Centrifugal evaporation apparatus

Claim 1

A centrifugal evaporation system for use in reclaiming used industrial solvent having water and solid contaminant therein, comprising: a heated cyclonic still into which the contaminated solvent is injected in a manner to cause the contaminated solvent to move cyclonically within the still, the still having a bottom discharge opening, a vapor outlet, and a contaminated solvent inlet; an inclined elongated heated closed conveyor-dryer having an inlet opening adjacent the lower end positioned under and connected directly to said still bottom discharge opening, the still serving to vaporize the solvent and water content of the contaminated sovent, the solid contaminant passing out said bottom discharge opening of said still as a wet sludge, the slude being drained of liquid and dried as it is upwardly conveyed in the conveyor-dryer, the closed conveyor-dryer having a vapor outlet and a solids discharge outlet adjacent its upper end; a condenser having a vapor inlet and a liquid outlet; conduit means connecting said cyclonic still vapor outlet and said conveyor-dryer vapor outlet to said condenser vapor inlet, the vapor being condensed to liquid in said condenser; a separator having an inlet connected to receive liquid from said condenser liquid outlet, a water outlet, and a solvent outlet, the water and sovent liquids being separated in the separator for separate discharge; and a dry slude receptacle having closed communication with said conveyor-dryer solids discharge outlet for receiving the solids extracted from the contaminated solvent.