Processes and apparatus for the separation of solids from a suspension

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING SOLIDS OF DIFFERENT PARTICLE SIZES IN A LIQUID SUSPENSION, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A ROTATABLE DRUM HAVING OPPOSITE ENDS, FIRST AND SECOND WORM MEMBERS AXIALLY SUPPORTED IN END-TO-END RELATION WITHIN SAID DRUM FOR INDEPENDENT ROTATION, MEANS COMNECTED TO THE FIRST WORM MEMBER FOR ROTATING THE FIRST WORM MEMBER AT A PARTICULAR ROTATIONAL SPEED WHICH IS LOWER THAN THAT OF THE DRUM TO PROVIDE RELATIVE ROTATIONAL MOTION BETWEEN THE DRUM AND FIRST WORM MEMBER, MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SECOND WORM MEMBER FOR ROTATING THE SECOND WORM MEMBER AT A PARTICULAR ROTATIONAL SPEED WHICH IS GREATER THAN THAT OF THE FIRST WORM MEMBER BUT STILL LESS THAN THAT OF THE DRUM TO PROVIDE RELATIVE ROTATIONAL MOTION BETWEEN THE DRUM AND SECOND WORM MEMBER WHICH IS LESS IN SPEED THAN THE SPEED OF THE RELATIVE ROTATIONAL MOTION BETWEEN THE FIRST WORM MEMBER AND THE DRUM, MEANS ADJACENT THE DRUM FOR INTRODUCING THE LIQUID SUSPENSION CONTAINING THE PARTICLES OF DIFFERENT SIZES INTO THE DRUM WHEREBY THE SOLIDS OF LARGER PARTICLE SIZE ARE SEPARATED IN THE DRUM AND ARE AXIALLY ADVANCED IN ONE DIRECTION BY THE FIRST WORM MEMBER AND THE SOLIDS OF FINER PARTICLE SIZE ARE SEPARATED IN THE DRUM AND ARE AXIALLY ADVANCED IN SAID ONE DIRECTION BY THE SECOND WORM MEMBER WHILE THE LIQUID OF THE SUSPENSION FLOW IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, OUTLET MEANS AT THE END OF THE DRUM AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE FIRST WORM MEMBER FOR THE DISCHARGE OF SEPARATED SOLIDS AND OUTLET MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF THE DRUM FOR THE DISCHARGE OF LIQUID FREE OF THE SOLIDS.