Centrifuge having self-cleaning solids discharge

Claim 1

A CENTRIFUGE ADAPTED ESPECIALLY FOR SEPARATING A CHEESE FLUID WHEY AND HEAVY SOLIDS IN A FEED MIXTURE WHILE AVOIDING PLUGAGE IN THE WHEY AND HEAVY SOLIDS DISCHARGE COMPRISING (A) A ROTOR INCLUDING A GENERALLY CUP-SHAPED IMPERFORATE WALLED SHELL HAVING A VERTICAL INSIDE WALL PORTION AND A GENERALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL TOP ELEMENT HAVING A HORIZONTAL ANNULAR UNDERSURFACE AND MOUNTED ON THE SHELL, THE SHELL AND THE TOP PARTLY DEFINING A PRIAMRY SEPARATING CHAMBER, (B) MEANS FOR ROTATING THE ROTOR ABOUT AN AXIS, (C) MEANS FOR FEEDING THE MIXTURE INTO THE ROTOR, (D) A DISC STACK DISPOSED WITHIN THE PRIMARY SEPARATING CHAMBER, (C) A FRUSTO-CONICAL DIVIDING CONE SUPPORTED BY SAID DISC STACK AND SPACED UNDER THE TOP ELEMENT TO DEFINE A RELATIVELY ABRUPTLY BANGLED HEAVY DISCHARGE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE TOP ELEMENT AND THE DIVIDING CONE, (F) RADIAL VANES WITHIN THE DISC STACK, THE VANES EXTENDING FROM THE LOWER END OF THE PRIMARY SEPARATING CHAMBER TO A LEVEL BELOW THE TOP OF THE PRIMARY SEPARATING CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO HELP ACCELERATE THE FEED IN THE ROTOR TO THE VELOCITY OF THE ROTOR, (G) A LONG ANNULAR SLIGHTLY TAPERED ZONE ON THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE SHELL, THE ZONE EXTENDING FROM IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE VERTICAL PORTION AND APPROXIMATELY THE MIDPOINT LEVEL IN THE PRIMARY SEPARATING CHAMBER OF THE ROTOR CONTINUALLY UPWARD TO THE HORIZONTAL ANNULAR UNDERSURFACE OF THE TOP ELEMENT AND DISPOSED ENTIRELY RADIALLY OUTWARD OF THE DISC STACK, THE SHELL DIAMETERE IN THE ZONE DECREASING AS THE UPPER END OF THE SHELL IS APPROACHED, WHEREBY THE WHEY PROTIONS AND HEAVY SOLIDS ADJACENT THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE ROTOR IN MOVING UPWARD IN THE CHAMBER TOWARD THE HEAVY DISCHARGE PASSAGE ARE GUIDED GRADUALLY INWARD OF THE ROTOR BY THE TAPERED ZONE, AND ARE THEREBY CAUSED TO MOVE TANGENTIALLY FASTER THAN THE ADJACENT SURFACE.