US3040889A

US3040889A - Heavy media separator

Info

Publication number: US3040889A
Application number: US851883A
Authority: US
Inventors: Logojda Geza; Dru Marcel
Original assignee: Preparation Industrielle des Combustibles SA
Current assignee: Preparation Industrielle des Combustibles SA
Priority date: 1958-12-31
Filing date: 1959-11-09
Publication date: 1962-06-26
Anticipated expiration: 1979-06-26

Description

June 26, 1962 G. LOGOJDA ET AL 3,040,889

HEAVY MEDIA SEPARAIOR Filed Nov. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 26, 1962 G. LOGOJDA ET AL 3,040,889

HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 52 24 040.10? Jfl/Qbf Paussmeaw wa /e054 .2760

BY z M ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,040,889 Patented June 26, 1952 3,040,889 HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATOR Gaza Logojda, Avon, Jacques Poussmdin, Fontainehleau,

and Marcel Dru, Montigny-sur-Loing, France, assignors to Ste. Preparation Industrielle des Combustibles,

Fontainebleau, France Filed Nov. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 851,883 Claims priority, application France Dec. 31, 1958 8 Claims. (Cl. 209-1725) This invention relates to apparatus for separating solid materials and has more particular reference to apparatus for separating solid materials of different specific g-ravities by means of a suspension of the type in which the lifting of the sinks is effected by a lifting wheel or wheels mounted in an inclined casing positioned at one side of the sedimentation vat, with the lower end of the casing forming the bottom portion of the vat to receive the heavy settled solids.

Apparatus of the above type are well known; however, in such apparatus the lifting wheels are usually fitted on a shaft rotating between two bearings, located either both above the plane of rotation of the wheel or one above and one below. Such mountings of the lifting wheels present several drawbacks.

First, it is difficult to obtain an accurate fitting of the set, seeing that a mechanical part marking the position of the wheel rotating inside the tank with a suificient play, must be fitted upon two bearings, one of which at least is located far from the body of the unit and supported by beams which, owing to their dimensions, present a certain deflection which varies during operation with the result that a delicate mechanical adjustment must be effected on the steelwork construction and that, in course of operation, an irregular displacement of the wheel axle occurs in relation with the wash box frame.

Secondly, in cases where a bearing is located below the plane of rotation of the wheel, the fact that the shale discharge takes place necessarily through one evacuation chute, the chute discharging upon a screen or a rewashing unit, creates difiiculty for the location and use of the washing means, both during erection and when making repairs; also, the location of a bearing below the plane of rotation of the wheel render-s difiicult, if not impossible, the manufacture of a three product unit in which the lifting of the sink from each bath is effected by a double wheel fitted on a common shaft.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved lifting wheel construction which overcomes all of the foregoing defects.

Another object of the present invention is to provide in apparatus for separating solid materials of the class described, a lifting wheel construction in which the lifting wheel is integral with a hub rotatable around an axle, rigidly fixed in the center of the wash box frame containing the wheel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hearing construction which is simple and efiicient in carrying out the purpose for which it is adapted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following specification when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of one embodiment of apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but showing another modification of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but showing a third modification of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated, in FIG. 1, one embodiment of apparatus constructed in :desired liquid level is maintained therein.

accordance with the present invention. As there shown, the apparatus comprises an elongated generally rectangu lar sedimentation vat or wash box 10 having an outer side wall 11 and an inner side wall 12; an inclined opentop casing 13 positioned at one side of the vat and with its lower end opening into and forming the bottom portion of the vat; a lifting wheel, indicated generally at 14, mounted within the inclined open-top casing 13; a support 15 mounted on and projecting upwardly from the bottom wall of the inclined casing for supporting an axle 16 rigidly secured thereto and on which the hub of the wheel 14 is rotatably mounted.

The inclined wheel is shown as being formed by an annular plate 17, preferably, and as shown, perforated, and having an upstanding flange formed around its outer periphery forming an outer wall 18; a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial partitions or blades 19 secured along their bottom and outer edges to the annular plate 17 and the outer wall 18, respectively, forming a plurality of inwardly opening baskets for lifting the sink products as the wheel rotates.

The Wheel 14 is rotatably mounted on the axle 16 which is suitably secured to the flat top wall of the support member 15 as by having its flanged base bolted to the top wall.

The wheel is provided with a hub assembly, indicated generally at 20 and rotatably mounted on the axle l6 and connected to the wheel by means of a plurality of arms or members 21. As shown, the hub assembly comprises an upper cylindrical section 22, a lower cylindrical section 23 having a frusto-conical shaped bottom portion 24 and a cover member 25. The cover member 25 is suitably secured to the upper end of the cylindrical section 22, as by being bolted to a peripheral flange formed around the upper end of the cylindrical section. The upper and lower cylindrical sections 22 and 23 have peripheral flanges around their abutting edges and are suitably secured together as by bolting. The arms 21 have their lower ends suitably secured to the annular plate 17, as by welding or bolting, and have flanges on their upper ends which are bolted to a peripheral flange formed around the lower end of the frusto-conical shaped portion 24 of the lower cylindrical section 213. A row of circumferentially spaced openings 26 formed in the side of the frusto-conical portion 24 of the lower section 23 provides access to the bolts securing the axle to the top of the support 15.

