GB2029730A - Device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in fluid flow - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises a trough- like casing 1 accommodating a horizontal rotatable cylindrical screen drum 8 provided with elements 13 for moving the impurities towards a separating appliance 12 which is secured to the drum 8 at its end adjacent an inlet to the casing for fluid carrying solid bodies and impurities. The elements 13 consist of spiral grooves 13 in the side wall of the drum 8. Each groove 13 has a cylindrical side wall 14 whose external surface protrudes beyond the cylindrical external surface of the drum 8, and two perpendicular face walls 15, 16. The external surface of the face wall 15 directed towards the appliance 12 serves for moving smaller impurities passing through the screen side wall of the drum 8 to the appliance 12 while the internal surface of the grooves 13 serve for moving larger impurities towards the appliance 12. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in fluid flow The present invention relates to cleaning devices and, more particularly, to devices for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow.

The device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow realized according to the present invention will render most efficient service for separating heavier impurities from roots and tubers such as beets and potatoes in beet-sugar potato-starch making industries, beet and potato alcohol production.

The present invention can be utilized in agriculture for cleaning roots and tubers in forage making, in canning industry, in public catering with centralized cleaning of roots and tubers and in other branches of industry where there is a need for separating impurities which are heavier than the main lump materiai conveyed by a fluid flow.

The substance of the invention resides in providing a device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow whose trough-like casing accommodates a horizontal rotatable drum with a screen side wall and with elements for moving the impurities in the rotating drum towards an appliance designed to separate, receive and unload impurities and fastened to the drum at the inlet of the fluid flow which carries solid bodies and foreign matter wherein, according to the invention, the elements for moving the impurities are made in the form of grooves arranged spirally throughout the length of the side wall of the drum, each element having a cylindrical side wall whose external surface protrudes from the external surface of the screened side wall of the drum, and two face walls arranged essentially perpendicularly to its cylindrical side wall, the esternal surface of one of said face walls, the one facing the appliance, moving the small impurities falling out of the screened side wall of the drum towards the appliance while the inner surfaces of the grooves serve for displacing large impurities towards the appliance.

This design of the elements which force the impurities towards the appliance for separating, receiving and unloading impurities reduces the resistance to the flow of fluid carrying solid bodies.

This raises the efficiency of separation of impurities by the device which becomes particularly conspicuous in case of a larger quantity of solid bodies entering the device with the fluid flow.

it is practicable that the face wall of each groove facing the appliance should protrude beyond the external surface of its cylindrical side wall.

This embodiment of the face walls of the grooves makes for reliable and unrestricted movement of the impurities falling out through the holes in the screened side wall of the drum and moving further over the internal wall of the casing towards the appliance for separating, receiving and unloading the impurities.

The impurities remaining on the inside wall of the casing after passing the face wall do not reach the cylindrical side wall which rules out jamming of the drum.

It is practicable that the longitudinal axis of the grooves should be eccentric relative to the longitudinal axis of the casing so that the gaps between the groove walls and the casing would grow in the direction of drum rotation.

This prevents jamming of the drum in the casing of the device, and, as a consequence, reduces the dynamic loads on the drive and raises the operational reliability of the device.

It is practicable that the width of the cylindrical side wall of each groove should increase gradually lengthwise towards the appliance.

The variable width of the cylindrical side walls of the grooves accounts for the variable cross section of the grooves in width which rules out jamming of the foreign matter and solid bodies in the grooves.

Owing to this fact the foreign matter and the solid bodies in the grooves move freely during rotation of the drum towards the appliance for separating, receiving and unloading the foreign matter.

It is also advantageous that the cylindrical side walls of the grooves should be provided with holes.

These holes improve circulation of liquid and are conducive to better separation of small impurities from solid bodies.

The device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow according to the present invention offers a considerably lower resistance to the flow of fluid carrying solid bodies which steps up the efficiency of of separation even in case of a relatively large quantity of solid bodies entering the device with the fluid flow.

The claimed device is sufficiently reliable in operation, comparatively simple in manufacture and does not call for skillful operators, it can be installed on the above-ground and underground sections of the hydraulic conveyor without occupying production floor areas.

Now the invention will be described in detail by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a partial longitudinal schematic section of the device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow according to the invention; Fig. 2-same, a section taken along line Il-Il in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows point A in Fig. 1, enlarged.

The device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow realized according to the present invention comprises a casing 1 (Fig.

1) of a trough-like shape which changes along the length of the casing from a large-diameter halfcylinder 2 to a small-diameter half-cylinder 3, both being interconnected by a semicircular wall 4.

At the entrance of the flow the casing 1 is limited by a flat circular wall 5 and joins directly the hydraulic conveyor 6.

At the exit side of the flow the casing 1 has a narrowing portion 7 adjoining the hydraulic conveyor 6.

Installed horizontally in the casing lisa drum 8 with a cylindrical screen side wall, designated by the same figure 8 and rotated by a drive 9 of any conventional design suitable for the purpose.

The drum 8 is mounted on a shaft 10 with the aid of struts 11.

Secured to the drum 8 is an appliance 12 intended for separating, receiving and unloading impurities. This appliance is also accommodated in the casing 1 and arranged coaxiaily with the drum 8 at the point where it receives the flow of fluid carrying dirty solid bodies (in this case muddy roots and tubers) and delivered by the hydraulic conveyor 6. The appliance 12 may be of any design suitable for the purpose and is not dealt with here in order to obscure the substance of the invention.

The screen wall of the drum 8 has elements 13 intended to move the impurities from the drum 8 to the appliance 12; said elements have the form of grooves and are designated by the same number 1 3.

The grooves 13 run spically throughout the length of the cylindrical screen side wall of the drum 8.

