Sluidge centrifuge

Claim 1

IN A SLUDGE CENTRIFUGE ADAPTED FOR INTERMITTENT DISCHARGE OF CENTRIFUGALLY SEPARATED SLUDGE AND COMPRISING A HOLLOW ROTOR MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON AN AXIS AND HAVING A SEPARATING CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING A MIXTURE OF SLUDGE AND LIQUID TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE SLUDGE, THE ROTOR HAVING A PERIPHERAL OUTLET FOR DISCHARGING SLUDGE FROM SAID CHAMBER, THE COMBINATION WITH SAID ROTOR OF A FIRST VALVE RECIPROCABLE IN THE ROTOR ALONG THE ROTOR AXIS BETWEEN POSITIONS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID SLUDGE OUTLET, SAID VALVE DEFINING WITH THE ROTOR A FIRST HYDRAULIC CHAMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF HYDRAULIC LIQUID OUTLETS LOCATED AT DIFFERENT RADII FROM THE ROTOR AXIS, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HYDRAULIC OUTLETS BEING LOCATED AT A GREATER RADIUS FROM SAID AXIS THAN IS THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF THE SEPARATING CHAMBER, A SECOND VALVE RECIPROCABLE ALONG SAID AXIS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID HYDRAULIC OUTLETS, THE SECOND VALVE BEING BIASED TOWARD A POSITION FOR CLOSING SAID HYDRAULIC OUTLETS AND PARTLY DEFINING A SECOND HYDRAULIC CHAMBER, SAID SECOND VALVE BEING AXIALLY SPACED FROM THE ROTOR AND DEFINING THEREWITH A DISCHARGE PASSAGE FOR SAID HYDRAULIC OUTLETS, SAID SECOND VALVE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SEALING PADS FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CORRESPONDING HYDRAULIC OUTLETS WHEN THE SECOND VALVE IS CLOSED, HYDRAULIC LIQUID DELIVERY MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID FIRST HYDRAULIC CHAMBER FOR DELIVERING LIQUID THERETO TO HOLD THE FIRST VALVE IN ITS SAID CLOSING POSITION AND THEREBY ACCUMULATE SLUDGE IN THE SEPARATING CHAMBER, SAID DELIVERY MEANS ALSO COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SECOND HYDRAULIC CHAMBER FOR DELIVEING HYDRAULIC LIQUID TO THE SECOND HYDRAULIC CHAMBER TO ACTUATE SAID SECOND VALVE AWAY FROM ITS SAID CLOSING POSITION AND THEREBY OPEN SAID HYDRAULIC OUTLETS, WHEREBY HYDRAULIC LIQUID IS DRAINED FROM SAID FIRST HYDRAULIC CHAMBER AT A RELATIVELY HIGH RATE THROUGH ALL OF SAID HYDRAULIC CHAMBER AT A RELATIVELY HIGH RATE THROUGH SAID ONE HYDRAULIC OUTLET, AND THEN AT A LOWER RATE THROUGH OUTLET ALLOWS TOTAL DISCHARGE FROM THE SEPARATING CHAMBER.