US2412099A - Centrifugal separating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Patented Dec, 3. i946 Leopold Sender, Baltimore, Md., assignor to The Sharples Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa a cornotation of Delaware Application June 24,1943, Serial No. 492,153

The present invention pertains to a centrifuge designed to effect centrifugation and discharge of a viscous material, so as to effect-satisfactory discharge of the viscous material after ejection thereof from surfaces surrounding the centrifugal 2 Claims. (01. 233-14) rotor. It was conceived in'connection with research involving separation of soap from an aqueous phase in practice of the process of the patents to Scott, 2,300,749 and 2,300,750, and will be described specifically with respect to problems involved in practice of such a process. The 'specific nature of the invention and the advantages attained by practice thereof will be ,evident from consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the attached-drawing, -'in which, I

The single figure is a view partly in cross section and partly in side elevation of the centrifugal separator of the invention. 7

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the centrifuge of the invention includes a rotor ill of which only the upper portion is illustrated. This rotor is designed for securement to a drive spindle (not shown) through a drive connection II at the upper end of the neck I! of the rotor. This neck is provided with a dis-' charge passage l3 through which the heavier effluent flows from the rotor and is discharged through outlet I4, and with a discharge passage l5 through which the lighter eflluent flows from the rotor and is discharged at It. The heavier efliuent flows from discharge outlet I4 into a receiving cover I1 and the lighter efliuent flows from discharge outlet it into receiving cover [8.

The features of the centrifuge described above by that arrow. Soap which may fall from this upper surface .on to the lower surface 20 also has a tendency to stick to that lower surface, and the present invention is concerned with an arrangement preventing stickage to either of these surfaces.

In connection with many types of soap eflluents' obtained in continuous soap manufacture by the process of Scott patents, 2,300,749 and2,300,750, the problem of stickage may be solved by injection of water or saponifying reagent into the covers as taught in those patents, by the use of devices of the prior art for injection of a spray of washing liquid into the soap-receiving cover.

'Thus, for example, a spray of liquid may be injected into the covers as illustrated and described in the prior patent to Jones 1,634,243, and such injection is often adequate to prevent stickage. In connection with certain very viscous soap efliuents, however, the problem of stickage has been troublesome even in cases in which the best available means of the prior art were employed in injection of washing liquid into the soap-receiving cover. The present invention is especially directed to"solution of the problemof stickage involved in treatment of soaps which are so tacky as to present such a problem.

The problem of prevention of stickage to the surface 20 is solved in the practice of the present invention by projecting a body of liquid from the annulus 2| against a portion of the surface 20 indicated by the arrows A, this liquid being projected against the surface 20 from a plurality I of points around the circumference of the anare of more or less conventional design and form no part of the present invention. When a mixture of soap and aqueous phase is subjected to centrifugation in the rotor III, the soap will be discharged through the passage i5 and outlet [6,,

while the aqueous phase is discharged through the passage I 3 and outlet H. No particular trouble is encountered in removal of aqueous phase from the cover I! in such case, since this aqueous phase (the reagent solution) is a free been encountered in connection with discharge of soap from the cover l8, the soap tending to stick both to the upper surface l9 and the'lower surface 20 of that cover. Soap discharged from the outlet l6 passes tangentially from that outlet and strikes the under surface I!) of the lower cover in the general zone indicated by the arrows A, and has a tendency to stick to this upper surface adjacent the zone of impingement indicated flowing material, but considerable dimculty has nulus 2i in sufficient volume to form a layer of liquid flowing continuously outwardly along the conical surface 20 from the zone of impingement A of the washing liquid. By maintaining a continuously flowing layer of liquid along the surface 20 from a zone within the innermost zone at which soap is projected or falls upon that surface, the soap is adequately prevented from sticking to the surface 20 and is washed downwardly through the space S to a, discharge conduit.

In conjunction with the above-described arrangement for preventing stickage of soap to the surface 20, special means are provided for preventing stickage to the upper surface l9. These last-mentioned means include an annulus 2! provided. with a plurality of circumferentially spaced nozzles adapted to project liquid against the upper surface of a ring 23 which is secured to the centrifugal rotor above the light liquid discharge'outlet I 6. In the form of the invention H 3 a sleeve 24 surrounding the neck of the rotor. Liquid projected through the nozzles in annulus 22 against the upper surface of the ring 23 is thrown tangentially outward by this ring a as the result of centrifugal force caused by rotation of the ring with the rotor. This causes the liquid to be projected against the surface I! with a swirling motion and to remove soap discharged against that surface which might otherwise stick thereto. Soap loosenedin this manner which falls or is deflected against the surface 20 is 4 v p the scope of the invention by the person skilled in the art, and I donut therefore wish to be diluted with the liquid projected from the ring 23, and this dilution tends to make the soap more fluid and cause it to flow downwardly along sur- 5 face Zll, and the provision of a continuously flowmg layer of washing liquid (e. g., water or aqueous reagent) along this lower surface from the zone I A of impingement of this washing liquid from the annulus 2| precludes stickage of this soap to the surface 20. Thus, .by eifecting impingement of washing liquid against the surface Min 97 zone within the innermost zone of impact of soap against that surface, stickage to the surface i9 is prevented, while by establishing a flowing layer of washing liquid from the zone A outwardly along the surface 20, stickage of the soap to the surface is prevented.

'While the arrangement for establishing a flow.- ing layer of water from the annulus 2| along the surface 20 is particularly useful in connection with the arrangement for projecting liquid tangentially from the ring 23 as described, either of these arrangements may be employed to advantage in the absence of the other. For example, in many cases, projection of liquid from the ring 1 23 will serve to prevent. stickage of soap to the surface l9, and the consequent dilution of this soap will prevent stickage to the surface 20. On

the other hand, in some cases it is possible to solve the problem of stickage by provision of the layer established by projecting liquid to the zone A from the annulus 2|, without provision of the special means provided by the ring 23 for removing soap from the surface l9.

Various modifications may be limited except by the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

. 1. In a centrifugal separator, the combination comprising a centrifugal rotordesigned to discharge a viscous eflluent centrifugally against an upper surface of a, non-rotating receiving cover, and means to project a washing liquid from a portion of said rotor centrifugally in a direction having substantial circumferential and outward components against said surface of said receiving cover at a zone within the innermost zone of dischargeof said viscous effluent against-said surface, whereby to effect swirling movement Of said washing liquid across said surface against which the viscous effluent is discharged, and thereby prevent stickage of said effluent to said surface and cause said effluent to be discharged to a lower surface of said cover, and means for establishing a continuously downwardly and outwardadopted within 1y flowing layer of washing liquid from a zone within the innermost zone of discharge of said eiiluent against said lower surface flowing across said zone of discharge against said lower surface, whereby to prevent stickage of said effluent to said lower surface.

2. In a centrifugal separator, the combination comprising a centrifugal rotor designed to discharge a viscous efliuent centrifugally against an upper surface of a non-rotating receiving cover, and a centrifugal flinger secured tosaid rotor and,

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