A set of roller bearing members 27 are mounted in a recess 28 formed in the upper end portion of the axle 16, and a second set of roller bearing members 29 are supported on an inwardly extending flange 30 formed on the upper end of the fr-usto-conical portion 24 of the lower cylindrical section 23.

The wheel 14 is shown as being rotated by a pinion 31 engaging a circumferential row of pins .32 formed around the outer wall of the wheel. The pinion 31 may be driven by any suitable means (not shown).

The top surface of the top wall of the support member 15 is accurately machined so that when the axle 16 is secured thereto the longitudinal axis of the axle will coincide with the axis of the inclined casing 13 surrounding the wheel. The inclined casing 13 has an evacuation conduit 33 for the lifted heavy products formed in its bottom wall.

The operation of the apparatus is similar to that of inclined wheel washing units of the usual commercial type. The dense liquid and solid substances to be separated are delivered into the feeding end of the vat and a The heavy products fall to the bottom of the vat while the lighter products are evacuated by overflowing with the liquid at the end of the vat opposite the end at which they are originally introduced in the vat. As the lifting wheel is rotated the heavy products which have settled into the baskets at the bottom of the vat are lifted and fall from the inner open end of the baskets into the evacuation conduit for heavy products.

A modified form of the lifting wheel is illustrated in FIG. 2. As there shown, the vat the inclined opentop casing 13', support member 15, and axle 16 on which the lifting wheel 14 is mounted, are generally similar to the corresponding parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. However, in this particular modification the lifting wheel 14- is of the scraper type and as shown, comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial blades 34, each connected to the lower section 23' of the hub assembly by means of arms 35 bolted to the hub member at one end and suitably secured at the other end, as by welding, to the radial blades. The outer ends of the radial blades are suitably secured, as by welding, to a cylindrical member 35. In this particular modification the lifting wheel is rotated by means of a toothed wheel 37 driven by an endless screw 38. The toothed wheel 37 is loosely fitted around the upper end of the axle 16 but integral with the upper cylindrical hub section 22 and carries upper roller bearings 27. A lower set of roller bearings 29' are carried by the lower section 23' of the hub assembly. The endless screw is driven by any suitable means (not shown).

The toothed wheel 37 and endless screw 39 are housed within a gear box 39 fixedly secured to the upper end of the axle 16'. The endless screw is journaled in the gear box, thus making it integral with the axle 16' and thus the axle not only supports the wheel hub assembly but also absorbs the reaction of the wheel driving torque. As in the modification shown in FIG. 1, the frusto-conical section 24' of the lower cylindrical hub section 23 is provided with openings 26" to permit access to the bolts securing the axle to the top of the support member 15.

The operation of this modification is generally similar to the modification shown in FIG. 1, except that the blades scrape the heavy sink products up the inclined bottom wall of the inclined annular casing to an evacuation conduit 33' formed therein adjacent its upper end.

In connection with the modifications shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it readily will be seen that, regardless of the type of wheel employed, the hub and its mounting are readily accessible and removable. The axles which extend perpendicular to the bottom of the inclined open-top casings in which the wheels are mounted, have their machined bases rigidly secured to the flat inclined top of the support member so that the axles coincide with the axis of the wash box frame surrounding the wheels.

It should be noted that the connecting surfaces of the hub to the wheel and the axle to the mounting member are plane surfaces and are located above the plane of rotation of the wheel and are substantially in the same plane. Also, the four joints formed by the flanges are machined so that the hub and wheel practically center themselves in relation to the inclined casing in which they are mounted.

The novel and improved mounting of the lifting wheel of the present invention may readily be adapted to separation apparatus for eifecting a plurality of product separations and employ a plurality of wheels. Such an apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 3. As there shown, a first wash box or separating chamber 40 has a lifting wheel '41 for lifting the sinks. The wash box 40 and lifting wheel 41 are generally similar to the wash box and lifting wheel 14 shown in FIG. 1. At a point adjacent the top of its path of rotation the wheel 41 discharges the lifted sink products from the wash box 40 onto a chute 42 which conveys them to the feed side of a second wash box '43. The sink products from the wash box 43 are lifted by a wheel 44 which discharges them into evacuation conduit 45. The direction of flow of the dense liquid in the second wash box 43 is perpendicular to the direction of flow of the liquid in the first wash box 40. The second wash box 43 is water-tight with respect to the first wash box 40 and is separated therefrom as by means of a wall 46. An axle '47 rigidly attached to a support member 48 carried by the wash box frame supports the hub assembly 49 which supports the two wheels.

