Centrifugal separators

Claim 1

A centrifugal separator assembly comprising: a cyclone having a generally conical hollow internal chamber and a vortex finder, a stem having a lower end terminating at the conical end of said cyclone, upper and lower bearings mounted on said stem, said lower bearing being substantially at the same height as a part of said cyclone chamber; a centrifuge chamber mounted on said bearings and capable of rotation about said stem, said centrifuge chamber being axially oriented with respect to said cyclone and including a partition dividing the centrifuge chamber into upper and lower parts, the lower part being bounded by an inner wall which closely surrounds the outer side of the upper part of the cyclone wall, a substantial portion of the axial length of said cyclone being coextensive with at least one half of the axial length of said centrifuge chamber; a first passage for leading fluid into said cyclone including a tangential inlet; a second passage leading through the stem with an upward radial component from the apex of said generally conical cyclone chamber to an orifice formed in the rotary inner wall of said upper part of said centrifuge chamber; a third passage leading from the upper to the lower part of the centrifuge chamber at the radial extremity of the partition; means for creating a driving couple which comprises at least one orifice disposed in the lower part of the centrifuge chamber; and, a fourth passage leading from said vortex finder to an outlet.