Centrifugal separator

Claim 1

A centrifugal separator comprising: a rotor supported by a driving shaft and rotatable about a rotational axis, the rotor forming a separation chamber and a centrally located inlet chamber, the inlet chamber having a first and a second axially spaced end and communicating with the separation chamber through channels distributed around the rotational axis, a wall delimiting the inlet chamber at the first end, an inlet means forming an inlet channel, said inlet channel extending through said wall and having an opening within the inlet chamber at said first end, a stack of annular acceleration discs mounted in the inlet chamber coaxial with the rotor for rotation therewith and spaced from each other axially, the stack of discs being positioned between said opening of the inlet channel and the second end of said inlet chamber and, further, forming a central space communicating with the interspaces between the discs, the discs being adapted to entrain in rotation liquid flowing into the disc interspaces from said central space, such that a rotating liquid body having a free liquid surface is formed in the inlet chamber during rotation of the rotor, means forming an evacuation passage connecting said space formed by the disc stack and a space outside the inlet chamber, and a baffle carried in the inlet chamber and extending substantially from the rotational axis of the rotor radially outward to a radial level such that a radially outer portion of the baffle will be located in said rotating liquid body all around the rotational axis of the rotor during rotation of the rotor, the baffle being positioned between said opening of the inlet channel and the stack of discs, thereby directing liquid supplied through the inlet channel to the inlet chamber to flow from said opening of the inlet channel radially outward into said liquid body before entering central space formed in the disc stack.