Separator

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLID PARTICLES AND GAS BUBBLES FROM A LIQUID SUSPENSION COMPRISING A CHAMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION AND A VONICAL END PORTION, AN INLET ARRANGED TANGENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID CHAMBER ADJACENT ON END THEREOF REMOTE FROM THE APEX OF SAID CONICAL PORTION FOR INTRODUCING SAID SUSPENSION INTO SAID APPARATUS TO FORM A STREAM WHICH INITIALLY PASSES SPIRALLY ALONG THE WALL OF SAID CHAMBER TOWARD THE APEX OF THE CONICAL PORTION THEREOF AND WHICH REVERSES INWARDLY ON ITSELF BEFORE REACHING SAID APEX TO FORM A HOLLOW VORTEX, A FIRST OUTLET FOR REJECTED SOLIDS AND GAS AT THE APEX OF SAID CONICAL PORTION IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID HOLLOW VORTEX, A SECOND OUTLET FOR ACCEPTING SUSPENSION HAVING ITS MOUTH DISPOSED CENTRALLY OF SAID CHAMBER BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID APEX IN POSITION TO RECEIVE THE REVERSE FLOW OF LIQUID SUSPENSION FROM AROUND SAID HOLLOW VORTEX, AND AN ELEMENT MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER HAVING AN OBSTRUCTING FACE CENTRALLY ALIGNED WITH RESPECT TO SAID MOUTH, SAID FACE BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID INLET AND SAID APEX SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE MOUTH OF THE SECOND OUTLET AND HAVING A DIAMETER AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE DIAMETER OF SAID VORTEX AND LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID MOUTH TO BLOCK THE PASSAGE OF SAID VORTEX THROUGH SAID SECOND OUTLET WHILE PERMITTING THE LIQUID SUSPENSION TO PASS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FACE.