The hub assembly is rotatably mounted on the axle 47 and is shown as comprising an upper cylindrical section 50 and a lower cylindrical section 51; the two sections have peripheral flanges around their abutting ends which are bolted together. The flange around the upper end of the lower section 51 is elongated and supports a depending frusto-conical member 52 having an upper flange which is secured to the flange on the supporting cylindrical section 51. The lower cylindrical section 51 also has an inwardly extending circumferential flange 53 which supports a lower roller bearing assembly 54. The lower end portion 55 of the lower cylindrical section 51 flares outwardly to a frusto-conical shape, is provided with a row of circumferentially spaced openings 56, and has a flange around its bottom edge to which the lower wheel 44 is attached.

The upper Wheel 41 is generally similar in COl'lStI'LlCu tion to the wheel 14 shown in FIG. 1 and comprises a perforated annular plate 57 having an upstanding flange around its outer periphery forming an outer wall 58, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial partitions or blades 59 secured to the annular plate and its outer wall forming a plurality of inwardly opening baskets for lifting the sink products from wash box 40 as the wheel rotates. The wheel 41 is suitably connected to the frusto-conical member 52 by means of arms 60 which may be bolted thereto.

The lower Wheel 44 is shown as being of the scraper type and comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial blades 61, each connected to the lower section 51 of the hub assembly by means of arms 62 bolted to the hub member at one end and suitably secured at the other end, as by welding, to the radial blades. The outer ends of the radial blades are suitably secured, as by welding, to a cylindrical member 63.

The overflow of dense liquid and floats from the lower wash box 43 takes place over the edge 64 of the lower wash box and are evacuated through a conduit 65.

While the upper and lower lifting wheels may be rotated by any suitable means, the hub assembly of the wheels is shown as having a toothed wheel 66 loosely fitted around the upper end portion of the axle 47 but integra1 with the upper section 50 of the hub assembly. An endless screw 67 driven by any suitable means (not shown), drives the toothed wheel.

The toothed wheel 66 and endless screw 67 are housed within a gear box 68 fixedly secured to the upper end of the axle 47. The endless screw is journaled in the gear box, thus making it integral with the axle. Thus, the axle not only supports the wheel hub assembly but also absorbs the reaction of the wheel driving torque.

The upper end of the axle 47 is reduced to provide a mounting for an upper roller bearing assembly 69.

Like the modifications shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the axle and hub assembly is easily dismantled. First, the frusto-conical element 52 is removed, providing access to the flanges by which frusto-conical upper part of the two piece wall member 46 is secured to the lower part. This exposes the openings 56 in the lower end portion 55 of the lower cylindrical hub section 51 to permit the unfastening of the axle 47 from the base member 48. It should also be noted that the upper and lower roller bearing assemblies 69 and 54 are above the plane of rotation of the two lifting wheels.

Obviously, any other suitable means for rotating the lifting wheels could be provided.

Obviously, also, if it became desirable to rotate the two wheels at different speeds, this could be accomplished by separating the hub sections supporting the wheels from each other and providing separate suitable driving means for each wheel.

Obviously, too, the invention is not restricted to the particular modifications herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for separation of solid materials having different specific gravities, comprising a separating vessel adapted to hold a liquid wherein solid materials having low specific gravities tend to float and solid materials having a high specific gravity tend to sink; a nonrotatable axle carried by and extending upwardly from said separating vessel at an angle inclined from the vertical and having an upper portion located above the level of the liquid held in said vessel; a hub rotatably mounted on the upper end portion of said axle; an anti-friction bearing interposed between said hub and the upper portion of said axle; a plurality of rigid arms extending from said hub and having outer ends; a lifting wheel connected to the outer ends of said rigid arms to form a driven assembly comprising said hub, said rigid arms and said wheel to rotate around said axle and adapted to lift and evacuate from said vessel solid materials having said higher specific gravity; and driving means for rotating said driven assembly.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for rotating said wheel includes a toothed wheel integral with said hub and an endless worm engaging said toothed wheel.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein a support member is carried by said separating vessel for sup- 3 porting said axle and wherein the point of connection of said axle to said support member is above the plane of rotation of said wheel.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said hub comprises upper and lower cylindrical sections detachably secured together, with said lower cylindrical section having its lower end portion formed frusto-conical with said rigid arms being detachably secured thereto.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wheel comprises a plurality of radially extending scrapers.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the outer ends of said radial scrapers are connected to a cylindrical wall.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the bottom edges of said radial scrapers are connected by a perforated circular plate so as to form with the radial. scrapers a plurality of inwardly opening baskets.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, including a second separating vessel having a second lifting wheel mounted on tr e same hub as the first named lift wheel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,036,809 Humphreys Apr. 7, 1936 2,340,226 Roberts Jan. 25, 1944 2,798,606 Dru July 9, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 149,964 Australia Feb. 10, 1953 1,213,200 France Oct. 26, 1959 OTHER REFERENCES Sedimentation Dorr Clarificrs, Bulletin No. 6191, page 14, March 10, 1939.