US1119175A - Centrifugal separator. - Google Patents

Description

B. W. KOPKE. CENTRI-FUGAL SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1911.

1,1 19,175, Patented Dec.1,1914.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST WILHELM KOPKE, OI HONOLULU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII, ASSIGNOR TO KOPKE CLARIFIER COMPANY, LIMITED,

A CORPORATION OF THE TERRITORY OF HAWAII.

CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.,1, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNST W. KOPKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at 1535. Ke'walo street, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, have invented certai new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal Separators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to centrifugal machines for clarifyingsugar solutions and may be employed for separating aggregate liquids or liquids and suspended solids in many branches of industry.

The invention is applicable to a centrifugal separator through which the solution to be separated is uninterruptedly passed until muds removed from the solution by stratification during its passage through the machine collect in the rotating imperforate container in suflicient quantity to render their discharge desirable.

Among other objects the invention is intended to provide a construction in which the fluid to be Stratified and separated may flow quietly without currents, eddies or other disturbances through .the rotating stratifying chamber, to provide a structure which will admit of the continual introduction and discharge of the fluid to andfrom the rotating machine and to and from the stratifying chamber, during the period in which the mud stratum is formed without permitting the agitation of the fluid which is incident to its introduction, dischar e and angular acceleration to effect distur ances of the fluid in the stratifying chamber.

important when the specific gravities' of the substances to be separated are but slightly different as in the case of sugar-containing juices and solutions.

tion of parts hereinafter described and particularlypointed out the appended claims. I have illustrated a centrifugal separator embodying the several features of this invention in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation,

(partly in section; and is a detaile section of a The attainment of these objects is the more The invention onsistsin the peculiarly advantageous arrangement and organlzamachine, thus laying rods a depend from a supporting head A which is designed to admit of a certain amount of oscillation as is usual in suspended centrifugal machines, and these rods a support a non-rotatlng casing B. The lower part of the casing B consists of a casting in the outer edge of which an annular gutter C is formed. Arms D project inwardly from the gutter C and support a ball step bearing 0 in which the lower end of a rotating shaft E is journaled. The upper end of the shaft E is journaled in a suitable bearing in the head A, and the usual pulley is mounted fast on the shaft E near this bearing. A spider F has along hub f which is rigidly secured to the shaft E, the arms of which spider carry a rotatable imperforate drum or annular chamber G. The drum G is cylindrical, its interior being smooth and unobstructed, and is provided with an inturned flange g at its upper edge while a peripheral annular rin H upon the spider F provides an inturned fiangeupon its lower edge. These inturned flanges g and H form the end walls of an annular stratifying chamber I which is adapted to contain a cylindrical body of liquid when the drum G is'revolving. A flange j, substantially L-shaped in cross-section, is secured to the bottom of the drum G and forms an annular ante-chamber J opposite .to the outermost part of which a circular series of apertures 72. are provided in the bottom Wall of the drum G, affording communication between the ante-chamber J- and the stratifying chamber I. The sup ply pipe is supported on the casing B passes upwardlybetween the arms D and termimates in a flat nozzle K which lies with its mouth parallel with and at an acute angle to the normal liquid level (indicated by dotted line; a?) in ante-chamber J while the mar hine is in operation, and this nozzle K dish'arges in the direction of rotation of the a flat ribbon of fluid upon the surface ofthe liquid in ante-chamber J. The juice flows with all its content of the heavier solid impurities from the ante-chamber J through the apertures it into the stratifying chamber I, as an inclination given the outer wall of the flange j deflects any mud which tends to collect thereon toward the apertures h liquid A baflle ring L is mounted a short distance above the apertures h and causes the streams of liquid flowing into the chamber I through the apertures h to impinge upon its underside and spread and flow outwardly over its outer edge, and there join to form a thin cylindrical sheet of liquid flowing u 'wardly through the stratifying chamber The bafile ring L extends within the liquid level and the countersunk bolts which support it are placed at points without the liquid in order that they will not cause any disturbance within the body of liquid. The outer edgeof the baffle ring L should be accurately concentric with the axis of rotation and should be so spaced from the wall of the drum that the rising cylindrical film of liquid enters the main body of the liquid in the stratifying chamber I and in passing therethrough undergoes a separation of its constituents of different densities, the heavier moving outwardly"'and the lighter inwardly, without interference.

