as best shown in Figure 2.
  • These discharge ports are of the general shape shown in the above patent except that the ports do not include injection openings for injection of water into the recess.
  • the ports comprise simply discharge ports with a longitudinal duct which diverges in shape as previously described with a pinch valve at the outer end for controlling the amount of material discharged.
  • the injection openings 30 are arranged to be inclined relative to a radius of the bowl so as to tend to inject the liquid tangentially around the bowl to effect the fluidizing action on the materials in the recess.
  • the recesses are modified relative to the above prior patent in that the depth of the recess is significantly increased and in addition a flow guide body 32 is provided in association with each of the discharge ports 29.
  • Each flow guide body 32 is positioned radially inwardly of the respective discharge port so as to set the location spaced inwardly from the port but lying within the recess.
  • Various shapes of guide body can be used, but in the arrangement shown the guide body 32 is spherical.
  • Each guide body 32 supported by a pair of support arms 33 and 34 extending vertically upwardly from the guide body.
  • the support arms 33 and 34 are coupled to the liner 23 by engagement into a pair of slots 34A formed at the top and bottom side walls respectively of the recess so that the guide body 32 can be moved radially outwardly of the bowl into the slots and is held in position by the centrifugal forces on the guide body and by the frictional engagement of the arms in the slots.
  • the radial position of the guide body can be adjusted by bending the arms.
  • the separation of the materials therefore occurs generally at the mouth of the recesses and between the walls 24, 25.
  • the separation occurs at an inner surface of the material indicated at 35 in which the heavier materials collect into the recesses between the wall 24 and 25.
  • the lighter materials pass over the collection area defined by the recesses and over the open mouth of the bowl to a collection system schematically indicated at 36.
  • the heavier materials collect within each of the recesses for movement outwardly through the discharge ports 29 for collection of the heavier materials within a collection system schematically indicated at 37.
  • the position of the guide bodies immediately forward of the discharge ports acts to support the material radially inward of the guide body to prevent that material from pressing radially outwardly on the discharge port due to the high centrifugal force. It will be appreciated, in the absence of the guide bodies, all the centrifugal force on the material will press the material against the discharge port providing a very high force at that location.
  • the guide body takes away some of that force and transfers the force to the bowl wall while the material can slip around the guide body both at top and bottom as shown in figure 3 and on the sides as shown in figure 2.
  • each discharge port is therefore generally conical with an apex at the discharge port at an axis of the cone extending radially inwardly of the bowl.
  • the cone thus diverges outwardly around the guide body with the angle of the cone being dependent upon the slippage of the material which is related to its repose angle.
  • the material is fluidized by injection of the water through the openings 30 tending to prevent the high centrifugal force on the material from drying the material and thus forming an immovable wedge of material in front of the discharge port.
  • the depth of the recess is however modified relative to the previous arrangement in that as shown in Figure 2 the cone of the discharge zone in front of each discharge port diverges so that the bases 35A, 35B of the cones intersect at the inner surface 35 of the material.
  • the cone is arranged as shown in Figure 1 so that the sides 35C of the cone of the discharge zone extends to a position adjacent the walls 24 and 25.
  • the discharge zone therefore defines a pattern on the inner surface 35 which is substantially circular with those circular discharge patterns overlapping so as to draw material from substantially the whole of the inner surface at the recesses 19 and 20.
  • the separation of the material at the inner surface therefore provides a layer of the heavier material on the inner surface which is then collected and discharged gradually outwardly as the material is discharged from the discharge ports 29.
  • each recess is of the order of 6 inches and the radial depth of the recesses is of the order of 6 inches and these dimensions are arranged so that they provide approximately the arrangement of the discharge zone as shown.
  • the shaping of the liner to substantially follow the shape of the discharge cone as shown on the right hand side of Figure 1 assists in avoiding stationary material being located within the recesses.
  • the fluidization of the material in the recess by the injection openings 30 provides a gradual migration of the material around the recess to enter the discharge zone of each discharge port.
  • the main effect of the discharge ports is to collect the material from the inner surface 35 and to gradually move that material outwardly to the discharge port.
  • the guide body 32 assists in increasing the angle of the discharge cone so as to increase the dimension of the discharge pattern at the inner surface.
