CENTRIFUGE HAVING A LUBRICANT SYSTEM

• US 20120071313A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GEA Mechanical Equipment GmbH (GEA Group AG)
• Original Assignee: GEA Westfalia Separator GmbH (GEA Group AG)
• Inventors: Mackel, Wilfried, Sedler, Marie-Theres, Bathelt, Thomas, Penkl, Andreas, Kleimann, Thomas, Terwey, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 9,186,686 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 494/11
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 9/04 Direct drive
• CPC Class Codes: B04B 9/12 Suspending rotary bowls ; Bearings; Packings for bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6662 the liquid being carried by air or other gases, e.g. mist lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6674 related to the amount supplied, e.g. gaps to restrict flow of the liquid

Abstract

Disclosed is a centrifuge including a rotatable centrifugal drum and a drive spindle to drive the centrifugal drum. The drive spindle is rotatably mounted via a bearing in a housing supported elastically on a machine framework. Further included is a drive device including a drive motor to rotate the drive spindle and a lubricant system to lubricate the bearing. The lubricant system is configured to deliver lubricant from a lubricant supply tank through a lubricant channel into a region of the bearing. An injection device is arranged downstream of the lubricant-supply tank and is configured to deliver the lubricant into the region of the bearing by dispensing quantities of lubricant in temporally discrete pulses with a limited-time air stream. A method is disclosed of directing lubricant into a region of a bearing of the centrifuge as noted above.

Claims

1. A centrifuge comprising:

a rotatable centrifugal drum;

a drive spindle to drive the centrifugal drum, which drive spindle is rotatably mounted via a bearing in a housing supported elastically on a machine framework;

a drive device including a drive motor to rotate the drive spindle;

a lubricant system to lubricate the bearing, the lubricant system configured to deliver lubricant from a lubricant supply tank through a lubricant channel into a region of the bearing; and

an injection device, arranged downstream of the lubricant-supply tank, is configured to deliver the lubricant into the region of the bearing by dispensing quantities of lubricant in temporally discrete pulses with a limited-time air stream.

2. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hearing includes a neck bearing and a foot bearing and the lubricant is delivered into a region of the neck bearing or into a region above the neck bearing.

3. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the injection device has positioned downstream of it a lubricant-feed line by which the lubricant is delivered into the region of the neck bearing or into the region above the neck bearing.

4. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the drive motor is aligned with the drive spindle and is configured to rotate the drive spindle directly.

5. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive device is configured to rotate the drive spindle via a drive belt.

6. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the region of the bearing is configured such that lubricant flows through the bearing, and that the lubricant is then directed away through a discharge line out of the region of the bearing and into a lubricant-intercepting tank.

7. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive spindle is arranged such that a free end of the drive spindle is guided through the lubricant-intercepting tank.

8. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 6, wherein the drive spindle configured such that a free end is not guided through the lubricant-intercepting tank.

9. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lubricant-feed line passes through a bore in the housing, and the lubricant flows out through the neck bearing and from there through a discharge channel into the foot bearing and then through another discharge channel in a belt pulley into the lubricant-intercepting tank.

10. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the injection device is an injection lubricator configured to meter out small quantities of lubricant.

11. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 10, wherein the injection lubricator is configured to dispense a quantity of lubricant by a piston for up to two seconds and the injection lubricator is set such that, between individual pulses, there is a pause of more than 60 seconds.

12. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 10, wherein the injection lubricator is configured to dispense a quantity of lubricant of between 5 mm³ and 100 mm³ by a piston every 60 seconds to 180 seconds.

13. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lubricant-intercepting tank includes a closable outlet opening.

14. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or both of the lubricant-supply tank and the lubricant-intercepting tank are integrated into the machine framework.

15. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 2, wherein one or both of the lubricant-supply tank and the lubricant-intercepting tank on the machine framework are configured as separate tanks.

16. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein a region between the drive spindle and the housing is sealed.

17. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein the centrifuge is a solid-bowl centrifuge including a bearing on either side of the rotatable drum, the, bearing being arranged in a ring-shaped housing, and further wherein lubricant is delivered by the injection device from lubricant-supply tank into the region of the bearing.

18. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 17, wherein an axis of rotation of the drum is oriented horizontally, and the housing has a bore, through which the lubricant is delivered into the region of the bearing either above the bearing or to the side of the bearing on the spindle that is oriented horizontally.

19. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 17, further including a discharge which opens out into a lubricant-intercepting tank.

20. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 18, wherein the bore is upstream of an exit of the bore and includes a nozzle.

21. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 17, wherein a sealing device is provided on either side of the bearing.

22. A method of directing lubricant into the region of a bearing of a centrifuge as claimed in claim 1, wherein an oil and air mixture is injected in pulses into the region of the bearing by an injection lubricator.

23. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 11, wherein the pause is between 60 and 180 seconds.

24. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 12, wherein the quantity is between 10 mm³ and 40 mm³.

25. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 19, wherein the discharge channel opens out directly or via another discharge channel into the lubricant-intercepting tank.

26. The centrifuge as claimed in claim 17, further including two discharge channels.