At the upper edge of the rotating drum G the inturned flange g is preferably provided with a channel M the lower wall m of which projects inwardly farther than the flange g and holds back any lighter impurities which may find their way into the stratifying chamber I, The outer wall of the channel M is proi ided with a circular series of apertures into which are slipped tubules N through which the clarified juice rises into the channel M from that depth in the body of liquid in chamber I from which it is desired to be drawn, and those tubules used of various lengths and quickly interchangeable serve as convenient means for altering the depth from which the clarified juice is to be drawn. It will thus be seen. that the flange g and channel M with the lower wall m constitute a dam at the discharge end of the stratifying chamber through or over which the clarified liquid is discharged from all parts of that cylindrical'region determined by the selected tubules N. The channel M offers a convenient place from which the juice may be scooped in the well known manner if desired but usually it is allowed to overflow the edge of the flange g to be caught by the casing B and drained from the gutter C through outlet pipe 0. A modification of the construction of the upper edge of the rotating drum -is shown in Fig. 2, wherein a dam P similar to ring L is used, and the clarified is allowed to overflow through apertures p in the flange g. The discharge of the clarified juice at the upper edge of the rotating drum must be so controlled however, that no disturbances are created within the stratifying chamber I A plow Q is mounted upon the lower end of a racked rod g which is mounted in a bracket R on the casing B and this plow Q is adapted to be moved downwardly into I and throughout the length of the drum G by the engagement of a pinion with the rack upon rod 9, the pinion being actuated by a hand wheel 1' on the end of a lever S. The lever S is splined to the rod q and by its angular movement the rod 'g may be turned to bring the plow into engagement with the inner surface of the drum G in which position it operates to ,remove the layer of mud and may be moved throughout the length of the drum by hand wheel r.

This machine is designed to carry into I practice the method of clarification or separation which forms the subject matter of a separate application for United States Letters Patent, filed by me of even date herewith, and identified as Serial No. 651,692.

The operation of the machine is as follows: A fter the machine has been brought to speed, the juice is, in ordinary cases, admitted through the nozzle K and in passing through the ante-chamber attains the angular velocity ofthe machine. The juice gradually accumulates in the separating chamber until it reaches the normal liquid level indicated by' the dotted line a; and theoverflow of the clarified juice begins. In certain exceptional cases it has been found that the first outflow of juice from the machine is slightly turbid and in that event,

it is well to interrupt the inflow through the nozzle K for a few minutes and then reestablish it, when the turbidity will disappear and the separation may continue. The fluid flowing in through the nozzle K is laid upon the surface of the liquid already con tained in the ante-chamber J, and does not immediately come into contact with any part of the rotating machine but, as it is moved outwardly by the succeeding layers of in troduced juice, its angular velocity is gradually increased by friction with the preceding, faster-moving layer, until it comes opposite the apertures h when it will come in contact with the outer wall of the flange j, and will have attained an angular ve locity substantially equal to that of the portion of the stratifying chamber into which it is about to be introduced. The liquid is then traveling at substantially the same speed as the apertures h and can flow through these apertures quietly into the stratifying chamber I. If the .liquid -has not quite attained the angular velocity of the stratum into which 'it is about to be introduced, the walls of the apertures h will give it the necessary additional speed and it will enter the stratifying chamber I without causing any of the currents or disturbances which would be present if it were not stratifying chamber I in a. number of separate streams from the apertures I; would Ill cause striations in the body within the chamber I which would be evidenced by channels appearing in the layer of mud which collects in the chamber I about the wall of the drum, and an uneven flow. of the juice through the chamber I would result. The bafiie ring L however, spreads and joins the streams of liquid flowing into the chamber I and forms them into a single cylindrical sheet of the entering fluid, and this sheet as it travels upwardly in the stratifying chamber I, is acted upon by centrifugal force and its constituents separate, the heavier moving outwardly from the outer side of the sheet and the li hter (is of moving inwardly from the inner si the sheet, thus avoiding interference between the oppositely moving constituents as far as possible.

By the time that the upwardly moving fluid has reached the upper end of the stratifying chamber I, the impurities have collected about the outer wall of the chamber and the clarified fluid flows through the tubules N into the channel M from that depth in the body of liquid in chamber I from which it is desired that itbe drawn. The clarified fluid overflows the edge of the flange g, is thrown tangentially into the casing B, flows down the wall of the casing B and into the gutter C, and is drained out through the outlet pipe 0. When such a quantity of heavy impurities has collected in the chamber I as a mud that the removal of this mud is deemed advisable, the supply of the fluid is discontinued, and water is introduced through the nozzle K until it has displaced the balance of fluid which has been clarified and which remains in the chamber I, thus effecting a saving of all of the clarified fluid. The water is then discontinued and the machine is slowed down, reducing the pressure upon the collected muds. In the case of sugar-containing juices and solutions, when the pressure is removed by slowing down the machine and will absorb the water remaining in the chamber I after the displacement of the balance of the clarified fluid, and will receive therefrom an increased fluidity which is of advantage when these muds are to be removed by a plow. When the machine is at speed it would be impracticable to plowout the mud, but as the speed has been reduced and as the fluidity of the muds has been increased by their absorption of the water remaining in the chamber 1, the conditions are right for removing the mud by moving the plow Q downwardly into the upper end of the chamber I by means of the hand wheel 7' and the rack and pinion connection, bringing the plow into engagement with the mud and against the inner wall of the drum, and then operating the hand-wheel r to slowly move of the liquid the muds will expand 4 the plow throughout the length of the chamber I The plow merely guides the mud under its own impetus off of the outer wall of the chamber I and downwardly through the openings at the bottom of the machine, where it is directed by a hopper or other device to a discharge opening.

