Centrifugal separator

Claim 1

IN A CENTRIFUGE FOR SEPARATING SOLID, ABRASIVE PARTICLES FROM LIQUID WHICH INCLUDES A ROTATABLE BOWL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE FLUID-SOLIDS MIXTURE, A SOLIDS DISCHARGE CHAMBER ADJACENT ONE END OF THE BOWL, A LIQUID DISCHARGE OUTLET, A ROTATABLE, HELICAL CONVEYOR COAXIALLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE BOWL, AND MEANS FOR ROTATING THE BOWL AND CONVEYOR AT DIFFERENTIAL SPEEDS SO THAT THE SOLIDS ARE CONCENTRATED AGAINST THE BOWL BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE AND ARE PROGRESSED TO THE DISCHARGE CHAMBER BY THE CONVEYOR, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES THE COMBINATION WITH THE BOWL OF A LINER MOUNTED WITHIN THE BOWL AND FORMING A CONTINUOUS INNER WORKING SURFACE THEREOF SURROUNDING ITS AXIS, SAID LINER HAVING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF DIMINISHING IN DIAMETER BETWEEN ITS ENDS WITH THE SMALLER END CONTIGUOUS TO SAID SOLIDS DISCHARGE CHAMBER, SAID LINER BEING OF HARD WEARING, SMOOTH SURFACED MATERIAL AT LEAST SUBSTANTIALLY AS HARD WEARING AND SMOOTH SURFACED AS COLD ROLLED STAINLESS STEEL AND BEING PROVIDED ON ITS INNER SURFACE WITH A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY SPACED, GENERALLY PARALLEL RAISED STRIPS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE BOWL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID LINER PORTION, SAID STRIPS BEING OF SUCH LOW NUMBER AND RELATIVELY NARROW WIDTH AS TO EXPOSE THE MAJOR PORTION OF THE INNER SURFACE OF THE LINER BETWEEN THEM, THE CLEARANCE OF THE CONVEYOR FROM THE LINER BEING OF THE ORDER OF TWO TO FIVE TIMES THE DIAMETER OF THE LARGEST PARTICLES PRESENT IN SIGNIFICANT QUANTITY IN THE MIXTURE TO BE PROCESSED, SAID CLEARANCE OF THE CONVEYOR FROM SAID STRIPS NOT SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEEDING SAID DIAMETER, WHEREBY TO ENABLE THE CONVEYOR TO CONTINUOUSLY PUSH SAID BEDS OVER THE SMOOTH SURFACE OF THE LINER AND FROM THE EXIT END THEREOF AND TO MAINTAIN SAID ACTION DESPITE SUBSTANTIAL WEAR PRODUCED THEREBY ON SAID LINER AND STRIPS, AND MEANS REMOVABLY ATTACHING THE LINER TO THE BOWL TO PERMIT REMOVAL AND REPLACEMENT THEREOF WHEN REQUIRED BY WEAR.