  • the inner surface 35 of the material within the recess is defined by inner edges 24A and 25A of the side walls 24 and 25 and that the inner surface at the recess 19 is thus frusto-conical with a cone angle following or substantially equal to that of the inside surface of the portion 18 of the bowl.
  • the length of the portion 18 is arranged so that it is sufficient that the layer of the materials from the feed tube 22 is smoothed by the centrifugal action to lie as a layer 22A which is of substantially constant thickness over the upper part of the wall portion 18 as the materials 22A approach the inner surface 35. At the position where the materials enter the area of the inner surface 35, the materials are thus moving directly parallel to the inner surface 35 to avoid gouging of the material within the recess.
  • the separation therefore occurs as the materials flow smoothly over the inner surface 35 with an exchange of heavier materials for lighter materials in the conventional manner of a centrifuge.
  • the heavier materials thus collect within the recess and the lighter pass in the layer 22A to the next recess for further separation and final discharge from the mouth.
  • the perforated material 35X can be formed from expanded metal or similar perforated rigid material forming a frusto-conical section which is attached to the inner edges 24A and 25A to hold the perforated section in place.
  • This perforated section therefore assists in guiding the material flow 22A over the inner surface 35 and to yet further avoid gouging, that is the penetration of the material flow into the recess. Such gouging, if it occurred, would cause extraction of the heavier materials from the recess and return of those heavier materials into the material flow 22A so that such heavier materials would be lost.
  • each row of pinch valves includes a supply duct 42A which communicates actuating air to the respective row of pinch valves and that duct 42A is supplied through the supply ducts 29A from a manifold arrangement 29B provided at the shaft 14.
  • the arrangement in Figure 4 is yet further modified by the addition of a third recess 50 downstream of the recesses 19 and 20.
  • the third recess 50 is substantially identical to the first two recesses and is of a slightly increased diameter matching the increase in diameter between the recesses 19 and 20 due to the conical shape of the bowl wall.
  • the material discharged from the recesses 19 and 20 is collected in a launder 37A and the tailings materials discharged over the mouth of the bowl is collected in the launder 36A.
  • an additional launder 51 is provided which collects the material solely from the recess 50 and supplies this material to a pump 52.
  • Downstream of the pump 52 is provided a manually operable valve 52A which can be operated to return the material to the feed 53 entering the feed duct 22 or to direct the material to the concentrate collection.
  • the bowl may have only two recesses with the concentrate from the second recess being collected separately from the first and passed to the pump for selected direction to the feed or to the concentrate depending upon the grade of material being processed.
  • the third (or second) concentrating ring or recess 50 is provided as a scavenger ring.
  • the content of this ring is continuously discharged through the pinch valves into the launder 51 and is from that launder pumped, on operation of the valve 52A back into the feed inlet of the machine.
  • the concentrate grade of the scavenger ring is not adequate to discharge into the concentrate stream from the launder 37A but contains some values worth recovering. Thus recirculating the discharge from the recess 50 into the in feed of the machine will move the values from the scavenger ring into one of the two lower rings for later discharge as concentrate.
  • a yet further modification shown in Figure 4 relates to the mounting of the support ring 34 which, instead of being mounted by axially extending support elements 38 is instead supported by radially extending support elements 38A which extend from the ring radially outwardly therefrom as shown at 38A in Figure 2 so as to hold the ring at the required position midway up the recess and centered around the central axis of the bowl.
  • the number of support arms 38A can be selected in accordance with structural requirements but in general there will be four such support arms positioned intermediate the discharge ports and therefore intermediate the guide body 32.
  • valves 42 of the channel 50 are controlled commonly by a fluid supply duct 60 which is separate from the fluid supply duct 61 of the channels 19 and 20.
  • a fluid supply duct 60 which is separate from the fluid supply duct 61 of the channels 19 and 20.
  • This allows the valves 42 of the channel 50 to be operated in a pulsed manner with a rate of the pulses greater than that of the valves of the channels 19 and 20 so as to pull off an increased amount of material.
  • the total period that the valves are open for the channel 50 is greater than the total period that the valves open for the channels 19 and 20 to provide an increase in the amount of material discharged. In some circumstances this can be obtained not by increasing the rate of the pulses but by increasing the period of the pulses.
