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Process for centrifugal separation and apparatus for carrying it out, applicable to a mixture of phases of any states

  • US 4,361,490 A
  • Filed: 10/23/1980
  • Issued: 11/30/1982
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1979
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A process for centrifugal separation of a heavy phase from a light phase in a mixture comprising steps of:

  • providing a housing having an outlet and a plurality of apertured plates rotating therewithin;

    offsetting the apertures in adjacent plates to define an inclination therebetween so that at least one uninterrupted helical path through the plates is defined and extends for a substantial length of said housing;

    feeding a fluid mixture which is to undergo separation to the housing;

    defining a boundary between said helical path and a zone outside said helical path which defines the profile of the helical path;

    said zone being located between portions of the helical path and between portions of said plates;

    rotating the plates and imparting an absolute tangential velocity to fluid flowing in said helical path and an absolute tangential velocity to fluid located in said zone, the absolute tangential velocity of the fluid in said helical path exceeding the absolute tangential velocity of the fluid in the zone, said absolute tangential velocity creating a helical path centrifugal force in said helical path and a zone centrifugal force in said zone, any heavy phase crossing said boundary and entering said zone being prevented from moving toward said housing outlet and being subjected to said zone centrifugal force to be moved radially outward of said plates to effect a zone centrifugal separation, and any heavy phase remaining in said helical path being subjected to said helical path centrifugal force which is higher than said zone centrifugal force to effect a helical path centrifugal separation, whereby a plurality of centrifugal separations are performed on said mixture;

    fluidly connecting the zone with a heavy phase collecting means;

    collecting the heavy phase in the heavy phase collecting means;

    fluidly connecting the helical path with a discharge means; and

    discharging the light phase fluid flowing in the helical path from the housing.

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