Continuous centrifugal with adjustable liquids separator

Claim 1

IN A CONTINUOUS CENTRIFUGAL INCLUDING A BASKET ROTATABLE ON A VERTICAL AXIS AND HAVING A PERFORATE, FRUSTOCONICAL CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL INCREASING IN DIAMETER TOWARD THE UPPER END OF THE BASKET, MEANS FOR FEEDING A MIXTURE OF SOLIDS AND LIQUID INTO THE BASKET FOR TRAVEL UPWARDLY ALONG THE PERFORATE WALL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, A CYLINDRICAL CASING WALL CONCENTRICALLY SURROUNDING THE BASKET AND HAVING ITS UPPER END PROXIMATE TO THE UPPER END OF THE BASKET TO DEFINE A LIQUIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER AROUND THE BASKET, AND AN OUTER CURB WALL SPACED FROM SAID CASING WALL TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN A CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING SOLIDS WHICH ARE DISCHARGED OVER SAID UPPER END OF THE BASKET; A SEPARATOR FOR SELECTIVELY SEPARATING LIQUIDS DRIVEN CENTRIFUGALLY THROUGH LOWER AND UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID PERFORATE WALL OF THE BASKET COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL PARTITION EXTENDING UPWARDLY, AND ARRANGED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN SAID LIQUIDS RECEIVING CHAMBER TO DIVIDE THE LATTER INTO RADIALLY INNER AND OUTER COMPARTMENTS WHICH RECEIVE THE LIQUIDS PASSING THROUGH THE PORTIONS OF SAID PERFORATE WALL RESPECTIVELY BELOW AND ABOVE AN UPPER EDGE OF SAID PARTITION, SAID PARTITION HAVING A FIXED SECTION BETWEEN SAID CASING WALL AND THE LOWER END PORTION OF THE BASKET AND A MOVABLE SECTION IN TELESCOPIC RELATION WITH SAID FIXED SECTION AND DEFINING SAID UPPER EDGE OF THE PARTITION, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE VERTICAL POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE SECTION RELATIVE TO SAID FIXED SECTION TO VARY THE HEIGHT OF SAID UPPER EDGE AND THEREBY CHANGE THE PORTIONS OF SAID PERFORATE WALL THROUGH WHICH LIQUIDS DRAIN INTO SAID INNER AND OUTER COMPARTMENTS, RESPECTIVELY, AND CONDUITS EXTENDING FROM SAID INNER AND OUTER COMPARTMENTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LATTER FOR DRAINING LIQUIDS FROM THE RESPECTIVE COMPARTMENTS, SAID MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE VERTICAL POSITION OF SAID MOVABLE SECTION INCLUDING PULLEYS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED AT LOCATIONS SPACED APART AROUND SAID PARTITION, A CABLE WRAPPED ON EACH OF SAID PULLEYS AND HAVING ITS OPPOSITE ENDS SECURED TO SAID MOVABLE SECTION AT VERTICALLY SPACED LOCATIONS ON THE LATTER, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE ROTATIONAL POSITIONS OF SAID PULLEYS.