Centrifuge

Claim 2

A centrifugal separator for separating solid particles from a liquid-solid mixture comprising a casing having an internal chamber, an open-ended hollow cylindrical shell mounted in said casing for rotation about its axis within said internal chamber, drive means for driving said shell in rotation about its axis, the interior of said shell defining an annular separation chamber opening axially into said internal chamber, inlet means operable during rotation of said shell to continuously supply a tangentially and axially directed flow of a liquid-solid mixture to be separated into and axially through said separation chamber into said internal chamber, particle collecting means in said cylindrical shell adjacent the radially outer periphery of said separation chamber for receiving and entrapping solid particles from said mixture during its flow through said separation chamber, and pump means in said casing driven by said drive means for exhausting liquid from said internal chamber at a rate at least equal to the rate at which said mixture is supplied by said inlet means.

Claim 3

A separator as defined in claim 1 wherein said particle collecting means includes means for inhibiting movement of particles collected therein.

Claim 4

A separator as defined in claim 2 wherein said particle collecting means comprises an annular cylindrical sleeve detachably mounted within said cylindrical shell, said sleeve having an imperforate outer wall, and said means for inhibiting movement comprises a tubular particle-entrapping element seated upon and covering the inner surface of said outer wall.

Claim 5

A separator as defined in claim 3 wherein said tubular entrapping element comprises an annular body of porous cellular material.

Claim 6

A separator as defined in claim 3 wherein said entrapping element comprises a cylindrical wire mesh screen fixedly mounted on said outer wall in concentrically inwardly spaced relationship thereto to constitute an inner wall of said sleeve, and an annular body of fibrous material filling the space between said inner and outer walls.

Claim 7

A separator as defined in claim 3 wherein said entrapping element comprises a tubular sleeve of resilient sheet material having a plurality of slits therethrough, means supporting said sleeve in an unstretched condition in a radially inwardly spaced coaxial relationship to said outer wall, said slits being closed when said sleeve is in said unstretched condition and being opened upon stretching of said sleeve under the centrifugal force of liquid passing therethrough during rotation of said cylindrical shell to permit the passage of particles through the slits of said sleeve.

Claim 8

A centrifugal separator for separating solid particles from a fluid-solid mixture comprising a casing having an internal chamber, a shaft mounted for rotation about its axis within said internal chamber, drive means for driving said shaft in rotation, a cylindrical shell having an end wall at one end fixedly mounted upon said shaft for coaxial rotation therewith, said shell and said end wall defining an annular separation chamber surrounding said shaft with said separation chamber closed at its axially forward end by said end wall and opening into said internal chamber at its axially rearward end, inlet means operable during rotation of said shaft to supply a fluid-solid mixture to be separated into the forward end of said separation chamber and to impel the mixture radially outwardly into the separation chamber with an axially rearwardly directed flow component, annular sleeve means coaxially and detachably mounted within said cylindrical shell adjacent the radially outer periphery of said separation chamber for receiving and entrapping solid particles impelled thereto, and pump means in said casing driven by said drive means for pumping liquid from said internal chamber at a rate at least equal to the rate at which said mixture is supplied by said inlet means to said separation chamber.

Claim 9

A centrifugal separator for separating solid particles from a fluid-solid mixture comprising a casing having an internal chamber, a shaft mounted for rotation about its axis within said internal chamber, drive means for driving said shaft in rotation, a cylindrical shell having an end wall at one end fixedly mounted upon said shaft for coaxial rotation therewith, said shell and said end wall defining an annular separation chamber surrounding said shaft with said separation chamber closed at its axially forward end by said end wall and opening into said internal chamber at its axially rearward end, inlet means operable during rotation of said shaft to supply a fluid-solid mixture to be separated into the forward end of said separation chamber and to impel the mixture radially outwardly into the separation chamber with an axially rearwardly directed flow component, annular sleeve means coaxially and detachably mounted within said cylindrical shell adjacent the radially outer periphery of said separation chamber for receiving and entrapping solid particles impelled thereto, and pump means in said casing driven by said drive means for pumping liquid from said internal chamber at a rate at least equal to the rate at which said mixture is supplied by said inlet means to said separation chamber.

Claim 10

A separator as defined in claim 7 wherein Said inlet means comprises an enlarged diameter section at the forward end of said shaft having an inlet chamber coaxially formed therein, means defining impeller passages inclined radially outwardly and axially rearwardly from the rearward end of said inlet chamber into the forward end of said separation chamber, and an air vent passage extending rearwardly through said shaft along the axis thereof from said inlet chamber.

Claim 11

A separator as defined in claim 7 wherein said particle collecting means includes means for inhibiting movement of particles collected therein.

Claim 12

A separator as defined in claim 9 wherein said particle collecting means comprises an annular cylindrical sleeve detachably mounted within said cylindrical shell, said sleeve having an imperforate outer wall, and said means for inhibiting movement comprises a tubular particle-entrapping element seated upon and covering the inner surface of said outer wall.

Claim 13

A separator as defined in claim 9 wherein said tubular entrapping element comprises an annular body of porous cellular material.

Claim 14

A separator as defined in claim 9 wherein said entrapping element comprises a cylindrical wire mesh screen fixedly mounted on said outer wall in concentrically inwardly spaced relationship thereto to constitute an inner wall of said sleeve, and an annular body of fibrous material filling the space between said inner and outer walls.

Claim 15

A separator as defined in claim 9 wherein said entrapping element comprises a tubular sleeve of resilient sheet material having a plurality of slits therethrough, means supporting said sleeve in an unstretched condition in a radially inwardly spaced coaxial relationship to said outer wall, said slits being closed when said sleeve is in said unstretched condition and being opened upon stretching of said sleeve under the centrifugal force of liquid passing therethrough during rotation of said cylindrical shell to permit the passage of particles through the slits of said sleeve.