Centrifuge machine

Claim 1

IN A CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FOR THE CONTINUOUS CENTRIFUGAL TREATMENT OF A FLUID FEED MIXTURE CONTAINING A FLUID MEDIUM TOGETHER WITH SOLID GRANULES AND SOLUBLES FOR EFFECTING SEPARATION OF THE MIXTURE INTO A RELATIVELY CONCENTRATED UNDERFLOW PRODUCT SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SOLUBLES AND AN OVERFLOW PRODUCT SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM SOLIDS AND CONTAINING SAID SOLUBLES AT A RELATIVELY HIGH CONCENTRATION, A ROTOR STRUCTURE HAVING A BOWL OF GENERALLY DOUBLE TRUNCO-CONICAL CONFIGURATION CONSTITUTING AN ANNULAR CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATING CHAMBER WITH OVERFLOW MEANS PROVIDED AT ONE CONSTRICTED END OF SAID BOWL, A HUB PORTION CLOSING THE OPPOSITE CONSTRICTED END OF SAID BOWL AND HAVING PROVIDED THEREIN A SET OF INFLUENT PASSAGES SPACED AROUND THE ROTOR AXIS, UNDERFLOW DISCHARGE NOZZLES EQUALLY SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER IN THE INTERMEDIATE PERIPHERAL PORTION OF THE BOWL, A TRUNCO-CONICAL SHROUD MEMBER CONTAINED INSAID BOWL CONCENTRIC WITH THE ROTOR AXIS AND LOCATED OPPOSITE TO SAID OVERFLOW SO AS TO CONSTITUTE WITH SAID HUB PORTION AND WITH THE ADJACENT TRUNCO-CONICAL WALL OF THE BOWL A CONICAL SPACE CLAOSED AT ITS NARROW END WHEREAT SAID INFLUENT PASSAGES ARE LOCATED, A COMPLEMENTARY WALL PORTION FORMING THE UPPER PART OF THE BOWL AND PRESENTING A TRUNCO-CONICAL INNER FACE OPPOSED TO SAID TRUNCO-CONICAL SHROUD MEMBER, THE MUTUALLY ADJACENT ENDS OF SAID WALL PORTION AND SAID SHROUD MEMBER CONSTITUTING WITH EACH OTHER AN ANNULAR ORIFICE LOCATED RADIALLY INWARDLY FROM SAID NOZZLES, SAID ANNULAR ORIFICE BEING DEFINED BY SUBSTANTIALLY PLANE AND PARALLEL UNINTERRUPTED END FACES WITH THE RADIAL DIMENSION OF SAID ORIFICE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID END FACES, AND SAID DISTANCE ITSELF SMALL ENOUGH TO CAUSE SUBSTANTIAL CONCENTRATION OF SOLIDS IN THE INNER ANNULAR ZONE ADJACENT TO SAID ORIFICE AND ALSO TO CAUSE NON-TURBULENT PROGRESSION OF SAID CONCENTRATION OF GRANULES MOVING OUTWARDLY THROUGH SAID ORIFICE COUNTER-CURRENT TO A FLOW OF A WASH LIQUID, A SET OF DIVERGENTLY DIRECTED INFLOW TUBULAR MEMBERS LOCATED IN SAID CONICAL SPACE AND CONNECTED TO SAID INFLUENT PASSAGES AND EXTENDING THEREFROM SO AS TO HAVE THEIR DISCHARGE ENDS LOCARED IN AN OUTER ANNULAR DELIVERY ZONE SURROUNDING THE OUTER END PORTION OF SAID SHROUD