Separation of components of a fluid mixture

Claim 1

A method of separating the solid components out of a liquid mixture, the method comprising: introducing a liquid mixture tangentially into a vessel having cylindrical outer walls and oppositely disposed end walls, via a first tangential inlet, said liquid mixture containing the solid components to be separated, said liquid mixture being introduced at a relatively low pressure head, and said liquid moving rotationally about the cylindrical vessel, such that separation of the solids occurs primarily by gravity, collecting a portion of the liquid associated with the vessel, including at least one of (1) liquid being introduced into the vessel, (2) liquid being removed from the vessel or (3) liquid within the vessel itself and imparting energy to that collected liquid by means including a pump; introducing into the vessel, via a second tangential inlet, the energized collected liquid to create or enhance rotational movement of the liquid within the region of the base of the vessel, said rotational movement being sufficient to cause or enhance an inward sweeping effect toward a first outlet on solids accumulated at the base of the vessel, while being of sufficiently low energy that separation of the solids components in the liquid is brought about primarily by gravity; causing a portion of the liquid mixture with the separated settled solids to pass through an annular opening defined between a body in the vessel and one end wall of the vessel; and removing the settled solids from the liquid mixture from the vessel via the first outlet disposed in the one end wall of the vessel.

Claim 2

A method of separating the solid components out of a liquid mixture, the method comprising: introducing a liquid mixture tangentially into a vessel having cylindrical outer walls and oppositely disposed end walls, via a first tangential inlet, said liquid mixture containing the solid components to be separated, said liquid mixture being introduced at a relatively low pressure head, and said liquid moving rotationally about the cylindrical vessel, such that separation of the solids occurs primarily by gravity, collecting a portion of the liquid associated with the vessel, including at least one of (1) liquid being introduced into the vessel, (2) liquid being removed from the vessel or (3) liquid within the vessel itself and imparting energy to that collected liquid by means including a pump; introducing into the vessel, via a second tangential inlet, the energized collected liquid to create or enhance rotational movement of the liquid within the region of the base of the vessel, said rotational movement being sufficient to cause or enhance an inward sweeping effect toward a first outlet on solids accumulated at the base of the vessel, while being of sufficiently low energy that separation of the solids components in the liquid is brought about primarily by gravity; causing a portion of the liquid mixture with the separated settled solids to pass through an annular opening defined between a body in the vessel and one end wall of the vessel; and removing the settled solids from the liquid mixture from the vessel via the first outlet disposed in the one end wall of the vessel.