  • the pulsing of the valves acts to discharge the material in sequential portions. All of the valves of a respective one of the channels are open simultaneously by the provision of fluid pulses in the respective supply duct 60, 61.
  • FIG. 5 the connection of the supply ducts 60 and 61 to a hub 62 of the shaft is shown.
  • the shaft is thus formed by three concentric tubes 63, 64 and 65. Between the tubes 63 and 64 is provided a first annular duct 66. Between the tubes 65 and 64 is provided a second annular duct 67 and inside the innermost tube 65 is provided a third duct 68.
  • the duct 61 is connected to the duct 68 by one or more radially extending pipes 69 which extend radially through the hub 62.
  • the duct 67 is connected to the duct 60 by a plurality of radially extending pipes 70 which are axially offset from the pipes 69.
  • the pipes 69 connect with the duct 68 at the very end of the duct.
  • the duct 68 terminates at a position spaced axially from the end of the tube 65 since the tube 64 ends at a position spaced axially from the end of the tube 65.
  • the hub 62 includes a block 71 which has a threaded bore 72 receiving an end of the tube 64.
  • the block 71 further includes a counter bore 73 into which the tube 65 extends with the counterbore providing an end part of the duct 68 which connects with the ducts 69.
  • the block 71 is received in an end of the tube 63 and acts to close the end of the tube 63.
  • At the lower end of the block 71 is provided a plurality of ducts 74 which extend radially outwardly from connection with the annular duct 66 within the tube 63.
  • the hub 62 further includes a sleeve 75 and an outer sleeve 76.
  • the sleeve 75 is directly connected around the outside of the tube 63.
  • the sleeve 76 is spaced outwardly and defines an annular channel connected with the ducts 74 and extending therefrom to an opening in a base wall 77 of the outer bowl or jacket. Water supplied through the duct 66 of the shaft thus passes outwardly through the radial duct 74 and through the annular channel between the sleeve 75 and 76 to and through the base 77 for fluidizing the bowl as previously described.
  • the tube 63 defines the outer most surface of the shaft which is carried in the bearings 16 as previously described.
  • the tube 63 projects through the lowermost bearing 16 and into engagement with the pulley 17 and terminates at the pulley 17.
  • the tube 63 has threaded into it at its lower end a rotary union 79 for injecting water through the rotary union into the rotating shaft defined by the tube 63.
  • the rotary union is a commercially available item conventionally used on rotary elements of this type for injecting a fluid into the rotating shaft.
  • the tubes 64 and 65 extend through the rotary union 79 for connection to a second rotary union 80 for supply of fluid to the ducts 67 and 68.
  • the rotary union 79 includes a male thread 82 at its lower end onto which is attached a cap 83 which closes the lower end of the rotary union for sealing the lower end and preventing the escape of water from the lower end of the rotary union.
  • the cap 83 includes a spring biased seal 84 biased downwardly by the spring 85 to provide engagement of sealing member 86 against a sealing washer 87 at a lower end of the cap 83.
  • the washer 87 is held in place by a bolted end plate 88 screw fastened to the body of the cap 83.
  • the tubes 63, 64 and 65 forming the shaft all rotate commonly with the hub 62 in driving rotation of the bowl.
  • the rotary union 79 is stationary so that the tube 63 rotates within the stationary rotary union.
  • the second rotary union 80 includes a cap portion 89 which is attached to the lower ends of the tubes 64 and 65 for rotation therewith.
  • the cap portion 89 includes a female screw thread 90 receiving a male thread of the tube 64 therein. Seals 91 and 92 prevent the escape of fluid to the outside of the tubes 64 and 65 respectively.
  • the cap 89 includes a central duct 93 communicating with the duct 68.
  • the cap further includes a plurality of ducts 94 arranged at radially spaced positions around the central duct 93 and communicating with a counter bore section 95 within the end cap 89 communicating with the duct 67.
  • the end cap 89 is bolted by bolts 96 to the lower part of the rotary union indicated at 97.
  • the lower part of the rotary union 80 is a commercially available item having an upper cap portion 98 which rotates with the cap 89 and a lower portion which remains stationary and is connected to suitable supply ducts (not shown) for communicating the fluid into the ducts 93 and 94.
  • the single shaft as shown therefore, provides the communication of the fluidizing water around the outer most one of the annular channels together with communication of control fluid through the central circular channel and through the inner annular channel.
  • a yet further tube can be provided in the construction of the shaft so as to provide four ducts coaxially arranged each inside the next. Such four ducts are then used to provide the fluidizing liquid and to provide three sets of control fluid each for controlling a respective one of the valves sets of the channels 19, 20 and 50. This arrangement allows each of the channels to be individually tailored in regard to its discharge characteristics to the amount of concentrate collecting in that particular channel.

