Centrifuge

Claim 1

A CENTRIFUGAL SEPARATOR COMPRISING A ROTATABLE BOWL FOR RECEIVING A MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND FINELY DIVIDED SOLID PARTICLES, A SOLIDS DISCHARGE CHAMBER ADJACENT ONE END OF THE BOWL IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR THEREOF THROUGH A SOLIDS DISCHARGE OPENING, INLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BOWL FOR INTRODUCING SAID MIXTURE INTO SAID BOWL, A ROTATABLE CONVEYOR MOUNTED WITHIN THE BOWL COAXIALLY THEREWITH, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID BOWL AND CONVEYOR FOR ROTATING THE BOWL AND CONVEYER AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS TO CAUSE THE SOLID PARTICLES TO MOVE ALONG THE INNER FACE OF THE BOWL TO THE SOLIDS DISCHARGE CHAMBER, WHILE A LAYER OF LIQUID IS RETAINED IN THE BOWL RADIALLY ADJACENT AND IN CONTACT WITH THE MOVING SOLIDS, AT LEAST ONE LIQUID DISCHARGE CONDUIT HAVING A SKIMMING OPENING, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT AND OPERABLE WHILE THE SEPARATOR IS RUNNING FOR ADJUSTING SAID SKIMMING OPENING THROUGH A RANGE OF RADIAL POSITIONS INCLUDING A POSITION RADIALLY INWARDLY OF THE BOWL WALL AND A POSITION SUFFICIENTLY FAR FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID BOWL TO SKIM DRY THE ENTIRETY OF SAID BOWL WHILE SAID SEPARATOR IS RUNNING, SAID BOWL BEING SO SHAPED AND SAID CONDUIT BEING SO LOCATED ALONG THE AXIAL EXTENT THEREOF, THAT SAID CONDUIT IS ADAPTED TO SO SKIM DRY SAID BOWL WHEN SAID CONDUIT IS IN SAID LAST MENTIONED POSITION.