Dewatering apparatus

Claim 1

In screening apparatus for separating solids from mixtures of liquids and solids of the type which includes separating means with an upwardly facing and sloping surface that defines flow path from an upper to a lower elevation, along which a mixture to be separated is caused to flow, said separating means including a perforated screening section having perforations sized to pass liquid and less than all of the solids, the improvement comprising: means for substantially reducing the tendency of said screening section to be blinded comprising: discharge means for discharging said mixture into said separating means; pulsing means for causing said discharge to be pulsational; said separating means includes at least two of said perforate screening sections and one unperforate accelerator section receiving mixture from one perforate section and discharging it onto the next, without barrier type impediment, said accelerator section being smooth and offering less resistance to movement of mixture along said flow path than said perforate screening sections, the mixture remaining after passage along said upstream screening section flowing upon and along said accelerator section, and being accelerated thereon as the consequence of gravitational forces, and said lesser resistance to movement before flowing onto the next perforate screening section.