Centrifuge for the continuous recovery of sugar crystals

Claim 1

A CENTRIFUGE FOR THE CONTINUOUS RECOVERY OF SUGAR CRYSTALS FROM A MIXTURE THEREOF WITH A MOTHER LIQUOR, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED HOUSING HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS COVER; A CENTRIFUGE BASKET JOURNALED IN SAID HOUSING FOR ROTATION ABOUT A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS, SAID BASKET BEING SPACEDLY OVERLAIN BY SAID COVER AND HAVING A PERFORATE WALL DIVERGING CONICALLY UPWARDLY FROM A LOWER END TO AN UPPER END THEREOF; PARTITION MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FORMING WITH SAID PERFORATE WALL A FIRST ANNULAR COMPARTMENT SUURROUNDING SAID BASKET FOR COLLECTING MOTHER LIQUOR PASSING THERETHROUGH AND FORMING WITH SAID HOUSING A SECOND ANNULAR COMPARTMENT OUTWARDLY OF SAID FIRST ANNULAR COMPARTMENT COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID BASKET AT SAID UPPER END THEREOF FOR COLLECTING SAID CRYSTALS; THERMAL CONTROL MEANS IN SAID HOUSING FOR MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID BASKET AND A LAYER OF CRYSTALS THEREON SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO PERMIT A RAPID PASSAGE OF SAID MOTHER LIQUOR THROUGH SAID BASKET; DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID BASKET ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS; AND BAFFLE MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING FOR LIMITING THE CIRCULATION OF AIR THEREIN BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF SAID BASKET AND SAID COMPARTMENT, SAID PARTITION MEANS AND SAID HOUSING MEANS FORMING AN ENCLOSURE FOR SAID BASKET SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTING THE ESCAPE OF AMBIENT AIR IN THE REGION OF SAID BASKET AND THE ADMISSION TO THIS REGION OF COOLING CURRENTS OF AIR FROM THE EXTERIOR OF THE CENTRIFUGE, SAID BAFFLE MEANS INCLUDING A RING DEPENDING FROM SAID COVER AND EXTENDING COAXIALLY IN CLOSELY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID UPPER END FROM ABOVE INTO THE OPEN UPPER END OF SAID BASKET WITH SMALL CLEARANCE FROM THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF FOR PERMITTING THE FLOW OF SAID CRYSTALS ALONG SAID INNER SURFACE PAST SAID RING INTO SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT WHILE RESTRICTING FLOW OF AIR BETWEEN SAID SECOND COMPARTMENT AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID BASKET.