The external side wall 1 4 (Figs. 1, 2) of each groove 13 protrudes beyond the external surface of the side wall of the drum 8.

Each groove 13 has two face walls 15 and 16 arranged nearly perpendicular to its cylindrical side wall 14. Therefore, the section of each groove 13 taken across the longitudinal axis of the drum 8 is rectangular, open at the inner side of the drum 8.

The external surface of the face wall 15 directed towards the appliance 12 serves for moving small impurities falling out of the screen side wail of the drum 8 over the internal surface of the casing 1 towards the appliance 12.

The internal surfaces of the grooves 1 3 convey the heavier impurities settled in the drum 8 towards the appliance 12.

In each groove 1 3 the face wall 15 directed towards the appliance 12 protrudes somewhat beyond the external surface of the side wall 1 4 of said groove.

This ensures reliable and unrestricted movement of the impurities out through the screen side wall of the drum 8 over the internal wall of the casing 1 towards the appliance 12 for separating, receiving and unloading the impurities.

The longitudinal axis of the grooves 13 is arranged with an eccentricity "e" (Fig. 2) relative to the longitudinal axis of the casing 1.

As a result, the gaps between the walls 1 5 and 14 and the casing 1 of the device grow in the direction of rotation of the drum 8 which rules out its jamming when small impurities move over the internal surface of the casing. The drum 8 is rotated by the drive 9 clockwise, viewing the drum 8 from the side of the appliance 12.

The width of the cylindrical side wail 14 of each groove 1 4 grows gradually lengthwise towards the appliance 12 as shown in Fig. 1.

Owing to such an arrangement neither impurities nor roots and tubers get jammed in the grooves 13 and during rotation of the drum 8 they move freely towards the appliance 12.

Installed in the upper part of the appliance 12 is a chute 17 fastened to the casing 1 and intended to receive the impurities unloaded from the appliance 1 2.

The cylindrical side walls 14 of the grooves 1 3 have holes 18 (Fig. 3) to improve circulation of liquid and separation of smaller impurities such as, say, sand. In other cases such holes may be provided in the face wall 1 5 too.

The device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow functions as follows.

The flow of fluid carrying solid bodies (in this case roots and tubers) and impurities is moved by the hydraulic conveyor 6 into the device. Larger impurities move over the bottom of the hydraulic conveyor 6 and enter the appliance 1 2 where they are separated from the roots and tubers in the rotating drum with the aid of a rising fluid flow created in said appliance 12 and are then discharged into the chute 17.

The rising flow of fluid is part of the fluid directed from underneath upward at a velocity which prevents the roots and tubers from settling together with the impurities.

A certain proportion of impurities does not settle in the appliance 12 or is thrown out of it by the rising flow of fluid together with the roots and tubers and settles in the screen drum 8 where the cross sectional area of the flow sharply increases as compared with the cross section of the hydraulic conveyor 6 whereby the velocity of the flow is reduced.

The larger impurities go down inside the drum 8 into the grooves 13 while the smaller impurities pass through the holes in the screen side wall of the drum 8 and through the holes 18 in the cylindrical side walls 14 of the grooves 13 and descend into the casing 1.

Due to the spiral arrangement of the grooves 13, the larger impurities are moved in the rotating drum 8 inside the grooves 13 with the aid of the face walls 1 6 towards the appliance 12 where they are entrained by the rising fluid flow for separation from the roots and tubers.

The smaller impurities that fall into the casing 1 over the inside surface of the smaller-diameter half-cylinder 3 are moved by the face walls 1 5 of the grooves 13 towards the flaring-out part of the casing 1 formed by the half-cylinder 2. Then the smaller impurities are taken from this part of the casing 1 by the appliance 12 together with a certain amountoffluid and, moving past the rising flow, are unloaded onto the chute 1 7 together with the larger impurities.

The roots and tubers continue their movement in the fluid flow through the drum 8 and further, through the narrowing part 7 of the casing 1, to the hydraulic conveyor 6.

The experimental specimens of the device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow realized according to the present invention have passed comprehensive tests. The results of these tests have proved a comparatively high efficiency of the device, particularly at a considerably large proportion of solid bodies in the fluid flow.

The claimed device is reliable and simple to manufacture.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in the description, it will be understood that various modifications and changes within the spirit and the scope of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.

These changes and modifications can be resorted to without departing from the function or the scope of the device which has been disclosed exclusively as a non-confining example.

Claims (6)

1. A device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow comprising a source of fluid communicating with a trough-like casing which accommodates an essentially horizontal rotatable drum with a screen cylindrical side wall; said drum comprises elements for moving the impurities in the rotating drum towards an appliance intended to separate, receive and unload the impurities and secured to the drum at the inlet of the fluid carrying dirty solid bodies; said elements have the form of grooves made spirally in the side wall of the drum throughout its length and having, each, a cylindrical side wall whose external surface protrudes beyond the external surface of the side wall of the drum and two face walls arranged essentially perpendicularly to its cylindrical side wall, the external surface of one of said face walls, directed to the appliance, serving for moving relatively small impurities falling out of the screen side wall of the drum towards the appliance while the internal surfaces of the grooves serve for moving relatively larger impurities towards the same appliance.

2. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the face wall of each groove directed towards the appliance protrudes beyond the external surface of its cylindrical side wall.

3. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis 3 of the grooves is arranged eccentrically relative to the longitudinal axis of the casing so that the gas between the groove walls and the casing grow in the direction of rotation of the drum.

4. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the width of the cylindrical side wall of each groove grows gradually lengthwise towards the appliance.

5. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the cylindrical side walls of the grooves are provided with holes.

6. A device for separating heavier impurities from solid bodies in a fluid flow realized substantially as disclosed in the description with reference to the accompan'ying drawings.