Apparatus for continuously separating liquid mixtures

Claim 1

Apparatus for continuous separation of a liquid mixture including a light and heavy phase, said apparatus comprising: means for providing a secondary separation of a light phase and finer particles to be attained prior to a liquid entering a lamella separator assembly, including, a tank enclosing a separation space; an inlet for introducing said liquid mixture to be separated into said separation space; a partition wall disposed in said separation space and dividing said separation space into mutually communicating primary and secondary separation chambers; an inclined upper wall upwardly delimiting said primary separation chamber, said upper wall being effective to capture said light phase of the liquid mixture and readily separate coarser particles contained therein and conduct said particles and said light phase to a light phase outlet disposed at the upper end of said inclined upper wall; said secondary separation chamber being located downstream of said primary chamber for after-separation of lighter liquid phase and finer particles from said liquid mixture arriving from an outlet of the primary chamber, by means of a lamella separator assembly disposed in said separation space in the flow path of said heavy phase and leading to a heavy phase outlet disposed at a lower level than said light phase outlet; wherein said partition wall and said lamella separator assembly are so disposed as to preclude direct settling of coarser particles in said lamella separator assembly, said partition wall having a lower surface adapted to capture any remaining light phase liquid flowing to said secondary chamber and to lead it to a secondary light phase outlet.