Decker with partitions for filtrate fractions

Claim 1

A decker, comprising: a tank with a thickening drum mounted rotatably therein and having a filtering drum shell adapted to rotate together with the rotation of the drum; feeding means communicating with the inside of said drum for feeding a mass therein, whose consistency is to be increased during the thickening process; and discharging means also communicating with the inside of said drum for discharging the thickened mass after the thickening process; the filtrate separated from the mass being thickened arranged in flow communication from the inside of said drum through said filtering drum shell to the bottom portion of said tank; the inner surface of said filtering shell being adapted for collecting a layer formed of solids separated from the mass, the thickness of said layer at a predetermined angular distance from the horizontal plane coinciding with the axis of rotation of said drum and consequently the purity of the filtrate filtered through said filtering drum shell at said distance being proportional to the amount of said angular distance; means for continuously removing said layer of solids from the inner surface of said filtering drum shell into the mass inside said drum at a predetermined distance from the horizontal plane; and separating means placed in the bottom portion of said tank outside said drum, said means forming at least one partition point or partition line situated transversely with regard to the direction of rotation of said drum and at a predetermined angular distance from said horizontal plane coinciding with the axis of rotation, the partition point being arranged to accomplish the separation of the filtrate flowing through said filtering drum shell before and after said angular distance, as seen in the direction of rotation, in two filtrate fractions; and a plurality of means in said bottom portion of said tank for continuously withdrawing said filtrate fractions from the decker, each at a substantially constant solids content differing from that of the other fraction.

Claim 12

A method for separating filtrate from a mass to be thickened, comprising the steps of: feeding the mass to be thickened to the inside of a thickening drum rotating within a tank; causing the filtrate separated from the mass to flow from the inside of the drum, through a drum filtering shell, rotating together with the drum to the bottom portion of the tank; effecting deposition of a layer formed of solids separated from said mass on the inner surface of said filtering shell in such a fashion that the thickness of said layer at a predetermined angular distance from the horizontal plane coincides with the axis of rotation of the drum and consequently the purity of the filtrate filtered through said shell at said distance is proportional to the amount of said angular distance; continuously removing said layer from the inner surface of said filtering shell into the mass inside the drum at a predetermined distance from said horizontal plane; separating the filtrate into at least two filtrate fractions using separating means positioned in the bottom portion of the tank outside the drum, in such a fashion, that said means form a partition point or line situated transversely to the direction of rotation of the drum and situated in the direction of rotation of the drum at a predetermined angular distance from said horizontal plane coinciding with the axis of rotation of the drum, thus separating the filtrate flowing through the shell before and after said angular distance into two filtrate fractions; and continuously withdrawing said filtrate fractions from the decker, through means provided in the bottom of the tank for each fraction at a substantially constant solids content differing from that of the other fraction.

Claim 13

A method for separating filtrate from a mass to be thickened, comprising the steps of: feeding the mass to be thickened to the inside of a thickening drum rotating within a tank; causing the filtrate separated from the mass to flow from the inside of the drum, through a drum filtering shell, rotating together with the drum to the bottom portion of the tank; effecting deposition of a layer formed of solids separated from said mass on the inner surface of said filtering shell in such a fashion that the thickness of said layer at a predetermined angular distance from the horizontal plane coincides with the axis of rotation of the drum and consequently the purity of the filtrate filtered through said shell at said distance is proportional to the amount of said angular distance; continuously removing said layer from the inner surface of said filtering shell into the mass inside the drum at a predetermined distance from said horizontal plane; separating the filtrate into at least two filtrate fractions using separating means positioned in the bottom portion of the tank outside the drum, in such a fashion, that said means form a partition point or line situated transversely to the direction of rotation of the drum and situated in the direction of rotation of the drum at a predetermined angular distance from said horizontal plane coinciding with the axis of rotation of the drum, thus separating the filtrate flowing through the shell before and after said angular distance into two filtrate fractions; and continuously withdrawing said filtrate fractions from the decker, through means provided in the bottom of the tank for each fraction at a substantially constant solids content differing from that of the other fraction.