Centrifuge machine

Claim 1

IN A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FOR SEPARATING A LIQUIDSOLIDS SUSPENSION INTO A HEAVY SLURRY FRACTION DISCHARGING AS UNDERFLOW FROM THE DISCHARGE NOZZLES OF THE ROTOR BOWL AND A LIGHT FRACTION DISCHARGING AS OVERFLOW FROM THE BOWL, AND HAVING MEANS FOR FEEDING THE SUSPENSION INTO THE BOWL, AND MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY RECIRCULATING UNDERFLOW MATERIAL INTO THE BOWL AT A CONTROLLED RATE; A ROTOR STRUCTURE WHICH COMPRISES A ROTOR BOWL HAVING A FIRST TRUNCO-CONICAL SECTION PROVIDED WITH AN OVERFLOW NECK PORTION AT THE CONSTRICTED END, A SECOND TRUNCO-CONICAL SECTION, AN INTERMEDIATE SECTION INTERCONNECTING THE WIDE ENDS OF SAID TRUNCO-CONICAL SECTIONS AND PROVIDED WITH DISCHARGE NOZZLES SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER ALONG THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR DISCHARGING SAID UNDERFLOW AND PROVIDING SUBSTANTIAL RECOVERY OF POWER INPUT REQUIRED FOR THE ROTATION OF THE BOWL, AND A HUB PORTION CLOSING THE NARROW END OF SAID SECOND TRUNCO-CONICAL SECTION AND DEFINING WITH SAID TRUNCO-CONICAL SECTIONS AN ANNULAR SEPARATING CHAMBER, A ROTOR SHAFT EXTENDING FROM SAID HUB PORTION CENTRALLY THROUGH THE AREA DEFINED BY SAID OVERFLOW NECK, AND AN AUXILIARY POWER RECOVERY ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING AN ANNULAR ENERGY RECOVERY MEANS LOCATED ON THE END OF SAID NECK PORTION CONCENTRICALLY THEREWITH AND HAVING AN INNER CYLINDRICAL FACE DEFINING THE AREA OF THE OVERFLOW, AND FORMED AT THE OUTER PERIPHERY WITH OUTWARDLY FACING RECESSES SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER ALONG SAID PERIPHERY, EACH OF WHICH RECESSES IS DEFINED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY RADIAL FACE LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE CONTAINING THE ROTOR AXIS AND BY AN ASSOCIATED FACE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES FROM SAID RADIAL FACE AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE ROTOR AXIS, SAID ANNULAR MEANS FURTHER HAVING OVERFLOW REACTION DISCHARGE PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATING WITH RESPECTIVE RECESSES AND EXTENDING IN A PLANE TRANSVERSAL OF THE ROTOR AXIS AND CURVED REARWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE BOWL AND IN SAID TRANSVERSE PLANE DEFINED IN PLAN VIEW BY AN INNER WALL SHAPED AS A SHARPLY BENT CURVE AND BY AN OUTER WALL SPACED HORIZONTALLY FROM SAID INNER WALL AND SHAPED AS A SHALLOW CURVE CONVERGING TOWARDS SAID SHARPLY BENT CURVE, AN ELONGATED INLET OPENING LOCATED IN SAID INNER CYLINDRICAL FACE AND EXTENDING IN THE PERIPHERAL DIRECTION THEREOF, AN OUTLET OPENING IN SAID RADIAL FACE, SAID OUTLET OPENING IN SAID RADIAL FACE BEING SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER THAN SAID INLET OPENING, SAID INNER AND SAID OUTER WALLS CONNECTING SAID INLET OPENING WITH SAID OUTLET OPENING, WHEREBY THE FLOW CROSS-SECTIONS OF EACH PASSAGEWAY DIMINISH GRADUALLY AND SMOOTHLY FROM SAID ELONGATED INLET OPENING LOCATED IN SAID INNER CYLINDRICAL FACE TO SAID SIGNIFICANTLY SMALLER OUTLET OPENING IN SAID RADIAL FACE, EACH PASSAGEWAY COMPRISING A STRAIGHT DISCHARGE END PORTION DIRECTED SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID RADIAL FACE AND HAVING SAID OUTLET OPENING THEREOF SPACED FROM SAID ASSOCIATED FACE AT A MINIMUM RADIAL DISTANCE FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL INNER FACE, WHEREBY THE OVERFLOWING LIQUID DISCHARGES IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO SAID RADIAL FACE AT A VELOCITY GREAT ENOUGH TO AVOID IMPINGEMENT UPON SAID ASSOCIATED FACE, THEREBY PROVIDING RECOVERY OF A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE ENERGY EXPENDED FOR MAINTAINING SAID RECIRCULATION OF UNDERFLOW, IN ADDITION TO THE POWER BEING RECOVERED THROUGH THE REACTION NOZZLES DISCHARGING THE UNDERFLOW.