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  • Centrifugal Separators (AREA)
EP96922716A 1995-07-13 1996-07-11 Separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity Expired - Lifetime EP0837732B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/502,019 US5601523A (en) 1995-07-13 1995-07-13 Method of separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity with substantially intermixed discharge of fines
US502019 1995-07-13
US08/511,478 US5601524A (en) 1995-08-04 1995-08-04 Method of separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity with substantially intermixed discharge of fines
US511478 1995-08-04
PCT/CA1996/000482 WO1997002894A1 (en) 1995-07-13 1996-07-11 Separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0837732A1 EP0837732A1 (en) 1998-04-29
EP0837732B1 true EP0837732B1 (en) 2000-12-06

Family

ID=27053985

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP96922716A Expired - Lifetime EP0837732B1 (en) 1995-07-13 1996-07-11 Separating intermixed materials of different specific gravity

Country Status (11)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0837732B1 (ru)
AR (1) AR002839A1 (ru)
AT (1) ATE197915T1 (ru)
AU (1) AU700809B2 (ru)
BR (1) BR9609442A (ru)
CA (1) CA2226514A1 (ru)
DE (1) DE69611170D1 (ru)
EA (1) EA000326B1 (ru)
MX (1) MXPA98001208A (ru)
PE (1) PE5498A1 (ru)
WO (1) WO1997002894A1 (ru)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005011872A1 (en) * 2003-07-30 2005-02-10 Knelson Patents Inc. Continuous centrifugal separator of heavier particulate materials from light particulate materials in a slurry

Family Cites Families (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE572882A (ru) *
GB164418A (en) * 1920-02-04 1921-06-06 Wilhelm Mauss Improvements in and relating to centrifugal separators and the like
DE1632324A1 (de) * 1967-04-03 1970-10-29 Telle Gerhard Trichterzentrifuge
ZA731965B (en) * 1973-03-20 1974-11-27 Clasicon Ltd Classifying means
GB2133722B (en) * 1982-12-03 1986-03-26 Clasicon Pty Ltd A classifying means
CA2059208C (en) 1992-01-13 1998-08-04 Steven A. Mcalister Continuous discharge centrifuge
US5338284A (en) 1992-07-30 1994-08-16 Benjamin Knelson Centrifugal separator with substantially continuous discharge of fines

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2005011872A1 (en) * 2003-07-30 2005-02-10 Knelson Patents Inc. Continuous centrifugal separator of heavier particulate materials from light particulate materials in a slurry

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BR9609442A (pt) 1999-12-14
EP0837732A1 (en) 1998-04-29
ATE197915T1 (de) 2000-12-15
AR002839A1 (es) 1998-04-29
EA199800122A1 (ru) 1998-08-27
DE69611170D1 (de) 2001-01-11
PE5498A1 (es) 1998-02-27
WO1997002894A1 (en) 1997-01-30
AU700809B2 (en) 1999-01-14
AU6351596A (en) 1997-02-10
EA000326B1 (ru) 1999-04-29
MXPA98001208A (es) 2005-07-25
CA2226514A1 (en) 1997-01-30

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