GB1465311A - Separating and classifying means - Google Patents

Abstract

1465311 Centrifugal separator CLASICON (PTY) Ltd 1 March 1974 [20 March 1973] 9421/74 Heading B2P An apparatus for separating the constituents of a fluid mixture comprises a rotatable tubular container 12 having an inlet opening at one axial end 14 and an outlet opening at the other axial end 40; a radially outwardly extending settling compartment 18 fast with the tubular side wall 16 of the container about an entrance aperture 48 provided in the wall, the compartment converging from its radially inner entrance end to a closable discharge orifice 31 at its radially outer end, and the radial depth of the compartment being greater than the axial width of its entrance aperture; a valve 32 for closing the orifice; feed means 15 for feeding the mixture into the container through its inlet opening; and flow means for causing the mixture to flow along the tubular side wall of the container towards its outlet end and towards and past the entrance to the compartment. The constituents of the fluid mixture may be solid, liquid or gaseous so that the mixture may for example, be a gas-liquid, liquid-solid, gas-solid or liquid-liquid mixture. The container 12 is frusto-conical and is connected by means of radial arms 28 to a shaft 20 which is belt-driven by a motor 26. A plurality of compartments 18 are provided at different elevations in axially spaced banks 30. In use a mixture e.g. of sand and water, is provided in a reservoir 15 and fed to the inlet of the container. Due to the frusto-conical shape of the container and to the presence of radially extending fins 29 fast with the shaft 20 and the container wall 16, upon rotation of the container centrifugal force is imparted to the feed mixture and it is displaced upwardly past the entrances of the compartments 18 in the direction of arrows 38. Heavier or larger sized fractions of the sand settle into the lower compartments and lighter or smaller fractions in the upper compartments, while substantially sand-free water overflows at 40. When a compartment is full a sensor 33 opens its respective valve 32 and sand is discharged into a stationary outer casing 34 and directed by baffle plates 36 to collecting means (not shown). Alternatively the valves may be opened by a timer. An internal wall 50 may be provided, as shown in dotted lines, to restrict the radial thickness of mixture flowing along the wall 16 of the container.