It will be observed that the fluid substance to be clarified is introduced into the stratifying chamber through subsurface apertures, and this has an important advantage in the clarification of substances, such as sugar juices, which contain lighter impurities consisting of fibrous matter, because the eflect of the subsurface introduction is to subject these light fibrous particles, while in suspension in the centrifugal, to a considerable pressure which ruptures the air cells within their structure, releasing the air and destroying their buoyancy. They then become heavier than the solution in which they are suspended and collect with the muds, whereas heretofore they have ordinarily appeared in'a floating scum on top of the clear liquid, where the separation was brought about in settling tanks, and the like. I have found in practice that when such subsurface apertures are used there is practically no scum on the inner surface of the liquid in the stratifying chamber, all of the separated impurities depositing themselves in layers upon the wall of the chamber, and I experience no difiiculty with the introduction of the juice, although the layer of solid matter on the wall is soon of such depth as to project beyond the sub-surface apertures. In such case the inflow is not hindered, a passage for the incoming fluid remaining beneath the overhanging layer of muds, so that throughout the greater portion of the operation the liquid is actually introduced at a depth greater than the inner surface of the mud layer, and consequently the heavier particles are laid directly upon the layer of mud, the'lighter particles moving freely toward the center of the machine without sub- .stantial obstruction from the positively moving heavier particles.

What I claim is:

1. A centrifugal separator having an inflow-pipe, an ante-chamber into which the inflow-pipe discharges at an acute angle to the surface of the liquid therein contained and in which the substance to be separated is brought to the angular velocity of the machine, and a stratifying chamber into which the said substance flows from the ante-chamber; substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A centrifugal separator having a rotor providing an unobstructed cylindrical stratifying chamber of comparatlvely shallow radial depth, an annular ante-chamber of substantially the same diameter as said has previously attained substantially the angular velocity of the centrifugal apparatus, and beneath the surface of the substance undergoing stratification therein; substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. In a centrifugal'separator, a rotatable I member constructed to provide an unobstructed stratifying chamber and an antechamber axially adjacent to said stratifying chamber and communicating therewith through axially directed apertures in a (lividing partition, said ante-chamber having its outer wall inclined outwardly to said apertures, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a centrifugal separator, a rotatable member constructed to provide a cylindrical stratifying chamber and an ante-chamber axially adjacent tosaid stratifying chamber, and communicating therewith through a circular series of apertures in a dividing partition, said apertures being located below the normal liquid level of said chambers, and a baflie ring mounted in said stratifying chamber opposite said apertures, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a centrifugal separator, a rotatable member constructed to provide a cylindrical stratifying chamber free from interior projections and an ante-chamber axially adjacent to said stratifying chamber and communicating therewith through a circular series of apertures in a dividing partition said apertures being located below the normal liquid level in said chambers, said ante-chamber being open upon that side which faces the axis of rotation, and a nonfluid to be separated onto the surface of stantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A centrifugal separator having a stratifying chamber with an annular peripheral flange at its discharge end extending inwardly beyond the normal liquid level of the substance undergoing stratification and having an axially extending perforated ring portion, and removable tubules in the perforations of the ring, whereby the depth from which the separated liquid is taken off may be changed by substituting-tubules of different length of projection into the stratified substance in the chamber; substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. A centrifugal separator having a rotor providing a cylindrical stratifying chamber, an annular ante-chamber in which the liquid is brought to the velocity of the stratum into which it is to be introduced, and means for introducing the liquid from the ante-chamber into the stratifying chamber as an axially moving cylinder, said stratifying chamber having at its discharge end an inwardly extending dam establishing a single cylindrical discharge of the clarified liquid.

9. A centrifugal separator having a rotor providing a cylindrical stratifying chamher, an annular ante-chamber in which the liquid is brought to the velocity of the stratum into which it is to be introduced,

' and means for introducing the liquid from the ante-chamber into the stratifying chamber as an axially moving cylinder, said stratifying chamber having at its discharge and an inwardly extending dam establishing a single cylindrical discharge of the clarified liquid from a region of less diameter than thediameter of introduction.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ERNST WILHELM KOPKE.

Witnesses:

Tnos. P. W. GRAY, ALBERT WATERHOUSE.

liquid contained in said ante-chamber; sub-

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